Reschen Valley

Pride goes before the fall.1900s Austrian Tyrol. Fritz Hanny, confident and optimistic, enjoys the prestige of belonging to one of the most respected families in the Reschen Valley. When he falls in love with Cecilia, a young girl in a neighboring village, he is certain he has found his purpose in life. Already on his way to making his own fortune, Fritz pursues Cecilia only to be cut down by one external force after another. Disappointment, violence, and conflict turn Fritz into a desperate man. When the Great War ends, Fritz is trapped between two borders: on one side, the family he has. On the other, the family he wants.

She wants her home. He wants control. The Fascist regime wants both. 1920, former Austrian Tyrol. Katharina Thaler faces becoming the first woman to ever own a farm in the Reschen Valley. The end of the Great War has taken more than her beloved family, it has robbed the province of its autonomy and severed it in half. As her countrymen fight to prevent the annexation to Italy, Katharina finds a wounded Italian engineer on her mountain. Her decision to save Angelo Grimani's life, however, thrusts both into the midst of a new world order-a labyrinth of corruption, prejudice, and greed. Trapped between a growing fascist regime and a man who threatens to tear her home away, Katharina must decide what to protect: love or country?

Burying the past comes at a high price It's 1922 and a year after the Italian Fascists marched on Bozen. Nationalism in the Tyrolean Reschen Valley creates enemies out of old friends and Katharina Steinhauser fiercely protects the identity of her daughter's father from both her family and her community. Meanwhile, the Fascists have wrested control from the monarchy and momentum behind the Reschen Lake reservoir increases with plans to wipe out the Reschen Valley's towns and hamlets. Katharina risks writing to Angelo Grimani, the man in charge, and begs to have the project reassessed. But Angelo is hemmed in by a force that steers him far from his dealings with the Reschen Valley and that which binds him to Katharina. It's the opportunity the Fascists have been waiting for. Following No Man's Land, The Breach is the second part in the Reschen Valley series. If you enjoy gripping historical fiction that won't let you go, you will love Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger's vivid saga.

In the process of understanding who you are, more often you discover who you are not.1937. Northern Italy. Annamarie Steinhauser dreams of becoming an actress but that is a whole world away from her life on the dairy farm in the Reschen Valley. First of all, she is Tyrolean and not Italian, and as far as the Italian nationalists are concerned, an illegal immigrant. When a government delegation arrives from Bolzano to assess their plans for flooding the valley for a much-needed reservoir, Annamarie finds her ticket out: a boy working as an engineering apprentice, and a Fascist uniform. But Annamarie quickly discovers that life on the "other side" is a façade. As she begins the search for her identity in the midst of national glory and fiery propaganda, what she discovers is a hidden history that puts all of her beliefs into question. Love, betrayal, and deception explode in this next book in the Reschen Valley series. This is the third book in the series and can be picked up as a stand-alone.

How do you take a stand when the enemies lurk within your own home?1938. Northern Italy. Katharina, Angelo, and Annamarie are confronted by the oppressive force created by Mussolini's and Hitler's political union. Angelo puts aside his prejudices and seeks alliances with old enemies; Katharina fights to keep her family together as the residents in the valley are forced to choose between Italian and German nationhood with neither guaranteeing that they will be able to stay on their land, and Annamarie finds herself in the thick of a fascist regime she thought she understood.By war's end, all will be forced to choose sides and none will escape betrayal. The fourth book in the series, Two Fatherlands can be read as a standalone but why? Dive in and discover the story beneath the Reschen Lake. "Lucyk-Berger is a born storyteller." – Mary Anne Yarde, Coffee Pot Book Club blogger"Absolutely gripping storytelling. These characters jump off the page and take you to a place too few of us have heard about; a tragic conflict overshadowed by the many atrocities committed during WW2. The Tyroleans were victims of calculated corruption enacted by the two fascist leaders, and Lucyk-Berger has whisked off the dust cover of a popular tourist spot to reveal a dark history and a highly controversial story beneath the Reschen Lake reservoir." – Early Reviewer