In a grand Paris apartment, a young girl attends gatherings regularly organized by her mother. The women talk about beauty secrets and gossip, but the mood grows dark when the past, notably World War II, comes under coded discussion in hushed tones. Years later, the silent witness to these sessions has become a prominent historian, and with this chilling autobiographical novel she sets out to unmask enigmatic figures in and around her family. Why, she seeks to understand, did the narrator’s relatives zealously collaborate with the Nazi occupiers of France, even remaining for decades afterward obsessive devotees of that evil lost cause?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cécile Desprairies is a specialist in Germanic civilization and a historian of the Nazi occupation of France.
The author of several historical works about the occupation and the Vichy regime, she was born in Paris in 1957.
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Loyalty during Peril
In the heart of war-torn France, Isabelle Seauve’s resolve is tested after her father sacrifices his life to protect her involvement in the French Resistance. Heartbroken, Isabelle becomes more dedicated to hiding Jewish children in and near the village of Sisteron despite the growing danger when she discovers a traitor within the Resistance ranks.
Truth amid Deception
As the shadow of betrayal looms, Isabelle’s world collides with that of US Army Chaplain Peter Christensen, who carries emotional scars from his first position in Kentucky and his service in North Africa. Together, they face the brutal reality of war as the second D-Day—the Allied invasion of Provence—unfolds.
Bravery through Trial
Fifteen-year-old René Amblard narrowly escapes a devastating German attack that claims the lives of his mother and their fellow Maquis fighters. With a Jewish orphan girl at his side, René seeks out his cousin Isabelle for refuge while he contemplates revenge.
When the bombs of Operation Dragoon begin to fall, this unlikely group of heroes must first find freedom in their souls before they can rebuild what has been destroyed.
CHECK A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE PLACES CONNECTED WITH THE BOOK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH MUSSER,
an Atlanta native, writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France.
Elizabeth’s award winning, best-selling novel, The Swan House,
was named one of Amazon’s Top Christian Books of the Year,
one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of the Past 100 Years
and was awarded the Gold Illumination Book Award 2021 for Enduring Light Fiction.
All of Elizabeth’s novels have been translated into multiple languages and have been international bestsellers. Two Destinies, the final novel in The Secrets of the Cross trilogy, was a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. The Long Highway Home was a finalist for the 2018 Carol Awards. The Promised Land won the 2021 Carol Award for Contemporary Fiction
and won second place in Literary Fiction at the 2021 Georgia Author of the Year Awards.
Elizabeth’s most recent novel, By Way of the Moonlight, is a Publisher’s Weekly Top Ten Pick in Religion and Spirituality for Fall Releases in 2022 and Parable and ECPA bestseller and was a finalist for the 2023 Christy Award.
For over thirty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with One Collective, formerly International Teams.
The Mussers have two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.
Elizabeth spends half the year in Lyon, France and half the year in the US, near Chattanooga, TN.
She is available for speaking engagements in both countries. You can contact her here.
NB: please enter full name: first name and family name
(no worry: if you are the winner,
the widget will only display your first name and the initial of your last name)
please enter your full US address, double check before clicking
Entries not abiding in these 2 rules will be disqualified
Email addresses of all entries will be sent to the author
Only the winners will have their mailing address sent to the author
In a grand Paris apartment, a young girl attends gatherings regularly organized by her mother. The women talk about beauty secrets and gossip, but the mood grows dark when the past, notably World War II, comes under coded discussion in hushed tones.
Years later, the silent witness to these sessions has become a prominent historian, and with this chilling autobiographical novel she sets out to unmask enigmatic figures in and around her family.
Why, she seeks to understand, did the narrator’s relatives zealously collaborate with the Nazi occupiers of France, even remaining for decades afterward obsessive devotees of that evil lost cause?
ABOUTH THE AUTHOR:
Cécile Desprairies is a specialist in Germanic civilization
and a historian of the Nazi occupation of France.
The author of several historical works about the occupation
and the Vichy regime,
she was born in Paris in 1957.
NB: please enter full name: first name and family name
(no worry: if you are the winner,
the widget will only display your first name and the initial of your last name)
please enter your full US address, double check before clicking
(I’m done checking and correcting mistakes in zipcodes!)Entries not abiding in these 2 rules will be disqualified
Email addresses of all entries will be sent to the publisher
Only the winners will have their mailing address sent to the publisher
July 2, 2025
WordsAndPeace
France Book Tours 