Broken Blades

by Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt

Rainbow Award Winner 2016 “Best Gay Book”

They only had one night together—a stolen interlude at the 1936 Olympics. After Mark Driscoll challenged Armin Truchsess von Kardenberg to a good-natured fencing match, there was no resisting each other. Though from different worlds—an Iowa farm boy and a German aristocrat—they were immediately drawn together, and it was an encounter neither has ever forgotten.

Now it’s 1944, and a plane crash in hostile territory throws them back together, but on opposite sides of a seemingly endless war. Facing each other as opponents is one thing. As enemies, another thing entirely. And to make matters worse, Mark is a POW, held in a cold, remote castle in Germany … in a camp run by Armin.

They aren’t the young athletes they were back then. The war has taken much from them, leaving both gray beyond their years, shell-shocked, and battered. The connection they had back then is still alive and well, though, and from the moment Mark arrives, they’re fencing again—advancing, retreating, testing defenses.

Have they been given a second chance? Or have time and a brutal war broken both of them beyond repair?

Genres: M M Romance, Historical, Military Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, LGBT

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2016

About the author

https://aleksandrvoinov.substack.com/

Reviews

[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ☆

Man cannot help but strive, and although I know that some quests are hopeless, I do wish to capture a small flame from the past and kindle a light for us in our present.

i love star crossed lovers stories bc of the tension and longing and this didn't disappoint. this felt so real and there were moments in the book where i wasn't sure how things were going to end or i'd be thinking "pls don't get caught pls don't get caught", but i loved both mcs, especially Armin. 🥺

[Rina Pride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, já virei fã desses autores! Foi mais um livro com tema da segunda guerra mundial, conseguiu ser tão interessante quanto Unhinge The universe que foi um livro que amei. Broken Blades nos traz outra história de amor entre um comandante alemão e um soldado americano. Aqui é ainda mais complicado, os dois se conheceram antes da guerra começar, se conheceram na olimpíadas e tiveram uma atração instantânea. 8 anos depois.. O reencontro acontece num campo de prisioneiros de guerra onde o comandante é o alemão Armin ( sasageyo sasageyo 😅 não resisti na piadinha com o nome) o prisioneiro de guerra é o americano Mark. O destino brincou com esses dois, não queria tá na pele deles. Imagina ficar numa situação dessas onde Mark e Armin estão de lados opostos, homens como Armin só existem mesmo na ficção, o tratamento digno que ele deu para cada prisioneiro de guerra, até mesmo criando um momento meio olímpico dentro do campo, não tratando os homens como animais ( algo que com certeza seria feito por um comandante alemão na vida real). Armin era um comandante, mas não um nazista e ficou claro em seus pensamentos que ele tinha ódio por Hitler ( do mesmo jeito que tenho pelo bozo 😅sei como é matar mentalmente alguém.). Esses livros com tema de guerra são sempre muito importantes, tanto que decidi fazer um estudo sobre a segunda guerra mundial, sei de algumas coisas, mas não de um estudo mais profundo. Achei um documentário de 4 horas no YouTube e fiquei assistindo para compreender melhor cada momento dessa guerra que matou milhões de pessoas. Por mais que muitas coisas no mundo não esteja sendo fácil, ainda temos que agradecer por não termos presenciado e vivido na época dessas guerras. Foi uma das coisas mais tristes e dolorosas, tudo por causa da loucura de homens que desejavam poder. É bom sempre lembrar de todos esses acontecimentos, assim o homem não comete novamente um erro grotesco desses que tirou a vida de muitas pessoas inocentes. Feliz de mais uma vez dar 5 estrelas para um livro escrito por Aleksandr voinov e L.A.Witt. Vou ler outros e acho que não vou cansar tão cedo.

[Simona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so broken and seems so real I am struggling to find better words to describe it

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of Voinov's signature awesomeness, Broken Blades never quite managed to hold my attention. Perhaps I had anticipated another slam dunk like Unhinge the Universe. After all, there are plenty similarities between the two. At the same time, Broken Blades never conveyed the same thrill of breathless intensity and taboo chemistry against the backdrop of WW II.

If I had to pinpoint the reasons, I'd say that there are a few things that didn't work in this story's favor: whereas MC Armin is everything I've come to expect of Voinov's characters (a beautifully melancholic, life-roughened, fleshed-out man), MC Mark is painfully undeveloped in comparison, to the extent where his lack of personality sabotaged the romance between the MCs for me.

Then there's the fact that their desperate longing for each other is based solely on a fencing scene (and a quite brilliant one at that, I have to admit!) and one stolen night 8 years earlier, a FTB scene no less! That wouldn't necessarily have been an issue if they'd taken their mutual attraction to new levels upon seeing each other again. But the setting of a POW camp, with them being on opposite sides of the line, really didn't offer enough opportunities for a believable strengthening of their bond. Finally, the time spent in what has to be the most hunky-dory POW camp in the history of WW II stretches out with plenty annoying side characters, but without offering much of a 'bite'.

Voinov's works are seldom a complete miss for me, and this one definitely wasn't a miss either. I enjoy the atmosphere he creates in his writing far too much for that, but I can't say that I'll be rereading this one anytime soon, like I did Unhinge the Universe.

[Karen Wellsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a BR , and while my fellow readers were raving about the historical accuracy, and great writing I was all, 'but its a POW camp'. I was at 37% when it all clicked into place.

It's a beautifully written and rather romantic, once I got past my personal preconceptions I read it in one go.

https://ingloriousbitches.wordpress.c...

[L.A. Witt]

Coming February 2016.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a kiss like a broken blade slipping in right under the armpit or going straight through the visor and into the eye.

To give up a part of you, the best part of you and still find reason to live. People are so glib, of course, life goes on. But really, when you covet a piece, something that is the cornerstone of yourself how do you continue?


--Cochem Castle, Mosel, Germany

The setting is Ahlensteig, an officers' POW camp, which I'm sure one can imagine easily was certainly better than an enlisted camp. Combined with the nearly anachronistic Wehrmacht Kommandant gives an idealized atmosphere. One of the last few examples of noblesse oblige, modernity is harsher and crueler than Armin Truchsess von Kardenberg. Having seen it first hand, he executes his duty as he waits for the inevitable.

Mark Driscoll has seen war and been changed like all men, but he still has the drive to live when so many around him have been lost to the unrelenting death. He has his ghosts, but he still sees a future. Even if it's only one day at a time. He still wants.

Second chances were too expensive to squander. Even if there was no future, even if it was all truly hopeless.

There is this understanding between the two men of their duty. Neither expects the other to compromise their ethics. But there is a space between rabid hostility and complacency, and here is where Armin and Mark intersect. Shared history provides them with a basis for understanding and compassion. The personalities of war and soldiers is actually quite interesting, the range represented through various characters illustrates the complexity of warfare and human nature far beyond cookie cutter good and evil.

As the winter of '44 drags on the days turn darker as the SS arrive at Ahlensteig, and days of yore seem idyllic, or as idyllic as being imprisoned can be. In the last moments of war, when there's nothing left to lose either the futility is realized and things just stop or they go very, very badly. The SS weren't the sort to use reason.

Fencing is a romanticized sport for me. My father did epee and saber as martial training in a time now lost. Though hand to hand combat is still critical and being on the wrong end of a bayonet will absolve one of any thoughts to the contrary. So part of me loved this story just for the handful of matches and the athleticism.



Warily, I marched to the end-- seriously, I stopped a couple times and said to myself that I could be happy with it ending here because I so freaking terrified I'd get my heart ripped out rather heroically or nobly or god no, stupidly-- and was rewarded for my perseverance.

Overall, the softer side of WWII with fewer labels and more compassion.

[AngelFire · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 49%

I didn't want to DNF this because Voinov and Witt's other WW2 historical (Unhinge The Universe) was absolutely fantastic. Plus, this one had all the elements that should have made it a winner and in general, the combo of Witt and Voinov hasn't let me down so far. Unfortunately, this book failed to live up to any of the expectations I had. The characters were dull, the romance was barely present (to the extent where I wouldn't classify this as gay historical romance) and there was no plot. The historical authenticity was great, Armin was an interesting character, the writing was decent, but there was nothing else here.

The Lack of Romance

This book was supposed to be a second chance and enemies-to-lovers, but it disappointed on both fronts. The MCs interacted for a few hours on one specific day and they had a one night stand that night, which was fade to black. Their interaction had been so limited that there was no build up of chemistry or connection between them. So it's ridiculous that 8 years later, they're reunited and both of them act like they had this intense love affair in the past. Both MCs even muse about whether they love each other or not. These guys have barely spent a total of 24 hours together! And when they're reunited at the prison, the pattern of minimal interaction continued. Because Mark is a low ranking officer and the authors stayed true to a POW camp's rigid military hierarchical structure, it means Armin's main point of contact with the American POWs is the highest ranking American officer, who isn't Mark. Mark isn't even close to that position. So in the majority of the half I read, Armin and Mark interact much more with side characters than each other. For this reason, the enemies-to-lovers aspect also failed to materialize. Yes, they're literally enemies due to their nationalities but their lack of interaction meant it didn't matter.

I know I keep repeating myself, but I still can't believe how little romance development there was between the MCs. I don't understand why the authors did this. As a result of this, the book didn't feel like gay historical romance. In fact, it wasn't even gay historical fiction because the MCs homosexuality was a very minor plot point. The majority of the story focused on Armin angsting over his difficult position of being a German who is fiercely loyal to Germany but hates the Nazis and everything they're doing.

Armin = Mr. Doormat

I understand the authors wanted to strike the right balance when making one MC the prison warden of a German POW camp during WW2. While they achieved this perfectly in Unhinge The Universe, they failed here. Armin was written to be so soft-hearted and so easy going that nobody respected him. It was absurd. For example, Armin complains about prisoners constantly stealing plumbing parts from the castle/prison to make alcohol stills but instead of severely punishing the still-makers and ensuring more supplies don't get stolen, he just orders more plumbing supplies. When Mark and a group of POWs are caught digging an escape tunnel, Mark barely cares because he knows the punishment will just be going to the hole for a few weeks. He even makes plans for resuming the work once he gets out! Absolutely nobody in the prison (prisoners, staff, guards etc) respected Armin's authority or gave a damn about the rules. Whenever somebody tried to point out to Armin that he's being a pathetic doormat and nobody respects him, he put on a tough guy act, insisting that if somebody does something really bad, they'll suffer the most severe consequences of all time...except the bar for what's 'really' bad constantly gets pushed further out so Armin never has to follow through.

In addition, it's very clear that Armin isn't in the right headspace to have the serious job that he does. He's suffering from PTSD from fighting on the Eastern front, he's still dealing with physical and emotional issues from having lost his left arm (his fencing arm) during his time at the front and he's plagued by what's happening with Germany and everything that's happened. At one point, he has a panic attack and his assistant helps him lie down and comforts him. I really feel for Armin, I truly do, but this is not a man who should be in charge of an entire prison of POWs and guards, who are all constantly teetering on the edge of coming to blows.

The Lack Of Plot

I'm still dumbstruck by the lack of plot in this story. It's like the authors came up with a premise, created the MCs, stuck them into the setting they created and that's when they stopped. Barely anything happens in the story and the few plot beats that do happen have no big impact on anything. Mark spends his time with his fellow bomber pilots and sometimes trains for the Prisoner Olympics that Armin allowed the POWs to organize. Armin spends his time angsting over what's happened to Germany, getting annoyed when somebody accuses him of being a softie and tolerating blatant insults from the American POW liason (ie the highest ranking officer). And...that's it. Never mind the lack of romance - I was flipping pages, desperately wanting something interesting to happen, but nope. The small plot beats were okay, but there needed to be an overall plotline to hold everything together and keep the action moving forward.

Conclusion

Overall, I'm very disappointed by this one. The premise, setting and everything else was the equivalent of prime ingredients being placed in front of chefs on a silver platter, yet they failed to do anything worthwhile with them. Do yourself a favor and skip this one and read Unhinge The Universe instead, where the authors actually did justice to this time period and premise (German vs American soldiers in a captor-captive situation).

[Claude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love story.
War.
Complications.
Review soon :)

[Fenriz Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you need to be away from home to find love. Mark, an american fencer, found it in the less likely place.

Aleksandr and L.A Witt deliver a romantic historical story set in WWII. As always, their characters have an undeniable chemistry and you can feel the masterful skill of both athours through the pages. What i like most about Aleksandr's historicals is the way he describes the environment with such powerful atmosphere that you can almost see yourself there.

Don't let yourself shy away from the 'POW' camp bit. FYI prison camps commanded by the Werhmacht were pretty different than labor and concentration camps commanded by the SS. Armin Truchsess von Kardenberg is an aristocrat german, part of the Werhmacht, and like one, he doesn't approve the Nazi idiology nor follows their atrocities. Though, we get to meet some SS characters trying to make everybody's life miserable.

This book is about discovery, hope, struggle and love.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compelling and wonderfully-written historical novel by Aleksandr Voinov.

Set in a German POW-camp for Allied officers in the last months of 1944, Broken Blades follows the complex relationship between Mark, an American pilot, and Armin, a Wehrmacht Colonel acting as the camp's commandant.

The forced cohabitation in the camp is not, however, Mark and Armin's first encounter. Both keen and talented fencers, the two men have already met each other in Berlin on the occasion of the 1936 Olympic Games and during the intervening eight years they have gone on to live a life that has left them both physically and emotionally scarred.

A Voinov's historical novel is an absolute guarantee of detailed research, believable characters and a storyline that is at turns melancholic, romantic and harsh. Broken Blades is no exception: the details in its reconstruction, the subtle connection between the two MCs often channelled through stolen glances and wordless conversations, the beautiful use of fencing as a metaphor for the advance and retreat in their own relationship, work together to conjure up a novel that is affecting and powerful well beyond the last page.

Truly recommended (just like their other WW2 historicals, Nightingale, Unhinge the Universe, and Skybound.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Broken Blades
1) A strong book set at a time that to me is still more the dominion of history lessons and horror and those childhood stories that my grandparents never, ever tell. So not exactly a time that lends itself to romance, and I admit I was sceptical when I first picked this book up. Happily my scepticism was misguided. Instead of the wartime romance I was half-dreading, this book is the story of two men struggling to stay human in an increasingly inhuman world; remembering that the enemy soldier is a human being, too, is just one part of it. Very well done. But then, everything about this book is well done: The plot is solid and gripping and although it jumps ahead in time twice, it doesn’t seem episodic; the characters are all complex and layered, even the secondary characters – even the obligatory super-Nazi was interesting from a meta perspective! – and the protagonists have a depth that is sometimes more hinted at than revealed fully; the setting was evocative and done right – at least, this German reader was very pleased to come across genuine German names as well as properly spelled and grammatically correct German sentences; the writing, finally, flowed smoothly, at a good pace, and managed to keep me up way past my bedtime because I simply could. Not. Stop. Reading. Last but not least, I quite enjoyed seeing the Germans from the American character’s perspective, all those little comments and observations on manners and language, and I couldn’t help grinning at the bit where Mark wonders at Armin’s mood because from his tone of voice he can’t tell whether Armin is annoyed or not, what with German sounding the same all the damn time. :-)
2) Writing as you wish it do be when you look for this kind of reading; well-developed characters; perfect research; and some very little flaws are covered by a gripping story, although dark, mesmerizing.
3) One of the most touching, heartbreaking beautiful story I ever read. Set in a German POW camp at the end of WWII, it is not a easy reading, the covered topics certainly leave its marks on the reader. But you won’t be able to put it down, you need to know how the main characters get to their well deserved happy ending. Be ready to cry, a lot, be ready to get angry, to feel relieved. The authors managed to engage the readers describing the environment and every action with such powerful attention to detail that you can almost see yourself there. There must have been a lot of reserch behind it, a very good job. A book to read at least once in a lifetime.
4) This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. The setting is about as dramatic as it gets, but the story itself, the development of the romance and the tightly-written scenes between Armin and Mark are surprisingly easy to read. It was so engaging I couldn't put it down.
5) Full marks from me on this excellent story of two men who meet at the 1936 Olympics, have one night of passion and eight years later are reunited during World War II. Armin is the POW camp Commandant where Mark, an American airman is brought when his plane crashes. The men at first are wary of one another, but as time passes the attraction they felt eight years earlier is rekindled and their purpose becomes to save each other's lives, as the Allies close in on a defeated Germany. Couldn't put this down until I had read and savored every word. Without a doubt my favorite book of this year.

[Elyxyz Elyxyz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voto: 4.5
Anche se amo i romanzi storici, cerco sempre di evitare quelli ambientati durante le Guerre Mondiali, perché mi toccano certe corde interiori che mi fanno star male.
Ho deciso di fare un’eccezione per questo libro, perché amo la Witt e ormai ho letto ogni cosa che è arrivato di suo in Italia, e poi perché volevo ‘assaggiare’ lo stile di Voinov, di cui ho sentito tanto parlar bene.
Tirando le somme, sono contenta di averlo fatto, perché è indubbiamente un bel libro.
La guerra e le sue conseguenze sono il substrato su cui l’amore di Mark e Armin si ritrova a dover poggiare, a combattere per sopravvivere. C’è un sacco di angst e tensione, che permeano tutto il racconto, la disperazione e la speranza che fanno a pugni, la fame, il freddo, il dolore, i traumi fisici e mentali di una guerra logorante, ma c’è anche umanità e insperata gentilezza.
Mark e Armin si conoscono nel 1936, durante le Olimpiadi di Berlino, in una Germania che comincia già a fare i conti la corrente sotterranea nazista, ma ben nascosta ad occhio esterno.
Il nobile Armin e il campagnolo Mark sembrano completamente diversi, ma li accomuna la bravura per la scherma e la passione di una notte li segnerà per sempre.
Otto anni dopo, quasi alla fine della guerra, i due uomini si ritrovano – prigioniero e carceriere – con questo sentimento mai svanito e il rischio che ciò che provano li porti alla morte.
Ha poca importanza che le scene esplicite non siano numerose o minuziose. Ogni bacio e ogni carezza fra loro sono stati raccontati con maestria e traspare un sacco di sentimento e amore.
È un libro che conquista e ti fa spasimare fino alla fine.
Anche tutta l’ambientazione del campo di prigionia è molto realistica, nelle varie relazioni tra prigionieri e fra nemici; la resa italiana, per finire, è pressoché perfetta.
Consigliato agli amanti degli m/m storici, ma anche a chiunque cerchi un libro appassionante.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aleksandr Voinov writes darkly mesmerizing stories. LA Witt writes wonderfully captivating stories. When the team up to write, the stories are better and deeper and emotional. This story is no exception. I could not put it down. My heart broke for these two pawns of life.

Lust burning amid the chaos of The Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. Love refusing to step aside for war. Two men on different sides of politics but on the same size of honor and love.

He rested his arm across his stomach and kept his eyes shut. He thought back to that kiss. Thought back to that first one so many years ago. He and Mark had both aged. They'd both been through hell. They were both still in hell. And yet for just a moment, they'd been young, unscathed, standing in the crammed bedroom of that bungalow in the Olympic village.

This is a story of love, trust and distrust. It is a story of despair with a small light of hope. Mark, a talented man forced by his community to live an untruth. Armin an honorable man trying to survive in a dishonorable society that had twisted all of the values of his beloved homeland. Neither ever forgetting the first contact, the first kiss. Neither ever expecting to meet again. Both understanding that to even acknowledge each other would be dangerous.

They both knew dam well this was madness, and yet all it took was a touch or a kiss to convince them to abandon all reason and try to make it happen anyway. Let it happen, that is. They couldn't force this any more than they could prevent it. It simply was, no matter how hard either of them tried to keep it at bay.

Both of these writers are automatic buys for me. This book just showed again how they can bring characters to life that demand my heart and my soul. A beautiful read.

[Bucletina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña en breve en el blog

[Aimee Brissay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this one, but I never thought it would be this good. The characters were perfectly developed, their motivations human and believable, and the world created to the smallest details. It is obvious that both Lori and Aleks have put in a lot of research writing this story. There were times were suspension of disbelief was pushed to the limit, but never once did it go beyond.
The story flows naturally and there's no saying which parts were written by Lori and which by Aleks.
Kudos to both of you, you make a great team!
Highly recommend this book.

[UltraMeital · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I feel like I have no words to describe. This book grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I read it yesterday until my eyes burned with tears of exhaustion only to awake half an hour later to read just a little more, then woke up early to manage a little bit more and so you see the pattern.. it's nearing midnight and finally I reached the end and all I could do is sigh.

PER-FECTION.

The first book I've read by Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt was "Unhinge the Universe", which is also a Historical MM Romance novel from WWII. Yet the only thing in common, for me, was how brilliant it was, how much emotion it drew from me. I am Jewish. WWII has a certain meaning for me. Yet the word "Jew" was almost never mentioned (maybe only somewhere in the beginning), it wasn't about that which I liked, I've read enough about the Holocaust, and frankly I'm less inclined to read fiction concerning what happened in this horrible war, there are enough REAL stories to be told (though there are very few who are still alive to share them).

This story gave me a sense I don't think I ever had about how this war felt for someone from the inside who hates every moment of it. A German, a commander, in charge of prisoners of war. In a sea of insanity, hatred and violence, some people maintain their humanity. That's Armin for you. Simply a man. I had so much respect for him, for who he is, who he didn't allow himself to become and how much he valued his morals of protecting others even at the risk of his own life.

They meet for the first time when Mark came to Berlin from the US prior to the war to compete in the Olympic games as a Fencer. They shared one steamy night together and then went on their own way. It was obvious for Armin that war is nearing and also that his homosexuality will cost him his life and so he gave up on Mark. I'm not sure how much Mark knew about his sexual orientation but what he felt for Armin was something he never experienced before. Though they walked away from one another, they still remembered with fondness the time they shared, though they never expected to meet each other again, especially not the way they did - Mark a prisoner of war and Armin the commander of the camp (or rather a castle) occupying other British and American prisoners of war.

This time around it's even more difficult for Mark and Armin to keep their mutual interest in one another and yet acting on it is purely madness. Though Armin is in charge, Homosexuality will still get him shot, and when a SS officer comes to "check" on Armin and his castle, their situation becomes even more complex, and yet they manage to build something between them in the little time they DO spend together. It was pure oxygen in a poisonous land, even for me as a reader. The interaction between them, and not only that, the whole situation in the prison and the human and compassionate decisions Armin made in favor of his prisoners was heart warming and even sweet. All I could ask is for him not to be hurt in the end, for everyone around him who is not Mark to realize what an amazing person he is, and how much he was willing to do to make sure everyone and I mean everyone would be as safe as a war can allow.

I loved everything about this book. It was impossible to put down, though I did (when life interrupted..). The romance was sweet and crushing at the same time, it seemed impossible and yet somehow I had hope, maybe because of the way Armin managed everything around him I hoped for "fair", for some opportunities for them, for happiness in the most hopeless time and place.

A MUST READ. Though it's Historical MM Romance I don't think it matters AT ALL if you're into either Historical novels, Romance, and more specifically MM Romance (truthfully there aren't a lot of sexual scenes), it's simply a heart breakingly beautiful story about the worse time for men to find companionship and I dare say even love.

More Reviews HERE

[Lo-Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The parallels to Voinov's Unhinge The Universe make it difficult for me to review this without drawing a comparison between these not-dissimilar books. I admit this simple fact influences my rating.

I loved UTU; was blown away by it. It is dark, gritty and beautifully written. It hooked me from the first page through to the last: desperately hopeful at times and on the edge of insanity at others.

But Broken Blades, whilst it IS good failed to capture my attention in the same way. I found myself skimming some of the passages looking for a bit more grit, a little more action and it struggled to pull me into the darkness of WW2.

If UTU is a 5-star book (which, come on guys, it is) Broken Blades falls a little short.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of historical stories, unless they're set in the Middle Ages, but I absolutely loved this one. It grabs you and doesn't let go until the very end, and even then, it's hard so say goodbye to Armin and Mark. It's quite sad to imagine there was probably a couple just like them during the wars. I'm just glad they got their happy ending, it was well deserved. Witt and Voinov did a beautiful job wring this, it would seem it was written by a single author, it was so flawless. Job well done guys, thank you for a wonderful story.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written historical set in a very dramatic period of European history.
Looking forward reviewing this in full on the blog.
As promised the full review
https://ingloriousbitches.wordpress.com/

[Lisa *-* GiViNg It To YoU * LoCk StOcK & TwO SmOkiNg BaRrELs]

Not going to rate, this just wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll try again another time.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhhh *sospirone* sapevo che questo romanzo mi avrebbe travolta...
E comunque credo anche di essere riuscita a intuire i pezzi scritti da Voinov e quelli scritti dalla Witt. DA LEGGERE!!!

[Silke · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+++

One of the best books I've ever read. I'm still speechless. Most amazing writing, storyline, characters and ending.

In my opinion: a masterpiece

[Lapis Lazuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupendo. Un magnifico spaccato di campo di prigionia per ufficiali della Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Una storia dura, sofferta e permeata dal dolore e da una malinconia di sottofondo, che a fatica permette di sperare in un lieto fine. Un amore difficile, che non può essere esternato in alcun modo, che si nutre di sguardi di sfuggita e di ricordi di una sola notte di passione.
Lo stile è asciutto, quasi brusco, ma allo stesso tempo molto evocativo. Le scene di sesso sono poche, forse una sola descritta a lungo, il resto è fatto di passione repressa, di baci e tocchi di sfuggita, di negazione dei propri impulsi. I dettagli e la precisione della ricostruzione storica sono il punto di forza di questo libro. Mi ero lamentata che Sempre Fi di Keira Andrews non era abbastanza coinvolgente nelle parti che parlavano di guerra, qui invece la guerra è un protagonista forte, sempre presente, anche se la storia non si svolge al fronte. Mi ha ricordato per atmosfere e personaggi un film che amo molto, La grande fuga, forse con un pizzico di un altro film, Fuga per la vittoria.
Lo consiglio a chi ama storie realistiche, dolorose, anche se un po' a scapito della storia d'amore. L'unico motivo per cui non do il voto massimo è che avrei voluto un altro romanzo intero sull'epilogo. Per quanto ci sia una conclusione lieta, nonostante le premesse tutt'altro che rosee, l'epilogo non è sufficiente a colmare il bisogno di pace che tutto il romanzo ha creato nella sofferente aspettativa. Ma Arnim è uno di quei personaggi che mi sono penetrati nel cuore e che difficilmente se ne andranno.

[Anto64 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avrei tanto desiderato un epilogo più lungo, con i protagonisti finalmente sereni. Do comunque 5 stelline per il modo magistrale in cui è scritto il libro e per le emozioni che mi ha fatto provare.

[Sofia Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunning collaboration between Aleksandr Voinov and LA Witt. I've adored this pairing ever since the super-sexy Market Garden series, but this is one of their deeper novels. It has everything you’d expect from a wartime story: conflict, angst, fear - and incredible love, but so much more too.

Mark and Armin had the briefest of flings in the years leading up to the war, but they never forgot each other. Both hoped for a chance to meet again, and to see if they could pick up the threads of a relationship. Coming face to face in a prison camp, where Mark is the POW and Armin is the Camp Kommandant was a situation neither expected.

Maybe he’d died in that crash after all. It would certainly explain how he’d ended up in hell.

Meeting again was a gut wrenching experience for them both, and to the reader. So much had changed. And from this point, Voinov and Witt deftly pull the emotional strings in a way that meant I couldn't put this down. I lost sleep because of this book. One more chapter... And another… I was hooked.

I have a fondness for wartime fiction anyway - and adored their previous (unrelated) WW2 book (UNHINGE THE UNIVERSE) but I have a feeling BROKEN BLADES will stay with me for some time.

Emotions plunge from hope to despair. And as much as you desperately want them to find a way to be together, it’s too scary. Too much at risk. There were times I was afraid to read on. When Mark was interrogated by the brutal SS officer, I was on the edge of my seat. I couldn't bear to see what happened, but couldn't drag myself away.

This is Voinov and Witt at their very best. If you love angsty M/M romance, this is for you.

PS – You should also check out Voinov’s NIGHTINGALE, another high-risk, high-emotion wartime M/M.

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Cerisaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read for me, and a most enjoyable one. Pretty much guaranteed to pique my interest since I grew up on a diet of Colditz, Hogan's Heroes, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, and other classic Second World War POW camp stories. With the added catnip of gay romance as a central relationship rather than subtext deep as those escape tunnels (not that there is anything wrong with that, delicious in its own. understated way).

At times Armin reminded me of Ben Pastor's 'good German' officer Martin Bora, and I mean that as a compliment. Of course there were aspects that stretched credulity a tad, but I was happy to give the writer's a pass since overall the book is well done. I must say, too, I couldn't see the ‘join’ between its two authors. I love WWII stories and the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope. A concentration camp setting would not work for me as a romance novel, for all sorts of reasons, but the Wehrmacht run POW camps were not the same thing, under the Geneva Convention. Yes, the unlikely coincidence of two men, one German and the other American, who share a pre-war brief encounter in Berlin, meeting eight years later as Kommondant and captive, is a bit of an eye roll, but the writers pull it off, not least by making the pairing so irresistible…angst-ridden, tense, erotically charged, just so right together! I don't read much in the romance genre but there are times when the formula really hits the spot. I liked, too, the relationship between Armin and his devoted subordinate Schäfer.

Off now to re-watch Colditz!

PS the sex is GOOD,as you'd expect from this pair, but to be honest I found the fencing scenes even more erotic.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Times Perfectly Handled

This one will trouble you every step of the way because the era, setting and episodes will give you pause along the way. But the MCs, Mark and Armin, will always come to your rescue, no matter their circumstances--alone or with each other.

I am not usually a WWII fan--I grew up right after it ended and was pummeled by its history on television and the movies for 20 years. That history never included MM relationships, and certainly not any involving American and German soldiers together. But authors Voinov and Witt, as usual, never disappoint, solely or jointly, and this one is a triumph almost beyond words.

That Mark is less developed, IMHO, than Armin, is perfectly understandable because he has not undergone the unspeakable tragedies that his now POW commandant has experienced. The major disappointment would be the cursory examination we get of his post-Olympic marital troubles, as opposed to Armin's gut-wrenching journeys, which the authors describe with some detail that is well blanketed in compassion.

Yet none of that makes much of a difference when it comes to enjoying what is a beautifully developed and imagined love story. Some may think it's a bit coincidental that they wind up in the POW camp and captor and captured, but to me war is coincidental in many respects, some horrifying and some hopeful.

Take your time here, you will never forget two of the most remarkable and memorable warriors to grace the recountings of that stupid war.

[WhatAStrangeDuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good, densely atmospheric historical romance that mainly takes place in a German POW camp at the end of WWII. It's not exactly a light, fluffy read but neither is it too dark or angsty. The two MCs are both damaged and a little brittle but I still liked them a lot.

My only complaint is that the story about their first meeting at the Olympics in 1936 is really too short. One night? Seriously? I would have liked to get some more backstory about the event. I mean - what a backdrop! Also, I wanted to have more of a bond between the two MCs. In terms of Romance (TM) One Fateful Encounter might be enough to get the story going but I honestly expect better from Voinov.

Still, it's a well crafted, well researched engaging read and I enjoyed it very much.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just... perfect.