An American fighter pilot shot down over Nazi-occupied France. A prostitute determined to gather intelligence for the Allies. And the looming of D-Day during World War II in Flame of Resistance by author Tracy Groot.

At first it was a challenge for me to make heads or tails of this loose retelling of a well-known biblical figure's story. I wasn't yet used to the novel's rhythm, and while its unpredictability kept me on my toes at times, other parts felt a little too expected, and some of the characters seemed pretty naïve here and there.

But then, they've never been through this war before.

It wasn't too long before I got a feel for the author's skilled hand and the poignancy of the different characters' stories. By two-thirds of the way through, I was riveted, feeling on edge through the story's (sometimes merciless) turns.

I'm going to remember the characters as well as the flashes of brilliance in this grave but redemptive wartime novel.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book, for which I've given an honest review, through a rewards program from the publisher. I received no monetary compensation. ( )

The stars of this book for me were the characters, specifically the main stars of Brigitte, Tom, and Michel. They breathed with life in all their complexity. I felt connected with all three in a way that I don't see very often. I loved to see how Brigitte was able to find some hope in a very jaded life, how Tom approached everything with such a huge sense of honor (though not a very strong strategic mind), and how Michel was able to rise above the tragedy of a lost loved one and lost opportunities. If for no other reason, read this book for the people in it.

The actual plot of the novel, on the other hand, was engaging but boy were some of these Resistance operations not very well thought out! I'm surprised as many of the operatives survived as actually did (and everyone didn't survive). The suspense and excitement present in the novel did make up for the poor planning to a degree, but if actual Resistance cells operated like this, the Nazis would have won. Even the characters themselves admit more than once that they were operating on the fly!

Despite the heavy material of the book (i.e. WWII Resistance, torture, and war), there is a nice undercurrent of humor that I felt was special to this novel. Tom's uneasiness with Brigitte's occupation and scenes like Resistance members and German officers sharing cheese and laughter made me smile more than once. Some of the turns of phrase also were very smile inducing.

After all is said and done, this novel was an enjoyable and emotional journey to WWII France. I enjoyed the characters, the humor, and the main plot. Despite some hiccups with operations that stretched the bounds of believability, I'd definitely recommend this novel to any WWII Resistance buff or really anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction novel. ( )

A great book - suspense and intrigue kept me engaged from page 1. The only thing I wish had been different was the epilogue. Rather, I wish there had been a pre-epilogue. I liked the epilogue and found it very fitting to the book, but there was a huge gap between when the story ended and the epilogue began. No details were given in the epilogue to fill in that gap - I needed those details after being with these characters throughout the pages of the book. ( )

This is one of my first books I downloaded on my Kindle a couple years ago. I really enjoyed reading the book. I like to get the prospective on the average French citizen during the Nazi occupation of France and how they where able to resist the Nazis and fight back. Some of the women had to be "friendly" with the Germans so there family could just eat. The two women in the story are very brave to have a German soldier billeted in their home and one of the women fell in love with one. The consequences of getting caught are very dangerous. These women were very brave. Even though the story is Fiction it read like it could have really happened because the French women during that era put themselves and their families at risk to save their county. ( )

This is one of my first books I downloaded on my Kindle a couple years ago. I really enjoyed reading the book. I like to get the prospective on the average French citizen during the Nazi occupation of France and how they where able to resist the Nazis and fight back. Some of the women had to be "friendly" with the Germans so there family could just eat. The two women in the story are very brave to have a German soldier billeted in their home and one of the women fell in love with one. The consequences of getting caught are very dangerous. These women were very brave. Even though the story is Fiction it read like it could have really happened because the French women during that era put themselves and their families at risk to save their county. ( )