I seem to start off my reviews the same – what a lovely book. The book took us through several years and opened my eyes to both sides of the war. I come from a mixed family - on my father’s side English and on my mother’s side German/Italian and I know the dramas that caused without it being discussed at home. This book gave me an insight to the Land Girls and the prisoners of war working on the land and also the way some of them felt with what was happening in their own country. Millie was completely torn in her love life and she came across as a very strong woman who suffered greatly to get her just rewards. Living in a small village where everyone knew everyone’s business leads to intrigue and secrets as well as sadness. A great read.

In my teens I had a bit of an obsession for the book, The Summer Of My German Soldier, reading it over and over. I still have that battered copy. As soon as I read the description for A Dangerous Act Of Kindness I was reminded of it, and had to read it.

Millie is a grieving widow, single handedly running her farm in the rural countryside during World War 2. When she discovers an injured German pilot sheltering in her barn she has a choice – turn him in or help him, risking her own safety.

I’m fascinated by these choices – what would I do? I’m always drawn to these characters who help and risk there own safety and I always want to see the good in people. And there’s also something so enticing about an illicit love affair – which of course developes between Millie and Lukas. I adored the romantic tension that prickled between the two. I was completely caught up in it, hoping for a happy outcome.

The book covers several years of the war and gives a lot of detail, clearly extremely well researched. It was interesting to read about Lukas life as a British prisoner and to read the perspective of young German man, caught up in a war he didn’t want, conflicted with his nationality. I also liked reading about rural life during the war and how Millie’s community were involved.

There were quite a lot of subplots – at times I thought a little too much which diverted my attention from the main story I wanted – that of Millie and Lukas. I thoroughly enjoyed their story and hoped against hope they could be together someday. With some fascinating descriptions, clearly well researched, and a lacing of a gorgeous romance, this was a good read and will appeal strongly to those who enjoy reading about this period in our history.

This book tells the story of Millie, a widowed dairy farmer and Lukas, a German pilot.

It’s a romance set during world war 2 and the author draws on personal anecdotes and research to give a good historical background.

It took a while to read as I did not find myself particularly invested in the story or the characters. I guessed several of the plot points before they were revealed and found the ending quite unsatisfactory as there was no real conclusion to the story.

The writing was good and I liked the authors style. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

I was completely captivated by this beautiful book and in my opinion, is historical fiction at its finest laced with love and courage amidst the backdrop of war. Millie Sanger is a young widow struggling to keep the dairy farm that had been in her husband’s family for generations without having the war adding to her troubles. Millie’s polite is made worse by the War Agricultural Executive Committees (War Ags) wanting to take the farm off unless Millie ups its production. With men and women across the land doing their duty for their country, the war has touched and changed the lives of everyone.

One evening just before a blizzard cuts off her farm from the outside world, Millie is out checking her farm when her dog runs off. She goes after him and ends up by one of the remote unused barns that just happens to be the same barn her husband killed himself in. Millie has known plenty of anguish and upheaval in her life already, however, the war which seemed so far way comes shockingly close when she finds an injured pilot on her farm. Not just any pilot, but the pilot from the Messerschmitt, a Lukas Schiller. He appears to be injured and struggling to keep his gun raised at the dog. Millie becomes consumed with pity for the injured pilot despite knowing that if they were discovered, he would be killed on the spot, so the kind-hearted widow decides to offer him shelter. All the while the blizzard has started to set in. Millie and Lukas might be on opposite sides, but thrust together by fate, they find themselves drawn to one another and forming an unexpected bond.

LP Fergusson makes you feel every aspect of the second world war from the beauty of the changing English landscape, the comedy and bleakness of the evacuees and the way their lives brush up against the people of society. The narrative was woven beautifully and pulled at the heartstrings. The love story acts as a beacon of hope, whilst the ravages of war played on around them. A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a compelling and evocative tale that will plunge the reader into a world of risk, jeopardy and bravery that will leave them breathless.

The novel is well written and has been well researched.
It is based in the Second World War and the story is based around treason.
There were facts that I didn’t know in this book.
A great read

When Milly's husband takes his own life he leaves her not only widowed but solely responsible for the upkeep of their farm in wartime. Local farmer Hugh is determined that he will win her heart but when a German fighter pilot, Lukas, crashes in the remote countryside nearby and finds himself at Milly's farm she faces a dilemma - hand him over to the authorities of give him shelter? Her decision will change both of their lives forever. An easy to read wartime story which held my interest throughout.

Historical fiction set during the World Wars is one of my favourite genres so I couldn't resist A Dangerous Act of Kindness when I read the blurb. The book opens in 1940 when the Battle of Britain was in full swing. It was obviously a time of heightened emotions for everybody and it's perhaps no wonder if there was little compassion for injured Luftwaffe pilots who bail out of the aircraft over England. Millie Sanger's decision to help Lukas Schiller would seem to be the normal, humane response to those of us living now but back then it was a far riskier course of action when people believed the German invasion could be imminent. Any suggestion of collaborating with the enemy was a potentially treasonous act and yet Millie - already no stranger to tragedy - can't just stand by when she finds a fellow human being in need.
Although she is only in her early twenties, she is already a widow and is weighed down by the burden of her bereavement. Her decision to help Lukas comes partly through her innate sense of compassion but it's clear that she needs to be able to forgive herself for what happened in the past. At first they are both torn by the situation they find themselves in; she is moved to help a man in obvious pain but is scared of what he may be capable of, he is in agony and desperately needs her assistance but fears that she will hand him over to the authorities once he is out of immediate distress. They are both risking a great deal so it's not surprising that the bond between them, which is initially formed through necessity, soon becomes far more intense. It leads to a scene which is tender and passionate without ever being explicit. I think it was at this point that what was already an intriguing book became utterly riveting and I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down until I reached the end.
Millie runs a working dairy farm which means there are frequently other people around, particularly her childhood friend and would-be suitor, Hugh and Land Girl, Brigsie so the developing relationship between her and Lukas is under an almost constant threat of discovery. Her decision to help him may have been courageous but there is never any doubt that there are immense consequences to her actions. She is a very likeable character for the most part but I appreciated that LP Fergusson ensured she never became too saintly - as the story progresses and she must face up to the ramifications of her choices, she isn't always fair to those around her. The book alternates between following Millie's perspective or Lukas' and so the reader often knows more about their respective tribulations than they do. While many couples went for months or even years without proper contact, their separation is perhaps even more heartbreaking due to their paramount necessity for secrecy to be maintained. Secrets are an integral part of the book beyond just those that Millie and Lukas are forced to keep, especially with regards to military intelligence and its far-reaching network up and down the country.
I've read many wartime novels set in cities but fewer that focus on the experiences of those living in rural areas. Although the imminent danger of bombings are further away, the war still led to many changes, many of which feature in A Dangerous Act of Kindness; the presence of evacuees (not just children, those whose homes were destroyed in bombing raids were also eligible for evacuation); Land Girls becoming part of the workforce; and most pertinently to Millie, the power of the local War Ag who could decide what crops should be grown and were able to serve orders to farmer requiring work to be done, with the risk that their farm could be seized if they defaulted. The attention to detail is fabulous giving a real sense of authenticity to Millie and Hugh's work - I could have easily believed that LP Fergusson grew up on a dairy farm.
A Dangerous Act of Kindness takes place over a number of years meaning that the impact of the war becomes an important theme. Some of the most poignant moments in the book come from Lukas learning about the atrocities being carried out by some of his compatriots. The Nazis' horrific actions are reported second-hand rather than shown and are never gratuitous but remain a shocking reminder of their brutality. There is a clear distinction made between the ordinary Germans and those who were Nazis and I was struck by how difficult it must have been for patriotic men like Lukas to reconcile their love for their country with the knowledge that some of their fellow citizens were responsible for acts of unspeakable barbarity.
At the start of the book, I thought I would be reading an emotional story of love against the odds and it's true that there were moments where I was moved to tears. However, this is actually a far deeper and at times darker story about human nature in the most difficult of circumstances. It explores love of course but also loss, guilt, betrayal and hope. It acknowledges that in wartime friends can quickly become enemies but also recognises that even in the darkest times, people are capable of touching acts of kindness. I was completely captivated by A Dangerous Act of Kindness and loved everything about it - the enthralling main and sub-plots, the superb characterisation and the distinct sense of time and place. Just wonderful!

What a story....I don't know where to start in order to do this incredible story the justice it deserves. So I will start by saying that I was completely captivated by this beautiful book. I was pulled in from the opening sentence and didn't come up for air until the concluding paragraph. It is historical fiction at its finest laced with love and courage amidst the backdrop of war.

The narrative wove a beautiful tale that pulled at the heartstrings and had me reaching for the tissues on several occasions. The love story shone like a beacon of hope, whilst the ravages of war played on around them, to create a breathless and passionate affair with an element of danger at every turn. Millie and Lukas were dream characters in this story and their plight created page turning moments as I read on, with such frenzy to find out what happened.

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a compelling read that I couldn't put down. It's first class writing that will leave you breathless for more and I'm excited to see what this author will bring to the table next. So I urge you all to download a copy today as this is one story you don't want to miss.

This book didn't clearly fit into one genre. There was romance and attraction, forbidden love at that, and there was suspense. Would Lukas be caught? Would Millie be suspected? As time went on I thought they had got away with it, and I did feel sorry for the policeman who was shut down at every turn. Lukas may have been a German fighter pilot, but he was human. We also saw the extent to which the Germans were fed propaganda, and how they were ridiculed and seen as fantasists by their peers when they dared speak out about the atrocities taking place in their name. Millie is very brave; not only with what happened with Lukas, but in taking over the farm, adhering to Ministry of Agriculture guidelines for war work and dealing with her husband's sad death. Life would be convenient if she could only have fallen for Jack's friend, and fellow farmer, Hugh, but life is never that simple. A tale of war, of love, of suspense - what's not to like? #netgalley #AdangerousAct

What a humdinger of an emotional read!

What would you have done if living during the war on a farm and a pilot crash lands in your field, If you take him in, you could be seen as a collaborator and put to death. But what happens if you just leave him? He'll die out there...

The woman in the book takes him in - the dangerous act of kindness - and that creates a bubble which slowly becomes romantic..but then all bubbles burst and this one could kill..

I was all over the place with this novel. Emotionally speaking I was a wreck! When you think you've read all the stories you can about the Germans and the war, this is a very unique novel and a very unique set of circumstances. I'm not going to lie - there were some very tough scenes to stomach and when you realise just what these atrocities actually entailed....that one word, atrocities, has so many meanings here and it, they will break your heart.

This novel also looked at the difficult situation of how some Germans proudly played a role in the war. They saw it as their duty and the duty they owned to their country. Now, this in the modern day sounds barbaric - and it was then - but this novel places you back in the time and place and really shakes your emotions around that thought. Is it not similar to what some people do now when they have such a strong belief in their 'cause' ?

The relationship of Lukas and Millie was heartbreaking and that word again - emotional - but it was Lukas who interested me - how they treated him before and after, Millie's reactions to it all and the role the Lukas of this world played in the war at the time.

There is some impressive research in this novel and the author explains a little at the end how the story came to be which is equally good to read.

Tissues at the ready but read this book!

This is a completely absorbing read, I loved every page of it, it is so well written, plotted, paced - it had me holding my breath as the tension built and built. This is so cleverly done, it is not easy to portray such tension in words.
The author’s characterisation is flawless, weaving completely rounded people in my mind. The complex central character Millie, hapless Hugh, mousy June, brazen Ruth, and even the odious Mrs Wilson, all come alive in this exceptional story. Into all their lives comes Lucasz the German pilot, like a wrecking ball, and life will never be the same again for any of them.
There are so many strands to this story of love, war, honour, betrayal, humanity and inhumanity. It is so much more than a love story.
The illustration of the daily grind of backbreaking toil that wartime farmers had to endure in their efforts to keep food on tables was illuminating, as was the shocking stories of bombed out, displaced families from the cities of Britain.
The recounting of life as a POW in Britain was fascinating, although the eye witness accounts of the soldier who had seen first hand some of the atrocities of the Holocaust was chilling and hard to read. This part was mercifully very short.
Altogether this is an exceptional book, and I applaud the author on her skill. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to her future work.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy. This story will not be easily forgotten.

Mmmm I’m not sure about this one. It was an enjoyable read but very lightweight. If you like a bit of romance and war this is for you. I think my tastes are a bit more meaty!!! #NetGalley#AdangerousAct

I absolutely love historical fiction, especially from the Second World War period. A Dangerous Act of Kindness did not disappoint. It was well written and a brilliant storyline. I could not put it down it was truely captivating. I want to know what happened next! Always a sign of a good book when your still thinking about it weeks after reading it.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

A powerfully written historical tale of love, courage, war and the ties that bind, A Dangerous Act of Kindness is sure to move, enthrall and captivate readers everywhere.

Millie Sanger is a widow who has enough on her plate trying to keep her dairy farm open without having the war adding to her troubles. With men and women across the land doing their duty for their country, the war has touched and changed the lives of everyone. Millie has her own worries and concerns to think about and she has certainly known plenty of anguish and upheaval in her life, however, the war which has thus far seemed distant comes shockingly close when she finds an injured pilot on her farm. A pilot whose name is Lukas Schiller and who is fighting for the enemy. Still, Millie knows that if discovered, he would be killed on the spot, so the kind-hearted widow decides to offer him shelter, little realizing that her act of generosity is going to have serious repercussions for her and the man she rescued from certain death…

Millie and Lukas might be on opposite sides, but thrust together by fate, they find themselves drawn to one another and forming an unexpected bond that leads to a passion that simply cannot be denied. Having been trapped together by a snow storm, Millie and Lukas’s temporary refuge from the atrocity of war ends up being cruelly invaded by the relentless ferocity of a conflict that pits these two people, who have come to mean the world to one another, apart. Millie and Lukas are only left with bittersweet memories of their time together – and a scandalous secret that could jeopardize everything.

With danger around every corner, Millie and Lukas quickly realise that there is nobody they can trust. Will Millie’s compassion prove deadly? Will Millie and Lukas ever manage to find their way back to one another? Or will war manage to tear them apart forever?

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is an effective, emotional and beautifully told love story that is sure to pluck at readers’ heartstrings and have them reaching for the tissues. A captivating, heartbreaking and compulsively readable historical novel that drew me in from the very first page, A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a vivid, compelling and evocative tale that brings the past to life and will plunge the reader into a world of risk, jeopardy and bravery that will leave them breathless.

A fabulous historical tale that is simply outstanding, A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a first-rate novel that heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice: L P Fergusson.

Such an intriguing book and a reason why I must read more historical fiction. Likable characters and descriptive background made this such an enjoyable read for me. Beautiful insight.

Set at the beginning of World War Two a young widow helps a German pilot after his plane crashes.
Sparkles fly and they immediately fall passionately in love. But this can never be because it is dangerous for both of them.Then begins the story of what actions they must take to protect them selves and if they will ever be together or will their undying love survive.

As much as I love other genres of books, I really believe that my heart lies in historical fiction. I am particularly drawn to books set during World War II, so this book appealed to me when I first heard about it. What I did not expect was to be completely and utterly blown away by it. It is such an exquisitely written and well-researched thought provoking novel. The last time I was moved by a novel, it was the 2015 novel All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and like that novel, this one is going to stay with me for a very long time. I will certainly be recommending it to all of my friends, in much the same way I nagged them to read Anthony Doerr’s novel relentlessly until they read it! A Dangerous Act of Kindness made me question what I would have done in the same situation. Would I hide someone, knowing that I could be found guilty of treason if we were both caught? I suspect I probably would have done.

This book focuses on Millie Sanger, a young widow struggling to keep her dairy farm going with a couple of land girls to help. She finds Lukas, a young German pilot who had crashed nearby and was injured and hiding inside her barn. She takes him in as a snowstorm closes in, trapping them in a little bubble for a few days in which only they exist, with no war, no other people, just them, and unsurprisingly the chemistry they have draws them closer together, forming a connection that nothing will break.

I found the intricacies of war fascinatingly presented by LP Fergusson in this novel, providing a juxtaposition between the sensitive young pilot Lukas with the sheer evil of some Nazis who revelled in the death and destruction they were responsible for. The book provides an insight into what it was like for rural communities trying to feed the British people in times of war, and what it was like for the land girls, working hard to replace the men who were at war themselves. I also found it a compelling insight into the lives of the evacuees leaving London and moving to the countryside. I was aware of rationing and the work of the land girls, but I had never previously considered the pressure farmers were under to meet government quotas to provide much needed food for the masses in wartime.

I felt the historical details helped to show that the actions of the characters were grounded in reality. The location of the farm was so perfectly described that I had a clear vision of the farm in my mind’s eye, as well as faithful Gyp, Millie’s dog, and the human characters too. Millie was a strong, determined woman, who had taken on the responsibility of her farm and was revelling in the opportunities that were available to her in wartime. I loved Lukas and his gentle sensitivity and humility, and from the outset found myself rooting for him. It was easy to see why Millie was drawn to him. The other characters and their stories were also interesting, although I found I had little sympathy for Hugh, the neighbouring farmer who pined openly for Millie in spite of her making her own feelings very clear to him.

The Author’s Note at the end of the book provides a fascinating insight into the inspiration for A Dangerous Act of Kindness, and it is really worth reading too. All in all, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read such an incredible book.

A proper old fashioned ( in a good way) love story set firmly in the Second World War. Some wider background is interspersed throughout the book but the romance, and its problems, stays firmly in the centre.
A good holiday read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

A ww2 love story which I enjoyed very much. Not usually the kind of book I would read but I am glad I picked this one. Well worth reading

This is set during WWII and Millie is a young widow, who is running her dairy farm with the help of a neighbour and some evacuees….

A German fighter plane crashes in a nearby field and the kind Millie takes the injured pilot, Lukas in to her care and hides him in the barn. She’s not really thinking of the consequences this may have on her and those closest to her….

This is historical fiction at its best. It tells of the atrocities of war and the emotional and physical effects this has both on those fighting and their families. It also touches on the labour camps where German POW’s were kept and the Land Army women and how women managed during the war years…changing perceptions forever.

With likeable and believable characters this is beautifully written by LP Ferguson with stunning imagery and emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to The Author, Canelo and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.