April 17th:
Joy in the Moments:
April 18th:
My Book a Day:
Bookworm Lisa:
Rockin’ Book Reviews:
April 19th:
EmpowerMoms:
“This is one book that never had a dull moment and was extremely hard to put down. It is one of the best books I have read and I would recommend it to people who are history fanatics.”
I Love to Read and Review Books:
Why Not? Because I Said So!
“If you see this book getting 5 stars from most reviewers, there is a good reason why… because it truly deserves it! . . . This is an amazing story of courage, hope, faith, and enduring through great tribulation. The title of “Defiance” is Lukas showing Defiance against the enemy and against his own doubts about himself and the will to survive. I’ve read most of the books written by A.L. Sowards and in my opinion, this book is the best. The emotions that this story stirs up in the reader definitely makes this a story you will remember for a long time.”
LDS and Lovin’ It:
“A.L. Sowards has become one of my favorite historical fiction writers. She seems to have a knack for creating great characters, intense, intriguing plots, and powerful historical settings. Defiance certainly fits that description. . . Frankly this sort of story can be hard to read sometimes because of all the awful things that happened to so many people. At the same time I find these stories inspiring as well, that people sometimes managed to survive in the face of such horrors. Another remarkable book by one of my favorite authors.”
April 20th:
The Things I Love Most:
Singing Librarian Books:
Getting Your Read On:
“I love reading books by A. L. Sowards. You can tell that she does her homework because her stories come to life. They feel meaty, real and emotional. One of my favorite genres is historical fiction- just like this. War is never an easy subject to read about. While I loved this book, I had to read it in doses because my heart just couldn’t take it all in one sitting. I had so many emotions reading this book- gratitude, heart break, anger, sadness, pride, hope, relief, but mostly gratitude. So many people have given so much- everything, really, to defend humanity from tyrants, to ensure freedoms and to defend what is right. It’s humbling. This book brings all of this to the forefront for me.”
Katie’s Clean Book Collection:
“. . . The writing is real, raw, and just plain amazing. Sowards has an uncanny ability to write about this time in history in a way that engages the reader, tells things how they probably were, and really makes a reader think.”
Literary Time Out (Triple Review):
Andrea’s Review: “A.L. Sowards’ new book Defiance is a must read for WWII fiction fans! It is an excellent story that I devoured. And, like Sowards other historical fiction novels, she is able to engage readers and really make them feel the horrors of war without bogging them down with graphic, gory, details. Sowards creates such deep characters. You can’t help but become attached to them. I really liked Lukas, and I ached for him and his fellow soldiers. . . . Defiance is well written, and I highly recommend it, along with Sowards’ other books.”
Tarah’s Review: “My husband looked at the cover of this novel, and then looked at me, and then looked at the cover and said, “This isn’t your typical read.” It’s true…it’s not, but boy did I stay up way too late finishing it. . . I can’t wait to recommend this book to different people than I normally recommend books to, and also to the regular people.”
Rorie’s Review: “Wow. So much description in this book. Description so rich, you almost feel like you’re there with them. . . This book is one I will recommend to anyone who is interested in WWII, or even if they’re not, this book is just that good. Heartbreaking, hard to read at time, but full of hope too.”
April 21st:
Mel’s Shelves:
“This is a well-written and well-researched book. There were times that I forgot it was fiction because it felt so real. I have loved every book I’ve read by this author and she delivered with this one as well! This is a fantastic choice for anyone that enjoys reading World War II novels!”
Tressa’s Wishful Endings:
“DEFIANCE is a heartbreaking but inspiring story. A candidly told story about the struggles of one young man and his fellow soldiers during WWII from the front lines to various POW camps. It’s also a story of survival, perseverance, forgiveness, and faith. Highly recommended!”
A. L. Sowards 
I think this one is probably my favorite you’ve ever done. It tugged at every single one of my emotions and I could not stop reading once I started. My son wants to read it next, but I told him to read a few of the earlier ones first. Good job, Amanda. I nominated it for a Whitney.
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Thank you so, so much Charissa, for the review, the comment, and the nomination. Your review made my day! (Now I want celebratory cheesecake, lol.) I hope your son enjoys whichever book(s) he reads. I love introducing readers (especially younger readers) to aspects of history they might otherwise be unaware of.
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Yeah, he picked it off the table and read the back, then said, “Can I read this?” Since he doesn’t have tons of time to read, I was impressed. So he has 3 of your books in his room now.
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Awesome!
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