Review: Resistance: Book 3 Fraternity

Eilidh McGinness, Resistance: Book 3 Fraternity (Neilsen 2022)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71916725-resistance?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lILaRxakM6&rank=1

Sabine and her comrades are the brave Resistance operatives who kept the flag of Free France flying until the Nazis were expelled.
For long periods, she is separated from her love, the dashing fighter Hérisson, who will only tell her his real name on their wedding day. She herself is hailed a hero, about which she feels conflicted, as she feels she gave up the job of courier out of cowardice.
This book is set during the end of the Nazi occupation. Sabine, Hérisson, their comrades and relatives face persecution—a few of the women are bearing the children of rape by Nazi soldiers. They experience the massacre at Mussidan, one of the most serious atrocities of this war. A mission goes wrong, and Hérisson and his men are captured and narrowly escape the firing squad.
Most enjoyable about this novel is the portrayals of everyday French life. We can smell the rabbit stew on the cuisinière and hear the crackle of paté being spread on rounds of baguette. The author lives in the south of France and we feel her love of the culture. The characters’ emotional arcs are very rich. We feel the fear of the men facing the firing squad and the tension of the men as they sneak around behind enemy lines. The feelings and the hardships of the women are excellently portrayed. The plot moves excitingly along, and yet time is taken to paint a rich portrait. Some chapters, devoted almost entirely to Sabine’s emotions, are gorgeous.
Book 3 in the series.