Liberation of Paris

August 25 marks the 77^th anniversary of the liberation of Paris. For over four years, the German army had subjugated the city to brutal suppression, with civilians being deported to death camps and resistance fighters tortured and killed by the Gestapo.

After the Allies landed in Normandy on D-Day, the French worried that the city might be bypassed, or worse, destroyed by retreating Germans. In fact, Hitler ordered that all the major landmarks of the city, including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, be destroyed and the city set aflame.

Thankfully, the military governor General Dietrich von Choltitz ignored his orders and, after a week-long uprising and the arrival of the Allies’ 2^nd Armoured Division under General Philippe Leclerc, the city was free.

You can relive the struggle in my latest novel! The Hotel Seamstress tells the story of a beautiful young Parisian woman who risks her life to save her city. It is a story of struggle and passion and the eventual triumph of the heart.

Click here to order The Hotel Seamstress!

A story of love, and war,

And how one person can change the course of history.

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years, its citizens ground beneath the jackboot of fascism.

The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent. They do not know how the Germans will react, however. Will they retreat from Paris, or burn the city to the ground?

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family. The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty to the Resistance? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.