Partner: Netgalley and Lake Union

I absolutely loved The Beantown Girls. The book just pulled me in from the start and had me thinking about it long after I finished. Needless to say I was very excited to come across Jane Healy’s upcoming book. And I so wanted to like this as much as Beantown Girls but unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

There were aspects of the story I enjoyed- particularly those centered around the work the OSE and the OSS agents did in France in WWII. And I absolutely loved it when I figured out who Julia was based on - very clever! What I struggled with was Anna and the romances that were such a central part of the story.

I really just felt they were overwrought and it took away from the story for me. I also became frustrated with predicting and then finding the story go as expected. I wish there had been some twist. Overall it was a story that kept me reading but one that didn’t wow like I so hoped it would.

An interesting and well written book about women intelligence gatherers in World War 2. I was fascinated by this story and intrigued by the work carried out and the bravery of the women involved. This is an inspirational read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

this was a really suspenseful read, I enjoyed going through this spy novel. I think it would make a really interesting movie.

#TheSecretStealers, #NetGalley and Jane Healey for allowing me an ARC. 3.5 stars

"A female American spy in Nazi-occupied France finds purpose behind enemy lines in a novel of unparalleled danger, love, and daring. Anna Cavanaugh is a restless young widow and brilliant French teacher at a private school in Washington, DC. Everything changes when she’s recruited into the Office of Strategic Services by family friend and legendary WWI hero Major General William Donovan."

This, my second book by Jane Healey was a little disappointing. I was thrilled with the Beantown Girls which was an Amazon First Read for me and I'm not sure why this one fell short. The characters didn't stand out for me and I think the battle scenes in Beantown made it more lively.It did have a great ending and the author's notes were terrific.

The Secret Sisters was a wonderfully
beautiful book. A world war 2 espionage style of book with fierce female characters that came together to create beautiful friendships. While there was a romantic side to this book, I deeply believe that the true romance was between women and how they can hold each other up and support each other. Even under the worst circumstances,.

Loved this book! Strong female and male roles. My husband and I are both into spy novels and who-done-its. Enjoyed all the references to the big Easter colleges. I was very interested how folks were assigned their roles in this story...very smart and gave the characters a chance to develop.

I just loved this book! What a beautifully written story of courage, friendship, and love in a time of war.

Anna’s character was so multi-faceted and underestimated, I just loved how she was able to stay true to herself while stealing secrets.

Women were so valuable to the war effort in so many ways and I think Jane Healey’s book depicts their services so well.

4.5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Jane Healy is one of the best historical fiction writers. The reading is smooth and effortless. Her characters are always rich, with depth. It’s always like you are walking along side of them. The amount of research is amazing and I always learn something. Anna is a very young widow, wandering and looking for direction in her life. When she meets with a friend of her fathers to interview, she learns he is running a govt operation and she wants in! Anna becomes a spy and amazes all of those around her. Including herself.

This is an amazing, incredible work of fiction that weaves many real=life stories into this fictionalized version of the men and women who served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). during World War II. Jan Healey expertly portrays many of the real men and woman, including William Donovan, the founder of OSS, as well as some of the actual thousands of OSS employees employed overseas during the French Resistance during World War II.

Anna Cavanaugh, 25 years old, and a widow for nearly a year desires to do something with her life that will make a difference. After a successful interview at the OSS office in Washington DC, where she lives, she accepts the position of Assistant to General William Donovan, who is friends with her father. Anna graduated at the top of her class and is fluent in French and German and studied in Paris, so It's not long before she feels she is capable of much more than the assistant job, and approaches General Donovan about being given a field position. When she successfully assists in an overnight mission, she requests to be sent to France to become part of the Resistance, serving as a Spy. . Soon she is off to France, and eagerly looking to partnering with her French friend, Josette, who is also a Spy. As part of the Resistance, the situations that Anna, Josette, and other members of the OSS team face during such tumultuous times take a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice and courage. This is a book that will keep you turning the pages to the very end. The research that Jane Healey put into this book is quite remarkable. Although this is a book of fiction, some situations actually happened, and at the end she describes what and who in the story plays a part in the actual history. I found this book fascinating.

Another book by Jane Healey that I loved!!!! During WWII, Anna feels she needs to play a bigger role in the war effort. She joins the the Office of Strategic Services and begins working on top secret missions. Follow Anna and her friends through their risky adventures, some leading to complete heartbreak!

This was a well written intense book with a lot of intrigue.
It was riveting and at times almost nail biting. I felt like I was right there looking over their shoulder, following them every step of the way. I really enjoyed the book and can definitely recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Loved this book and read it in a day! Great combination of a thriller and a romance and really enjoyed reading the notes about what was based off of real life.

The Secret Stealers was a page turner for me! The writing and development of the stories was well done, and I absolutely fell in love with the character, Anna. The plot was based on true accountings from WWII and the Resistance movement in Paris, making the unfolding of the story even that much richer! I have read other novels by Jane Healey, and always look forward to the next one. Highly recommend for those who appreciate the WWII stories with strong female characters.

A really enjoyable book about the involvement of the Americans in WW2. The importance of the collaboration between the various Allied nations is demonstrated. At the heart of the story are a number of romances and examples of the increased importance of women at this time. This is well-written and atmospheric, worth reading.

I very much enjoyed The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey. I appreciate well-researched historical fiction novels and you can tell how much research the author put into this. The book reminded me of the The Paris Library, which is another book about WWII and the inspirational heroes that kept Paris afloat while it was occupied by Germany. Like The Paris Library, this book is based on actual people although the story is fictional. One difference is that Healey likes to highlight strong women in her books - and I'm all for it!

The characters are well-developed and I found the main character, Anna Cavanaugh, very likable relatable. I've never experienced what she experienced, as I was not alive during WWII, but I could see myself in her shoes. Her bravery is admirable and I'd like to think that I would choose the same path that she did. She is head-strong and ambitious - much like myself.

Being from DC, I am familiar with the Intelligence Community and it was fascinating to see how the CIA was created and how it operated at that time (via the OSS).

Healey did a great job with character development but I would've liked to read more about the actual missions. The book seemed a bit anti-climatic until it got to the missions, but these parts felt short and left me wanting more. The ending also seemed rushed - I would've liked to hear more about Anna and Phillip after their reunion.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Watch out for Jane Healy's new novel about a woman of courage, an American spy in Nazi occupied France! Our heroine, Anna is bristling with inherent endangerment, risk and uncertainty. If you're having a boring week at home, this is the novel for you!

I told myself I'd take a break from WWII fiction for a while since there is so much of it available. But, I had made an exception for this because of 'The Beantown Girls' which was an excellent read! The character development and rich story line did not disappoint.

It is always astounding to me to see the level of research that goes into these historical fiction novels. Especially, how all the facts are interweaved into the story itself and how the author chooses to play out the plot using twists and turns with those facts.

The characters were plausible, convincing and definitely human most of all. Espionage mixed with historical fiction with extreme circumstances from an American point of view rolled into one novel that can hang with the likes of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Kate Quinn's The Alice Network.

The only criticism I have is that the conversational language at times doesnt feel as if it is from the 1940's. At times the language seems too modern but for me this didn't detract from the story at all, it was just something I briefly noticed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheSecretStealers

"They love having you around because we are young and pretty, and as I said, they underestimate us because of that too." - Jane Healey, the Secret Stealers

Anna Cavanaugh is approached at her husband's funeral by family friend, Major General William Donovan, with an offer of employment at the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). It's not long before Anna is given an opportunity to prove she is more than just a secretary and eventually finds herself undercover as a spy in Nazi occupied France.

This is the first novel I've read by Jane Healey although I have heard many good things about her last novel the Beantown Girls.

I read the synopsis of this book, saw the cover, and was instantly intrigued. As a Canadian, my knowledge of the American involvement during WWII is pretty much exclusive to the conflict with Japan. This book has intrigued me to do a little research on General Donovan, the OSS and Anna's friend Julia. That being said, this book was extremely well researched.

I enjoyed the overall message of the book about gender roles. Anna never let her gender stop her from chasing after her dreams.

The book started out slow with the pace picking up towards the second half. I think a lot of the scenes in the book felt rushed. As a result, I never really felt the stakes of her assignments or repercussions should the mission fail. The dangerous situations felt kind of glossed over. Had those situations been explored further I might have been more invested in the outcome of the story.

I felt at times there were a few implausible details included for the sake of pushing the plot forward. I think this book definitely has potential and is a solid WWII fiction read.

Thank you Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank You for allowing me to read this gem of a book. I could not put it down. The research is spectacular and the characters all wonderful. I wish I could have met these extraordinary women who took such treacherous risks and had to make difficult decisions. It is important to always remember what previous generations have been through especially now. Their courage was unstoppable and their love of life endless. This book gave me hope.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!! This book was unputdownable.

Young Anna Cavanaugh will go behind enemy lines to help the French Resistance. All though listed as Historical Fiction this book obviously had a lot of research behind it to make this not only an interesting novel but one in which you can learn more about history and WWII.
Anna is very driven to help with the resistance even though she will be in danger as a spy behind enemy lines. But Major General Donovan has faith in Anna and her friends in the organization and with his guidance they do the most they can do to help the resistance fight against their enemies.