I wish that I could tell readers about my favorite parts of this book, but I can't without sharing some of the characters' secrets. Just know, that there are some surprising twists near the end that make the book worth reading. The author's notes are also very informative and provide the reader with even more historical background that I found to be quite interesting since I knew very little bit about the Ritz Hotel and absolutely nothing about Blanche and Claude Auzello before reading this book. Blanche was an American who would marry the Frenchman Claude Auzello (the hotel director of the Ritz). This real life couple had a shaky marriage that in my mind could have used some better communication. When the German army sets up its headquarters at the Ritz, the Auzellos' lives are changed in unexpected ways. Melanie Benjamin did an excellent job of filling in the blanks about the Auzellos' motives, actions, and emotions since most history books fall short in sharing these kind of details about them. Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinions of the book.

I've long been a fan of Melanie Benjamin's writing and absolutely loved Mistress of the Ritz. The story is based on true events during the Nazi occupation of Paris and is a pageturner! Melanie Benjamin is a fabulous storyteller and all her research shines in this book!

Benjamin has taken some interesting facts about Claude Auzello, the Manager of the Ritz Hotel during the German occupation of Paris and his wife Blanche, and crafted an intriguing story about the occupation, the French resistance, and the frightening and complicated situation in which all of Paris’ citizens found themselves. Blanche and Claude Auzello are the central characters, and particularly Blanche, but her friend and conspirator Lily plays a huge role as well. In some ways, the Ritz hotel itself is one of the main characters. The description of the Ritz and all the people required to run it was enlightening! Benjamin did a great job of painting the picture and building the suspense. I found myself riveted and racing through the pages to see what happened next. The horror of the situation was hard to feel and experience through the novel, but it gave me a different perspective of World War II. This was a side of it I had never explored, so I learned a lot from Benjamin’s careful research. If you enjoy historical fiction you will particularly enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press/Random House for an ARC in exchange for an impartial review.

In her latest novel, Melanie Benjamin tells a tale of some not-so-famous, yet influential, Parisians during the German occupation of Paris during World War II. Blanche was an American woman married to Frenchman Claude Auzello, the director of The Ritz Hotel in Paris. Blanche partied hard, and had interesting (and dangerous) friends. She had a secret, too, which wasn't hard to guess. Claude, the quintessential Frenchman, had some secrets, as well. Their marriage was drama-filled, as their strong, mercurial, personalities often clashed. In 1940, the Ritz was commandeered by the German Army, and Blanche and Claude were forced to placate the Germans while living their secret lives. Not much is known about the Auzellos, as Ms. Benjamin admits, but the story she has created is compelling and suspenseful.

This is the first novel that I have read by Melanie Benjamin, I am ashamed to say, but it surely will not be my last. Mistress of the Ritz drew me in right from the start. I loved the way Melanie Benjamin developed her characters. If I closed my eyes, it would have been easy for me to picture Blanche and Claude Aurello as they were during the years of 1923 when their story first began through 1945 with the Nazi occupation of Paris and how it changed each one of them. I must admit that I had never heard of Blanche or Claude Aurello before reading this book nor did I know much about the part The Ritz played during the occupation. Melanie Benjamin's research for this novel was well done and accurate. However, since there was not a lot of information on the Aurello's she sprinkled in other details to make the story work in a very believable way. The female characters, Melanie Benjamin wrote about in The Mistress of the Ritz, were all strong, courageous and resourceful. I also enjoyed the way she interspersed more well known women such as Coco. Channel, as well as some that were not that well known throughout the novel. It really gave you a glimpse into how the Parisians felt during this time in their history and what some would resort to in order to get "their" Paris back.

Blanche arrived in Paris during the early 1920's after having left her family behind in America. She was ready to live the life of a flapper/actress in Paris. One evening, Blanche was having dinner at a small hotel restaurant with her close friend Peal. Claude was the assistant manager of the hotel and was smitten with Blanche upon first sight. He was determined to woo her and make her his wife. Claude was successful. Blanche agreed to marry Claude but their marriage was not always perfect. Claude was an old fashioned Frenchman. He believed that the man was the "boss" and the woman listened. Blanche was not that kind of woman. They butted heads many time and argued constantly. Claude also believed it was his right to take mistresses, even if he did love Blanche. This was the way Claude was brought up. Despite their differences, Blanche encouraged Claude to become the manager of the Ritz and with her help they became the mistress and master of one of the most famous hotels in Paris. Thoughts were that nothing bad could happen within the walls of the Ritz. One was safe, beautiful and at home there. Over the years, many famous people like Hemingway, Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, were valued guests of the Ritz. All was well and normal at the Ritz until the Nazis took over Paris. Melanie Benjamin alternated the chapters of her book between Blanche and Claude, giving the reader a glimpse into their complicated marriage..

In June 1940, the Nazis arrived in Paris and made the Ritz their official headquarters. Everything changed in a blink of an eye. Hermann Goring resided in suites that had been previously occupied by royalty. It was a bad time for the Ritz. Blanche and Claude had to be extremely careful with everything they said and did now. It was quite terrifying. Both Claude and Blanche felt compelled to help Paris rid itself of the Nazis any way they could. Secrets and lies soon became the norm between husband and wife and almost came to damage and destroy their already shaky marriage. However, they both shared one very important secret, that they had managed to bury, but threatened to resurface. That secret could not only crush their marriage but could ultimately impact the survival of the Ritz.

Based on true events and people, Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin, was an engaging, suspenseful and romantic novel. I found myself absorbed in Blanche's and Claude's lives and personality traits. At times, I found humor and at other times I had tears in my eyes. I was so glad Melanie Benjamin wrote about Claude and Blanche and the Ritz. I learned so much about their story and their role during the occupation of the Ritz. This is a book that I recommend very highly.

I received this ARC of Mistress of the Ritz courtesy of Netgalley & was so caught up in this historical novel that I finished it in two days! Melanie Benjamin's story of Blanche and Claude Auzello at the Ritz during the German occupation of Paris was informative, emotional, and compelling to read. Highly recommended!

This is a work of historical fiction using well known historical and political figures. This is the story of Blanche, Claude and the Ritz during the occupation of Paris. Claude is the manager of the Ritz and wants to maintain its high status even though he is serving the German officers. Blanche on the other hand is impetuous and seemingly a drunkard. How these two deal in their marriage -- Claude, the French husband and Blanche, the American wife -- neither understanding the 'rules of marriage'. A fascinating, couldn't put it down read.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - one of my absolute favorite things about Historical Fiction is the ability to share so many interesting and fascinating historical facts and stories with the general public, and Melanie Benjamin's Mistress of the Ritz does just that. I knew *of* the Ritz, but I was in no way familiar with the backstory of the hotel, nor did I have any inkling of it's role during WWII.

Historical fiction novels that are based on real people always hold a bit more gravitas for me than those with fictional characters based around factual events, and this definitely held true for this book. Frankly, I was blown away by the story of Claude and Blanche Auzello. There are so many things to say about their relationship and the choices that they made, but in one of the biggest romance tropes of all time, they spend a good portion of the time NOT COMMUNICATING as each is involved in clandestine resistance work - is it because they didn't trust one another? Or maybe because they cared too much for the other to risk their involvement? In real life, we'll never know - but Melanie Benjamin does a wonderful job making reasonable suppositions about their lives and choices and turned them into frustratingly believable characters that you were rooting for throughout the entire novel.

I loved learning about the Ritz and it's role during the German occupation of Paris, as well as the different resistance movements that were carried out within it's walls. I thought the relationships in the novel were written quite well, and I loved the alternating viewpoints of Claude and Blanche. I thought the writing itself was simple and effective (with occasional stand-out prose), and I would definitely pick up another Melanie Benjamin novel sometime in the future.

I have been on a serious WW2 historical fiction binge lately and have been trying to read everything I can get my hands on. This book was decent, I feel like the author did her research well enough I just didn't necessairly feel the emotional pull that I have felt in others. But overall it was a good read. Solid.

"How can you recognize a Semite?" Throw her in the back of a Nazi truck with her hands tied too tightly behind her back, and point a German gun at her head."

I expect three things from historical fiction:
•A good story
•The ability to paint a picture so true I feel immersed in the time and place
•To learn something I previously didn’t know.

The Mistress of the Ritz manages all three. Based on true events, the Auzellos are the “master and mistress of the Ritz”, he the manager of the famous hotel. The story gives us their history from their tempestuous beginning through their 17 years of marriage when the Nazis arrive in Paris and take over the hotel. And from there, things get even more intense.

I have enjoyed every Melanie Benjamin novel I have read, and this is no different. Mistress of the Ritz is a wonderful story of the marriage between two people who had both a hotel and a war come between them. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Mistress of the Ritz was an enjoyable read but took me a little while to get invested into the story. The beginning moved a little slow for me and I kept wondering what was going to happen and how the story was going to come together for Blanche and Claude. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the characters but would have liked to see the beginning move a little quicker to help catch my attention early on. It is still a great read but may take longer than normal to get hooked on than other books.

Another winner from Melanie Benjamin. In MISTRESS OF THE RITZ, Benjamin tells the story of the Ritz in occupied Paris, through the eyes of its manager and his wife (Claude and Blanche). The Ritz and Paris are the other two major characters in the book and Benjamin brings both vividly to life. Historical figures pop in and out, including Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, and Ernest Hemingway. Overall, a slice of WWII history that I did not yet know about, told through the eyes of two of its resistance members, both of whom have been forgotten through time (Claude and Blanche).

After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, I was finally able to read the highly recommended Mistress of the Ritz and it did not disappoint! I always enjoy a good historical fiction, and I was quickly drawn to Blanche and Claude and their very flawed love story. I rated the book three stars because I was hoping for more WW2 action rather than focusing mostly on their marriage and Claude's Ritz responsibilities. By the time things picked up, the book was nearly over, making the ending seem a bit rushed. I've already recommended the book to several members of .y book club!

Interesting, well researched, and nicely written historical fiction novel set at the Ritz Hotel in Paris during WWII. Great characters based on real people. I always enjoy Melanie Benjamin's novels. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.

Claude and Blanche Auzello, he is the Manager of the Ritz in Paris, she is the American who suddenly had a French passport, a suite at the Ritz and a husband. He manages, she contrives. He tends his anger at the Germans, the French and his wife carefully, she is brash, unrepentant and sacrifices everything for Claude. He sacrifices everything for his beloved Ritz. This is a story about how they saved the Ritz. This is a story about the strength of love.

Inspired by a true story and real people it is told with a nod to the period of the German’s brutal occupation of Paris due World War II. The writing is solid, the characters brought to life through their dialog, the foil is the Ritz Hotel.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for a copy.

I loved this book! If you like historical fiction as much as I do than it is a must read for you! I learned a lot about what went on At The Ritz Hotel during the war with the Germans taking over the Hotel. This was my first book by Melanie Benjamin and i will be reading more of her books soon.Thanks for letting me read this great book!! I really like when the author can weave into the story things that really happened in history along with real famous people.. Bravo!!!

Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin was a book that I was very excited to read. It takes place in Paris at the Ritz during the Nazi occupation during WWII. The main characters are Blanche, an American actress who comes to France looking to make a name for herself and Claude, a Frenchman and manager of the historic and iconic Ritz. The author uses both of their points of view to tell the story.

Once I got into the story, I found it very slow moving. The back and forth chapters between Blanche and her husband Claude focused more on their marriage than the actual goings on in the city of Paris and the Ritz. The accounts became somewhat repetitive as well. The story line picks up through the second half of the book by focusing on the occupation, but it takes too long to get there.

I do appreciate Benjamin's focus on a strong female character in this book and many of her previous works. However, this book's plot did not captivate me like I had hoped it would.

Melanie Benjamin has done it again! This is my third novel by Ms. Benjamin and I adore her stories and writing style. This one is sure to be a bestseller.
The setting is during WWII during the German occupation of Paris. The story centers on two main characters Blanche and Claude Auzello. The characters are extremely well developed and you find yourself being swept up in their story. The 'third' main character is a hotel named "The Ritz" in Paris, France. The detail that Ms. Benjamin gives of this extraordinary hotel and it's occupants is thrilling. You can picture yourself in the hotel lobby, in its bar, in Claude's office and on the street climbing the stairs to enter.
I offer no spoilers here. I can only say that if you haven't read any of Melanie Benjamin's novels you are completely missing out. I waited for this book to come and she did not disappoint. She is a skilled writer who takes the reader along the path she wants them to go. I couldn't put it down. Kudos to Ms. Benjamin another feather in your cap to be sure! I can't wait to see what you do next!
I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy books about the World Wars in general. This one is no different. This ‘historical fiction’ novel staring a husband and wife and the famed Ritz Hotel in Paris is full of intrigue, real historical figures from France, American and Germany and actual events. It is however the authors attempt to flesh out the life of Blanche Rubenstein who was a real person. She was married to the director of the Ritz Hotel and they both played a part in the war effort. I enjoyed this novel provided by #netgalley and don’t want to say anymore for fear of spoiling #mistressoftheritz which captivated me and I definitely recommend.