Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances

💥💥💥 due to be published 18-January-2024 💥💥💥

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"An emotional World War Two time-slip of one woman’s inspiring, dangerous and courageous undertaking in the Warsaw ghetto. In a world torn apart by war, she’ll risk her life to save them.

1942, Warsaw

Young Zofia finds herself leading a double life when she is enlisted to help the fearless Irena Sendler save hundreds of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. Every night, Zofia risks her life to shepherd the children to safety. But when the worst happens, she is forced to make her riskiest journey yet to keep Irena’s mission alive.

Now, Seattle

After yet another miscarriage, heartbroken Lizzie returns to the comfort of her childhood home, where she stumbles upon a hidden photograph of her great-grandmother among a mysterious group of people. On a quest to discover more, Lizzie uncovers a buried past darker and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined…"

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This cannot be anything other than 5 stars for me.  

It's emotional and heart breaking but, at the same time, full of bravery and hope.  It's beautifully written with the author painting the pictures of the characters and their situations so well that it felt I was watching it on a screen. 

Although this is historical fiction, some of the characters are real people which makes it all the more powerful.  

A must-read for historical fiction lovers and those who are interested in the resistance during this horrendous period.

Many thanks to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this powerful and emotional book.

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The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton

💥💥💥 Release date 12-January-2024 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Sisters. Traitors. Spies.

When a British RAF Whitley comes under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands… 

The occupation has taken much from the Cotillard sisters, and as the Germans increase their forces in the seaside town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Gabriella, Martine and Simone can’t escape the feeling that the walls are closing in. 

Yet, just as they should be trying to stay under the radar, Martine’s discovery of a British messenger pigeon leads them down a new and dangerous path. Gaby would do anything to protect her sisters but when the pianist is forced to teach the step-daughter of a German Commandant, and the town accuses the Cotillards of becoming ‘Bad French’ and in allegiance with the enemy, she realises they have to take the opportunity to fight back that has been handed to them. 

Now, as the sisters’ secrets wing their way to an unknown contact in London, Gaby, Martine and Simone have to wonder – have they opened a lifeline, or sealed their fate?"

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I loved this book.  It has everything that makes it a winner for me.  Fantastic characters (based on real people), excellent story (based on real events), suspense, tension, love, loss and hope.

I don't think there's much more to say about this book except go and read it ... you won't be disappointed especially those of you who enjoy reading this genre.

Many thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this riveting and emotional book.

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Read my review of A Child for the Reich also by Andie Newton

 

Code Name Butterfly by Embassie Susberry

 💥💥💥 due to be published 04-Jan-2024 💥💥💥

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Inspired by the incredible true story of Josephine Baker in the French Resistance, this is a heart-wrenching, unforgettable tale of the strength of the human spirit in the darkest days of World War II.

Paris, 1941. Journalist Elodie Mitchell has found bohemian Paris a huge culture a shock compared to her hometown of Chicago – but she loves the new-found freedom she's felt walking its streets. That is until the threat of Nazi occupation starts to loom larger by the day.

After a mysterious man invites her to a Josephine Baker show, Elodie is perplexed but dazzled by the decadence of the performance. But when Elodie is mistaken for Josephine and whisked backstage, she realises that the star's glamorous shows have been hiding a darker, far more important movement than anyone could have possibly imagined.

As Elodie gets embroiled in a whisper network of spies working to resist the occupation of France, she is given an assignment to go undercover as Josephine's cousin. Her mission? To gather crucial information that will protect not only the country she now calls home, but all the people within it who she has grown to love so dearly – and getting caught is not an option.

A heart-breaking wartime epic of love, bravery, survival and one woman’s stand against prejudice in all its forms."

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This is quite different from the 'usual' historical fiction set around World War II and one which, although is mostly fictional, it is based on real people and true events and one which I enjoyed.

The description says it all really so I won't repeat it but it is a story about bravery and courage, loss and heartbreak, love and friendship and one that is important to read. 

It's a bit of a slow burner with most of the "action" taking place in the final third of the book but the "slower" part really sets the scene of what life was like for young, black people during this period and their contribution to the Resistance which is not often written about.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this enlightening book.

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The Midwife's Child (WW2 Resistance Series #3) by Amanda Lees

Description from Goodreads:

"‘Save her,’ she begs, drawing her last, quavering breaths. ‘Save my baby. Find her father. And reunite them.’ 

Both of our tears fall on the tiny creature in my arms, only minutes old and already in terrible danger. There’s never any doubt – of course I’ll do all I can. But will it be enough?

Auschwitz, January 1945: forced on a terrifying death march from the notorious concentration camp, midwife and former secret agent Maggie must find the strength to protect the tiny baby girl her dying friend left to her care. Only days old, little Leah is in terrible danger – from the Nazis, from the freezing weather, from starvation.

So when a company of Scottish soldiers led by brave Major Jamie Maclean rescues the marching women, Maggie’s relief knows no bounds. But it’s on making herself known to Jamie that she has the biggest shock of her life – they fall in love at first sight, a lightning bolt of joy in the darkest of times. Jamie vows to do whatever he can to help Maggie recover, and to assist in her mission to find Leah’s father and reunite them.

But first Jamie must set off on an operation of his own, deep in Nazi-controlled territory, so after a tender farewell and a promise to see each other soon, he and Maggie part. And then, only days later, she hears the news every sweetheart dreads: he’s missing, presumed killed in action.

Grief-stricken and unable to believe Jamie’s fate, she swears to do everything in her power to find him. But her first duty is to little Leah, who looks up at her with such trusting eyes. Can Maggie find out what happened to Jamie, while keeping the tiny infant safe? Just how far can love, courage and a stubborn need to know the truth get her? And is Maggie really willing to risk everything for a man she may not even find alive…?"

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The Midwife's Child is an emotional rollercoaster that although is work of fiction, it's based on things that actually happened and real people with the love story element between Maggie and Jamie being based on the true story of a Scottish Commando who met a young woman in a displaced persons camp who had survived the death march.

This is the third in this series but I think it works successfully as a standalone because whilst there are recurring characters, each book is a separate story which focusses on one of those recurring characters.

The Midwife's Child centres around Maggie, a former SOE Special Operations Executive) but now incarcerated in Auschwitz following her capture.  There she finds herself working in the camp hospital where the devil incarnate, Joseph Mengele, practised his infamous experiments and where Maggie is determined to save the life of her friend Eva and new born, Leah.  The end of the war is fast approaching and the Russians are getting close, Eva is too unwell to go on the forced march so she begs Maggie to save her child and reunite her with her father.  A seemingly impossible task but one which Maggie vows to complete.

Told from two timelines, from her time as a doctor working in the 'hospital' at Auschwitz towards the end of the war and the period afterwards, The Midwife's Child is a story of exceptional courage, duty, love, friendship and hope and a story that I highly recommended to those of you who enjoy this genre and I have to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Midwife's Child.

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Read my review of the audiobook of the first in the series:

The Polish Wife (The Secret Resistance Series) by Gosia Nealon

Description from Goodreads:

"Germany, 1934. Surrounded by beautiful wedding china, we share our first dinner alone as husband and wife. But, instead of sharing affections, all he talks of is his admiration for Hitler. I force a smile, but my blood runs cold. How can I stay with him, now I know what he truly is?

Six years later. When Anna is approached by the Polish resistance while sheltering in Warsaw, she is eager for the chance to fight against German occupation. Managing a network of spies behind the façade of a café for enemy soldiers will mean risking everything. But, after fleeing her fanatical Nazi husband only for war to follow close behind, Anna can’t run any more.

Every conversation she overhears between the unsuspecting officers at the café brings back awful memories of the Nazi her husband became and makes her more determined to do what is right. Spending more time with the resistance behind the scenes, she grows close to them all—especially a brilliant young doctor with deep hazel eyes called Mateusz, who shows her a kindness she has never known.

As they work together, Anna can’t help imagining what life would be like with him, instead of the man she is tied to. But one day her dreams of a future with Mateusz, and freedom for her country, are shattered. Her husband has tracked her down.

Terrified, Anna knows that living as his wife again is her chance to gather information that could help end the war. But can she keep her nerve long enough to spy on her own husband? And with such a high-ranking enemy officer watching her every move, can she protect Mateusz, the man truly she loves, from the firing line?"

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I am gradually getting into reading historical fiction and it is through excellent writers like Gosia Nealon that has kept me seeking out something I wouldn't normally consider.

The Polish Wife is part of The Secret Resistance series but the first I have read; I will say that I think it worked as a standalone very successfully.

Although this is a work of fiction, it feels realistic and I can imagine many of the experiences and events written about in this book are similar to what actually happened at various times throughout World War II.  What I do know is that any member of the resistance, be they Polish, French, British, etc., were extremely brave individuals and I think Gosia captured that courage very well.

The Polish Wife is, however, more than a story about the fight against the Nazi regime, it's also about love, honour, freedom, survival and hope.  The characters Gosia has created are strong and believable and the story if easy to follow but with twists that will have you holding your breath waiting for the outcome which was definitely not a foregone conclusion.

The Polish Wife is one of the top books of this genre I have read so far; I became totally invested and engrossed from the start and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it and my thanks must go to Bookouture  and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this great read.

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The Silence Before Dawn (WW2 Resistance Series Book 1) by Amanda Lees [Audiobook]

 

Narrated by Sofia Zervudachi

Description from Goodreads:

"Nazi-occupied France, 1944: I tear open the envelope, extracting a sheet of folded paper. I read it, my heart cracking with every word. There is no mistaking the name of the man who betrayed us. Jack. My beloved fiancé – and now, a traitor.

For months, Marianne’s resistance network has carried out courageous missions from a remote farmhouse in southern Provence, aiding the Nazis’ downfall. But one fateful night, they are viciously ambushed as German soldiers storm in, scattering, capturing or killing every last person there.

Mourning the loss of her friends, Marianne will need every ounce of courage to survive. Not only has her life as a secret agent been critically compromised, but her heart has been shattered. Because Jack, her darling fiancé and fellow spy, fled in the chaos – and is accused of being the traitor who betrayed them.

Desperate to believe Jack’s innocence and that their love was true, to her horror Marianne discovers he has been seized by the Butcher of Lyon, a Nazi more brutal and ruthless than any other. Now it is more imperative than ever that Marianne finds Jack – before he reveals the names of every undercover agent in France, or before he is murdered for remaining loyal.

So Marianne sets out on the most dangerous mission of her life, and the most personal. With her tight-knit group of fellow women agents by her side, she risks everything to rescue Jack. Can she save her fiancé before it’s too late – and change the fate of the war in the process? Or is she blind to the heart-breaking truth, and simply sacrificing her own life?"

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I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook which, although a work of fiction, is based on the true stories of women secret agents during World War II.

As you can imagine, there is an abundance of tension as the Resistance and SOE (Special Operations Executive) undertake their dangerous missions with the ever present threat of being discovered by the Gestapo.

The main character of Marianne is excellent and such a strong character as, in fact, are the rest of the cast.  What I particularly liked is that the central focus is on the female protagonists and it depicted their bravery, commitment and sense of duty excellently.

The story, as you can imagine given the subject matter, is intense but riveting and compelling and I cannot praise the narrator enough - what an excellent job Sofia Zervudachi has done; there are quite a lot of characters, both male and female, and she made each one unique.

This is the first in a series and I very much look forward to finding out what happens next and I must give my thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of The Silence Before Dawn.

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