I loved this book- its the seldom told story of “Alien Enemy camps in the US ( Asheville NC to be exact) during WW1. These camps were full of German prisoners who were caught off merchant ships as the war was starting.
I did a quick google search as I was reading and found the photos of the village the prisoners built online. Cool
I like the characters and story -Hetty was left behind in Germany as a newly engaged 17 year old, while Fritz goes off to make money on a merchant ship, so that he can gain her parents approval. She gets a few letters from him, but by the start of WW1 they suddenly stop and eleven years go by with no word. She has decided he is probably dead, but is stuck and cannot seem to move her life forward. She randomly sees a news paper article about a cemetery in NC for German enemy aliens and there is his name ( which evidently is the german equivalent of James Smith). She decides to travel to NC to see if she can get closure. While there she meets a handsome deputy- Garland who helps her uncover the truth. The city has decided to move the graves and Hetty is there to witness the disinterment. To everyone’s surprise- the body in the grave isn’t a big broad shouldered man, but a woman!
Im totally invested in this story and found it an excellent read.

side note the narrator did an excellent job but mis-pronounced Appalachia, but that’s forgivable I did too till I moved to NC. It Appa- latch-a, not Appa-lace-ya.



Slight spoilers below
Both men!!! Ugh- one too selfish and one too shy.




Med spoilers
Fritz : dude ! Could anybody be more self-centered. I want to throttle Fritz! He and his wife were married too for 10 years and had a child together. She dies a year ago and he had absolutely zero mourning . That alone had me rooting for Garrick
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Well written story. The sentences were very descriptive and flowed well. However, the story and the plot is quite predictable, which would be good for some readers, but I was hoping for a bit more.
The narrator does a good job as well. with the story.

Such a great story! This was my first time reading Sarah Loudin Thomas’ work, and I truly loved it. Her writing is flawless, and her descriptions are so vivid I could picture everything clearly in my mind from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to the stark contrast of WWII-era Germany. I loved every character, especially Hedda and Garland. Also, the narrator, Pilar Witherspoon, is absolutely incredible. She had me hanging on to her every word, and her many different accents, from Hedda’s German to Garland’s slow southern drawl, were spot on and just amazing. I will definitely search for more of Sarah and Pilar’s work. If you love sweet, faith-based historical romances, then I highly recommend These Blue Mountains.

Exquisite storytelling. Compelling plot. Unexpected twists. A fascinating bit of unknown (to me anyway) history. Add in a little bit of a mystery and a whole lot of emotion and the result is the kind of story that keeps a reader’s attention right to the very last word.

There are so many intricate nuances in Hedda and Garland’s individual personal histories that bring depth and even intrigue into their story. It’s a slow burn romance that highlights the resiliency and courage of the human heart.

And I love the way the author built on the regional history, even incorporating real life people into the plot. This is the kind of read that piqued my curiosity and led to many online forays which turned ‘These Blue Mountains’ into a truly immersive read for me. I even uncovered a documentary at my library that added so much to my ‘reading’ experience. (I kept looking for Hedda in the old photographs though!)

This was another audio book for me and I loved Pilar Witherspoon’s superb narration. Her capacity to create distinctive voices for a multitude of characters as well as delivering a myriad of emotions enriches the author’s storytelling and makes for an exceptionally satisfying ‘read’.

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

I enjoyed These Blue Mountains, though it wasn't quite what I expected. Based on the description, I anticipated a story more centered around the Holocaust era, but it leaned more toward a romantic narrative. The love story was touching, and the writing flowed well, but I found myself wanting more depth—both emotionally and historically.

Still, it was a solid read with heartfelt moments, and I think readers who enjoy historical fiction with a softer romantic focus will appreciate it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Touches lightly on World War i and leads into World War II. This book focuses on Hedda who 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. Thomas crafts a compelling puzzle that keeps you turning pages, while also delving into themes of grief, resilience, and the cost of uncovering long-buried secrets. The growing connection between Hedda and Garland adds warmth and tension, making the story even more compelling. While the pace is often leisurely, it’s full of beautifully written moments that evoke a strong sense of place and emotion. The historical backdrop of rising tensions in Germany adds an extra layer of urgency and poignancy, reminding us that some ghosts refuse to stay buried. Learning what love is and the lengths one will go to is an underlying theme. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

These Blue Mountains Where grief becomes a compass and love tries to bloom between the cracks of memory and war.

These Blue Mountains is a quietly stunning story—part historical mystery, part emotional reckoning—that moves with the rhythm of a piano piece long unfinished. At its core is Hedda Schlagel, a German pianist whose music and life were silenced when her beloved Fritz vanished during World War I. When a photograph from across the Atlantic offers a sliver of closure, she crosses an ocean in search of peace… only to open a door into something far more tangled and tragic.

Set in the shadow-draped hills of North Carolina in 1932, the novel draws readers into a mystery involving a swapped casket, a woman's unclaimed past, and a trail of quiet betrayals buried by time. It’s not just about Fritz’s disappearance—it’s about who we become when love is lost and truth refuses to stay hidden.

Deputy Garland Jones, with secrets of his own, brings warmth and complexity to this haunting story. His reluctant partnership with Hedda transforms into a slow-burn connection grounded in shared loss and fragile trust. As their investigation unfolds, so does a chemistry that feels tender and hard-earned—made all the more urgent by Hedda’s looming return to a Germany on the brink of catastrophe.

The novel’s emotional pull comes from its sense of quiet desperation: not just for answers, but for second chances. Against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and rising tensions abroad, These Blue Mountains reminds us that history isn’t only shaped by battles—it’s shaped by the stories we tell, the ones we bury, and the ones that insist on being heard.

A poetic, atmospheric read that will speak to fans of Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, and anyone who believes that grief, when met with courage, can sometimes point the way toward unexpected grace.

Engaged to Fritz at the age of only 16, Hedda loses her fiance, aged only 19 himself, when his ship is captured by the Americans in World War I. That is the last that she and Fritz's mother hear of him until many years later, when Hedda accidentally comes a cross a newspaper article that indicates Fritz died in a POW camp in the US.

But when she travels there at the behest of her friend, Fritz's mother Lotte, Hedda has no idea just how complicated a situation she will encounter in America in attempting to track down and repatriate her fiance's remains. Meanwhile, Germany slides into fascism under the rise of Adolf Hitler...

This is an entertaining historical mystery that could have done with some editing for length. There is suspense, romance and charm in the telling of this story, and it feels oddly contemporary (albeit in a reverse manner) given the situation in the United States today. Worth a read for those who enjoy historical romances and mysteries, as the book has elements of both. It gets 3.5 stars.

I was really interested in this book because I wanted to understand what was behind the mystery. The buildup was engaging, and I enjoyed following the details and uncovering the layers of the secret. The story is full of information, and there’s a strong sense that everything was carefully thought through.

What I did find myself missing was a bit more emotion. There were moments that felt powerful, but overall, I wished I could connect more deeply with the characters or feel their experiences in a more personal way. A little more heart would have brought it all together for me.

Still, it’s a solid, well-constructed read — especially if you enjoy stories that slowly reveal their secrets piece by piece. I’m glad I read it, and I think others who enjoy thoughtful mysteries will appreciate it too.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas
Narrated by Pilar Witherspoon

Germany, early 1930s, is when this story begins. Years earlier Hedda Schlagel was to pledged to someday marry her fiancé, Fritz, when the ship he worked on was kept from leaving New York during WWI. Hedda was able to get letters from Fritz, who was then living in a German enemy alien camp in the United States but eventually the letters stopped arriving. In 1932, with Hedda living with Fritz's mother, they see Fritz's name is listed among German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. At the urging of Fritz's mother, Hedda travels to the US with the hopes of bringing Fritz's remains back to his mother and his homeland.

It's during this trip that Hedda meets Deputy Garland Jones, the very man who buried Fritz's coffin. Garland considered Fritz a friend even though Fritz was the internee and Garland was one of his guards. Now, when Fritz's coffin is opened it's not a man in the coffin but a woman. Garland is racked with guilt that he never opened Fritz's coffin since Fritz was supposed to have died of a very contagious disease but also because Garland wanted to distance himself from what he thought could be shady happenings on the day of Fritz's death. Now Garland would like to at least make some kind of amends for his actions (or inactions) all those years ago and he also can't help being attracted to Fritz's fiancé. Is Hedda still a fiancé? Was Fritz involved in the woman's death all those years ago? Is Fritz still alive and if so, where is he and why did he leave Hedda and his mother to grieve all these long years.

I've read so many books about WWI and WWII and here we have one caught right in middle of those times. People are still recovering from the losses of what will be called the First World War someday and now another war that many see coming their way. Germany is in turmoil and many are suffering and dying there by the hands of those who should be protecting them. The horrors of this present day are terrible but so much more is coming and it's interesting to read this story knowing what has already happened but also all the hardship and death that is coming for the world in the next decade that these characters are yet to endure.

During this story we get to see the beginnings of a brand new art guild, meet a famous author, and understand how it must feel to see the great danger that people of Hedda's acquaintance are in because they are being persecuted back in Germany. But even Hedda is in danger, as are other Germans whose papers may not be in order. Hedda grows to love this new temporary home she has found in North Carolina and the people she meets in this new home. Plus, as she and Garland try to find out what might have happened to Fritz so long ago, their feelings for each other are growing.

This is my third book (audiobook) by Sarah Loudin Thomas and each of them has been narrated by Pilar Witherspoon. The narration is so gentle, it shows the politeness of the people Hedda meets, her own quiet demeanor, and the gentleness with which Garland treats this woman he considers brave, beautiful and talented. Sarah Loudin Thomas has a lot of books I haven't read yet and I do plan to go back and read/hear them because I enjoy her way of writing and presenting the worlds she creates.

Thank you to RBmedia | Recorded Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love historical romance and I adored this book! 5 stars! This is such an interesting story. I was enthralled the entire time!

5 stars!

Many thanks to Net Galley and RBMedia for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful story! And the narrator was just perfect for this book. I was captivated. I loved the characters and the storyline.

A great historical fiction that explores an area not often talked about. A well written novel by Sarah Loudin Thomas.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapses when her fiancé, Fritz, vanishes after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1933, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American monument to German POWs in Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda embarks on a journey from Germany to the US. However, her quest takes a dark turn when Fritz's casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones, who helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin, thought he'd left that dark chapter behind. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering and captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. Hedda and Garland grow closer as they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time as unrest in Germany looms, she fears she'll be forced to return home without answers or an end to the ghosts of her past.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a captivating historical novel that immerses you in a poignant story of heartbreak, mystery, and unexpected romance. Hedda Schlagel’s journey from Germany to North Carolina is both emotionally charged and richly detailed, beautifully capturing her desperate hope to uncover the truth about Fritz and find peace for her troubled heart. The narrative expertly combines elements of historical drama with a slow-burning mystery—what exactly happened to Fritz, and why is his coffin hiding a secret? Thomas crafts a compelling puzzle that keeps you turning pages, while also delving into themes of grief, resilience, and the cost of uncovering long-buried secrets. The growing connection between Hedda and Garland adds warmth and tension, making the story even more compelling. While the pace is often leisurely, it’s full of beautifully written moments that evoke a strong sense of place and emotion. The historical backdrop of rising tensions in Germany adds an extra layer of urgency and poignancy, reminding us that some ghosts refuse to stay buried. Overall, These Blue Mountains is a deeply satisfying read—a heartfelt journey through love, loss, and the truth we all seek.