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Far Side of the Sea
Far Side of the Sea
Far Side of the Sea
Audiobook10 hours

Far Side of the Sea

Written by Kate Breslin

Narrated by Sarah Zimmerman

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life-a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.

Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.

When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 5, 2019
ISBN9781541449237

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Reviews for Far Side of the Sea

Rating: 4.729729662162162 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

37 ratings10 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It wasn't until I read the Author's Notes that I realized that this was the second book in a series. So, it works really well as a stand-alone read. Set during the First World War, references are also made to the Irish Rebellion. What happens when a wounded British soldier falls in love with a woman who took up arms against the British as a young Irish rebel? Sometimes duty and love are like oil and water. Lieutenant Colin Mabry is haunted by dreams of being trapped underground, the result of having been trapped in a tunnel collapse in which he lost one hand and all the fellow soldiers that had been in the tunnel with him. Now he served in Hastings decoding messages from the front. He never expected to receive a personal message, one that would have him headed to France to rescue the woman who had once rescued him. Johanna Dougherty Reyer had lost her mother in the Irish Rebellion. Now she was in France seeking the father she had seen only once as a young child and the half-sister she had only recently learned about. Discovering her sister's diary at the family farm as well as the fact that she was in serious trouble, Johanna did the only thing she could think of, sending a coded message to the man who had pledged to come back for Jewel. This book has many twists and turns. The reader will be challenged to decide which characters are truly on the side of the Allies, and which are not. Deception abounds. I recommend this book to fans of historical, romantic and suspense genres. I am grateful to have received a copy of Far Side of the Sea from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Kate Breslin is a great author. The narrator does an amazing job at capturing my imagination.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Far Side of the Sea is such a delightful book on so many levels. Well researched, thoughtfully written, characters you feel like you know personally, and a story that will keep you captivated and satisfied all the way through.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a lovely book. The characters, setting, and time period was wonderful. I felt connected to the characters and felt their disappointments and joys as they searched for Johanna's sister and father.This book has intrigue and romance. The characters do not know who to trust as they journey. They are not even sure if they can trust each other. The story takes us from England, through France, and then to Spain during WWI.This is a wonderful book. I give it a high recommendation. It is Christian fiction. I found it to be clean with kissing, and non-descriptive violence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I haven’t read many books set in WWI so my frame of reference for Kate Breslin’s newest novel, Far Side of The Sea, was very much limited. But the author’s meticulous research filled the gaps and opened my imagination to the turbulent time. Set in England, France, and Spain, this romantic historical novel is all about spies! With agents and double agents, the main characters (and the reader) don’t know whom to trust. It is an adventure back to a time of romance, danger, and courage. Recommended.The two main characters, Colin and Johanna, struggle with the circumstances life has handed them. Colin’s war wounds are both physical and emotional, and Johanna’s past impacts her present identity. I loved how the two together learned to face their demons, as they banded together to search for Johanna’s sister and father. Their romance begins tentatively, yet strengthens as they face adversity. The historical setting is very interesting, and I found myself saying I didn’t know that! over and over. This book sent me to Google for info on carrier pigeons and Mata Hari, two fascinating rabbit trails. The book certainly made me want to broaden my scant knowledge of WWI. The book started somewhat slowly for me, but as Colin and Johanna’s search heated up, so did my reading pace. I found myself unwilling to put the book down until I found out just what was going on. As you can guess with a book heavily populated with spies there was plenty of mystery and intrigue woven throughout. Faith is also an important part of the characters’ lives and growth and was presented naturally.Far Side of The Sea is a good choice for fans of historical romance. And if you like an adventure fraught with danger, you’ll enjoy this novel even more.Recommended.Audience: adults.(Thanks to Bethany House for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved learning about WWI and how carrier pigeons were used to get messages to and from certain areas. This had a great amount of history and just the right amount of romance. There was even some intrigue thrown in. I loved the characters of Colin and Johanna. It is fun to see how they learn to trust one another during these trying times. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Allow me to preface this by saying that if you enjoy historical fiction and have not read any of Kate Breslin’s books, you are truly missing out. Her stories shine in this genre for their factual historical accuracy and their heart. The redemptive thread woven throughout each novel whispers hope and encouragement to the reader. Not only will you learn something along the way, but you’ll also connect with her characters on an emotional and perhaps spiritual level. That is the mark of exceptional historical fiction. Achieving that delicate balance of plot, history, and character requires skill, and Breslin always executes it brilliantly.“Far Side of the Sea” exceeds all of Breslin’s previous books for its excitement and complexities. Although it can serve as a standalone, readers will benefit from reading “Not By Sight” first, as “Far Side of the Sea” is a sequel of sorts and will spoil who ends up with whom. Picking up “Far Side of the Sea” is like stepping into 1918 England in the midst of World War I. The story takes place apart from the actual conflict, yet the battle exists as a haunting echo throughout the narrative. War hero Colin Mabry answers the beckoning of Jewel, the girl he left behind a year ago, only to find that the woman who contacted him is her sister, Johanna, who believes that Jewel is being held against her will by a German agent. In spite of his suspicions, he heeds the call of his conscience, and in so doing falls down the rabbit hole of espionage and tenuous alliances on a cross-country mission.Aside from having read “Not By Sight” when it released, I went into “Far Side of the Sea” knowing only that it was Colin’s story. I purposely did not read the summary beforehand because I did not want to ruin any surprises. And were there ever surprises! You know that the author is doing a fantastic job with her characters when you do not know whom to trust and when they continually turn your perceptions upside down. The plot is impressively intricate, with layer upon layer of intrigue right up to the last. Yet within all of the espionage is a tender love story and a budding faith, heartwarming moments amidst the realities of war. Also, some thought-provoking historical tidbits pepper the narrative. It never occurred to me that carrier pigeons only fly one way, and I did not know that a facsimile of Paris was constructed to divert German Gotha bombers. Colin’s struggle with the aftereffects of shell shock, now known as PTSD, and the role that this plays in the story is both heartwrenching and captivating and is handled gracefully. Much of what makes “Far Side of the Sea” so compelling is that it opens the door to the world a century ago and shows us that it is not so very removed from our world today. We still grapple with our own personal fears, but when we find and strengthen our faith in the One who made us and loves us, we realize that nothing can separate us from Him, not even if we find ourselves on the far side of the sea.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    “No matter where they take him, you are never alone. God is with you. Know it, and trust in Him.”What an adventure! Kate Breslin’s writing, as always, is flawless but this story steps it up a notch by adding quite a bit of mystery and intrigue as spies infiltrate Europe during WWI. The plot is intricately crafted to make this story a page-turner and the real history behind the story is quite interesting. Kate Breslin combines these elements with unforgettable characters, beautiful dialogue, and lessons in faith and courage to bring forth another stunning, must-read historical fiction. There is a book that comes before this one called Not By Sight but I did not read it before reading this book. Far Side of the Sea can be read as a stand-alone and I don’t think I missed anything though Grace (Colin’s twin) and her fiancé from the first book do play minor roles in this story. Colin is a swoon-worthy hero who is loyal, faithful, kind and tender-hearted though he’s emotionally and physically wounded and scarred from serving in the front line during the war. He’s definitely flawed, with his easily stoked temper and constant sense of insecurity, but his courage and bravery to do the right thing win the day. Johanna is a young woman with a troubled and tragic past who is only looking for love and acceptance from a father and sister she never knew. Though somewhat unconventional for her time, Jo is straight-forward, fun, loving and fiercely loyal to those whom she loves. Their romance, courage, and faith blossom as they work together in the midst of treachery and deception and espionage to find Jo’s long-lost father. For historical fiction and historical romance aficionados, this book is one of the top reads of 2019! I received a copy of the book from Bethany House and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kate Breslin has written another epic love story set during WWI. It takes place in England, France and Spain as the war is going on. When the main character is stationed in England, he can hear the German guns blowing up buildings in France and when he gets to Paris, he sees the devastation for himself. The year is 1918 and Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel, the woman who saved his life in France. She needed help and she knew that she could trust him. He had believed that she was dead so was anxious to go to Paris as requested to help her out. Not only had she saved his life but they developed feelings for each other while she was hiding him from the enemy. He was upset when he got to Paris and the person who met him was not Jewel but instead her sister Johanna. She had found Jewel's diary in the wreckage of her house and after reading about Colin in the diary, she knew that he would help her find her sister and their father. She had knowledge that her sister was being held captive by a German soldier and needed help to escape. As their search starts out, they are surrounded by spies from both sides and have no idea who to trust and who could harm them. As they travel from France to Spain, they get even further into a deadly case of espionage that could cause their deaths and they realize that they can only trust each other.This book has it all -- a sweeping view of WWI and it's effects on France, the beauty of Spain, spies and counter spies but most importantly it has love and the firm belief that God will help the couple survive and be successful in their quest.I really enjoyed this novel and hope to see these characters again in a future novel by Kate Breslin.Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Once I began this read, I was hooked, a wonderful historical story, set in western Europe, and deep into WWI, we are often in the line of fire. Even more we are surrounded by spies, and don’t know whom to trust, and warning don’t get too comfortable with a few of these individuals!Deceit is abundant here, some for positive reasons and others, well!I loved that we are reminded of this period of trial by true things that were happening, including the use of carrier pigeons. Also, the flu that was rampant during this time, and using the illness to one’s advantage!A little sweet romance is offered, and in the beginning our main character Colin, we aren’t sure whom he is interested in, and in the end, can anything work out once secrets are revealed.When all is done, and the last page is turned, a sense of loss was felt!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.