A Waltz With Traitors by A.L. Sowards

 

A Waltz with Traitors by A.L. Sowards
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review and purchased my own copy.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description:  Czech soldier Filip Sedlák never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So at the first opportunity, he defected to the Russians. Now he and others like him have formed the Czechoslovak Legion. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia. With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya’s life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her lands are confiscated, and her aristocratic world is gone forever. But Nadia is determined to elude the Bolshevik agent who destroyed her family and find a way to survive in this changed world. When Nadia takes refuge with the Czechoslovak Legion, the last thing she expects is an ally. But when Filip proposes a sham marriage to ensure her safe passage across Siberia, she takes it. Neither Filip nor Nadia expect real love, not when the legion has to take over the longest railroad in the world—and then hold it against Bolshevik counterattacks, partisan sabotage, allied intrigue, and a set of brutal Siberian winters. At risk is the future of Czechoslovakia, the fate of Russia—and their hearts.

My thoughts: A.L. Sowards has done it again. She has crafted an amazing book featuring a time period in history that I was not familiar with. Her attention to detail is fantastic. She also brings the characters and time to life. I quickly got into the story of Nadia, Filip, and all of their friends.

The story features a time period in Russia where the Czar has been executed and the chaos that ensues as Russians are fighting each other and a band of the Czechoslovak Legion is caught in the middle.

Filip saved Nadia when she was nearly executed by the Communist Russians. She had the "misfortune" of being born the daughter of a Baron. She is given an opportunity to escape and enters into a "fake" marriage with Filip to escape by train. The road ahead is brutal as Philip fights his way to leave Russia and Nadia learns a new way of living. I loved these two characters.

A.L. Sowards is meticulous with the events of the time period. She illustrates the brutality of war and how men treated their fellow men and women. Nadia has a particularly rough go of things. She doesn't go into detail but it is understood how badly she was abused by bandits. The events could be a trigger for those sensitive to sexual abuse and war violence.

I give this book a very high recommendation.

Source: I received a review copy and purchased my own.

Online Purchase Links: 

Amazon * Deseret Book * Seagull Book

About the Author: 

I love books, so that makes Goodreads my favorite social media site. As a reader, I enjoy a variety of books. As a writer, I create historical novels with a wholesome mix of action, adventure, and romance. My stories include a Whitney Award winner, several Whitney finalists, and a Gold Medal winner in the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards.

I'm a wife and a mother of three, and I've called Washington State, Utah, and Alaska home. I'm usually reading a couple books at once and working on multiple writing projects too. Other than that, my life is pretty ordinary. I'm grateful for that. I'll let the characters in my books have all the adventures.

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This map helped me a ton.  It was easier to keep track where the characters were along the tracks.

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