I feel in love with Lila and Sandrine! Two different women whose stories you follow from the beginning to the ending of the Nazi occupation in Paris. Both had completely different experiences and it was so interesting to see how their paths in a way crossed. Both worked for the resistance and had to work with/for the enemy. This book kept me on my toes at times and melted my heart at other times. Wonderful book!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the historical timeline, and the experiences the characters went through. Meeting the mistresses of the Nazi soldiers was especially interesting to me (I don't really know why!), and I found the role the women played, at times an invisible role, was so interesting. I also thought the story was well-paced and included such engaging information. Overall, I really enjoyed this story a lot! I really liked the characters, and at the end of the day, the characters kept me engaged from the first chapter to the last. If you like historical fiction, this book is for you!

Based on true accounts of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II—from fashion houses to the city streets. This is the story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight an evil they couldn’t abide. Paris, 1939. The House of Chanel has closed, thrusting haute couture dressmaker Lila de Laurent out of the world of high fashion as Nazi soldiers invade the streets and the City of Lights slips into darkness. Lila’s life becomes a series of rations, brutal restrictions, and carefully controlled propaganda while Paris is cut off from the rest of the world. Yet in hidden corners of the city, the faithful pledge to resist. Lila is drawn to La Resistance and is soon using her skills as a dressmaker to infiltrate the Nazi elite. She takes their measurements and designs masterpieces, all while collecting secrets in the glamorous Hôtel Ritz—the heart of the Nazis’ Parisian headquarters. But when dashing René Touliard suddenly reenters her world, Lila finds her heart tangled between determination to help save his Jewish family and bolstering the fight for liberation. Paris, 1943. Sandrine Paquet’s job is to catalog the priceless works of art bound for the Führer’s Berlin, masterpieces stolen from prominent Jewish families. But behind closed doors, she secretly forages for information from the underground resistance. Beneath her compliant façade lies a woman bent on uncovering the fate of her missing husband. As Hitler’s regime crumbles, Sandrine is drawn in deeper when she uncrates an exquisite blush Chanel gown concealing a cryptic message that may reveal the fate of a dressmaker who vanished from within the fashion elite. Told across the span of the Nazi occupation, The Paris Dressmaker highlights the brave women who used everything in their power to resist darkness and restore light to their world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book. The author was not familiar to me, but I am fascinated by books about World War II.

I rarely pick up a book on World War II that isn't portrayed from the American or British side; that's an oversight I need to rectify immediately! I'm now completely fascinated by the Parisian culture, fashion and yes - even the language (notable due to the fact that French is my least favourite language to study)!

This is also my first Kristy Cambron novel, and I have to say I am enchanted! I'm in love with Kristy's writing style; her prose is beautifully authentic and descriptive yet not hampered with insignificant details. There's an ever present thread of tension weaving throughout every page of this gorgeous story highlighting the courageous, defiant Parisienne who played pivotal roles in the fight for Paris. Each character, no matter how minor, showcases the varying perspectives of those living in occupied Paris in the early 1940s, and their subsequent awakening to, or suppression of, the war's realities (as evidenced by the 1 July 1939 Circus Ball hosted by none other than Elsie de Wolfe).

The story takes place over the course of the war in Paris. It's not chronological, and is told from two women's POVs, which seems to be putting some people off. Personally I didn't find it difficult to keep up with; just pay attention to the dates at the start of each scene. I think if the story was told chronologically, instead of being revealed layer by layer as it was, the depth of the story and characters would have been lost.

Simply put, this exquisite story brimming with undercurrents of tension and heartache is one that won't be leaving me anytime soon. A must read for all!

Special thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy! All opinions expressed are my own.

With thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an early copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars. WWII Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres of books and I always enjoy learning about different aspects of the war. I had learned about the resistance in France before but never about those in the fashion/art space. I found it particularly interesting how the dressmaker could use seams to hide and transport items. I thought the book was a bit longer than needed for the story it was telling, but overall a good book.

Author Kristy only gives us a glimpse of the horrific unjustified actions during World War II, all the while highlighting the brave men and women who fought for their families, countries, and beliefs with love as their motivator. She swept me up in a whirlwind, dropping me off in Paris where war and love colliaded, natzi uniforms danced with couture dresses, and survival instincts kicked in. This book made me weep happy, sad, and even angry tears. But it also gave me hope where love and hope prevailed. I get a thrill out of spy books and the author ended every chapter on an exhilarating hook.

This book was beautifully written, with such imagery that it made it easy to glide through it. I love historical fiction as well, so the author made it easy for me to read.

This book follow two characters throughout two different timelines. At the beginning of WWII in 1939 Paris, after the closure of her employer, Maison Chanel, Lila must find a way to make a living with her dressmaker skills. When a former friend becomes the mistress of a Nazi officer, Lila is summoned to make her dresses, and the dresses of other Nazi's women. Left alone with her young child, Sandrine must bid farewell to her husband as he goes off to fight.

At the end of WWII, when caught spying at the Hotel Ritz, Lila flees through the woods. Taking shelter in a bread truck, she rediscovers her previous lover, Rene. Sandrine is working for the Nazi sorting art, and secretly working for the resistance. Despite her revulsion and avoidance, an officer has taken an interest in her.

The back and forth between two different timelines, and two different characters did not really work. Sandrine felt like a secondary character, rather than a main character, which made her chapters slow and plodding. Overall, this book was a bust.

Sometimes a novel just lasts too long. The Paris Dressmaker was one of those novels. Too many characters, too many worn out plot points and nothing new added to the story beyond new character names. I really was hoping for more. Frankly, if as many people as the author wrote as participating in the resistance had been, France never would have been occupied by the Germans!
The book was much too long for the story it had to tell. I did enjoy reading the cataloguing and tracking of the fine art that the Nazis stole from the people they killed. That part reminded me of a great book I read called The Madonnas of Leningrad.

Fabulous Historical Fiction!! What a beautiful story that looks at the lives of several Parisiennes before, during, and after WWII in France, and the drastically different choices they make. What a timely reminder that we are always faced with good and evil in our world. How do we respond? Do we choose what is easy or risk it all for what is right? I loved this quote: "But always do what you know to be right-- no matter the cost. Above all things, our choice to remain faithful in the face of uncertainty is sacred to God and he will honor it in his time. Do not give up on God; He will hold you fast."

What a memorable cast of characters, especially Lila de Laurent and Sandrine Paquet, The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is a heart-stopping tale of life under Nazi occupation.

"The world was right back where they started, only now the enemy had won."

"They were staking their claim on her existence and more ways than one, and her heart cried the whole way home."

"Beauty changes as we change, doesn't it? The things we thought we were supposed to do and be once upon a time, they evolved as we do. "

What a lesson to learn that even those who do right, appearances have caused them to be wrongly judged. "Collaboratrice horizontals!"

"That God would hear the desperate cries of His people. That He would prove faithful. And that though the day tarried, they must always cling to faith, for it would surely come. "

In the author's note:
"We have a call to remember history as it was, to uncover the truth, to spotlight the savage consequences of sin, and to educate future generations so that those brutal mistakes might never be repeated. For the lives lost, the lives lived, and the lives yet to come...... may we never forget."

I HIGHLY recommend The Paris Dressmaker!
Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an early ebook copy of this book. I can't wait to get a copy of this book to add to my keeper shelf!

The Parisians

Exciting, heartbreaking, and romantic this book held my interest and kept me reading. I sometimes found it a little challenging to keep the different timelines straight, but the book was so worth it.

Paris was the hub of fashion before the war. Fashion houses hired seamstresses to work for them Sketches were drawn up, measurements taken, and the seamstress would cut and hand-stitch the garments.

This is the story of seamstresses Lila, Amelie, and Sandrine. Lila and Sandrine worked with the resistance while Amelie became a collaborator with the Nazi's. The choices were not easy for women in these times with their men off fighting. They had to make hard choices and sacrifices, Some were often not given a choice if they wanted to save loved ones.

The story is of the woman Parisians during World War II. The romances between Rene and Lila and Christian and Sandrine were a large part of the story. The women that fought and aided the French resistance were a prominent part of the book.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Kristy Cambron, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

"War didn't offer choices. And it sure didn't leave room for negotiation where the game was concerned. You walked a thin line between life and death, praying you knew which side was which when the game was over."

Lila de Laurent knew fashion. At the start of the war, she was designing clothes for a top designer in Paris and was hoping to marry her sweetheart. But the war changed everything.

Sandrine Pauquet had a son. She hoped for more children with her husband. She wanted to use her art degree. But the war changed everything.

How does Lila's dress designing abilities make a difference in the war effort? How does Sandrine's art background play a part in the war? What draws these two strangers together in the end?

Many books have been written about World War 2 Europe. I think this book should stand above many others. This is why.

1) This is a clean book with little to no swearing, limited descriptions of violence and only implied situations of impropriety.
2) This book celebrates the heroism of the Paris Resistance rather than focusing on the atrocities of the war. Of course, we need to not forget about those who suffered. That was horrible. And there are those who lose everything in this book. But at the same time, sometimes we can focus so much on the wicked elements that we forget that were those who were trying to do good.
3) Personal choices are emphasized. Not everyone featured in the book had humanity's best interests in mind., and there was a clear line between good and evil.
4) After reading this book, I understand more about what Paris would have been like during World War 2. The author's descriptions are so well done that I felt as if I was strolling (or scurrying in some scenes) down the City of Lights.
5) The characters are extremely well-developed. The reader was able to get to know several key figures and begin to understand how certain types of people would have affected the war.
6) Certain parts were not sugar coated. The reader would be able to understand some of the horrors without everything being completely written out.
7) The ending was hopeful - rebuilding rather than destruction.

This is a time slip book. For the first few chapters, I struggled to follow the exact format until I began to understand the pacing and sequencing.. My suggestion: pay careful attention to both the date and to the main character. While there are several important figures, Lila and Sandrine are the ones featured.
Faith is an important element. Trusting God despite suffering was one of the themes. So was patriotism. This book is intended for an English audience although some of the phrases were in French.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand more about the brave ones who fought back in World War 2. This may not have some of the shocking situations found in more mainstream novels, but I for one appreciated that. There was definitely enough action and suspenseful scenes to make this a compelling read. In fact, I think this is one that I will read again in the future - I enjoyed it that much!
Thank you to Thomas Nelson and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it was officially released. This was my first novel that I read by Kristy Cambron - I would definitely read more of her books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Kristy Cambron. When you read a book by Kristy you are instantly taken into another place and time. That was so true in The Paris Dressmaker. She gave us heart wrenching moments and believable characters you can't help but fall in love with. She is a master at writing duel time-lines. The Paris Dressmaker was more about two women in the same years, fighting the same war in France and the connecting factor was a Chanel dress. I thank Thomas Nelson for allowing me, through NetGalley, to read this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another great read by Kristy Cambron and she sure didn't disappoint. This quickly became a riveting read, and once you start you won't want to put it down.
We all know the story here, the lawless acts perpetrated on these people and an entire race or religion. So much hate, but we are with those who actually led a double life and worked with the Resistance, and risking all they had including their lives.
We walk in the shoes of those who work to counter the acts of those who are committing these horrendous acts on the people of Europe.
We put faces on these people, and one is the title of this book, what a talented woman, but a woman who cares deeply and uses her talents for the good of mankind. Can you even imagine doing what these people did, pretending you agreed with these terrorists, and using all of your gifts to subterfuge them!
This book is a great reminder that we need to never forget, and never repeat!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Two women in Paris, both of their stories in two different years that are just four years apart, but almost a world apart! Lila de Laurent is a dressmaker and while working with Chanel and then on her own, she is able to be a part of the Resistance in her own unique way. Sandrine Paquet says goodbye to her husband and must live with her in laws with her child and unfortunately catches the eye of a captain of the Nazi regime, but she uses him to her advantage to do her own part for the Resistance.

It took a bit for me to realize we had two women and both stories were to take place in 1939 and 1943 and would progress until they collide. Once realized, I reread a few pages and took some notes, so I could keep each woman's story apart, but what I loved most was when their stories ended up intermingling and the genius behind the way they did.

The timing of reading this book was interesting as I read it shortly after another book about a woman in the Resistance who was coordinating supply drops, so I appreciated seeing a different aspect of French women contributing to the war effort in their own way and how many different ways that could take place. Being in the heart of Paris in this book compared to the country of France in the other, I enjoyed the extra fever that was brought in this book as you saw the Nazi party come in and then retreat.

I have read most of Kristy Cambron's catalog and enjoyed each of them. I would love to complete her list and look forward to her next one!

Beautiful cover! Great story. I love reading about the resistance in WWII. My only "thing" with this book is that it can be a bit confusing with the different story lines and different times going on. I listened to my Kindle Fire read it to me, and I feel like I need to read the actual physical copy to really "get it" a little better. Very interesting story, though!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-copy. The opinions are entirely my own.

I am sure this will be an interesting read for some people but I found it difficult to follow. I couldn’t stay engaged with the characters. Sorry to say I did not finish so I will not post my review on Goodreads.

There are a lot of stories to follow. -- not just two stories alternating between two women, but also two timelines for each woman. For this reason, the novel requires some dedication to get into it. But readers who are able to stick with it will be rewarded.

The history behind stolen art pieces and the Resistance work is fascinating. Fans of war fiction, art, and fashion will find much to enjoy in these pages.

Aside from the multiple narratives, my other complaint is that the pace is somewhat uneven, languorous in parts and action-packed in others.

Overall, the character development is strong. I liked how the women turned out to be courageous. Cambron does a good job of showing the women's disparate backgrounds and hopes and dreams.

I always wonder what I would have done in Occupied France during WW2 if I lived there and then. Would I have been a bold, fearless Resistance fighter, a collaborator with the Vichy police or Nazis (never!) or someone who did nothing else but keep her head down and survive. The women is this novel were bold and fearless, swiping secrets and documentation out from under the Nazi's noses while smiling, subserviantly. There was lots to admire in Lila and Sandrine and the thousands of women who took a stance during the war.
The author wrote her characters with flaws and insecurities, with grit and compassion and lots of courage and quick thinking. I loved the fashion she weaved throughout and how the book started with Lila running through the forest in a delicate, silk evening dress. It gave the reader an understanding that fashion and culture would be instrumental in what drove these women on.
If you love historical fiction and WW2, this is a very worthy read. I couldn't put it down!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is historical fiction at its finest. The research behind this beautifully written story about some of the brave women of The Resistance is impeccable. The story is moving and memorable. And important.