Love doesn't care about boundaries and many opposite atract when they shouldn't and that's where danger lies. This has been happening forever and will continue happening the world over. Love during the war between so called enemies is probably best kept secret for fear of reprisals but can it eventually work out?

A heart wrenching novel a story of war love life .The characters drew me in kept me reading late into the night.For lovers of historical fiction, this one is perfect for you,#netgalley#canelo

This posthumous novel by Reading (The Nostradamus Prophecies) magnifies the intensity of a love affair between enemies during wartime. After combat on the eastern front, German officer and aristocrat Max von Aschau is assigned to a small village in France where he meets young Lucie Lere, the daughter of a restaurant owner who delivers lunch to his temporary residence each day.

Max is attracted to Lucie, a pretty unaffected peasant girl who is unafraid to stand up to him. As Lucie spends more time with Max, who asks her to sing while he accompanies her on the piano, she breaks down Max’s wall of arrogance to reveal the man beneath the hardened exterior of the soldier and officer.

Their romance is initially uncomplicated by any physical interaction between them until Lucie decides to follow her heart. But the gossip of the village brands her as a traitor to the French people especially when resistance soldier Herve Najac, the man who expects her to marry him, is arrested for the attempting to murder Max. Max understands his duty to his country after Herve’s arrest but considers his love for Lucie when determining Herve’s punishment and the implications to the resistance soldiers if Herve is executed.

The love which blossoms between Max and Lucie may initially seem unlikely because of their vast difference in social status and the fact that Max commanded an occupying force during wartime. But their pure attraction is heightened as it thrives despite the odds of it failing. The pace of the novel increases and the narrative intensifies as Max makes difficult decisions regarding his loyalty to German command as juxtaposed against the possibility of a future with Lucie. Powerful and moving, Reading’s narrative illuminates the human side of a soldier faced with the agonizing choices of war.

This book made me stop and think about how easy it is to feel sorry for ourselves and NOT think about others.
This was written from a German soldiers point of view and how much they too hated fighting.
It was a heavy book, with lots of description going on for probably longer than I was wanting.
I did find one particular part overwhelming and that was the description of Oradour sur Glare as I have visited the area and have seen the atrocity and memoirs still there.
All in all a good book.

Max is a German Officer and veteran of the Russian Front. Posted to France in 1944. He falls in love with Lucie. A young French girl. As the Allied Invasion creeps closer the book draws on different aspects of the war and peoples lives. Brilliant, well written would recommend.

Unfortunately, I was several chapters in and couldn't really get into the book. I thought it was going to have more romance based on the description and the cover. I was also waiting for the female character to be introduced and stopped reading because she never emerged. Of what I did read it seemed more about the politics and intensity of war than anything else.

Lovely story showing aspects of the human side of war. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

While this started off a tad slow, once I got the hang of the story, I was instantly hooked. I really really enjoyed reading from the perspective of a German officer who despised Hitler...yet he was doing the job he was forced to do by the Reich in WWII. Well-written, engaging, and heart wrenching, all in one.

Engaging and moving story of love in Nazi occupied France during World War Two. I was drawn into the romance between Max and Lucie, their relationship evoking the sacrifices and hardships attendant on any wartime romance. Prior to reading this advance review copy, I was not familiar with the writing of Mario Reading but would be interested to now read any other works of his.

An unusual WW2 story as it gives comes from the German point of view. I enjoyed reading the fact that not all Germany's agreed with the philosophies of their leaders.
Love, discrimination and sheer determination shines through this story.. Great WW2 story that was easy to read.

The author did a brilliant job of conveying the emotions faced during the war. The scars of the war are visible way after it ends and makes the path to love difficult, but fortunately for the reader, love does win in the end! This was a great and fast read.

A seriously heart-wrenching novel set in a time of unsettlement. This is a tale of romance, war and fighting for everything you hold dear.

An epic tale of love and war in a small French town during the German Occupation in World War II.
This novel is also a story of resistance – both in terms of the heroic Maquis and also in the personal lives of the three major protagonists – the decorated German officer and war hero, Max von Ashau and two French villagers, Lucie and Herve, childhood sweethearts – all three scarred by war and its brutality, their lives utterly changed and defined by this war, but who still ultimately refuse to be governed by hate.
So, for me, this is, in many respects, an exasperating book. Some of it is very good. Most of the narrative is compelling and well-paced, the characters vivid and well-drawn. The emotional subtext is thoughtful and perceptive, clearly outlining the conflicted ambiguity in the emotions of the conquerors and conquered. The author shows clearly that those on the sidelines have the luxury of primary emotions – love, hate, anger – whereas those caught up in the maelstrom of war and resistance experience a far more confused and complicated range of feeling. The description of life in St Gervais and its inhabitants is credible and engaging. The central theme of love across the lines of war is in some respects reminiscent of Irene Nemirovsky's "Suite Francaise".
However, where the book falls down is in the over-detailed descriptions – battles too often sound as if they were lifted from "Boys Own Annual" and sloppy use of language, that distances the reader where it needs to draw us in. In particular, the use of the word "infibulation" – usually employed to describe Female Genital Mutilation – is here used to describe Russia's ravaged landscape. It is offensive and meaningless. This is a real pity because this is a good, if flawed, story and some of it is very well imagined and described. My only regret is that with careful editing, it could have been a great deal better.
Charlotte Gower
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. The following review is purely my own, not influenced by the publisher.

This is the first title I have read by this author (now deceased). The book was published posthumously, and there was no publisher note as to whether the author considered the novel complete or not. The reason I mention this is because the ending felt quite abrupt. This makes it almost impossible to rate.
There was no note about the author at all, but perhaps there will be in the published edition. I hope so.
Because I had never heard of Mario Reading before, I took it upon myself to do a cursory search of publicly available information online. I was surprised to find that he was English, because the novel is sympathetic to an SS officer—albeit an unwilling one. Reading’s mother was German, though, so perhaps his family heritage had some bearing on his views. That is just speculation on my part, however; What counts is what the characters are like, how they are described, whether they are compassionate human beings or not.
In Max’s case, he is exactly that: a real ‘Mensch’.

Max Von Aschau is a Count, now 29 years old. He has been at war for three years in Russia, leader of a tank group. He is revered by his men because he cares for their welfare, is a natural-born leader and courageous enough to put his own life on the line. He has been awarded several medals for wounds received, and these medals often prompt jealousy and pettiness from desk-bound officers with no combat experience.
Max is a good person, fair-minded, a practicing Catholic who takes his faith seriously and takes the time to seek out the family priest on his brief visit home (Bavaria).
Max despises what the Nazis stand for, as do his father and brother-in-law, both aristocrats. They did not serve in the regular military or in the SS, but spoke out against the Nazi regime and (SPOILER ALERT) later paid the ultimate price.

The fact that Max is in the SS, not the regular military, is slightly puzzling, because the latter would surely have been more palatable to an aristocrat. But we are told that Max did not have a choice. (How is it then that his aristo brother-in-law avoided any military service?) One glaring fault on the book cover is the color of Max’s uniform. Another reviewer on GoodReads pointed this out, i.e., that his uniform should be black, not green. The woman illustrated is also very different from the Lucie described by the author. A serious gaffe by the publisher.

I question the believability of the romance between Max and Lucie, mainly because they come from completely different worlds. She is a peasant, not even 19; sweet and pretty, but not particularly intelligent or talented. We’re told she has a nice voice, but it’s hardly a trained one. She has had no training in classical music, cannot even name one classical composer. The only music she knows is popular song, which Max privately considers music hall kitsch; That is not her fault; it is simply fact. Has she had any schooling at all? All she knows is work on the farm and helping out in her mother’s restaurant. She speaks only French.

Fortunately, Max speaks French (flawlessly). Which is understandable given the fact that he is a musician and an aristocrat. He had planned a career as a concert pianist before the war.

Given what we are told about him, and about her, it is hard to believe that he would fall for Lucie. It’s not just the 10-year age gap; there is a huge gap in class, upbringing, family expectations and obligation, level of education, life experience, etc,. On the other hand...

She *is* the only unmarried young woman in the village, attractive (despite her broken nose) and sweet, but with an avaricious mother who constantly pushes Lucie in front of Max. Is he blind? Well, maybe blinded by hormones. Max has not been with—or even around—a woman (outside of family) for 3 years. I find it hard to believe that a tall, strikingly handsome, intelligent, talented and kind 29-year-old aristocrat would not have met an attractive, intelligent woman of his social class (or the bourgeoisie) at his music conservatory, or in his social circles.

Max and Lucie are both nice people, and enjoy each other’s company, but...
Max is supremely bored, and unused to the state. He had too much time on his hands. and feeling lonely in a small village of unfriendly, suspicious Frenchmen. Lucie on the other hand has plenty to do, and should know better—she is engaged. Her mother just wants her daughter to marry better than she did.

Max is curious, likes her well enough and so he thinks of ways to keep her around; money is no object. Money is exactly the object for Lucie’s mother, and it feels as though dear mama is practically pimping out her daughter at times. Lucie is not a complete naïf; it’s understandable if she happens to ‘forget’ occasionally that she is engaged to Hervé, a local farmer. Unfortunately for Hervé, he was horribly disfigured by burns from a German phosphorus bomb in Tours in 1940. You might sympathize with the farmer, but he is too often a brute toward young Lucie. These people are uneducated, crude; patriarchal and unforgiving. They have always worked the land, never left the village or region, always married within their own class, within their own village or region, have no expectations beyond those of the family. Not much changes from one generation to the next. .

There is more to the story than the romance, though that is the overriding story. There are details about actual battles, about infighting among Nazi officers, about the region of Aveyron, and the Maquisards (nicknamed “Maquis”), French Resistance fighters.

I wish there had been more about Max’s family history, the individual family members, more about his life before the war and his friends. (The latter omission I find particularly strange.) Perhaps there would have been more detail had the author had more time; we don’t know. That makes it very difficult to give the book a fair rating. It’s even more difficult given the lack of a publisher note. I can only rate what I have been given, and so I have given it 3 stars.

I hope the publisher includes a note about the author, and explains whether it was fully completed by the author. I also hope the publisher includes a note about the historical significance of Oradour-sur-Glane. I never would have known that what the author described was based on fact had I not looked up Oradour-sur-Glane online. Most of the names of the Nazis involved are real, possibly with one exception (“Dickmann”).
It would also be helpful to add a link to the website (the most extensive one I found anyway) about what happened in Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10th, 1944. Or at least a statement acknowledging that what happened is historical fact, encouraging the reader to read more authoritative, historical accounts of what happened on that date. It was such an important event that it should be immortalized, never forgotten..

One note about place names: As far as I know, there is a St Gervais in Aveyron, but no St Gervais du Mont-Boisé, at least not in Aveyron. There is an Aschau im Chiemgau in Bavaria, but no simple “Aschau”.

There is an extensive glossary of common French and German words and expressions; I just wish the two languages had been separated. It was also very helpful to list the SS ranks in German along with their English translations. The thing I found perplexing, however, as a translator, was the fact that several German terms were misspelled, often due to the umlaut (2 diacritic marks over a vowel, aka a dieresis) being ignored. German nouns are capitalized; French ones are not, unless proper nouns (place names, etc.). So it was frustrating to see everything capitalized. Other parts of speech such as adjectives, adverbs, verbs, prepositions, etc. are not capitalized in German. (Nor in French, naturellement.) i hope the publisher will at least correct misspellings.:

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable with an amazing cast of characters that you cannot help but engage with.

Max von Aschau fought on the Russian front for the Germans for two years and is a highly decorated officer.
After brief vacation with his family he is promoted to Major General and along with long term friend and colleague Sergeant Major Paul Meyer is posted to a small village in France to prepare for the expected allied invasion. There he meets and falls for Lucie. a local peasant girl who brings his lunches to his new home from her mother's restaurant in the village.
Lucie’s family have hopes that she will marry local man Herve and although Lucie herself believes she will, when she meets Max everything changes.
When the allied invasion begins loyalties are tested on both sides and Max and Lucie may have to leave everything they know behind to have a future together.
I Found this a bit too slow and plodding. Not fast paced enough and not enough action.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed reading about Max and Lucie’s road to love. I found their journey beautiful and heart-wrenching at times, but it just shows how difficult love during wartime is, especially if you’re on different sides. I found the role that Herve plays in their relationship a very interesting twist as well.

Overall, 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley, Mario Reading and Canelo Publishing for my digital copy of : The Occupation Secret.

Tank Commander Maximilian Von Aschua is a seasoned officer, he's spent years fighting on the Eastern Front, against the Russian army in freezing conditions, with limited food and supplies. He has been wounded many times, he's a highly decorated soldier and has been awarded medals for his bravery and courage.
With him the whole way is his brother in arms Sergeant Major Paul Meyer, together they fought against the Soviet army and they share a special bond.
With the threat of the Allies invasion looming Commander Max is sent to the French countryside where he's to begin planning the German defenses.
When Max arrives at St Gervais du Mont-Boise he moves into a vacant mansion called Bastide de Marmont and the mayor takes him for a meal at a local cafe. The owner's name is Jeanne Lere, she sees the Germans arrival in town as a perfect opportunity for her to make money and she isn't missing her older husband who's a prisoner of war in Germany. Her daughter Lucie, lives on her grandparents farm but she travels to town to see her mother and her mother soon gives her the job of delivering the Commander's lunch to him every day.

Lucie has a admirer his name is Herve Najac, they grew up together and he follows her around like a lost puppy. He was badly wounded at the start of the war by a phosphorous bomb and his face was badly disfigured. Lucie and Herve have a understanding that she might marry him when the war ends and he's not happy when the commander starts to show interest in his bride to be.

Lucie and Max find they have a common interest, they both enjoy music, Lucie discovers that the Commander is a nice man and soon they start to have feelings for each other. But will a relationship between Max and Lucie be possible during the war?

By reading The Occupation Secret, you look at WWII from a German soldiers point of view, it breaks down conceived boundaries, and you discover how strong the bond is between soldiers fighting in a war. I enjoyed the book and I gave it four stars.

Great historical novel of love, war, sacrifice and breaking boundaries.
It was very well written, easy to read even for a non-english speaking person.
It's strange how one can take sides with a German soldier during World War II😉 But as usually love wins despite everything. There goodness in every nation.
I liked the ending as it left some fields open for imagination.
Overall I would rate this book 8,5/10. Sometimes the dialogs and descriptions were too lengthy.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
If you think you are going to read a love-story with WW2 as a backdrop - this is not it. This is a story of two lonely people, drawn together by a shared interest in music, trying to survive amidst the desperation, the callousness, the deprivations and rabid incriminations between citizens and neighbours within occupied France prior to the D-Day invasions. (Very apt as I read this during that commemorative week.)

Starting this book, and for several chapters which introduced SS Tank Commander Count Maximilian van Aschau and his close comrades on the Eastern Front in 1943, I began to doubt if I could carry on reading. The reason was that this section was absolutely littered with German phrases and I began to think if it were all like this then, well, no thank you. (I found the glossary at the end of the book - a bit too late!) However, it gets better, except then the narrative is interspersed with such antiquated English terms I really had to give the Dictionary look-up a good work-out. Why the author chooses to use such prose is quite beyond me - but it takes all sorts I suppose - but it certainly disrupts any flow to reading.

Well, I stuck with it. Max takes leave at his ancestral home in Bavaria, before being transferred to France to prepare defences for a possible allied invasion.
Lucie Lere is an uneducated farm girl living with her grandmother but working for her mother's restaurant in the village. She is instructed to take Max's lunch to him each day and their shared love of music leads to their relationship.

Village gossip, and Lucie's long-term but disfigured suitor, combine to make their relationship untenable.
Reprisals are brutal. One life is saved in return for another.

The atrocities represented are not for the feint-hearted.

Once well into the book I really wanted to find out what happened to Max and Lucie, and to a point we do; however I found the ending rather inconclusive and 'hanging', rather unsatisfactory.

A decent-enough story, but the use of language both in the foreign and antiquated sense really spoiled it for me. Not a smooth read at all.

Worth taking a chance on.