*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
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…?
-
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 fiancé 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.
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