Codes of Courage by A.L. Sowards

Codes of Courage
by A.L. Sowards

ISBN-13: 9781524424039
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Released: October 10, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1940: Austrian refugee Karl Lang has lost everything―his country, his home, and his family. All that is left to him is a burning ambition to see the Nazis defeated. Desperate for work and a way to help the war effort, he finds the one place that will take a refugee: a supply steamer traversing a deadly path past enemy U-boats.

Since their first meeting, Millie Stevens has felt an undeniable connection to Karl. As the war rages, she shares his determination to oppose the Nazis and finds work at the British codebreaking center at Bletchley Park. There she uses all her intellect and determination to break German codes and read U-boat transmissions―or risk losing the man she loves.

Rolf Denhart will do anything to defend the Fatherland, including long patrols in a cramped U-boat. But rumors from Germany leave him uneasy, forcing a choice between loyalty to his homeland, the safety of his family, and his peace of conscience.

In the midst of war, three lives are woven together to create an epic tapestry of love and loss, joy and pain, sacrifice and courage.


My Review:
Codes of Courage is a Christian suspense set in 1940 to 1945. While there is romance, this isn't romance genre but primarily a war story. We continue Karl's story from "Heirs of Falcon Point," and if you've read that book, you have some idea of how this turns out (which is a good thing, so feel free to read it first). This novel can be read as a standalone, though.

The historical details about what it'd be like to serve on a U-boat or on merchant ships taking supplies to England (and getting attacked), working in code breaking, etc., brought the time period alive in my imagination. These details were very interesting without bogging down the pace. Karl and Millie didn't get to spend much time together while falling in love, but we got snippets from their letters. They were well-suited to each other. Karl appreciated Millie's intelligence and willingness to help him while they're still strangers. Millie felt seen and loved for herself when normally she felt like she didn't fit in. There's plenty of suspenseful battle and rescue scenes.

Karl had a family Bible with a code in it, and code-breaker Millie tried to break it. This ended up leading her to rely on God when things got hard (like raising a baby without a husband present to help). There were no sex scenes (though obviously they make a baby) or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and suspenseful historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.