The Girl in Gray by Annette Lyon {Review}

The Girl in Gray by Annette Lyon

Kindle Edition, 318 pages

Published October 29th 2019 by Blue Ginger Books 

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I received a small kickback with qualifying purchases.

 

    

 

A country fighting to stay free.
A woman with an impossible decision.
In November of 1939, Sini Toivola is sure of two things: she loves Marko Linna, and she has a comfortable life in Helsinki. But when the massive Soviet army invades her beloved homeland and Marko spurns her affections, her life is turned upside down. Needing a fresh start, Sini decides to join the female volunteer corps—the Lotta Svärd—and is sent to serve near the front lines. Service at a field hospital proves a good distraction—until Sini discovers a Russian soldier lost behind their camp. Duty requires her to turn him in, but her heart begs to keep him safe and help him escape. Torn between love for her country and love for her enemy, Sini must choose—but no matter what choice she makes, heart-wrenching consequences await them all.

 

My Review: 5 Stars

 

War isn't pretty and this author does a fantastic job of creating a real, raw, and gritty tale of the effects of the fighting between Russia and Finland during WWII. 

 

Sini wants to do whatever she can to support her country and its efforts in the war and finds herself serving as a Lotta, working in the kitchen and as a medical assistant. I love how Sini learns to look beyond a face to find a person's true self through her experiences and how she discovers core values and priorities.   

 

I also loved the play on the title. Sini dresses blandly and in gray wool with her assignment, but she also learns that life and war isn't always clear cut between black and white, or good and evil. She finds there are a lot of gray areas and ends up smack in the middle of one.

 

I love a good history lesson, mingled with fiction and romance, and I haven't read much about WWII that takes place in this area. I enjoyed learning more and connecting with the emotions of these characters, as they not only battled the enemy, but battled their feelings and themselves. This story is gripping and definitely tugs at the heart.

 

Content: moderate romance (kissing, one scene that nudges the envelope and then fades-to-black); moderate violence (war stuff that is semi-graphic at times, but not over the top); mild language