The Girl in Gray

By: Annette Lyon

Narrated by: Krista Nicely

A country fighting to stay free. A woman with an impossible decision.

In November of 1939, Sini Toivola is sure of two things: She loves Marko Linna, and she has a comfortable life in Helsinki. But when the massive Soviet army invades her beloved homeland and Marko spurns her affections, her life is turned upside down.

Needing a fresh start, Sini decides to join the female volunteer corps - the Lotta Svärd - and is sent to serve near the front lines. Service at a field hospital proves to be a good distraction, until Sini discovers a Russian soldier lost behind their camp.

Duty requires her to turn him in, but her heart begs to keep him safe and help him escape. Torn between love for her country and love for her enemy, Sini must choose.

But no matter what choice she makes, heart-wrenching consequences await them all.

©2019 Annette Lyon (P)2020 Annette Lyon

The Story

I love this Author. Her stories are fascinating, exciting, gripping and educational. Such insight and Character development and depth. Without vulgarity or sexually explicitly. Love this Book!

Little known histórica info

This story was compelling and intriguing. My favorite aspect was that it detailed historical info that I was unfamiliar with and is rarely written about. I loved it. Annette Lyon is an amazing author and I will be looking for more of her books!

Love and loyalty complicated by war.

This story does an excellent job of highlighting the extraordinary role Finland played in the war. I had never heard anything about Finland’s role before and loved the historical context of the story.

This story has love, though it’s not a traditional romance. It follows characters that feel real as they struggle to figure out where their loyalties lie. Who can they protect, and who must be betrayed? Can a person betray their country by loving the wrong person? We follow our main character through her life as she faces a multitude of tough choices that will tear her apart.

Interesting premise, entertaining story, and satisfying ending. Well done.

More than worth a listen

Historical fiction is usually not my genre of choice, but I absolutely loved this book. I connected more with the characters than I have with any character for a long time. I felt their loves, their fears, their heartbreaks like they were my own. The Girl in Gray looks at love and war and human connection through a realistic, unromanticized lens and gives listeners a chance to see themselves and their own struggles in the story. I loved every minute of it, and as a bonus I learned some Finnish history along the way. The narrator's voice lent a nice tone to the story without being annoying or distracting from the book, an even more impressive feat considering all the Finnish she had to pronounce!

Outstanding Story & Listen🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!

This is an amazing historical fiction, it is beautifully written and told. I am new to Annette Lyon’s work and I will definitely be checking out more of her work. She is a gifted author, I enjoyed her writing style, her descriptive details brings you into the story along side the characters allowing you to see and feel what the characters see and feel. I found the story completely engrossing and could not pull myself away. The storylines and characters that are realistic and easy to relate to which makes the story even more meaningful and moving. You can tell how much heart the author but into this book. The story takes place in Finland, winter of 1939, the Russians are invading Finland which turns in to an 105 battle. The lead character is Sini Toivola, she lives in Helsinki and has been in love with Marko Linna, who finished med school. She learns her feeling are not reciprocated, Marko has feelings for someone else, someone she can not have. Needing a change she volunteers to help with war efforts, becoming a “Lotta Svärd” which will bring her to the front lines. With no special training she becomes support services helping out in a Medical unit. She becomes friends with Leila, small world her husband was Marco’s best friend. Marko was also sent to the front lines, first working with a combat unit, then sent to a medical unit before returning to combat before the war’s end. Sinni learns what real love is like and realizes her infatuation with Marko was just that, an infatuation. Life during wartime is not a pretty one, we witness some of the atrocities that go on and what they went thru, gut-wrenching and heart-rending at times. The author does a great job presenting some of the challenges those serving faced. The book is well plotted and the story flows naturally. There is plenty of drama and emotions in this story and you can tell how much heart the author put into her work. I highly recommend it, it is a great historical fiction, there is plenty of drama, action, heartfelt moments, heartbreaking ones and a bit of romance. Annette Lyon, thank you for this stunning, heart-pounding story and emotional journey.

Krista Nicely is a fabulous narrator and voice artist. She does an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life, giving each their own voice and personality. You could hear how much heart she puts into her work as she captures the characters emotions and projects them into her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen🎧