In our latest chat on the Historical Bookworm Show, bestselling and Christy-award winning author Sarah Sundin returns to share about her newest release, Midnight on the Scottish Shore. Known for her engrossing World War II novels, Sarah delves into not just the historical intricacies woven throughout her story but also the deeply threaded spiritual and personal themes.

Sarah has long been captivated by history, beginning with the Civil War, Revolutionary War, and the settling of the American prairie as a young reader. But she’s found her writing home in the rich tapestry of World War II novels. With more than fifteen books set in the time period, she has years of research that create authenticity in her settings, but she’s always exploring new fronts of the war. Her latest book marks her first venture fully set in Scotland.

Midnight on the Scottish Shore introduces readers to Cilla van der Zee, a Dutch Resistance member forced into the role of a double agent for the British in Scotland. Joining her is Lieutenant Lachlan Mackinsey, a Scottish naval officer faced with the moral dilemma of trusting a woman who arrives as an enemy.

Through the characters of Cilla and Lachlan, Sundin explores what it means to be truly free. For Cilla, freedom is an absence of constraints, while Lachlan views safety within rules as the ultimate freedom. Throughout their journey, both characters learn profound lessons about what true freedom means, exposing the illusion of their initial beliefs.

The intricate operations of British and German espionage during World War II, the naval base at Scapa Flow, and the subtle influence of nationalist movements provide a fertile backdrop for her story.

As Sarah wraps up her current projects, her upcoming novel will shift focus to the Channel Islands — the only part of British territory occupied by Nazis during the war. This new setting promises to provide readers with another gripping espionage story featuring the brother of Cilla van der Zee. For those eager to explore more, visit her at sarahsundin.com where you can sign up for her newsletter and receive a collection of her articles, “Make It Do – the U.S. Homefront in WWII.”

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To escape the Nazis, she must become a spy. To save the Allied cause, must he betray his heart?

The only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the German occupation of the Netherlands is to do the unthinkable–become a spy for the Nazis in Britain. She soothes her conscience with a plan to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. Her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.

But perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence sends her to Scotland to radio misleading messages to Germany, messages about the naval base at Scapa Flow to be crafted by Lachlan. At the station in the lighthouse at Dunnet Head, Lachlan and Cilla must work together if the war is to be won. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy–a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?

Master of World War II fiction Sarah Sundin takes you to the wild Scottish seaside, where danger lurks under the surface of the water–and in the depths of the human heart–for a WWII tale you won’t soon forget.