Reflecting on Days Gone By: My Thoughts - THE WITCH OF THE BRETON WOODS Written By: Jennifer Ivy Walker

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THE WITCH OF THE BRETON WOODS

Jennifer Ivy Walker

About the Book

Traumatized by horrors witnessed during the Nazi invasion of France, a young woman retreats to the dense Breton woods where she becomes a member of the clandestine French Resistance. When she finds a critically injured American paratrooper whose plane was shot down, she shelters the wounded soldier in her secluded cottage, determined to heal him despite the enormous risk. Ostracized by villagers who have labeled her a witch, she is betrayed by an informant who reports to the Butcher-the monstrous leader of the local paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Germans. As the enemy closes in, she must elude the Gestapo while helping the Resistance reunite the American with his regiment and join the Allied Forces in the Battle of Brittany. Can true love triumph against all odds under the oppressive Third Reich?

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About the Author

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, "Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête"--an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of "Tristan et Yseult" and the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, "The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven"--the first of a trilogy-- is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of "Tristan et Yseult", interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Breton-Woods-Jennifer-Walker/dp/B0D3MDHMJ2/ref=sr_1_1

Excerpt:

Low, agonized moaning interrupted Yvette’s nightmarish reverie.

That’s a man’s voice. And it’s coming from over there.

She followed the deep groans through a copse of trees to find an American soldier impossibly tangled in a nylon parachute. Suspended from a high branch of a massive oak tree, he was dangling upside down, hanging by an obviously broken leg. A sharp bone protruded from the torn, blood-soaked pants of his khaki uniform, and dried blood—which must have leaked from under his helmet-- covered half of his contorted face. His pitiful wails pierced her heart.

I can’t lower him to the ground by myself. He’s twice my weight. And if I cut the ropes, he’ll plummet headfirst. He already has a head injury, judging from the gore all over his forehead. Please, God, let him hang on until I get back.

“I’ll go get help. I promise to come back soon.” She called up to him, hopeful that he could hear her.

And that he understood French.

MY THOUGHTS

The Witch of the Breton Woods is the first book that I have read by Jennifer Ivy Walker. I loved how the author transported us back in time and we see how far one would go to help another. As a military historian I always love reading historical stories where the author has gone to great lengths to have the story as realistic as possible.

Yvette lives in France and deep in the woods. She tries to keep a low profile, but is part of a resistance group that is helping to push back the Germans. She is a healer and spends a lot of time learning what different herbs and plants do. She has seen great horror in her lifetime, especially when her village was overtaken. She has to move silently along and trades with other neighbors so that they can survive, for the rations that they have been given are not enough. One day, she finds an American Soldier injured and hanging from a tree. She needs to get to him before The German spies do. She enlists the help of the other resistance fighters and they are able to get him safely to her cottage.

Beau is also a strong character. I loved the way their dialogue grew - despite the language barriers. Seeing the romance start to blossom even though if he is found, both will be executed. Yvette is determined to nurse him back to health, but what happens then?

Another thing that I appreciated is the realistic view of wartime France. The other writes great descriptions where you can code your eyes and imagine the scenes unfolding around you.

The story is well written, this is an enjoyable read. I hope to read more from this author. Thank you to the author, publisher and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.