Despite there being an influx of historical fiction set during WW2, I never tire of the era and enjoy reading the different locations and people the war affected. So I was excited at the prospect of reading this addition to the genre. Added to that, THE SECRET MESSENGER was a dual timeline story set between German-occupied Venice in the 1940s and modern day London and Bristol. I do love a dual timeline tale!

Venice 1944: Stella Jilani is a 27 year old proud Venetian, longing for the Venice of old. One that includes freedom from Nazi occupation and Italy's fascist dictator Mussolini. Ever since she was a young girl, Stella loved to write and as soon as she was old enough she gained a job on a newspaper as a journalist. But that came to an end when a story came her way about an incident where she was told by her editor to embellish the story in favour of the fascists. Stella wanted only to tell the truth but the truth was not what the paper wanted...they wanted propaganda that supported the fascist regime.

But Stella would not be swayed. She put her journalist experience to good use in the Venice Resistance Brigade writing for their underground newspaper. And she is soon given the position of a typist and translator for a high ranking Reich officer at Nazi High Command, where she secretes information she obtains in her position and passes it on to the members of the Resistance. As a secret messenger she walks a fine line each day relaying this information as well as trafficking essential supplies.

Throughout her journey is her beloved typewriter her grandfather gave her long before the war. On it, she produces information that is published in the forbidden underground newspaper. She also begins a tale of love which inadvertently makes it way into an edition, enthralling many Venetians alike, as they eagerly await the next installment. Even her colleague Cristain De Luca, Head Secretary to General Bruegal who she also works for, is intrigued by the story.

Cristian is a bit of a dark horse and Stella has trouble working him out. There are times she sees something of a sensitive side in him but at others he fixes her with a cold stare and she wonders if she had merely imagined it. But one thing is for sure, Stella must keep her secret life from Cristian for in this war you can trust no one. And yet, she cannot help but enjoy his company when they are away from Nazi High Command.

But then, Stella's life is threatened when the Nazi's search her apartment looking for her typewriter, after receiving information that she was the one responsible for the underground newspaper and the story that had captured Venetians. Breugal and Strauss have long been suspicious of her activities and when they find nothing in her apartment, she is then sacked from her position at Nazi Command, the newspaper disbanded and a warrant is issued for her arrest. Before she is captured, she receives paperwork entitling her to a travel pass which enables her to escape. However, she is confused as the pass is signed by Breugal just as her arrest warrant is. But Stella doesn't wait for explanations, hastily bidding her Venice goodbye as she makes her escape.

But her story does not end there...

London 2017: Luisa Belmont has recently lost her mother and is clearing out her vast home when she comes across an old typewriter in the attic. Having never seen it before, Luisa has no idea who it belongs to. So she decides to delve into the past to discover the story behind this piece of history. Along with the typewriter she also finds some old photos and some crumbling documents hidden away in a box and she wonders why her mother has kept this part of her heritage hidden away. The people in the photos are very obviously relatives as she recognises her mother in the features of the young woman though the photo was dated 1950...and her mother was born in 1953. She resolves that it must be her grandmother.

Luisa is aware that her mother and grandmother fell out some years before and hardly ever spoke. Her own mother was cold and distant and she pondered on whether the relationship with her own mother was then reflected in that which she later shared with her only daughter. Although she had shared half her life with her distant mother she felt that she didn't really know her...or much about their Italian heritage.

In the course of her delving into the past, Luisa discovers the story of her grandmother's life in Venice during WW2, her secrets, her sacrifices, her fears and ultimately, finding love.

I love historical fiction but it took me a while to find my way through this book and I felt it was very slow moving...not just at the beginning, but throughout much of the story.

THE SECRET MESSENGER had an intriguing premise...but for me, it fell a bit flat in its storytelling. Although I was intrigued by the story and was eager to find out what happened, I found the writing to be too descriptive with two of my pet peeves in books - 1) long chapters, and 2) incessant monologuing by Stella detailing just about everything that inadvertently puts me to sleep. I was disappointed because I thought the story had promise. I, did, however soldier on to finish the book...admittedly, skimming a lot of in-between monologuing that I could do without.

There was so much that didn't make sense to me as the author didn't bother to translate some of words, both in dialogue and Stella's own monologue. My Italian is very limited and it wasn't helped by the lack of translation in parts.

There was also not a lot of relative development in Luisa, despite her being Stella's granddaughter. The reader isn't given much of a chance to get to know Luisa as all she is doing is digging into the past and nothing else. She had no personality and lacked depth. Stella, on the other hand, featured far more than her granddaughter of the present day and yet she still didn't have a lot of development either. Basically all Stella did was monologue about work by day, resistance by night...day in, day out....with not much else in between.

There could have been so much more done with THE SECRET MESSENGER than was done making it simply drowning in the shadow of those far more interesting and intriguing books of a similar vein. I would far more recommend "My Name is Eva" by Suzanne Goldring, "The Secret Letter" by Debbie Rix, "A View Across the Rooftops" by Suzanne Kelman and "A Fight in Silence" by Melanie Metzenthin than THE SECRET MESSENGER. It had so much potential but just failed in the delivery. It actually put me to sleep on several occasions with Stella's endless monologuing.

Having said that, I am in the minority here as many others have thoroughly enjoyed it where I haven't. I was disappointed as I had high expectations for it that it just didn't live up to.

I would like to thank #MandyRobotham, #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #TheSecretMessenger in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I enjoyed the author’s book A Woman of War a lot. I was not disappointed. Stella is a compelling and unique character, a strong woman, working for the Italian resistance and as a typist for the Nazi’s. My heart was in my throat a lot of the time as I read, wondering if Stella would be caught and what terrible price she would pay. General Breugal of the Nazi’s is the perfect villain. He gave me the creeps. I also really enjoyed the parallel story set in 2017. Luisa uncovers family secrets when her seemingly cold and unloving mother dies. I enjoyed the way the stories gradually come together and the links between them are revealed.

This book was a brilliant read and one that is perfect to escape for a few hours and loose yourself.
Characters that fall out of the pages of the book and make you fell apart of the story, the setting is lovely and captured well with words.
A great read. that I would highly recommend.

I like this book. I wasn't too fond of Luisa ( i just didn't fell her) but her grandmother's story was really good. It got gripping towards the end but didn't last very long but it was all good. Stella's character was great. 

i have read the other book the author has written it was also great . 

Thank you NetGalley !

I loved Mandy Robothams first novel and couldn’t wait to read this one. I love books set in this time period. This one moved from Italy and London. I haven’t read many books set in WWII Italy and found this fascinating. Robotham has definitely done her research. Great character and  I flew through this book.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I like reading historical fiction, particularly that which centers on WWII. This was a nice change of pace, setting the story in Venice and focusing on the Resistance efforts. It was an angle I hadn’t read before. There was pretty good character development too.

I truly enjoyed this book. The only part where this book fell flat for me was with the modern day perspective. I know that dual timelines are hugely popular with historical fiction but in this case, this book would have been so much better without it. It did not add anything to the story.

I enjoyed this page turning book. It was well written. Glad that I read it. Will be checking other books by this author.

Another delicious read by Mandy Robotham. This is Historical Fiction with intensely strong female characters, outstanding descriptions of place, and a twist rarely explored in this genre.

We are visually transported to stunning Venice Italy during the horrors ravaging Europe by the Nazi Regime, 1943. With a dual timeline flip to current London, we are introduced to "Luisa", a granddaughter who is on a hunt for the truth about who "Stella Jilani" really was, or wasn't.

The Nazi war machine is at its height, and General Breugal is heavily installed in his office in Venice. A young Stella Jilani, enters into this headquarters and works for the Nazi's by day as a typist, secretly by night however she works a completely different job. 

Full of dark secrets, spies and who can you trust characters...plus war time romance... this is an exciting story that you won't put down. 

5stars

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author Ms. Mandy Robotham for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The Secret Messenger". 
The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

Historical fiction is a firm favourite of mine and this book ticks all the boxes with an absolute winning combination. Told in a dual time narrative of present day and WWII, it is the historical story that shines with real strength. I feel that Luisa’s modern tale is more a tool to direct occurences from the war time in Italy. All up this is a fantastic mix of intrigue and romance against the backdrop of Nazi occupied Venice.

‘I reflect on the past twenty hours–as different as day and night for me. For eight hours I could be accused of helping the German Third Reich to consolidate control of our beautiful city and country–yes, our country–and for the last four or five of aiming to knock holes in their plans to ride roughshod over Italian heritage and pride. I feel like a female Jekyll and Hyde.’

This story is mainly set in Italy during WWII and I totally enjoyed a look at Italian resistance as a change from the usual French focus. Even narrowing it down to Venice during the Nazi occupation and how the Venetians resisted was enthralling reading. There is a great deal of worthwhile research that has gone into this tale - the Venetian resistance, Venice itself (past and present) and an absorbing romance between Stella and the two men in her life at that time. There are some sensational twists that had me ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ and rapidly turning the pages as what I thought to be a predictable conclusion was anything but. 

‘I’ve often mused after a drop that, despite the hardware of guns and machinery, this is an intensely human war–heavily reliant on faith in the good nature of people, whatever their origins. Kindness and softness, and not the cold metal edge of artillery, are what will win this war.’

If you at all like WWII stories, then this is a must read! You will rally alongside ordinary Venetians as they come together with their small acts of resistance chipping away until liberation and the ultimate victory over the Nazis was gained. So many of the characters are skillfully portrayed in their struggle and although fiction, undoubtedly has its roots in the sacrifices of the many women and men who fought for justice. Stella was a wonderful lead and with a clever plot, had me enthralled until the very end, right beside her granddaughter Luisa, in an attempt to unearth the truth about the roles played in this poignant tale from history. Much like Stella, I was fooled by masterful writing:

‘I see him for the shell he is–no lover of Venice or Italians after all. No heart to be beguiled by literature or the play of words. It was all an elaborate act. And I was fooled.’

I cannot recommend highly enough this wonderful piece of historical fiction. I particularly enjoyed the nod to the shared love of literature, particularly Jane Austen references. All up a most absorbing read and wonderful escapism.

He’s smiling once more and I see he’s looking directly at the volume of Jane Austen clutched in my hand. ‘Oh, this? This isn’t a fairy story,’ I come back, striding ahead to avoid any awkward conversation. ‘It’s literature.’ 
‘I agree,’ he says. ‘It’s very good literature. But equally, it’s not real life, is it?’ 
‘All the better in this day and age,’ I snipe, though not meaning to do so quite so sharply.‘Everyone deserves a place of fantasy and safety.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! This book is such an excellent read, and I can't say enough good things about it! I really enjoyed the dual timeline of the past and present, and it made the storyline flow nicely and kept things interesting. Not to mention, I feel like I learned so much while reading this. It's obvious that a lot of research was done for this book.

This book is really engaging, and I loved hearing about Venice and the roles played by the Resistance there during WWII.  I so appreciate you allowing me the opportunity to review this incredible book!

First of all, thanks Mandy Robotham, Avon and NetGalley for my copy.

I have read many books about World War II but never have I read one based in Italy, more specifically Venice. That was a very nice change and it also allowed me to see the impact the Fascism regime played along Hitler in WWII. I enjoyed her description of the city and her use of some Italian words every so often. Personally, I think Ms Robotham could have sprinkle even more Italian in her story. 

It was a very nice, easy read. I would definitely recommend it to my historical fiction friends.

I was given a copy of The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham. The book is set in Venice during World War 2 and present day London. Stella works for the resistance in a war office, passing on information and also working for the resistance newspaper. Luisa lives in London, after her mother dies she finds her grandmother's old typewriter, this leads her on a search to find out her grandmother's secret life.
This is a lovely story, well written. It's a different view of the 2nd world war.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝙼𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚢 𝚁𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚖 
𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑: 12 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 2019

✯✯✯✯✯
5 STAR REVIEW
To begin with, this book deserves praise and a lot of it!! Though I started reading this book last year in December, within a few pages I already knew it’s the best book I read for that year. And finishing it now in January 2020, it still feels like the best book I read. YOU NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT.

 I adore typewriters; I have a small collection of my own and reading this story with the typewriter with its dropped e weaving its way through history, bringing hope to the hopeless, I just got more excited!

This story starts with a brief preview into Venice, June 1934. A 17-year-old Stella Jilani seeing the beginning of what will change their lives for the years to come. We jump forward into time to Luisa and Jamie in Bristol, London 2017. With the passing of her mother, she discovers an amazing box of history. I really don’t want to elaborate further because this is a surprise that each reader needs to enjoy and discover on their own.

Stella Jilani, a 27-year-old Venetian, finds herself working in the Reich headquarters. Being a member of the Resistance meant she was treading dangerous ground. But she used her position strategically to help with information that could later play a part in the liberation of Venice. 
With her trusty typewriter and the newspaper that was passed to Venetians under the radar, she and her team brought hope to the hopeless. They kept the magic of Venice alive in the hearts of so many that had to endure the consequence of war.

This story is unpredictable, but you don’t even try to guess what will happen next because it completely overtakes you. It transports you to the scenic and magical Venice, to the glittering water and the different palazzos, the campos and even the vaporetta. You walk side by side with Stella, see what she sees, feel what she feels.
I laughed out loud, and other times my heart broke for what she, her family and friends had to endure. A war can cross boundaries, it doesn’t stay physical, but it becomes emotional too.

I loved the way Mandy Robotham described everything in such detail, making the reader feel as if they’re sitting and watching the sunset and feeling the rays on their skin. If you haven’t been to Venice, you sure will feel you have been after reading this book. I enjoyed the characters and was sad when the book was nearing its end. But there are no unanswered questions, and that’s what I like. The reader needs to put the book down with satisfaction, and that’s what you’ll get with this book.

In modern London, Luisa finds heirlooms of her grandmother, leading to her discovering the heroism and bravery of Stella. Working for the Nazis during the day and the Italian resistance at night, Stella puts herself at risk every day, divulging the secrets she comes across in her daily work in WWII Italy. Recommended reading.

This was a thoroughly enthralling read, the dual timelines made for quite an interesting read, even if I did have less of an interest in the story line of Luisa in the present at times. Stella's story was fantastic, so full of intrigue and intense at times. Readers get a great feel for the dangers of the time and the situation that faces Stella through the atmospheric writing. 
The courage shown by Stella makes her a really likeable character, she's strong and demonstrates this through her activities with the Italian resistance.
Luisa, struggling with the loss of her mother and feeling adrift, desperately needs to connect with a family bond, and find out more about where she came from after finding an old typewriter in the attic.

If you loved Mandy Robotham’s the German midwife than you will love her second book the secret messenger.
This book was an amazing read that keeps you engaged the whole way through. 
And what I love about this author is that the endings in her books don’t feel rushed, there’s an explanation to everything so your not always wondering.
This book is about the resistance in Venice during WWII and how the war affected the Venetian people. I definitely recommend this book for all you historical fiction lovers.

1943, Stella Jilani is living a double life. By day she work's as a typist/translator for the Reich in occupied Venice. By night she is a prominent member of the resistance working as a typist/journalist and messenger. 

In 2017 Luisa Belmont is clearing the house after her Mothers' passing, when she finds a mysterious old typewriter. She is inexplicably drawn to the object and determined to find out who it belonged to. As she knows for sure that it wasn't her Mother's.

Her quest for information leads her to Italy, where she begins to unravel the complex origins of the typewriter and it's previous owner, and discovers far more than she ever dreamed possible.

Luisa's grandmother, Stella was in a member of the resistance during the Second World War, working for the Reich during the day, and rebelling against her bosses by night. She risks her life every single day for the war effort, and her family have no idea.

Luisa also makes another discovery, when she finds an old photo of her Grandmother and this leads to even more questions about her Grandmother's life, both during and after the war.

The Secret Messenger is a thrilling read, with brilliant characters, and I cannot wait for Mandy Robotham's next.

This was a great book! Although I will admit I wasn’t to fond of the present day character Luisa for the first half of the book. It’s not told from her perspective and it was strange at first and didn’t make sense to the story. But about half way through is when the modern day story and the past really connects, and it really starts to work with what’s going on. I loved the entirety of Stella’s story from the past! It was perfect and could have honestly been a complete book by itself. I loved that the story took place in Venice which is not a popular location for WWII historical fictions so it was wonderful to read about the war from another place. Overall I loved how everything came together at the ending and there was definitely a surprise! 4.5 stars