The Bell and the Blade

Love is at the heart of the Resistance in this pulse-pounding World War II thriller from the bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman saga. In Nazi-occupied Belgium, an ordinary merchant ship docks at Antwerp. Hidden deep in its hold lies a mysterious cargo--something the Germans must never find. To stop it from falling into enemy hands, the U.S. Army dispatches a covert unit drawn from the survivors of D-Day, a hardened team of specialists sent to parachute behind enemy lines and secure the shipment before it's too late. The soldiers are prepared for anything . . . except what they find: their only allies on the ground are a partisan cell made up entirely of women. Thrown together in the crucible of war, this unlikely band of brothers--defiant, reckless, brave--must put aside their differences to stop the desperate Nazis from a diabolical plan that could deliver the Germans their ultimate victory. Leading the partisans is Charlie, a steely Belgian fighter who meets her match in Fletcher, a brilliant American lieutenant determined to see the mission through--no matter the cost. Alongside them is the lethal and charismatic Rafael, made defenseless by the dazzling and complicated Louise. With help from a Congolese colonial officer and a ten-year-old Jewish boy--both marked for death--they are all that stands between a world turning to peace and a world reduced to ashes . . . Praise for the Bronze Horseman trilogy "Extraordinary." --Teresa Medeiros, New York Times-bestselling author "[A] love story . . . both tender and fierce." --Publishers Weekly "Recalls Dr. Zhivago." --People "This has everything a romance glutton could wish for: a bold, talented, and dashing hero, a heart-stopping love affair." --Daily Mail