These Blue Mountains

Author: Sarah Loudin Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 352
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz's body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he'd left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she'll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas is an engaging historical romance from beginning to end.

This novel is set 15 years after WWI and at the beginning of Hitler’s rise to power. Hedda was engaged to Fritz, who vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp at the start of the Great War. She has assumed (along with Fritz’s mother Lotte) that he was dead. When she sees a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina, she is determined to go get Fritz’s body and bring him home to his mother. Unfortunately, for Hedda, that’s where things take a dark turn. With the help of deputy Garland Jones, they try to unravel what happened to Fritz.

I loved the twists and turns in this novel as the reader, along with the characters, gets to unravel the mystery of the woman in the coffin. The attraction between Hedda and Garland was sweet with a few obstacles keeping them apart, which had me really rooting for them.

With a few surprises, twists and turns, this novel was hard to put down. The research of the time, the alien camp, and Hitler’s rise to power sounded eerily familiar to what is going on in the States right now, and I could not miss the parallels.

These Blue Mountains is a romantic, yet timely novel that will keep you reading way into the wee morning hours. I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Jeanette Durkin

Wow! This is a fantastic book! It has everything that I love about the historical fiction genre. I never knew that there were internment camps for German aliens. I also enjoyed the imagery in the book. I’ve seen the Blue Ridge Mountains and they are a sight to behold!

Hedda is an amazing woman! She’s selfless, loving, and compassionate. Lotte and Hedda have always wondered what happened to Fritz (son/fiancé). A disturbing photograph has possible answers. Hedda travels from Germany to North Carolina, determined to put the past to rest. There she finds answers, hope, and love. 

Garland is a man with many layers. He has secrets from his past that haunt him. As his path crosses with Hedda’s, he realizes that the past can’t stay buried.

Faith in God is mentioned throughout the book. Fritz hid in Bethania and there he was taught about Jesus Christ. “I am a new man because of Jesus. He has forgiven me everything.” This is inspiring to me. It’s a reminder for me to share my faith.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

“… she’d felt as if her life were a simple melody being played on a badly out-of-tune instrument.”

Waiting month after month, year after year, Hedda Schlagel had finally stumbled across a photograph that offered a clue as to what may have happened to her fiance Fritz Meyer, who had ostensibly been sent to a German internment camp upon his arrival in New York, where he had died of typhoid, if her source was correct. Determined to fit the remaining pieces of a somewhat murky puzzle together, Hedda travels to America to determine if it was “her Fritz” who was buried in a cemetery near Asheville, North Carolina.

Instead of finding answers, Hedda finds misunderstandings along with the remains of a woman’s body in the casket marked to be that of Fritz Meyer. Working with local law enforcement to gain answers, Hedda uses her accomplished skills as a pianist to find a place to stay and earn money while she waits. Unfortunately, Hedda does not have the paperwork necessary for an extended stay, and the political unrest in Germany makes it even more dangerous to go home.

What an undertaking to suppose the years between two world wars by utilizing such an intriguing historical backdrop, while smartly including actual people and places along the way. Feeling the angst of each character, sharing their anxiety over every choice, transforms this story into something deeply personal and memorable. There were a multitude of ways this story could have ended: happy ways, sad ways, hard ways, easy ways, right ways, wrong ways… but ultimately it finished in the best of ways…. in the shadow of “these blue mountains”.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews.

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Reviewer: Conny Withay

“I think they just dug up the remains of a woman where we thought Fritz Meyer was buried. Where there should not have been a woman at all,” Garland informs Hedda in Sarah Loudin Thomas’s novel, These Blue Mountains.

This 352-page paperback targets those who like North Carolinian fiction based in the 1930s that focuses on one woman’s quest to help her fiancé’s mother return her son’s body to Germany. Containing the slang word of heck twice, topics regarding verbal threats, physical abuse, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes an author’s note, an excerpt from another book, the author’s biography, and advertisements.

In this tale spanning over a few decades, thirty-year-old Hedda has put her life on hold for fourteen years waiting for her fiancé, Fritz, who became a sailor to save up money so they could wed. When she notices Fritz’s name on an American memorial for a German seaman, she is convinced by her mother-in-law-to-be to return her beloved’s remains to his homeland. But when she gets to America, she finds that only Deputy Garland may be the key to learning why the casket that was supposed to carry Fritz’s body has a woman’s inside it instead.

This story not only explains how many Germans were treated when they were sent to an American enemy alien camp, but it also divulges how Jews were treated in Germany between WWI and World War II began. I appreciate the written beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and how local communities existed. I like that the story was somewhat based on fact regarding Hot Springs, where the Germans were interned.

Some may not approve of the references to God and trusting Him by praying, but it is not overdone. Others may feel the forgiveness of some of the characters was rushed. At least a couple of times, I thought the direction of the story was unrealistic, especially involving Fritz and traveling.

Although Christianity is briefly mentioned, it would have been nice if the eternal plan of salvation was given, as there was an opportune time to do it.

If you like stories of making life choices, both right and wrong, and how their consequences affect others, this is a nice story loosely based on Germans in America between wars.

Thanks to Bethany House and Interviews & Reviews for this complimentary book. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

Y’all! This book! It’s a wow for me. I simply couldn’t put this story down until Fritz and Hedda told me their story. I loved every minute of it.

When I saw the ship’s name Vaterland I knew I had to look it up and friends it’s the refurbished ship called Leviathan. I was happy to see her in this book.

This is a story of hope, betrayal, and redemption. This story says it all. I had many emotions from the beginning until the end. I’m still thinking about these characters.

Fear keeps us from doing the right thing. I hated that for Fritz. In my opinion, it wasn’t fair. I kept rooting for him.

I usually don’t read stories like these, but this one intrigued me and because it was one of my favorite authors, I picked it up. I’m glad I did.

Hedda is an amazing woman. She’s a strong and determined woman, that’s for sure. I admired her.

This was an excellent read that I read well into the early morning hours. It was so very good.

The cover is absolutely beautiful. What is the lady on the front thinking about?

Y’all just have to read this beautiful story to find out! I highly recommend it!

My thanks for a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

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