Hedda Schlagel is living a comfortable life in Germany as a piano teacher with the woman who was once destined to be her mother-in-law. Fifteen years after WW1, Hedda still wonders whatever happened to the man she was engaged to, who was captured and kept at a camp in North Carolina, USA. When she sees a news article with her dead fiancé’s name in it, she knows she must go to America to bring his body home.

Deputy Garland Jones is tasked with aiding Hedda to recover the body of her dead fiancé, but when the grave is opened neither one expects what they find.

This story takes place during Hitler’s rise in Germany, which will eventually cause problems for Hedda’s return.

There are rich, historical details sprinkled throughout the entire story bringing the characters to life. The setting is easily pictured as the author takes care to anchor readers in the time and place of the Blue Mountains.

It’s an interesting premise, though I didn’t connect with Hedda. The conflict near the end of the story for Hedda was totally avoidable since she KNEW her time in America was limited. As for Garland’s part in helping her overcome the conflict, I’m not convinced an officer of the law would have done what he did. Throughout the story, this particular conflict is built up and then the story ends with an epilogue where the characters have overcome the conflict. I was expecting more as the situation seemed pretty impossible to resolve (I wanted to “witness” how it was resolved).

I received a copy of the book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas is an engaging historical romance from beginning to end.

This novel is set 15 years after WWI and at the beginning of Hitler’s rise to power. Hedda was engaged to Fritz, who vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp at the start of the Great War. She has assumed (along with Fritz’s mother, Lotte) that he was dead. When she sees a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina, she is determined to go get Fritz’s body and bring him home to his mother. Unfortunately, for Hedda, that’s where things take a dark turn. With the help of Deputy Garland Jones, they try to unravel what happened to Fritz.

I loved the twists and turns in this novel as the reader, along with the characters, gets to unravel the mystery of the woman in the coffin. The attraction between Hedda and Garland was sweet, with a few obstacles keeping them apart, which had me really rooting for them.

With a few surprises, twists and turns, this novel was hard to put down. The research of the time, the alien camp, and Hitler’s rise to power sounded eerily familiar to what is going on in the States right now, and I could not miss the parallels.

These Blue Mountains is a romantic, yet timely novel that will keep you reading way into the wee morning hours. I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Wow! This is a fantastic book! It has everything that I love about the historical fiction genre. I never knew that there were internment camps for German aliens. I also enjoyed the imagery in the book. I've seen the Blue Ridge Mountains and they are a sight to behold!

Hedda is an amazing woman! She's selfless, loving and compassionate. Lotte and Hedda have always wondered what happened to Fritz (son/fiancé). A disturbing photograph has possible answers. Hedda travels from Germany to North Carolina determined to put the past to rest. There she finds answers, hope, and love. Garland is a man with many layers. He has secrets from his past that haunt him. As his path crosses with Hedda's he realizes that the past can't stay buried.

Faith in God is mentioned throughout the book. Fritz hid in Bethania and there he was taught about Jesus Christ. "I am a new man because of Jesus. He has forgiven me everything." This is inspiring to me. It's a reminder for me to share my faith.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House via Netgalley through Interviews and Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Simply put... wow, what a story! I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this one up, but I do know that what I got was definitely so much MORE. However, with so many unexpected twists and turns, I don't want to say too much and take away from the reading experience... because boy, what an experience it was. This story had moments of heartbreak set in the time between the first World War and Hitler's rise to power in Germany, but it also a beautiful message of hope and healing within it as well. I found it to be a perfect blend of history with mystery, found family and yes, some romance too... though I'll admit there were times I wasn't quite sure where the romance was going to go in this one. It was complex and captivating, leaving me wanting to keep going until I knew how it would all turn out. If you are a fan of Christian historical fiction, trust me, this is one you're going to want to add to your TBR.

**ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up

These Tangled Threads was a five-star read for me, so I was excited to read this one!

Have you ever had NO closure to an experience? Stayed awake at night wondering what happened? Wondering if you could have done something, anything, sooner?
Have you ever been told, “Perhaps everything turned out for the best”?

I’d feel anger and bitterness. I’d need to know answers.

So did Hedda Schlagel.

Loudin Thomas explores the echoes of war, in particular, those women who’ve been left behind, not knowing if their sweethearts/husbands have survived or the details surrounding their deaths.

How do you carry on when you don’t know if your loved one is still alive?

One day, Hedda Schlagel stopped receiving letters from her beloved, who’d joined the navy during WW1. When she realized that her mother-in-law-to-be had also stopped receiving letters from Fritz, she presumed he’d died. Her 14-year-long mourning comes to an abrupt stop … you’ll have to read what prompted Helga to finally DO something and discover what steps she took to move on with her life.

Hedda wanted to be more than “the girl whose fiancé never came home.”

I read about the power of place and of art, about how our past influences our present and our future, and about the freedom in taking risks. I learned about Hot Springs, North Carolina and its role during WW1.

This book about finding our past was a compelling historical fiction novel. I felt it could have been a five-star read if there had been more emotion. It just felt flat for me. I needed convincing that Hedda loved Fritz, that Lotte missed her son, that Hedda’s second choice was made from her heart, not her head…and I wanted to backhand Fritz for his lack of backbone.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

THESE BLUE MOUNTAINS by SARAH LOUDIN THOMAS is a very well written novel that takes place in the period between the two world wars. It is a story of love, redemption, forgiveness and second chances. A story of the solace of music and of art.
The story starts in Berlin with Hedda Schlagel setting off to North Carolina, to the Blue Ridge Mountains area, to find news of her fiance, Fritz Meyer, who is thought to have died of typhoid in 1917 whilst in a holding camp for enemy aliens in Asheville. She hopes to put the past to rest for herself and to bring some closure to his mother, Lotte.
She goes to where the graves of those who died in the camp are to be dug up for the bodies to be moved to another cemetary, and finds to her horror that his body is not inside his grave. They find the body of a woman instead! Does this mean that Fritz is still alive? What was his relationship with this woman? Is he a murderer?
Garland Jones, Madison County’s Sheriff’s Deputy, who was a guard at rhe camp at the time Fritz was there, and who actually buried what he thought was his body, is cmmissioned by his superior to find out the truth. Garland, who is not sure how much to divulge to his boss, feeling guilty about overlooking the deceased woman’s visits to her lover in the camp, is struck by Hedda’s plight and cannot do enough for the beautiful and sad woman. We see how he is prepared to go the second mike to help her. We see his unselfishness as opposed to Fritz’s self-serving determination to keep himself safe and to follow his passion for painting. Although perhaps there are extenuating circumstances for his behaviour…..
There are many interesting characters, including Joseph and his Jewish born wife, Anni, who have escaped Hitler’s pogram against anyone with any Jewish blood.
For Hedda the setting in the beautiful Blue Mountains contrasts with the sharpness of the German Alps, just as the freedom she experiences in America does with the harshness of Hitler’s regime in Germany.
I cannot recommend this really great read strongly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The ooinions in this review are completely my own.

What a great job the author does putting faces of those touched by war, wars that began with Germany. A young woman pledges to marry a navy man, he goes off to fight, then isn't heard from. I can't imagine, a mom, a fiancé, in Germany waiting for fifteen years, with no word.
We travel from Europe to America, and back. We are given the beautiful mountains of North Carolina, as Hedda travels to bring home a body. Closure at last?
The lost is found, we have deportation, and secrets revealed, and all the while I was page turning for answers.
This is a love story, but I was wondering to the end if the right people would find each other? Then there are those in Germany, will they get out before its to late?
This is a read that kept giving, and I didn't know about the internment camp in NC, and I loved the epilogue!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

In 1930s Germany, Hedda lives in limbo, waiting for news of her fiance, who was captured in the United States during WWI. When news comes of her fiance's burial, his ailing mother asks Hedda to go to North Carolina to bring his body home. Hedda hopes to find closure, but instead only finds more questions when it turns out that a woman is buried in her fiance's plot. Aided by Deputy Sheriff Garland, she tries to unravel the truth before her time in the United States runs out. Good story, and the author's note was very informative.

Y'all! This book! It's a wow for me. I simply couldn't put this story down until Fritz and Hedda told me their story.
I loved every minute of it.
When I seen the ship's name Vaterland I knew I had to look it up and friends it's the refurbished ship called Leviathan. I was happy to see her in this book.
This is a story of hope, betrayal and redemption. This story says it all. I had many emotions from the beginning until end. I'm still thinking about these characters.
Fear keeps us from doing the right thing. I hated that for Fritz. In my opinion it wasn't fair. I kept rooting for him.
I usually don't read stories like these but this one intrigued me and because it was one of my favorite authors I picked it up. I'm glad I did.
Hedda is an amazing woman. She's a strong and determined woman that's for sure. I admired her.
This was an excellent read that I read well into the early morning hours it was so very good.
The cover is absolutely beautiful. What is the lady on the front thinking about?
Y'all just have to read this beautiful story to find out! I highly recommend it
My thanks for a copy of this book through Interviews and Reviews via Netgalley. I was NOT required to write a positive review. A opinions expressed are mine.