30 Apr Book Review The Enemy’s Wife Deborah Swift #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub #TheEnemysWife #HistoricalFiction #WW2 #Shanghai @swiftstory @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: DEBORAH SWIFT

I’m delighted to welcome Deborah Swift again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour, being held between April 10th – May 1st, 2025. Deborah Swift is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Enemy’s Wife (Book 2 Survivors of War Series), published by HQ Digital on 6^th April 2026 (380 pages).

Below are highlights of The Enemy’s Wife, Deborah Swift’’s author bio, and my 5-star review of her riveting suspense/thriller set in WWII Japanese-occupied China. 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/03/blog-tour-the-enemys-wife-by-deborah-swift.html

HIGHLIGHTS: THE ENEMY’S WIFE

The Enemy’s Wife
(Book 2 Survivors of War Series)
by Deborah Swift

Blurb:

‘A fast-paced, beautifully written, and moving story. Refreshing to read a book set in a different theatre of war. Wartime Shanghai jumped off the page’ — CLARE FLYNN

A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.

1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.

Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.

As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.

Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?

Trigger warnings: Murder and violence in keeping with the era.

 Readers love The Enemy’s Wife:

 ‘A gorgeous novel that will truly pull at your heartstrings‘ — CARLY SCHABOWSKI

‘I loved The Enemy’s Wife – a gripping, fast-paced and evocative story about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WW2 – and really rooted for the brave and selfless central character, Zofia. Highly recommended’  — ANN BENNETT

‘Such an emotional and moving read, grounded in immaculate research that never overshadows the heart of the story’ — SUZANNE FORTIN

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link

Amazon UK     Amazon US   Amazon CA      Amazon AU

Kobo   Audio

AUTHOR BIO: DEBORAH SWIFT

Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.

Author Links:

Website     Amazon Author Page     Twitter / X

Facebook     Pinterest     Bookbub     TikTok

BOOK REVIEW: THE ENEMY’S WIFE

The Enemy’s Wife by Deborah Swift is the continuing story about Zofia— a Jewish woman newly married to a conscripted Japanese husband, Haru. In the previous book (Train to Freedom ) of the series, she barely escaped the German invasion of Lithuania with the aid of a Japanese diplomat and Haru. The first book ends with the promise of “Time for love to grow. Time for kindness, that most underrated of virtues.” However, the dream is shattered when Zofia seeks refuge at Shanghai’s “Restricted Sector for Stateless Refugees,” where she is stranded from her husband. The line between good vs. evil and enemy vs. friend blurs when war breaks out between Japan and the USA. Zofia and a teen Austrian Jewish refugee, Hillary, shelter with her American employer, Theo, when violence escalates in the city. Zofia questions her loyalty to Haru as her love for Theo grows. 

The Japanese brutally occupy the city and confiscate Theo’s business, promising to repatriate him to the USA. However, he is imprisoned in a war camp reputed for its unsanitary conditions and torture. Meanwhile, Haru risks losing his soul with horrific acts he must do as a Japanese commander and escapes his reality with heroin addiction. Zofia risks everything to help Theo escape. Plans for escape go array and she can no longer depend on her husband for help. The unexpected climax will leave your heart in your throat.  

Author Deborah Swift has crafted an action-packed but poignant WWII suspense/thriller set in Japanese-occupied China. Although The Enemy’s Wife can be read as a standalone, the powerful emotional impact of this book is heightened after reading the first book. Similar to the first book, heart-wrenching twists leave you on the edge of your seat when well-laid plans unravel.

The stakes are even higher for Zofia, facing the conundrum that her husband might be as inhumane as the Japanese conquerors whose moral code is undying devotion to their nation. Zofia comes across as a fearless young woman who will risk everything for those she loves. Theo is a devoted husband and father but must wrestle with his conscious about his growing attraction for Zofia. The story realistically depicts the horror of war, but the theme of unconditional love and sacrifice fulfills the hope for love and kindness promised in the first book. 

The Enemy’s Wife is a riveting but poignant WWII historical suspense/ thriller about ordinary people finding the courage and determination to overcome what seems like insurmountable devastation and discovering the humanity in each of us. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year that continues to resonate with me.

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