So Shall We Stand

Women of Valor #2

by Elyse Larson

Caught In a Web of Espionage, Two Determined Friends Search for Truth...and a Way Out. Widowed when her husband's plane was shot down during the London blitz, Nella Killian returns home to Wales determined to build a normal life for her young daughter. But when she inadvertantly uncovers evidence that raises questions about the death of a young American soldier, Nella becomes the enemy's next target. Fearing for the safety of her family, Nella must make a courageous choice. Peggy Jones is like a sister to Nella, having come as a young girl to live with Nella's family. When she comes to Nella's aid, Peggy finds herself entangled in the same dark web of danger. To whom can they turn for help when it seems that everyone is harboring deadly secrets?

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, Christian Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2001

About the author

A full-time writer with a passion for historical research, Elyse Larson developed a particular interest in World War II and the faith that sustained believers during one of the most devastating wars on earth. It was this special fascination, and a friendship with a woman who served as a Red Cross worker in Wales, that led her to develop her Women of Valor series.
Fueled by travels to Abergavenny, Wales, as well as through portions of what had been occupied France, Elyse was able to experience firsthand the geography and world that was torn asunder during the conflict. Combined with rare books she found during her travels and the personal accounts shared by her friend, she now had enough information to form her story and recreate this dramatic world.

Elyse credits her writing success to her parents’ upbringing, which taught her the importance of persistence. A native of Oregon, Elyse attended Williamette University and spent over ten years as a dental assistant before moving to writing full-time.

Since then, she has been successful in nearly every form she has attempted. The author of children’s picture books, numerous historical novels, and even a devotional for caregivers, Elyse has also been published in many periodicals including Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, and The Christian Reader. The time she isn’t writing is now spent traveling for writer’s conferences as a private writing instructor.

Elyse and her husband, Richard, continue to reside in Oregon. They have three grown children and eleven grandchildren.

Reviews

[Jessalyn Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.

I did not like a lot of this book. The main character, Nella, kept making all these dangerous and foolish decisions and it was hard to cheer for someone so reckless.

At the near end there was a major plot twist with a primary character actually secretly being a nazi spy! The whole relationship dynamics were turned on their head and someone you thought was great was actually sinister and evil. It was such a bold choice that I totally changed my mind and thought, okay this book is maybe great?

But then the character winded up being a double agent. And actually good the whole time. Which is fine and a happy ending and all, but dramatically a MUCH weaker choice.

Throughout the book the tone flipped between being a christian romantic type book (which is far from my favorite genre at the moment) and a nancy drew style mystery which was fun. So although it wasn't my favorite book to read there were bits and pieces that I quite enjoyed.

[Lydia Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the first book in this series because I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed and therefore had trouble concentrating on reading. Goodness. Both books were amazing! They have basically every element that makes a book stand out for me - in fact if I wanted to get specific, then I would say my favorite type of book is historical fiction that takes place in Europe during WW2 and has espionage. That describes this book pretty much perfectly.

Unfortunately I didn't get this book reviewed right away, so I can't remember if there were any elements that I didn't particularly like, but as far as I remember the romance and violent descriptions were both kept to a minimum.

I am very much looking forward to reading the third book in the series, and will in all likelihood re-read these books some day. They rank among my favorite for 2017 so far.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elyse Larson has written a series of three books titled Women of Valor. These three books follow three friends as they acclimate themselves to living in wartime. I have read and reviewed the first book, “For Such a Time” and decided after reading that first of the series that I would read all of them.

The second book in the series is “So Shall We Stand”. We follow Nella who has lost her husband during the Blitz when his plane was shot down defending Britain. She gave birth to his daughter after his death and now lives with her parents in Abergavenny, Wales. She is struggling to overcome the death of her husband and decides to help do her part to help the war effort. This is the area where a military hospital is located to treat those soldiers who have been wounded in battle. In assisting the nursing staff at this hospital she becomes familiar with a soldier who seems to have battle fatigue. Most of the staff think that he is bluffing to get out of having to go back to battle, and when he is found drowned one morning, the cause is listed as suicide. However, Nella has her doubts and feels that there is something sinister about the whole thing.

Britain and Wales were not immune to the threat of German spies living among them and passing information back to the Germans. When Nella starts to ask too many questions, she and her family are threatened. In order to appease whoever is terrorizing her, she joins the Land Girls. These are women who sign up to take the place of the men at war working on farms. She hopes that she can overcome the threat in getting away from her baby and parents. However, she is still in the web of intrigue that plagues this small area. Someone is a Nazi spy. Courageously, Nella continues to dig deeper in the death of the soldier and finds that sinister happenings are occurring. What she does with the information and who she confides in keeps the reader involved.

I find that Ms. Larson has a true gift. Writing historical novels entails a knowledge of that time of history and the perception of how the characters would have acted at that time. I highly recommend this entire series.

You can find this review on my blog at https://wp.me/p2pjIt-vZ. Other reviews can be found at http://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in a three-book series. The story continues where book 1 left off, but with a focus on a different character. The setting is England during WWII. Two women, Peggy & Nella, find themselves in danger after discovering a letter written by a now-dead solider warning of German spies in England. There are lots of twists and turns and suspense and romance all rolled up into one dramatic book. Looking forward to book 3!

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to read this again because it's been a long time. Loved this story, it kept me guessing and I couldn't put it down. I love WWII stories with some good suspense and romance. :)