My goodness is all I could say when I first finished Codes of Courage by A L Sowards. The action, the angst, the author’s ability to make me sympathize with the good guys and the enemy (well, maybe just Rolf and his wife) was worthy of a standing ovation. I learned a lot and commend Soward for her in-depth research on U-boats and the war. But I’m torn!
First, you taught me a history lesson and made me care for the characters; then, you tore my heart out. The ending of the story completely gutted me. And as a fellow author, I understand that it cannot be all rainbow sprinkles, and that was the way of life during WWII, but also, as a fellow author, the character development made me care way too much for this treatment. Anyway, I enjoyed the story immensely and will continue to torture myself with more of your work.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.
Book Blurb
In a battle of torpedoes, depth charges, and secret codes, nothing is as vulnerable as the human heart.
1940: Austrian refugee Karl Lang has lost everything―his country, his home, and his family. All that is left to him is a burning ambition to see the Nazis defeated. Desperate for work and a way to help the war effort, he finds the one place that will take a refugee like him: a supply steamer traversing a deadly path past enemy U-boats.
Since their first meeting, Millie Stevens has felt an undeniable connection to Karl. As the war rages, she shares his determination to oppose the Nazis and finds work at the British codebreaking center at Bletchley Park. There she uses all her intellect and determination to break German codes and read U-boat transmissions―or risk losing the man she loves.
Rolf Denhart will do anything to defend the Fatherland, including long patrols in a cramped U-boat. But rumors from Germany leave him uneasy, forcing a choice between loyalty to his homeland, the safety of his family, and his peace of conscience.
In the midst of war, three lives are woven together to create an epic tapestry of love and loss, joy and pain, sacrifice and courage.
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