Amber Bay by Sharon Hinck

Stand alone novel

Summary: 

Based on a true story...

Two nations battle across her homeland. Two men alter the course of her future.

After fleeing the terrors of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution, Marija Kappel longs for a peaceful life in Latvia. Her beautiful Baltic coast town with its white sand beaches is the perfect place to dream of marriage and children who can hunt for amber on the bay.

But her fragile hopes for stability collapse as powerful governments negotiate treaties that change everything. What starts as an agreement for a naval base soon becomes a full Russian occupation with all its brutality. Daily perils invade even her own home.

While Russia and Germany battle over Latvia like dogs over a bone, Marija fights to hold her family together. Her resilience is further tested by the horrors of the Nazi invasion. Torn by the atrocities of World War II, she grapples with decisions about her future and the two men who have played an important role in her life. As the world around her crumbles, she uses every strategy to protect her family and aid her friends. Will her faith in the God of her parents—preserved like a relic in amber—endure through loss and danger? Will she have the strength to love and trust again?

Opening Lines: 

Feet pounded on the street outside, driven by the fierce rhythm of shouting voices. The ruckus caused the china in the sideboard to rattle like bleached bones. Marjia Kappel pressed her face to the second-story window, feeling the vibration against her skin and smelling the tang of the vinegar her mother used to clean the glass. Beneath her, students and workers paraded past their home, waving red flags.