Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, WW11, Books About Books, Espionage, (Lisbon) Portugal, (Lyon) France
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
My Summary:
Welcome to my stop on the Harlequin Trade Publishing 2022 Summer Blog Tour for Historical Fiction. Thanks #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks @HTPBooks @Hanover_Square @BookClubbish for a complimentary e ARC of #TheLibrarianSpy by Madeline Martin upon my request. All opinions are my own.
Ava loves her quiet and routine job at the Library of Congress. One day, she receives an unexpected offer from the U.S. Military to pose as a librarian in Lisbon while working undercover to gather intelligence. In France, Elaine works as an apprentice for a printing press run by the Resistance. Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages in an attempt to help a Jewish family.
I’m linking up this week with Socrates’ Book Reviews who hosts a meme every Tuesday to share the First Chapter/First Paragraph (Tuesday Intros) of the book you are currently reading.
Amazon Summary: “Based on the thrilling real-life story of socialite spy Nancy Wake, comes the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia, featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name.”
Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, World War 11, Espionage
1st Line/1st Paragraphs From Chapter One:
February 29, 1944
“I have gone by many names.
Some of them are real–I was given four at birth alone–but most are carefully constructed personas to get me through checkpoints and across borders. They are lies scribbled on forged travel documents. Typed neatly in government files. Splashed across wanted posters. My identity is an ever-shifting thing that adapts to the need at hand.
Tonight, I am Helene and I am going home.
It’s February 29, Leap Day. The irony to this is not lost on me because I am about to jump out of an aerophane for the first time. I’ve only just been lifted into the belly of the Liberator bomber like a clumsily wrapped package. Me in slacks, blouse, and silk stockings beneath my coveralls, tin hat, and British army boots. The camel-haired coat and parachute pack don’t do much to help the ensemble. But this isn’t a fashion show and I’m not here to make friends, so I don’t care that every man on this plane is looking at me as though I don’t belong. Besides, I’m hungover. And I think I might throw up. “
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