Review/Giveaway: The Heart Mender

 

Book Description

A unique blend of historical fact and engaging fiction showing the power of forgiveness.

In 1942, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel. While taking a late-night walk, Helen Mason—widowed by war—discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave him to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind.

In The Heart Mender, a small town must prepare itself for the worst the world has to offer, and Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts to create a future.

Product Description

A unique blend of historical fact and engaging fiction showing the power of forgiveness.

While digging up a withering wax myrtle tree beside his waterfront home on the Gulf coast, author Andy Andrews unearths a rusted metal container filled with Nazi artifacts and begins an intriguing investigation that unlocks an unspoken past that took place in his backyard . . . literally.
In 1942, as the country gears up for a full-scale commitment to WWII, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel. While taking a late-night walk, Helen Mason-widowed by war-discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave him to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind.
Set in a period simmering with anger and suspicion The Heart Mender offers the very real chronicle of a small town preparing itself for the worst the world has to offer. As cargo from torpedoed ships begins to wash up on the beach, Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts to create a future.
Blending his unique style of historical accuracy with unparalleled storytelling, New York Times best-selling author Andy Andrews offers a tale of war, faith, and forgiveness illuminating the one principle that frees the human spirit.

My Review:

Wow... a winning combination of history, romance, inspiration and suspense for Andy Andrews again! I was so moved by this excellent book with a captivating story. I kept reading page after page and couldn't put it down because the story got better and better. By the time I reached the end I was thoroughly surprised!

I loved the main characters, Helen and Josef, and the charm of the small town with very intriguing events happening during World War II when German submarines attacked U.S. vessels off the Gulf of Mexico. I had two Greek Uncles who were serving in the military back then. They never wanted to share with us just what they saw and experienced.

I believe The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances is a book for them, for you and for me. I highly recommend you purchase this book for yourself and one to giveaway. ***** stars!

My favorite parts:

"History tells us that a democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. Every democracy finally collapses due to loose fiscal policy." (So far we're the only democracy pretty much that hasn't failed so far)

"Because whenever you get hurt by somebody, you can either think about 'em all day long and let 'em keep hurting you inside... or give them to God."

"Give them to God... then you can be happy."

 The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances

Watch the video trailer of this fantastic book! Andy Andrews-The heart Mender.

 

Imagine that you are a newly-wed, deeply in love with your husband. It is wartime, and your husband is a military pilot. He heads over to Europe soon after your wedding to train allied pilots, where he is shot down and killed by enemy fire. Somehow, you manage to struggle on, but you are filled with rage and hatred for those who killed your husband. 

One day, you are walking on the beach, and you find a man face down in the sand by the shore. You lean down to see if he’s alive and find a bullet wound in his shoulder. Slowly, you manage to roll him over onto his back and recoil in horror. He is wearing the uniform of the enemy, the same country that is responsible for your beloved husband’s death. What do you do? Leave him on the beach where he’ll probably die? Finish him off yourself? Call the authorities to deal with him? Or take him home, in spite of your hatred for him, and nurse him back to health?
This is a true story. Author Andy Andrews writes about it in The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances after he finds a bag with photographs (one of which includes Hitler) and German military artifacts buried in the sand near his house on the Gulf Coast. Why were these items buried on the beach? And why German items? There weren’t any Nazis on the Gulf Coast during World War II as far as he knew. Or were there? As Andrews digs deeper into the mystery he uncovered in his yard, he finds answers that shock him and compel him to find out more. Were German U-boats hovering around the US coastline? Who was supplying them, and why wasn’t this in the news? Could Nazis have actually come ashore? And what was the story behind the items in the sand?

The Heart Mender will keep you glued to its pages from beginning to end as the answers to these questions are revealed. Not only is it a fascinating story, but it brings up all kinds of questions about war, hatred, family, and forgiveness. Is it really possible for people to overcome anger and hate? How could the world be changed if we all learned the power of forgiveness? And how do anger and forgiveness affect us on a more personal level?
Follow the story of Helen and Josef in The Heart Mender as they confront these issues during a period of history when forgiveness seemed impossible and peace a distant hope. It’s a story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it. A Reader’s Guide at the end makes The Heart Mender an excellent choice for book clubs and classroom discussions.

 Be sure to check out The Heart Mender's website: 

http://www.andyandrews.com/theheartmender 

Book Giveaway:

Title: The Heart Mender

Author: Andy Andrews

Genre: Christian historical fiction

How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry. For extra entries, blog or tweet this giveaway!

Entry deadline: June 10, 2010, Check back for the winner announcement from the drawing.
U.S. Residents only!

 The Heart Mender was provided for review by Thomas Nelson.

-- LadyD Books

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis