What struck me most about The Golden Doves is its seamless blend of spy thriller and historical fiction, offering an interesting narrative that shifts between the years 1952 and the war-torn period of 1940-1945. The emotional depth of the characters is brilliant, drawing readers into their world as they navigate through the aftermath of war and personal loss.

The rich historical details woven throughout the story, particularly the exploration of French Guiana, added a fascinating layer to the narrative, expanding the scope beyond the familiar settings of wartime Europe. I enjoyed the informative author's notes at the end of the book, which provided valuable insights into the historical context and background of the novel.

This is the second book I’ve read about Operation Paperclip (the first was The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer), and the second book I’ve read by Martha Hall Kelly. She just keeps getting better! 5 stars.

**I received a digital copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Their courage will cost them everything.
With The Golden Doves, Martha Hall Kelly goes back to WWII and Ravensbruck. While she does revisit her famous Rabbits, Martha highlights the efforts of Josie, the daughter of an American ambassador living in Paris and Arlette, a teen living in German occupied Paris. Arlette gets sent to a home for unwed mothers, unaware that she’s going to be expected to hand her child over to a German family who is part of the Reich. Both Josie and Arlette have reasons to join the Resistance. They prove to be an invaluable asset, becoming known as The Golden Doves and being hunted by the entire Nazi Party. Inevitably, their luck runs out and they end up at Ravensbruck. After the war, they both are trying to pick up the pieces and put the past behind them. Josie is working for US Army intelligence and given the assignment to find an infamous doctor, known for his brutality at Ravensbruck and Arlette has met someone who tells her he can help her find her son. Martha skillfully weaves the story between both Arlette’s and Josie’s points of view in both their past during the war and their present a few decades after. Their stories highlight Martha’s dedication to accuracy and you can tell how much research she does. She truly brings the characters to life. There were so many twists and turns and so many moments where I genuinely felt stressed out over what may happen. And, there’s no way I could have predicted that ending! Well done, Martha Hall Kelly!

Two points of view and two time periods was a little confusing. This reads more like a thriller than historical fiction, but it's well-written about the time after WWII when governments wanted to recruit Nazis for their research. Yep, it's gross but true. 3.5 stars.

I was first introduced to Martha Hall Kelly with her 2016 novel Lilac Girls. When I learned that she'd written another historical fiction, I knew I had to read it, and The Golden Doves didn't disappoint. 

During WWII, American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue meet while working for the French Resistance, becoming known as the Golden Doves for their contribution to the movement. Eventually, they are caught and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where they face unspeakable horrors. The disappearance of Arlette's son is perhaps the most devastating. 

Years later, Josie is working with U.S. Army Intelligence to track down a doctor from Ravensbrück and Arlette receives a call that someone has found her son. The Golden Doves reunite for a final mission that takes them across the world and puts their lives in danger once more. This novel is incredibly well-researched and well-written, exploring the fates of the Resistance fighters, concentration camp survivors, and Nazis post-WWII.

Every single book by Martha Hall Kelly was been a fantastic read. I was super excited to read this story, after reading all of her other books. This story focused on two women who operated as spies during WWII and then work together to hunt down a former Nazi doctor years later. This author is so good at focusing on stories that are often based on true stories of courageous women and pulling together multiple true stories to create an engaging story. This book kept me turning the pages to the very end...wondering if I was right. If you enjoy Kate Quinn books, you will love this book!

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Martha Kelly once again weaves a poweful tale of women who were instrumental in helping with the resistance during World War II. Her books bring to light stories of bravery that otherwise would be virtually unknown. I look forward to her books and this one did not disappoint.

Martha Hall Kelly is one of the few authors I know who can write a chunky hist fic that never has me checking the page count while I read. Engaging from start to finish, The Golden Doves is her newest book, and it’s one to cherish like all the rest.

About the book: “Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—a pulse-pounding novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls”

Josie is an American and Arlette is French, and they work together in the French Resistance, dubbed the Golden Doves. When the Gestapo catches up to the them, they are imprisoned, along with their families, at the Ravensbruck concentration camp.

Over ten years later, the Doves are at work again, hunting down an even doctor and Arlette’s missing son. The situation is even more precarious for them. I was on the edge of my seat.

It was fascinating to learn more about Operation Paperclip. While I knew that many Nazis had to be hunted down to face accountability for horrific crimes, I hadn’t known as much about the people who worked so hard to uncover where they were hiding long after the war. The ones that risked their lives for justice. I don’t think I could have loved two main characters more than Josie and Arlette. What a masterpiece of a story. Hist fic fans, you can’t miss it.

I received a free copy from the tour organizer.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I loved this book. I've read the authors other books and liked them, but I felt that this was her best to date. While it was a WWII story, I liked that most of it took place ten years later and showed how the repercussions of that time spread throughout the world and for many years later.
The two main characters are well written. Their separate story lines and joint lines were great to read.
While the ending was a little unplausible, it didn't take away from how much I liked this book.

I'm hoping there will be a continuation of Josie's story and her role as a woman in the world of men in the 1950's in the US Army Intelligence.

The Golden Doves wasn’t quite what I was expecting, based on my previous experiences with the author’s work. I did appreciate that the book focused on the period of time following WWII, since the WWII timeline has been far overdone in historical fiction offerings. The primary reason the book did not work for me was that the characters’ actions were extremely implausible. For women who were to have served as spies, they come across as naive and frivolous, not to mention being unlikable in general. I did enjoy the author’s note at the end, but it didn’t redeem the body of the novel. I appreciated the mentions of several of the sources that Kelly used in preparation for her writing. I will read a few of those to learn more about the time period in which the novel was set.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly

528 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books, Ballantine Books
Release Date: April 19, 2023

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Spies, World War II

Arlette LaRue is a Parisian and Josie Anderson is an American. In 1943, they were known as the Golden Doves. They listened to German conversations and operated a radio to transmit the information to the Allies.

In 1952, Josie is a Captain in the Army out of Fort Bliss Texas and Arlette is working at a café. Josie is given an assignment to go undercover to find Dr. Snow, a Nazi, the American government wants to join their group of scientists. Arlette is approached by Luc Minau. He runs a non-profit organization trying to reunite mothers and children separated during the war. Josie and Arlette had no idea their worlds would collide again.

The story has a fast pace, the characters are very developed, and it is written in the first person point of view between the two women. The women in the story have strong independent personalities. If you like historical fiction, you would enjoy reading this book.

Requested this title because I loved Lilac Girls, one of the author's previous books. It started with great promise and then just faltered for me. Perhaps I need a break from WWII stories for a while.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly.
The Golden Doves was a refreshing change of pace from typical WW2 spy novels. Following dual timelines and two women's stories, the book shares events from the war as well as after. Focusing mainly on Nazis that escape to South America and how they continue to persecute others. I found it interesting and disturbing to hear how the Catholic church as well as the US Army helped Nazi leaders at the end of the war.

Martha Hall Kelly is one of my go to authors when it comes to Historical Fiction. Lilac Girls is a story that I still think about when I think of WW2. So when I received an ARC of The Golden Doves, I was thrilled.

The Golden Doves is a dual POV with a dual timeline. Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue are former spies who are tied together for life. They worked together in Paris to help the French Resistance before being captured and taken to Ravensbruck concentration camp.

The "before" portion of the book was fantastic. I thought it was well written and I liked that it referenced parts of Lilac Girls. The "after" portion of the book was unbelievable and unnecessary. This portion of the story felt too farfetched and sadly almost ruined the book for me. I wish the author would have just focused on the "before" or if she was going to include the "after" then it needed to be more believable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am in the minority. This book was not for me; I have to DNF at 27%.

Neither main character is likable & I find the dialogue to be unrealistic. I am not connecting with it despite it being a topic I’m interested in.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've been a fan of Martha Hall Kelly's for years now, she's an automatic read author for me, and I was so excited to read her next adventure. As a fan of historical fiction involving WWI & WWII, Kelly's stories are always a delight to read. Her research is incredible and she brings the characters and storylines to life; this was no different. Like her other books, this alternates not just perspectives but time. It follows Josie and Arlette and alternates between 1943 and 1952 in France. These two girls were The Golden Doves, spies for the resistance who were eventually captured and sent to the predominantly women-only concentration camp Ravensbrück in Germany. Fast forward to 1952 and both are women now, having survived the camp are on journies to find something; Arlette, her missing son, and Josie, hunting down one of the nazi doctors that was at Ravensbrück and committed horrible acts/experiments against the women at the camp.

While there were times when it was a little slow going and had me wondering where the story was going, things eventually panned out and the bigger picture made itself known. Admittedly, while I found the overall story good, I didn't always care for either of the main characters. They would sometimes make decisions that didn't make sense given that they were meant to be spies. Like, I understood some of the choices they made in the 1952 timeline, given that they had survived such horrors and were just trying to find that little bit of normalcy and things from before, but the 1943 before time, just didn't always make sense.

Overall, while this wasn't my favorite of her works, this was a good one filled with incredible details and imagery, It's a solid 3.5 stars for me, I think had I cared, or at least liked the characters more, it would have been more. It's still a good read and if you've read any of her previous works, it's worth reading.

Another amazing historical fiction read by Martha Hall Kelly! This one had a bit of a mystery to it that kept me guessing until the end and I loved the references back to Lilac Girls and Lost Roses. I cannot wait for whatever she writes next.

This historical fiction story is about the women only concentration camp, Ravensbruck, during WW2. The atrocities that happened there are told through two women who survived, the Golden Doves. The Golden Doves, American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue, are spies who are caught, imprisoned at Ravensbruck, and survive. Their stories are told through flashbacks from their present lives in 1952, post WW2. Yes, Martha Hall Kelly's book, Lilac Girls, is also about this camp but I agree with the author, we need to keep these stories alive, think about them, talk about them, and create a world where this can never happen again. The story these women have to tell starts slowly but the reader is soon deeply entrenched in their stories.

What a beautifully written story! I loved reading the authors note at the end, and how her story is based on so many true events during WWII, while fictionalizing the story in her own words as well. Josie and Arlette, The Golden Doves, were such inspiring characters and I loved reading their role in the resistance against the Germans during the war, and their stories years later in working to find Nazi scientists. The first half moved a little slow for me, but it set up a phenomenal second half of the book with suspense, longing and so many emotions throughout. 4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House- Ballentine for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I love historical fiction novels that focus on the heroines of WWII. How they put their lives on the line as spies or radio transmitters but how they aren’t really ever recognized. This is one of those stories and it was great.
Definitely read the authors note at the end.

This is an extremely important piece of writing insofar as it shines a blinding light on a country’s complicity in the horrors of war and how far powerful men will go to gain their objective. I took a long time reflecting on this book before trying to review it because so much of it was so difficult to explain and embrace. Murderers treated to tennis whites and court time and forget about the horrors they perpetrated, in their torture chambers, on innocent women. There is so much ugliness, so much misplaced rationalizing, and that may be the best we can say about those perceived to be the good guys. Those described in The Golden Doves are damaged survivors who are willing to follow instructions almost blindly, searching for the enemy, a lost son, and ultimately their betrayers.

Meticulously researched, slow going at times, I kept coming back to how much can be forgiven, while insuring that this story will not be forgotten. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.