Book Review: Cold Lonely Courage by Soren Paul Petrek

Cold Lonely Courage by Soren Paul Petrek blends the horrors of war, rich details, and a strong female lead to create a World War II novel that readers of this genre will enjoy.

Madeleine Toche races to the front to find her mortally wounded brother, Ives, as the Germans continue their attack on France. Her twin now lost to her forever, Madeleine grieves with her parents until she is brutally raped by a SS Stormtrooper. Hell bent on revenge, she becomes a trained assassin who seeks out her targets in the name of France and all she has lost.

This is a superb story from talented debut author Soren Paul Petrek. The author has taken his years of studying World War II, the stories he listened to while living in France and England, along with his imagination, and molds them into an engaging story that draws the reader in early and keeps a firm grasp until the final page.

As a lover of historical novels, I appreciated the level of detail Petrek adds into this story. The reader feels, lives, and breathes France during WWII. The author creates a strong heroine in Madeleine, but still manages to make the reader care for this trained assassin--not always easy to do. My one tiny nitpick is that the narrative overpowered the story and did not allow me to get into Madeleine's head, or the other characters' heads. I wanted a deeper point of view. I'm also a bit on the fence about the cover. It doesn't seem to encompass the story as a whole.

Cold Lonely Courage is a fascinating historical novel with a hint of romance. World War II history buffs should like this one.


Title:  Cold Lonely Courage
Author:  Soren Paul Petrek
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN-10: 0982582374

ISBN-13: 978-0982582374
SRP:  $15.95
Also available in a Kindle edition.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation of any kind to provide a review.