The Brunswick JustRead Tour {book review and giveaway}
Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Brunswick by Callie Murray, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Author: Callie Murray
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: May 19, 2026
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
When Cora provides a safe haven for Jewish refugee children, she discovers that opening her doors means risking everything, including her heart.
In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world feels small--and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.
But everything changes when Cora is asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary for Jewish children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts--and the prejudice of their neighbors--as their fragile hope is put to the test. Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But even with the horrors she sees around her, she wonders how her parents could possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia, each person must face what love demands and decide what to hold on to and what to let go.PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Baker Publishing Group | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop | BookBub
APRIL 1939
NORCROSS, GEORGIA
Cora Cain leaned forward in the rocking chair, her elbows on her thighs, and looked south. There it was, like clockwork, the Air Line Belle. She watched a ripple form across the surface of her tea, a movement that always preceded the tremor in the windows and the piercing whistle in the air. How far north did the passenger train travel, anyway? To the hills of Kentucky, the skyscrapers of New York City? As it pulled into the station across the street, she considered boarding and finding out for herself.
The Air Line Belle had a knack for arriving each time restlessness overtook her, and somehow its disembarking passengers always convinced Cora to stay.
When she was a child, those passengers were often the flappers. Evading bedtime on the porch of her parents’ hotel, Cora would steal a front- row view to those stepping off the train just across the road. The women walked together arm in arm, giggling, their long strands of pearls swaying with their footsteps as the men followed behind, cigars in their hands and flasks in their pockets. Cora would run back inside The Brunswick and down the hall to her family’s apartment, before poking her head around the corner to spy kitten heels, beaded gold clutches, and bobbed hair tucked under chins. Glamorous Atlantans stayed at Cora’s hotel—a fact that, even as a child, made her swell with pride.
But on this warm April day, the Air Line Belle brought Billie.
As the train ambled out of the station, a small group of passengers was left to find their bearings on the platform. Billie turned toward The Brunswick, locked eyes with Cora, and curved her red lips into a grin. Despite her T- strap pumps and the large textbook clutched to her chest, Billie ran down the steps of the platform, across the gravel road, and onto the hotel porch, collapsing into the chair beside Cora.
“I swear to you, if I have to read one more -ology or -ectomy tome, I will tear my eyes out in front of God and everybody.” Billie dropped the textbook onto the floor, causing the teacup perched on the side table to splash. She pulled the pin from her bun, freeing long chestnut waves that covered her shoulders. And finally, she rested her arms on the chair with a sigh.
So much of this scene was familiar. Cora’s short afternoon break on the porch, Billie’s flair for the dramatic. But secretly, Cora’s heart ached at the obvious difference. Cora was stuck at The Brunswick while Billie took the train south each day to nursing school, her career on the horizon.
“I might board that train tomorrow,” Cora said, grinning sidelong at her friend. “See where it takes me.”
“So, we’re skipping the niceties normal friends bother with at this point, are we?” Billie replied. “No ‘How was your day, Billie? Would you like a cup of tea?’”
“You started it with the tearing- your- eyes- out bit.”
Billie turned sideways, draping her legs across the arm of the chair and tapping her toes on Cora’s thighs. “You can’t leave, my dearest friend. You must stay here forever, taking care of me— the nurse with no eyeballs.”
Cora laughed and took a sip of her tea, lifting her gaze to the imposing town clock across the street. The minute hand tapped the twelve and its hour hand settled heavily on three. Cora grumbled and pushed Billie’s feet to the side. “It’s delivery time.”
“You know I’d love you just the same even if you didn’t work yourself into oblivion.”
Cora scoffed and nodded toward the hotel. “Someone around here has to work. Why don’t you
join me today?”
Billie leaned her head backwards over the chair’s arm. “As much as I’d love to haul turnips around in these shoes, I’m heading home for a nap before I meet up with Anders tonight. You should do the same, Cora. Take it easy this afternoon, just for once.”
“A nap?” Cora stood and walked to the lobby door. “I think I was a toddler last time I had one of those. Why don’t you tell your father I’ll be paying my debts with a nap.” She pulled the front door’s brass handle and pursed her lips into a grin, calling over her shoulder, “Sleep sweetly, little one.”
“Turnip tirelessly!” Cora heard Billie yell back as the door closed behind her. “Thrillingly
Theatrically!” the now- muffled voice continued.
Cora stepped into the empty lobby of The Brunswick, absentmindedly running her hand along the dark wooden chair rail, a habit she developed as a child, when the trim work was just eye level. Then, her hands would trace the hallway through the lobby, past the tearoom, and into what she had always known as her home, the apartment nestled along the back wall of the hotel.
Now, Cora stopped at the ornate wooden desk situated in the middle of the lobby. She looked around at the rich brown- and- gold wallpaper covering the walls—a busy design of filigree and peacocks that always appeared to be in motion when light from the crystal chandeliers reflected off the copper ceiling.
Of course, this was hard to see now that the walls were lined with wooden crates and crude shelving, the peacocks caged behind them. The chandeliers now illuminated boxes of cornmeal, apples, and vinegar.
It had been four years since Cora had turned The Brunswick into a general store, and the juxtaposition was still just as jarring— the gilded Victorian decor against the earthy heaps of vegetables.
The Brunswick • Callie Murray
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group © 2026 used by permission
My Thoughts
It's always fun to be introduced to new authors, and their new works. The Brunswick is Callie Murray's debut novel, and what a powerful introduction. As you know, if you've been reading my blog for long, that one of my favorite time periods is World War II, so I like to read pretty much anything I can get my hands on set in that period. I especially like historical fiction inspired by true events.
In The Brunswick, Murray covers a couple different angles of the war that are not commonly covered: small town Southern USA, and the kindertransport. In this case, Jewish children are transported from German-occupied Austria, to small town America.
The main characters, Thomas and Cora, are compelling, and their relationship is sweet to watch grow. But Thomas is German, and Jewish, which makes his life rather precarious. Yet, he travels to Austria with a friend, to help transport Jewish children to the US to escape the war. Charlotte is one of those children, and her POV is also included in the gripping story.
If you enjoy historical Christian fiction with a touch of romance, and you enjoy WW II novels, this is a must read. I recommend adding it to your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy. These opinions are my own.
About the Author
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight June 3, 2026 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on June 10, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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Sounds like a book I will enjoy.
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