Description:
Few would suspect a young widow and mother of two small children of being a spy. Fewer still would believe she leads the largest intelligence operation in France.
Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few. With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and prove herself to those who doubt a woman’s place at the helm of France’s largest spy ring.
Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi sympathizers. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded messages over the airwaves.
As Zelie and Marcel grow closer through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at risk. When a double agent infiltrates their ranks and the two are captured, their bond faces its greatest test . . . and any misstep could jeopardize not only Alliance but the very outcome of the war.
Learn more about the book here! (this for Ms. White's website - more links will be at the bottom of this post)
About the Author:
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and check out her full book list at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
My Thoughts:
I started this book during what turned out to be a busy couple of weeks for our family and most often found myself only able to read a page or two at a time. I found myself frustrated more than once, as I so wanted to be able to just keep reading! As I got nearer to the end of the story, I was thankfully able to read for slightly longer snatches of time, so I wasn’t just completely distracted wondering what would become of Zelie and Marcel. At some moments I was really wondering if the author was going to follow a possibly historically accurate storyline and there wouldn’t be a happy ending. Whew! Thankfully, that was NOT the case!
I confess that I struggled to settle into this story. I really want to read it again, when I have time to just sit down and read a few chapters at a time and see if that makes the difference. Though it took me a little longer than usual, I did finally fall in love with Zelie and Marcel! They felt a little hard to connect with, at least in part because of how little I was able to read in a sitting. Zelie is a bit of a different character, as she seems to always be the one making hard decisions, which made her “feel” a little distant from everyone else. I loved how Marcel saw her for who she really was, beyond the leader fighting for freedom.
I definitely fell in love with Marcel first. He is so genuine, a funny thing to say for a man lying to the Nazis. But his love for music, for the young men in his orchestra, for Zelie, for France, made him easy to love. Though it took me a little longer to connect with Zelie, I loved her heart for her children, her desire for France to find freedom again, and her determination to be part of the fight.
As always, Ms. White does a delightful job of bringing her story world to life! With her beautiful gift of storytelling I could easily imagine walking down the streets with Zelie, stopping by pianos just for the joy of music with Marcel, and fighting alongside them to undermine the Nazis. This story reminded me of the sacrifices of so many who fought for the freedom we enjoy today.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time spent in France, with these characters! Their story isn’t an easy one, but still beautiful for the struggle and I really enjoyed that it was based on real life people! If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, I would highly recommend this one!
This is one of the only books I've read entirely in paper this year! Which was both fun and a little more tricky than I realized, with having 4 little ones now. I've been doing most of my reading during the dark watches of the night, whilst up feeding the baby. I'm so thankful for library apps that get many of the new books I enjoy! What time of day do you most often read? Or most prefer for reading?
As always, links to learn more about this delightful book are below!
Have a lovely day!
