Book Review: The Scandinavian War Bride" by Désirée Ohrbeck

*Editorial Book Review*

The Scandinavian War Bride 

by Désirée Ohrbeck

Publication Date: 3rd March 2026
Publisher: Embarkation Books
Page Length: 341
Genre: Historical Fiction

Inspired by true events in World War II and postwar Denmark—a Top Pick for Danish Libraries, now available in English.

Kirsten Marie Pedersen wants more from life than the narrow prospects offered in 1940s Copenhagen.

She grows up in a small house outside Copenhagen, shaped by scarcity, silence, and fear. Her father’s alcoholism and her mother’s quiet exhaustion leave little room for tenderness, while the German occupation presses in on every part of daily life. Alongside her sisters, Kirsten comes of age in a world where endurance is expected, and ambition is dangerous.

When the war ends and Europe’s borders reopen, Kirsten refuses to return to the life she barely survived. She follows her sister to Germany and secures work as a translator at the Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, assisting American forces in their pursuit of Nazi fugitives. The war is over; the world lies open; her body awakens. In the charged uncertainty of the postwar years, she encounters freedom, desire, and a cross-cultural love that offers both promise and risk.

But when tragedy fractures the Pedersen family, Kirsten is forced to choose between loyalty to the past and the possibility of a different future. Drawn by love and the fragile promise of the American Dream, she faces a decision that will carry her across the Atlantic—and forever alter the course of her life.

Inspired by more than 100 real letters written by the author’s grandmother after the war, The Scandinavian War Bride weaves the lives of three sisters into a raw and intimate mosaic of wartime fragments. While a love story runs through the novel, it favors emotional realism over romantic idealism, offering a gritty portrait of women who must twist and turn to reach their dreams—and face the price of choosing their own path.

Originally published to critical acclaim in Denmark and selected by over 80% of the Danish public library system, this historically grounded novel will appeal to readers of literary historical fiction, family sagas, and women’s stories rooted in truth, resilience, and moral complexity.

When I opened "The Scandinavian War Bride" by Désirée Ohrbeck, I expected a historically grounded exploration of women’s lives shaped by war, loss, and displacement, informed by the author’s personal connection to the material. Inspired by letters written by her grandmother, the novel spans decades and multiple perspectives, tracing the enduring impact of violence, desire, and survival across one Danish family. The story is unflinching in its subject matter and rich in sensory detail, and its roots in lived experience lend it undeniable emotional weight. At the same time, the novel’s breadth and pace sometimes work against the depth of immersion the narrative appears to seek.

The narrative centres on Kirsten and her sisters, Martha and Ingrid, growing up in Copenhagen as political tensions rise across Europe and later give way to Nazi occupation. Their childhood is shaped not only by historical upheaval but by instability within the home, as fear and control become part of daily life. These early experiences follow the sisters into adulthood, influencing how each responds to love, authority, and the possibility of escape offered by the postwar world.

Martha’s story initially unfolds along more conventional lines. Her relationship with an American serviceman reflects the cultural contrasts and cautious optimism of the immediate postwar period, offering the promise of security and renewal. Ingrid’s path, quieter and more inward, reflects the intense moral and social pressures placed on young women of the era, particularly in matters of propriety and expectation. Together, their stories establish a framework against which Kirsten’s journey unfolds.

Kirsten’s trajectory forms the emotional backbone of the novel. Drawn by the opportunity to work for the Americans in Germany, she enters a world defined by abundance, authority, and unresolved moral tensions. Her work as a translator exposes her to the lingering consequences of the war, even as she begins to experience a degree of personal freedom previously denied to her. As grief, desire, and loyalty begin to intersect, Kirsten is forced to navigate choices that test both her independence and her sense of responsibility.

Taken together, these interwoven narratives create a broad portrait of women negotiating violence, survival, and self-determination during a period of profound upheaval. I was struck by the scope of the story and the seriousness with which it approaches its subject matter, particularly given its roots in personal family history. At the same time, as the novel moves rapidly across years, relationships, and perspectives, I became increasingly aware of the tension between its thematic ambition and the narrative space afforded to fully explore it.

As much as I admired the novel’s ambition, I was conscious throughout of the strain placed on the narrative by its pacing. Significant developments are often compressed into brief passages, lending the story an episodic quality. While this occasionally disrupted my immersion, it also reflects the instability and fragmentation experienced by the characters themselves, whose lives are shaped by forces beyond their control.

This compression is especially evident in Kirsten’s character arc. Her early experiences of physical and emotional abuse are powerfully rendered and provide a convincing foundation for her later defiance. The shift from constrained girlhood to adult autonomy unfolds abruptly at times, yet this abruptness can be read as deliberate, mirroring the disorientation of a life shaped by violence and displacement. While I occasionally wished for greater narrative space to explore the social consequences of her choices, her emotional arc remains coherent and thematically resonant.

At times, tonal shifts in the depiction of sexuality challenged my sense of historical immersion. Certain passages adopt a distinctly modern observational register, moving away from character-filtered interiority toward more detached description. These moments briefly draw attention to the narrative voice rather than deepening psychological insight. That said, the novel’s frankness also underscores its refusal to sentimentalise women’s experiences, and this honesty contributes to its emotional force.

I found "The Scandinavian War Bride" to be an ambitious and emotionally affecting novel. While issues of pacing and tonal consistency occasionally challenged my immersion, the novel’s sensory power, thematic coherence, and emotional intensity ultimately outweighed these limitations.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

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 Desiree Ohrbeck

Born and raised in Denmark, Desiree Ohrbeck now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Her writing brings together historical detail and intimate emotional depth, often inspired by the stories passed down through her own family. She is especially drawn to the hidden lives of women and the quiet courage that shapes them, writing with emotional honesty and a keen sense of the human heart.

Desiree holds an MA in Nordic Philology and History and taught Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington from 2010 to 2016. Today, she works to promote Danish literature in English translation and serves on the board of the Danish American Heritage Foundation.

Her writing reflects a belief that ordinary women often carry the most extraordinary stories. The Scandinavian War Bride is her first novel in English.

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Join us as author Heidi Gallacher introduces Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, the misunderstood doctor in her new novel A Theory in Vienna #BiographicalHistoricalFiction #MedicalHistory #RecommendedReading

A Theory in vienna

by Heidi Gallacher

‘I bring to light a truth, which was unknown for many centuries with direful results for the human race.’ – Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis. 

 

Imagine you’d discovered something. Something that could save hundreds of thousands of lives. But they wouldn’t let you tell anyone. Wouldn’t it drive you mad?

 

Young Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis uncovers the real reason thousands of young women are dying after childbirth. Yet, in mid-19th century Europe, his simple methods are ridiculed. Semmelweis faces the battle of his life to convince others that the cause is simple…

 

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, A Theory in Vienna brings the remarkable story of this man to life.

Praise for A Theory in Vienna:

'A booked based on truth, and this novel didn't disappoint.'

~ Andrew, 5* Amazon Review

Ignaz Semmelweis: Motivation, Conflict,
and the Cost of Being Right Too Early

In the mid-19th century, European medicine stood on the threshold of transformation. Advances were being made in anatomy and clinical observation, yet many foundational concepts — including germ theory — had not yet emerged. It was within this uncertain and hierarchical medical world that Ignaz Semmelweis made his discovery, and it is this historical moment that shaped both his achievement and his tragic fate.

Semmelweis worked at the Vienna General Hospital, one of the most important medical institutions in Europe. He was confronted daily with a devastating reality: women in the maternity wards were dying in alarming numbers from childbed fever. Mortality rates fluctuated dramatically between the two wards, yet these deaths were widely accepted as unavoidable. Semmelweis however refused to accept this.

Motivation: Observation, not Assumption

Semmelweis’s motivation arose not from theory, but from close observation. He compared outcomes between wards, noted differences in practice, and paid careful attention to the patterns which others ignored. His breakthrough came when he linked the deaths of women in childbirth to the transfer of infectious material by doctors moving directly from autopsies in the deadhouse (morgue) to the delivery room.

This conclusion placed him at odds with prevailing medical beliefs. Without the conceptual framework of bacteria or infection, his findings challenged not only established practice, but professional identity. To accept his conclusions would have required physicians to acknowledge their own role in causing such terrible harm — an idea that many, understandably, found intolerable.

Semmelweis’s insistence on handwashing with chlorinated lime drastically reduced mortality rates. The evidence was immediate and compelling. Yet evidence alone proved insufficient.

Conflict: Authority, Hierarchy, and Resistance

The central conflict in Semmelweis’s life was institutional rather than scientific. Medicine at the time was governed by seniority and tradition. New ideas were expected to defer to authority, and not disrupt it. Semmelweis, a relatively young physician and an outsider within Viennese medical circles, lacked both status and diplomatic skill. He battled daily with the head of the maternity department, Dr. Klein, who ridiculed him for being Hungarian and having poor language skills.

His inability — or refusal — to frame his findings in a way that reassured his colleagues deepened resistance. What he perceived as urgency was interpreted as accusation. Over time, professional opposition hardened into exclusion. His appointments were not renewed, and his work was dismissed or ignored, even as mortality rates rose once more when his methods were abandoned.

From a historical perspective, this resistance becomes more comprehensible. Without germ theory, Semmelweis could not fully explain why his method worked, only that it did. In a scientific culture that prized theory over empirical disruption, this was a critical vulnerability.

Challenges: Isolation and Psychological Cost

As opposition increased, Semmelweis’s isolation deepened. He became increasingly fixated on the preventable nature of the deaths he witnessed. Letters and publications from his later years reveal a man overwhelmed by frustration and moral urgency.

This psychological toll is an essential part of his story. Semmelweis was not simply silenced; he was worn down. The combination of professional rejection, personal strain, and relentless exposure to suffering eroded his stability and sanity. He died without recognition, decades before his work was fully understood or accepted.

Writing a Historical Figure, Not a Myth

In writing Semmelweis as a character, I was careful not to impose modern judgments too easily. From our modern vantage point, his colleagues appear negligent or cruel. Historically, they were constrained by the limits of contemporary knowledge and institutional culture. This does not absolve them, but it complicates the narrative.

Equally, Semmelweis himself was not a flawless hero. His rigidity, anger, and inability to compromise contributed to his downfall. A historically honest portrayal must hold both truths: that he was right, and that he struggled to survive the consequences of being right.

Why Semmelweis Still Matters

Semmelweis’s legacy is often summarised by a single instruction: wash your hands. How true this has been proved to be today! Yet this simplicity masks a deeper historical lesson. His story illustrates how progress can be delayed not by lack of evidence, but by resistance to uncomfortable implications.

His work reminds us that medicine is shaped not only by discovery, but by culture — by who is heard, who is believed, and whose lives are valued. The women he sought to protect had little voice in medical debates, making his advocacy all the more remarkable.

Semmelweis’s life stands as a case study in the costs of being ahead of one’s time. He did not fail because he was wrong, but because the world around him was not yet ready to change. In revisiting his story through fiction, my aim was not to rehabilitate a reputation already restored by history, but to examine the human experience behind that delay. To tell his fascinating story.

Progress, as Semmelweis’s life shows, is rarely straightforward. It is often slow, contested, and shaped by individuals who persist long before recognition arrives.

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Heidi Gallacher

Heidi was born in London in the Sixties. She grew up in South Wales, UK and moved to Paris as a young adult where she taught English for two years. She currently lives in Switzerland and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing.

    Her first short story was published in Prima magazine (UK) in 2018. Heidi now writes historical fiction. Her first novel, Rebecca’s Choice, is set in Tredelerch - an old house in Wales that belonged to her family generations ago. This novel won an award from the Coffee Pot Book Club in 2020, Debut Novel Bronze Medal.

Her second novel, A Theory in Vienna, is set in 19th century Vienna and Budapest. It tells the incredible story of unsung hero Ignaz Semmelweis, whose life-saving discovery was ridiculed at the time.

Heidi enjoys travelling (the further North the better!), singing and writing songs, and spending time reading and writing at her Swiss chalet where the views are amazing.

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Have a sneak peek between the pages of Secrets in the Woods by Susan D. Levitte

Secrets in the Woods

by Susan D. Levitte

On October 8, 1871, fire turned night into a living hell.

While Chicago's blaze claimed the headlines, a fiercer and more devastating inferno swept across Wisconsin's Green Bay peninsula-obliterating farms, forests, and families in its path.

Here, among immigrant settlers carving new lives from the wilderness, survival came down to split-second choices: to run, to hide, to fight the flames. Mothers shielded children with their bodies, fathers vanished into smoke, and neighbors faced the firestorm with nothing but faith and will.

Inspired by forgotten accounts and newspaper fragments, Secrets in the Woods brings to life the untold human drama of one of America's most harrowing nights-a story of resilience, loss, and the fragile hope that rises from the ashes.

Praise for Secrets in the Woods:

'This book will stay in your thoughts long after you finish it!'

~ Patricia Cords, 5* Amazon Review

He pulled me to the stone base of the well. The rug was only half over my head, and I could see there was a ladder placed inside. He didn’t wait for me to move. Instead, he lifted my leg over the side and placed my boot-clad foot on the first rung. My foot stuck and it registered that I was glad that Antoine had insisted we wear our leather shoes and not our sabots. 

When our faces were even Jacques said “noh-tâ-w i-nan ki-se-ma-ni-to.” ‘Watch over us to help us.’ 

I didn’t hear the rest, but I learned much later that it was a Cree blessing to keep us safe. I was off balance with Atlan strapped in front of me but skittered down the ladder, missing rungs and hanging on too long to others. When I reached the bottom, I felt my feet enter water that reached to about my knees. The ladder was tugged out of my hand.

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Susan D. Levitte

Susan was born and raised as the fifth generation to live on the family land in Northeast North Dakota (nearly Canada). She moved to Wisconsin in 1997, living in Door and Manitowoc County and now resides in the pastoral Kewaunee County. Married to Quentin, they share their home with Olive and Penny, their silly Labrador retrievers, and Gil, their ever-lazy cat.

As a devoted reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, she brings her passion for history and desire to educate readers into her work. With twenty-five years of experience in global advertising and marketing, she holds a master’s degree in communications and currently contributes her expertise to the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.

Connect with Susan:

Website • Author Page at Historium Press  

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Book Review: The Seer by Raquel Y. Levitt

 

*Editorial Book Review*

THE SEER 

by Raquel Y. Levitt 

Publication Date: 11th March 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Page Length: 340

Genre: Historical Fiction / Psychic Suspense

In 1890s Missouri, secrets are a matter of survival.

Clairvoyant Sarah Richardson screams as her older sister Katherine is forced into a straitjacket and thrust into a carriage bound for the St. Louis City Lunatic Asylum. She is devastated to learn Katherine has been blamed for her inadvertent role in an abused woman’s murder. Now, too frightened to speak up, she hides the truth that it should have been her in that carriage.

Sarah’s mounting guilt becomes too much, and she heads to St. Louis, determined to regain her sister’s confidence and prove herself worthy of forgiveness.

While working to heal their relationship, Sarah meets a timid housewife who tries to hide her bruises. When troubling psychic visions of the woman begin to affect her, she sees an opportunity to atone for her past mistakes. Desperate to do whatever it takes to make things right, Sarah embarks on a perilous journey that may cost her everything—including her own life.

Trigger Warning: This book contains topics of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and death.

Sarah Richardson and her sister Katherine grew up knowing they were never to speak of their gifts — of what made them different from others. Their insight into people’s feelings was enough to make others scorn their family, but if it were ever revealed that they could not only see people’s auras but were also clairvoyant, they would become targets.

As the girls grow, so too do their powers, and when connections become overwhelming and visions of abuse can no longer be ignored, it becomes a matter of getting involved — even against the direct wishes of their father and grandmother. Although their intentions are good, watching Katherine carted away to the St Louis City Lunatic Asylum in a straitjacket gives Sarah the insight her father tried to instil in her: the world does not take kindly to people poking their noses into others’ business.

I found myself instantly drawn into The Seer by Raquel Y. Levitt, the characters immediately compelling and the intricacies of their powers fascinating. To read how those around you feel, what their intentions are, and whether they are good people appears on the surface to be useful — but it follows Sarah like a curse. To see and feel the good in people is one thing, but to sense the evil is another entirely. Getting involved for the sake of others’ safety seems the only logical choice, yet when her grandmother — who has lived her life with the same powers — so desperately advises against it, and after witnessing her sister torn away, Sarah has reason to hesitate.

The guilt that tears at her, keeping to herself truths that would prove her sister innocent despite knowing that no one would believe her regardless, is penned with remarkable clarity. I truly felt Sarah’s plight while reading. She is kind-hearted, eager to prove herself and help others, but fear grips her heart. How can she put her powers to good use when they have only ever landed others in trouble?

Sarah truly comes into her own when she leaves her family home and journeys to St Louis in an attempt to reconcile with her sister. The world is at a turning point, with the suffragette movement beginning to make itself known, yet real change remains elusive. Sarah finds herself in the company of highly regarded society and fumbles her way forward, attempting to fit in despite her upbringing placing her firmly below those around her.

The differences in society highlighted in this novel are stark, and the contrast between Sarah and her fellow boarder, Laura, at Digby’s Boarding House for Women only intensifies this. The way the two young women are treated, and the regard in which they are held within the house, differs greatly. This divide in class and opinion is further amplified by the introduction of Rebecca. Rebecca runs Larsen’s Market, a shop that offers Sarah employment when she finds herself rapidly running low on funds. At Larsen’s Market, Sarah is easily accepted: her friendship is valued, and her time and efforts appreciated. Unlike the residents of Digby’s Boarding House, who look down their noses at her and believe a woman should not be working, the people Sarah meets at the market are welcoming and make her feel at ease.

As Sarah becomes acquainted with St Louis, she begins to recognise the people she encounters. Surrounded daily by the auras of others, it does not take her long to pinpoint the darkness surrounding Nathaniel Malone, nor to notice the timid nature of his wife, Norma. Harkening back to an earlier point in her life — to her sister’s claims of abuse within the home of a local couple, and her subsequent confinement in the asylum — Sarah is torn. Getting involved may prove dangerous, but could she truly stand by knowing that Norma was not safe in her own home?

The narrative is written with such care and draws the reader in so deeply that it is impossible not to feel the pain and sorrow radiating from the dark, clouded auras Sarah perceives. It is easy to sympathise with her: she has seen first-hand the consequences of involving herself in others’ affairs, and despite her understandable hesitation — and the strong moral pull urging her to help — I never once felt she was a coward for her reluctance.

Amid the emotional turmoil experienced both by Sarah, as she attempts to determine her place in the world, and by the reader, drawn into the intricate lives of those around her, there is a glimmer of light — a gentle tinge of pink surrounding matters of the heart. Joy and safety are felt in the presence of the one who captures her affection, and yet Sarah remains torn. The man who has stolen her attention, and to whom she finds herself inexorably drawn, belongs to someone else.

Sarah’s relationships — with friends, acquaintances, and those whose company she does not particularly enjoy — are intricate, forming a web of secrets as she conceals different parts of herself from different people, revealing them only to a select few. Sarah is a character I found impossible not to like. She strives to do right by everyone she meets, even when it does not bode well for herself. She longs to be true to who she is, yet is desperately afraid to do so for fear of rejection. My heart went out to her at every turn.

The Seer by Raquel Y. Levitt is a novel that does not merely capture the reader’s attention, but holds it rapt from the first page to the final sentence. I found it almost impossible to put down, even momentarily. With its utterly entrancing prose and enchanting characters, it keeps you captive until the very end. This is a truly wonderful novel, and one that is certain to remain close to my heart for a long time to come.

Review by Ellie Yarde

The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Raquel Y. Levitt 

Raquel Y. Levitt has an affinity for the mid-late 1800s and sets many of her stories during that era, including her debut novel THE SEER about a young woman who risks her life and freedom to redeem a past mistake. THE SEER has received multiple accolades and awards, including the 2025 Literary Global Awards Fiction Book of the Year. Her short stories have been published in journals and anthologies, including the multi-award winning anthology FEISTY DEEDS: HISTORICAL FICTIONS OF DARING WOMEN. Many of her stories have a strong female protagonist finding her voice and her power. Besides being a writer, Raquel is an avid reader, book hoarder, world traveler, amateur nature photographer, cook, and collector of cool rocks.

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Blog Tour: Both Sides of the Pond – My Family's War: 1933-1946 by Barbara Kent Lawrence

Join The Coffee Pot Book Club on tour with…

Both Sides of the Pond
My Family’s War: 1933-1946

by Barbara Kent Lawrence

March 4th, 2026

Publication Date: October 15th, 2025

Publisher: Sweet Fern Press

Pages: 393

Genre: Historical Fiction

In January of 1939 when Barbara Greene, a beautiful young British actress, met Joe Kennedy, Jr., son of the American Ambassador, she could not have expected that their relationship would lead to her emigrating to the United States and learning to pilot a plane. Neither could her brother, Kent, have foreseen his bitter retreat from Dunkirk when he left England in January 1940 to fight in France, or his subsequent service on the frontlines in Cornwall, North Africa, Sicily, and Burma.

In this intensively researched war story of the author’s family, we also hear the stories of other ordinary people who survived extraordinary circumstances. Richly illustrated with photographs and documents, “Both Sides of the Pond, My Family’s War: 1933 – 1946” is a captivating book.

Praise for Both Sides of the Pond:

"Author Barbara Kent Lawrence weaves a rich tapestry of the lives of her British mother and uncle from 1933 to 1946, before, during, and just after World War II. ...
War stories are very personal. This is such a story, and it offers insight into how two young people navigated difficult years that altered the trajectories of the lives they thought they would live. It is a worthy read, written beautifully. Don’t miss it."
~ Patricia Walkow, Military Writers Society of America

"I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. History and the complexity of human relationships unfold with uncommon grace."
~ Barbara Lazear Ascher, winner, most recently, of Pushcart’s Editors Book Award for Ghosting: A Widow’s Voyage Out.

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Barbara Kent Lawrence

Dr. Lawrence is the author of many articles and nine books, including an award-winning dissertation about the influence of culture on aspirations in Maine. Her new book, Both Sides of the Pond, My Family’s War: 1933 - 1945, is available in book stores and on Amazon.

A former professor, she has taught courses in anthropology and sociology, research, and writing non-fiction and memoir. Lawrence grew up in New York City and Washington D.C., then earned a BA in anthropology from Bennington College, an MA in sociology from New York University, and an Ed.D. in Administration, Policy and Planning from Boston University.

In addition to teaching, Lawrence has worked for the Department of Social Services and the Housing Development Administration in New York, directed a small museum in Maine, co-run a brokerage and construction company, consulted for the Rural School and Community Trust and KnowledgeWorks, and started four non-profit organizations supporting the environment and students.

When not working she loves to garden, knit, and go for walks, pastimes she learned from her British mother. She lives in Maine and is working on the third novel in her Islands series.

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