Oh wow. As a history lover this author definitely did her research and it shows. I literally was on the edge of my seat and LOVE the way the characters felt so real. It takes slot to give me the emotional connection with the characters and storyline and this author nailed it! A must read of 2021 it's definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

I am a big lover of historical fiction. This book was very good, I feel like it skipped around and sped through things from time to time and would of liked to see some of the action scenes given a little bit more attention. It has a complicated love triangle that makes the book interesting. I also enjoyed the ending where the author used bits and pieces of real life characters (Julia Childs) and wove them into the narrative.

I have become obsessed with all the books being published about women in the resistance during WWII. Previous to all these well wriiten, interesting historical fiction novels, I had an avid interest in Wild Bill Donovan's OSS. And here's the book I've been hoping for. 100 gold stars for Jane Healey's The Secret Stealers!

Lately I have read several books about the OSS (Office of Strategic Services.) Usually about the women who helped the resistance during World War II.

The Secret Stealers is another book in that genre following Anna Cavanaugh, a young widow who has been recruited by a family friend.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it really covered the whole process from beginning to end. We really get inside Anna’s mind as she decides whether or not to do this. How she convinces her family that this is the right thing for her at the time. The friendships she makes during training and then the missions themselves.

It does turn into a bit of a romance, with Anna trying to decide between two men. But I don’t feel that took away from the story. It made it a lighter read, but still enjoyable.

The Secret Stealers is the newest book by the author of The Beantown Girls, which I read last year and adored, so I knew I was in for a good read.

This book has an American female spy during WWII plot. I liked that it set up how the main character got into her role with the government instead of just starting off the bat with her in France.

Of course it also has some romance which I was expecting. It was all closed door for those curious about steam level.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this one. It had likeable characters, a plot that kept my interest, and at times read like a faced-paced thriller.

It wasn't quite as of a unique storyline as The Beantown Girls, so those feeling oversaturated with WWII spy historical fiction might want to hold off on it for a bit.

4/5⭐️

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey follows Anna, a young and well-educated woman. After the death of her husband, she Is recruited by a friend to work at the Office of Strategic Services as a secretary. Anna, who is proficient in English, German and French, becomes an American spy in Nazi occupied France during WWII. She is able to transmit translated messages and is in constant danger as resistance workers are tortured or killed if caught.

Wonderfully researched and skillfully written!

Great historical fiction about Anna, a 25-year old, who is introduced in the world of spying which she has to navigate in France during the World War 2 era. Anna who became a widow and thought she lost it all, finds strength and purpose in her job that only a selective few are capable of.

This was, hands down, a great book and I was enthralled from the start. It had a strong female protagonist, characters with depth, action, intrigue, twists, and detailed word-building. Not just all of this, but it was historical and based on real people. THE SECRET STEALERS by Jane Healey was also an excellent read.
Recent widow Anna Cavanaugh is college-educated and from a good family. She’s convinced that she’s meant for more than teaching French and living under her parents’ roof attending whatever social obligations her family throws at her. When a family friend gives her the opportunity to come work for him in the newly formed Office of Strategic Services, she jumps at the chance. Working for the head of the new group trying to up the US’s spy game in during, Anna works to gain more confidence and prove that she can be an asset. Anna is fluent in French and spent a year in Paris, who better to send in to gather intelligence to assist the Allies?
Fast-paced, well-written, and thoroughly engrossing, this is a great one for fans of WWII fiction, historical fiction, and just-plain good fiction. Anna is a strong character, beset by guilt and doubts, who learns to trust herself and gains confidence in her strength and abilities.
This is the second book I have read by Healey and she continues to impress. You won’t want to put this one down.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheSecretStealers #JaneHealey #LakeUnionPublishing

All in all, I found the story to be a light read that you quickly complete in an afternoon. My only real issue is that at times it wasn't as fluid as I would have liked. This was most noticeable to me at the beginning when we are getting introduced to the OSS department and Anna's introductions to new individuals or situations. Some of the introductions felt a little awkward as I read through them and drew me out of the story as I saw that they were items to check off before the story began. But overall, it was a good read with a lot of historical details.

EARLY ESPIONAGE!

Author Jane Healey has found her niche in writing Historical WWII Fiction. THE SECRET STEALERS is a grand telling of the story of a group of young women who dare to live clandestine lives as active members of the Office of Strategic Services. The main character is Anna Cavanaugh, a young widow and brilliant French teacher at a private school in Washington, D.C. She’s personally recruited by family friend and WWI hero Major General William Donovan. Donovan recognizes something within her and the other girls who become Anna’s fast friends: Maggie, her mentor; Irene, who is trying to garner support from her husband for her decision to join this group; and Julia a cheerful OSS liaison. As Anna learns more about the OSS and what they do, the more she longs for a station overseas where she feels she can truly make a difference. The day comes when Anna gets her opportunity to serve as an OSS spy in the French Resistance to help steal critical intelligence that could ultimately turn the tide of the war. Anna quickly discovers that being a spy makes her feel more alive than doing anything else she has ever done in her life and she is also very good at the game! She has found the calling on her life and one that will make a difference and help to liberate France from the shadows of occupation and free her self from the shadows of her former life. This novel is another great read by author Jane Healey!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

The Secret Stealers is an amazing tale of World War II, from the perspective of a young American woman who works for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), America’s then-new intelligence/spy service. Anna winds up being trained to be a wireless operator and is flown into occupied France under cover to help the Resistance. The topic is reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris, but this book is quite different (and to my mind, more enjoyable). One of the underlying themes is that men often/always underestimated the capabilities of women, and that, oddly enough, made them more likely to succeed in their efforts. There are some great scenes involving high stakes, both in Washington, DC and in France. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was delighted to find out, per the author’s note at the end, that many of the people featured in the story were either real people or based on real people and events.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am always excited for new historical fiction because #histfic is my fave!!! I was especially excited for this book because The Beantown Girls by this same author, @healeyjane is one of my all-time favorite books! Plus, I had a few booksta friends join me for a buddyread, which is always a good time.⁣⁣
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I loved reading about these strong, brave, female spies during WW2. It was fun to read a little about DC at that time and the cameos from celebrities of that era (John Wayne, Julia Child...) were really interesting touches as well. I was not a fan of all of the choices the girls made in their love lives, but that did not keep me from loving the action-packed story. This was a fast-paced, historical fiction read and I definitely enjoyed and recommend it! I am a big fan of Jane Healey and look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next!⁣⁣

My absolute favorite thing about historical fiction is when the author puts in the time and research for the time period. In Jane Healey’s newest release, THE SECRET STEALERS, it is so clear that there was a lot of time and effort put into the accuracy of this novel. Our main character’s actions and efforts with the OSS are based on true events of the female spies in WWII. I had no idea there were so many women that were going behind enemy lines to help liberate France in WWII – this was so interesting to learn about!

Anna is a young widow and a French teacher at a Washington, DC private school. One day, Anna is recruited to the Office of Strategic Services and she immediately finds her new calling. All of the organization”s missions are making her want to be stationed overseas to help. Her opportunity finally comes and it sends her to be a spy in the French Resistance to gain intelligence that could completely change the war. Such high risks being behind enemy lines but Anna knows that it’s for the good of her country.

Not only is there the historical accuracy part but it is also beautifully written. I really enjoyed this book and learning about just a small portion of what these incredible and inspiring women did. I highly recommend picking this one up!

What an amazing book! It’s a story of women spies in WWII France. It’s a story of heroism and strength, love and loss, secrets and trust. The story is told in a way you can see yourself in the story, in German occupied France. The bravery of everyone involved in the resistance is simply amazing. I loved the strength of the women in this book. Women were, and still are in many cases, underestimated. The women could accomplish what men could not because the Nazi’s did not suspect them. They dove headfirst into danger and kept going into danger because they believed in their cause. A wonderful book for everyone to read!!!

I have professed my love for all things Paris many a time, but one of my favorite genres to read about one of my favorite places is historical fiction. Cozying up with a really good book that also has the potential to teach us some history? I’m in!

No matter how many times I pick up a book about World War ll I always know I’m in for a great story. What I loved most was how the author chose to weave the story with both fact and fiction in a beautiful, captivating story about the American Women working in the Office of Strategic Services.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours + Get Red PR + NetGalley for my review copy for the book tour!

Usually I find spy stories to be formulaic and interchangeable, but I LOVED The Secret Stealers! Female spies are rare in historical fiction, and Anna is such an interesting character. I empathized with her and rooted for her the whole way. Healey does a great job of waving in real-life people from the era, adding to the authenticity and showing she did her homework.

A young woman feels the need to do more than teach privileged students French at a private school. When the opportunity comes, she jumps in with both feet. There is no hesitation, just a need to do more. Immediately, I knew that she would have a bigger part in the WWII war efforts. She would do amazing things, see things I would never want to, and have experiences that terrify me. Most of all I knew she would be a hero. I was not disappointed with her story, her life, her drive at all.

The story of the OSS sending women right into war zones because women are questioned less due to men expecting less of them is not a new story, but Jane Healey told it in a new way to me. I loved how detailed the story was. I could picture the places that Anna was sent, hear the voices of the people she met, and feel her fear as she went places that many were trying to escape. The story came alive as I read word after word unable to put the book down.

Whether you are a professional WWII reader (my favorite genre) or new to the genre this book will bring the war alive to you. You will meet brave and amazing characters. Learn wonderful and horrific things about what happen to people and places during the war. Most of all you will be transported to a time and place that I am lucky to not have lived in but love to learn so much about.

I love books set during WW2, especially when they are explored from a fresh perspective. The Secret Stealers is one such book that follows resistance fighters, predominantly an American woman called Anna.

Despite coming from a privileged background and living in a country barely affected by the war, Anna feels strongly about becoming a spy after being offered a job in the highly huh-hush Office of Strategic Services. Her determination, fluency in French, and female status, fast-track her into becoming stationed in Paris as a wireless operator. There she reunites with friends, tricks the Germans into revealing crucial intel, and rekindles a lost love. From high0risk risk operations to finding love, The Secret Stealers has it all.

Although I wouldn't say this is the best WW2 book I've ever read, it was still really enjoyable, well written, and explored from a different perspective. I loved the characters and felt Anna's emotions and strength radiate through the pages. I'm not a fan of romance but I felt like this element suited the nature of the novel, i.e. living each day like it's your last and trying to find happiness in every moment. Although there wasn't as much tension as I've felt in other similar books, I still enjoyed reading about the different operations, especially after reading the author's note and finding out that many were based on real-life events. I also loved that the main protagonist was a female spy; I think we can all appreciate a strong female lead, especially in a time when women were so underestimated in their abilities to do anything outside of being dutiful housewives and child-bearers.

This was my first Jane Healey book but certainly won't be my last.

I know what you’re thinking – yet another WWII spy story. And yes, it does feel like I’ve been reading quite a lot of these lately. In fact, if this hadn’t been by Healey, I’m not sure if I would have asked for the ARC of this novel. I mean, how can you top something like Code Name Helene, which was one of my favorites of 2020? But the beauty of novels and different authors is that they always seem to find a slightly new angle for their stories. Healey went with an American woman who gets involved with the OSS as an assistant (actually glorified secretary) but due to her language skills and natural talents, ends up being upgraded to working in Nazi occupied Paris, sending intel back to the US and London, and getting involved in other dangerous missions. While Anna is a fully fictional character, she’s surrounded by both real (Donovan) and thinly veiled representations of some of these true heroes.

I will admit straight away that this book didn’t engage me quite as immediately as Healey’s previous novel, “Beantown Girls.” In that book, I was absorbed from the very beginning, and with this book, it took some time before I felt connection to Anna and her various companions. This is probably because in Beantown, the trio were central to the whole book, while here Anna was the primary protagonist, with different sets of lesser characters around her at different stages of her work. This made me wonder if it is easier to build a truly empathetic character when you have constant relationships surrounding them to help fill out the story. That’s one possibility. Another possibility is that Healey wrote Anna using a singular, first-person voice, which means we have less of a chance to see her through others’ eyes, and thereby get a more well-rounded character.

Thankfully, the further I got into the novel and Anna’s story, the more involved I became with her and her motivations. Here too, as with Beantown, there are romances surrounding these characters, and Anna gets more than her fair share! First, she is a widow, although her marriage was both short-lived and not a terribly happy one. Then there’s Henri, the man she met in France when studying abroad, but leaves to get married to her fiancé back home. She ends up finding him again in when she returns to work with the Resistance. Finally, there’s Phillip, the man she meets while in training to work with the OSS. Obviously, there’s some conflict there, and while we have our theories regarding who she’ll end up with, we can sense in advance that there will be tragedy for her to deal with. How Healey deals with this is very interesting, and helps us appreciate Anna all the more. I was actually looking forward to that enviable scene that would have me tearing up, but for some reason, while I was saddened by the event, it didn’t get me reaching for the tissues, I’m afraid.

Now, that doesn’t mean this book isn’t good, because it really is. Healey has a whole lot going on here with Anna, and we truly grow to like her very much. However, I’m afraid I didn’t fall in love with her, despite her wonderful moxie and spunk. This could be because it took me a while to really get involved in her story, but I have to admit that Healey picked up the pace near the end so much that I was afraid that maybe my copy might have been missing chapters, since I was sure she’d give me more. On the other hand, leaving us wanting more and wondering what will happen after the last page is something I do welcome in a novel, so that’s in its favor. So, while I think I still prefer her Beantown Girls to this novel, I can still recommend this book and give it a very healthy four out of five stars.

2021 is turning out to be "the year where I read a ton of historical fiction" - luckily, each book in the genre i've read so far has been pretty decent. The Secret Stealers is no exception. When Anna Cavanaugh takes a job working for family friend Major General William Donovan (WWII buffs probably recognize this name - yes, he was real, and yes, he was kind of a badass. For those of you who aren't familiar with WWII-era US history, i'll give you this: founding father of the CIA).

Anna quickly becomes close with other women in the organization, and the bits and pieces we get of their friendship are some of my favorite parts of the book. Anna and a few of her friends are eventually sent overseas (to different countries) and she becomes a spy in France (very interesting, VERY dangerous).

In terms of historical fiction, this is a little bit lighter. Yes, there are some incredibly sad parts, and Healey doesn't shy away from the horrors and aftermath of war, but compared to other books in the genre i've read, it's a bit tame (this isn't a criticism, I would highly recommend this book to readers who are wanting to dip their toe in the WWII fiction world, or those who are a bit more sensitive when it comes to the tougher topics).

Thank you Get Red PR for the finished copy of The Secret Stealers!