Review: The Paris Spy's Girl by Amanda Lees*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Paris Spy's Girl
Author: Amanda Lees
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Antisemitism, Guns, Domestic Abuse, Parental Abuse (Step-parent), Rape, Murder, Assault

Rating: 

Paris, 1943. I stare at Charlie across the crowded room. Working deep undercover, we’re surrounded by Nazi high command. Slowly, he smiles at me and my breath catches. I have to trust him, or we’re both dead…

As war rages across France, English exile Christine has become the most deadly asset the British Secret Service has in occupied Paris. But when Suzanne, her best friend and the sole agent who knows the details of the top-secret D-Day landings, is betrayed to the Nazis by someone at the heart of their spy network, she is devastated. Going undercover with Charlie – a handsome but elusive American spy with an agenda of his own – is her only chance to catch the traitor in their midst.

Pretending to be not only Nazi collaborators but lovers too, they must save Suzanne from almost certain death and prevent the D-Day landing plans from ending up in the wrong hands. But as Christine and Charlie’s pretend desire turns to true love, her past – and the real reason she had to leave England forever – puts their whole mission in terrible danger.

With the Nazis closing in and Suzanne’s life on the line, Christine is forced into one last, desperate act: heading back into deepest, darkest enemy territory, knowing her disguise could have been exposed. With even her trust in Charlie shaken, will Christine have to choose between her love for him, her best friend’s life, and freedom for France? And who will pay the ultimate sacrifice…?
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The Paris Spy’s Girl is the latest compelling novel from historical fiction author Amanda Lees. This was my first time reading anything from Amanda Lees but her engaging writing style had me hooked from the very first chapter and I’m now excited to sink my teeth into the rest of her books.

From the very beginning of The Paris Spy’s Girl it was clear how meticulously researched the history was and Amanda Lees has a real talent for seamlessly weaving history into the story using her detailed research. The narrative covers many really interesting aspects of Second World War history including Operation Bodyguard (the deception strategy deployed by the Allies to convince Nazi Germany that an Allied invasion would come later than planned and that landings would take place in other parts of Europe than the planned Normandy coast), the work of double cross agents, the resistance work against the Nazi regime completed by Abwehr chief Wilhelm Canaris and what happened in `finishing schools’ for SOE agents.

The fast-paced narrative is maintained by short and snappy paragraphs and the beautifully written tension had me gripped from the very first chapter. Whilst being mindful of trying to avoid spoilers, I will say that the ending of the book had me crying my eyes out. It’s not an exaggeration, I was actually crying so hard at 2am that it woke my fiancĂ© up. It’s been a long time since a book has evoked that intense of an emotional response from me, and I read some pretty hard-hitting historical fiction regularly – and that is testament to Amanda Lee’s incredible writing.

We have a really strong courageous female protagonist in Christine. She is so intelligent and brave and her backstory was emotional but really powerful. Charlie was another wonderfully written character who I fell in love with almost instantly. The historical romance element between Christine and Charlie was truly moving and incredibly well written. It was easily one of my favourite historical romances I’ve read in a long time.

Overall, The Paris Spy’s Girl is a really powerful piece of historical fiction which is truly going to stay with me for a long time. I’d recommend it to all World War Two historical fiction fans but warn you to have your tissues on standby.

Review: The Secret Daughter Of Venice by Juliet Greenwood*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the The Secret Daughter Of Venice blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: The Secret Daughter Of Venice
Author: Juliet Greenwood
Genre: Historical Fiction

Trigger warnings:  War, Fascism, Bombs

Rating: 

The paper is stiff and brittle with age as Kate unfolds it with trembling hands. She gasps at the pencil sketch of a rippling waterway, lined by tall buildings, curving towards the dome of a cathedral. She feels a connection deep in her heart. Venice.

England, 1941. When Kate Arden discovers a secret stash of drawings hidden in the pages of an old volume of poetry given to her as a baby, her breath catches. All her life, she has felt like an outsider in her aristocratic adoptive family, who refuse to answer any questions about her past. But the drawings spark a forgotten memory: a long journey by boat… warm arms that held her tight, and then let go.

Could these pictures unlock the secret of who she is? Why her mother left her? With war raging around the continent, she will brave everything to find out…

A gripping, emotional historical novel of love and art that will captivate fans of The Venice Sketchbook, The Woman on the Bridge and The Nightingale. 

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The Secret Daughter Of Venice is the latest enchanting novel from historical fiction author Juliet Greenwood. Her last novel The Last Train From Paris was one of my standout reads from 2023 (click here to read my review) so I was eagerly anticipating the release of her next novel and it certainly did not disappoint.

Exploring themes such as identity, family and belonging, we follow Kate Arden as she tries to piece together her identity using the few memories she has of her life in Italy before she was sent to be raised in England. She also discovers that her birth mother has left her clues within a Shakespeare book and Kate uses these to help her discover who she is and where she belongs, after growing up feeling different to the rest of her family.

The Secret Daughter Of Venice is perfect for readers who are looking for a generally lighter historical read. Anyone who likes a good historical mystery will also enjoy following Kate’s journey and trying to piece together all of the clues as they are slowly uncovered. I was kept guessing throughout the story and thought the ending tied everything together really nicely.

Our story is split into three parts, with chapters set in both England and Italy, during and in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. I particularly loved the chapters set in Naples and Venice as Juliet Greenwood’s captivating storytelling really made the Italian settings come alive on the page. With most WW2 fiction ending in 1945, it was really interesting to have the third part of the book set in 1946 to see how both Italy and England were recovering after the war. I also loved the vivid descriptions of Cornwall and exploring Kate’s work with the child evacuees.

Kate was a fantastic strong female protagonist. I particularly loved the feminist aspect to the story through her and her sisters’ refusal to marry men picked out by their father and have their lives controlled by a husband, even if it was the ‘done thing’ in the 1940s. Connecting Kate and her birth mother was a passion for art and through them we got to explore communities of female artists which existed in pre and post war Europe, which was really interesting.

Sofia was another brilliant strong female character. I loved how similar Kate and Sofia’s voices were within the story, showing the similarities between mother and daughter. The Contessa was a fantastically written antagonist whose story I thought would make a fantastic book in itself. She was cold, cruel and uncaring; completely opposite in character to what you’d expect from a grandmother.

Overall, The Secret Daughter Of Venice is a powerful and easy read for fans of historical fiction. It has further cemented Juliet Greenwood’s place as a real must-read author for me within historical fiction.

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