Just could not warm up to ex-spy Livy – Livy is approached by Ian Fleming to take on a spy job in a not so serene Europe after WWII and off she goes to Paris.

When everyone is celebrating V-E Day in London, former British spy Olivia Nash is having her third glass of vodka and drowning her sorrows. During the war Livy was a Special Operations Executive and she and Bulldog were the most sort after agents in France. The war ended with a terrible betrayal by someone Livy thought she could trust, the man she loved was killed, she's still mourning him and has no reason to commemorate.

Livy currently works for second lowest circulating newspaper in England and she proofreads the ladies advice column. She’s shocked when Ian Fleming approaches her, he’s the foreign manager for the Komsley News Group and he offers her a job in France.

Olivia is given a couple of weeks to dry out, brush up on her defense skills, and she’s working as an undercover journalist. Livy is keen to track to down the traitor who killed her lover, the first place she visits is the café they used to hang out at during the war and the situation in France has changed. The City of lights is full of spies and double agents from, England, America, France and the Soviet Union.

Luckily she still has her gun, because alliances change quickly, Olivia takes out an old enemy and she has no idea how many are left? When Olivia discovers yet another betrayal, she doesn’t know what she will do and she hasn't completed her assignment!

I received a copy of Spitfire by M. L. Huie from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters and maybe it's due to the narrative focusing on spies, double agents, wartime secrets and I found it confusing. If you like historical mysteries set in England and France at the end of The Second World War, this book might be for you, and three stars from me.

I usually love historical fiction, but I thought this book read too dry for me. So much history (although accurate) and less fiction. It just wasn't for me.

This book had such premise and had interesting ideas,l! However, it didn’t do more than other books after WWII. Companring it to other books similiar to it actually gave it a disadvantage. While it was a nice read it wasn’t particularly wowing or a series I would continue. I thank Netgalley for giving me an ARC to read.

Author M. L. Huie (https://www.mlhuie.com) published the novel “Spitfire: A Livy Nash Mystery” in 2020. This is the first book in his ‘Livy Nash Mystery’ series. He has published two novels in the series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in 1946 England and France. The primary character is Livy Nash. Nash served in the SOE during the war. After serving in occupied France she finds herself at loose ends with the war over. The man she had come to love is now long dead at the hands of the Germans. She has a dead-end job working as a copy editor on a minor paper in London. She is depressed and is drinking too heavily.

Things begin to turn around when she is approached by Ian Fleming to join his intelligence unit. He knows of her wartime experience. He wants her to return to France posing as a newspaper reporter. Most importantly he wants her to help track down the man who killed her wartime lover.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 266-page WWII era mystery. While this isn’t WWII exactly, it is tied to it. I like the character of Livy Nash. The plot has thrills, intrigue, and twists. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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Spitfire was an entertaining read. The post World War II descriptions were perfect and the twist at the end was fun. It took a while for me to warm up to the central character, Livy Nash. I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth to her but hopefully this will occur as the series goes on. The first book has whetted my interest for the second, so I will be on the look out for it. All in all this was a fast paced tale that held my attention apart from a few spots where it became a little disjointed. Buy if you’re looking for a spy series to read. This is as good as any.

This book was nice it had all the ingredients of a good spy book with a female spy, a change from always having a male character. The story was much more interesting in the last half of the book. I enjoyed it.

This is the first book in a series, and I was drawn in my the premise. Hopefully, future books will be better than this effort, it dragged on in places but the main characters were solid. The post-WWII landscape has not been written about very much, and I look forward to reading future books in this series.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very good story! Had me from page one..It's the type of story that keeps evolving...Great ending!!!

Olivia Nash survived the war, but she is not sure she will survive the peace. During the war, she had landed in France as a member of SOE. She had been captured after a betrayal and seen a coworker and lover executed. So when Ian Fleming offered her a chance to return to France, she jumped on it. But, France is more complicated now. Before it was the Resistance vs the Boche, now, it was the British working with Americans mostly, not trusting the French, and opposed to the Soviets. Livy found herself trying to overcome the past and build a future that would be as fulfilling as her time in the Resistance. But first she has to survive her enemies and her allies to accomplish her mission. That is the fun of this tale. You have Ian Fleming as spymaster at the beginning of the Cold War, an assesst requested by an unknown party, and plenty of potential pitfalls to explore. It will be interesting to see what Livy may do in future volumes.

Honestly I'm sad to say that I couldn't get into Spitfire. The novel sounded so promising and I was really excited to read it but in the end it didn't live up to my expectations. Maybe I'll revisit it again and not do the audiobook and it will stick with me but the audiobook just came off as dull and I don't want to read a WWII novel that's dull.

This book was nice it had all the ingredients of a good spy book with a female spy, a change from always having a male character. At first, I didn’t know what to make of Livy but soon found myself sympathizing with her & then rooting for her. I did make a dedicated effort to understand the author's intent and vision, but I will not be looking for the second book in the series.

"Spitfire" is a new series featuring Livy Nash! It was a fast-paced, drama, twist and turn book! Wonderful book.
Livy Nash was a British spy agent code name: spitfire. And she's every bit the name. She's now back in London working for a small newspaper proofreading and bored almost broke and ready for action! In comes Ian Fleming recruiting her for a secret mission to which she was specifically requested.
Can't wait for the rest of the series!

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

This book takes place after WWII and the years that led up to the Cold War. It was exhilarating from beginning to end. The characters are so likable and the story never goes the way you think it will. Great book!

This book is a fantastic spy thriller with strong, courageous characters. Spitfire contains perfectly portrayed historical detail and setting the backdrop of this thriller in post WWII Paris. Livy's character is so well defined, you feel like you're living part of her life right beside her, wonderful job!

An old fashioned spy/mystery novel set during World War 1. Livy is a mess. Drunk by noon and barely scraping by with her job as a proofreader. But turns out she’s killed Nazis and is ready to fight again in the name of revenge.

I did enjoy this book but it was missing something essential for me. I couldn't get attached to Ms. Nash in any way.

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the story was as brilliant as the cover. Thanks to both Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books For this eARC!

I enjoyed Livy and her no nonsense ability to see through people in her short, intense time as a spy during WW2, and again as she returns to Paris. The development of the story easily draws a reader in, but I have some lingering questions at the end about the German spy circle. What was so consequential about this ring after the war that the Russians, Americans, and British were in a race to end. Why did her former partner during the war continue to have a hold on her after only 1 night of passion?

Nonetheless, I am intrigued to see what the next novel holds, and what doors are opened in the world of Livy Nash.

A solid 4 stars for me!

This book has everything a good spy novel needs: training montages, booze, kissing, betrayals, reversals, international travel, and things being not-as-they-seem. It’s impossible for a spy novel in this part of the world and in this time period to not be compared with le Carre, and this one holds up against his work. I look forward to more entries in this series.

spies, spooks, historical-research, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-novel, international-crime-and-mystery

Livy worked for British Intelligence in France during the war and a year later she is bitter, soused, and jobless when a bloke named Ian Fleming looks her up and invites her to get back in the game. From then on it's as good as it gets. Snappy spy novel with all the twists and misdirections you could hope for and truly interesting characters! Kept me rapt to the end!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!