She folded up the last dress and placed it neatly in the box, her fingers brushing over the tiny, white and yellow daisies embroidered around the neck and hem. Two complete layettes...
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I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.
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The Blurb
Shelves of sequins in a kaleidoscope of colours. Bolts of silk and tulle against the back wall. The sewing room was the last place anyone had seen her daughter alive.
Northern Ireland, 1942. Flora Toussaint packs parachutes for the RAF, haunted by the twin daughters she was forced to give up eighteen years ago. When British intelligence shows her photographs of her girls – now young women in occupied Paris – her world shifts. One is safe. One has vanished. And their father, the celebrated couturier Lucien Lumineau, is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis.
Flora agrees to a dangerous mission: parachute into France, pose as a seamstress at the Moulin Rouge, and uncover the truth. Lodging above a brothel where Edith Piaf sings after hours and where Pablo Picasso still holds court, she mends costumes between shows, searches for any trace of her missing daughter between curfews, and circles closer to Lucien.
But Lucien isn’t the man she remembers. Neither is their history. And what Flora discovers will unravel everything she thought she knew – about Lucien, about her daughters, and about the night she gave them away.
A sweeping tale of wartime Paris, family secrets and impossible choices. Fans of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff and Kristin Hannah will be mesmerised by The Secret Dressmaker.
My Review
Although this is the second book in the Threads of Resistance series, it works perfectly well as a standalone. There is a link to my review of the first book, The Resistance Knitting Club, below.
The story begins in Northern Ireland where the main character, Flora, is recruited by the French Resistance and subsequently parachuted into Paris. Although she is sent to spy on her former lover, who is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis, she has an ulterior motive. Eighteen years previously, Flora gave birth to twin girls whom she was forced to give up, but she is determined to look for them now as one of them has gone missing.
What I loved about Flora's character was her resilience and determination. She is a strong protagonist in this story, and I think many of us will read this book and admire her. The author did a fantastic job of bringing her to life on the page through a combination of narrative and dialogue.
The story moved along at an appropriate pace for the genre, and there was something new to discover in each chapter. Ms O'Brien is a skilled storyteller, and she held my attention throughout.
There were sufficient twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing, and I hadn't anticipated some of the secrets which were revealed at the end. The book is tense and atmospheric throughout, and the author's research of the period is extensive. She knows her time period extremely well and conjures up a compelling story for her readers.
The conclusion was satisfying whilst leaving the story wide open for the next book in the series. This was an extremely enjoyable read, and I shall definitely be getting my hands on the next book in the series, The Crocheter's War, when it becomes available.
I suspect that if the author and I ever sat together over a cup of coffee, we would get on extraordinarily well. She clearly likes reading, knitting and sewing, just as I do. If she is also a dog lover, then we would probably be best friends forever! Of course, you do not need to be a knitter or sewer to enjoy her books, but if you like historical fiction with a strong storyline that features women of courage, then you will love this book.
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Book Details
ISBN: 978 1837004904
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Formats: e-book, audio and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
No. of Pages: 320 (paperback)
Series: Book 2 in the Threads of Resistance series
Purchase Links
About the Author
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You can also find Jenny at:
My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author
(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)
(all opinions are my own)
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