The Secrets of Latimer house by Jules Wake is a beautifully written story based on true facts. Latimer house in Buckinghamshire was used in WW2 secretly for interrogation of German POW’s.
It’s 1943, three young women, Evelyn, Betty, and Judith all from different walks of life are brought to Latimer house to do their bit for the war. Each has a different role to play to get information from the German prisoners to help win the war. The story is of friendship, integrity, and bravery and resilience of the three girls. But what they did they had to be kept a secret, which was at time hard for all the girls.
Thank you Harper Collins One more chapter for a copy of ‘The Secrets of Latimer House for an honest review. WW2 is one of my favourite subjects of historical fiction and I have read many. This is the first book from the author that I have read and will look at their previous novels. This was a brilliant suspenseful historical novel that I really enjoyed and cannot fault it any way. 5 stars from me.

A really enjoyable story of 3 very different women. Each chapter focuses on the story from each woman’s perspective and it was a great read. The story flows really well and the characters are really well written. Would highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

The story of the secret life that went on at Latimer House during WW2 is intriguing. The friendship which springs up between the village girl, Betty, who starts out as a typist, Evelyn, the upper class girl from landed gentry, and Edith, the Jewish girl who has escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany, is as unlikely as it is endearing. The story, whilst based in fact, concentrates on these three strong women, and how they fight their way through the challenges that they encounter, as they all strive to find their niche in the vital war work that secretly goes on at Latimer House.
The three characters leap off the page, they are beautifully written and so well rounded, and their story never flags. It is a testament to all the women who had to find their own way through these terrible war years, and to the strength of true friendship. The narrative does not shy away from the horrors of bombing in London, and the atrocities being perpetrated in Germany, or the effects on people, but it does not dwell overlong on these aspects, thankfully.
The burgeoning romances add much human interest to the story, and help to lighten the mood.
A beautifully written WW2 novel which I greatly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

I love books about women in the war and this didn't disappoint and I learnt about a new area of work in WW2.
We meet three very different women who end up working at Latimer House a centre for interrogating German prisoners of war. Evelyn is a society beauty with a missing fiance, Betty a local girl who isnt just a pretty face and Judith a Jew who has escaped Germany. Their stories are cleverly woven together and historical fact mixes with fiction to give a beautiful story.
Inwould lime a sequel please

I loved reading this book. WW2 is one of my favourite points in history to read about, and I loved reading about these roles that women took on during the war. All 3 girls were so lovely to read about, and I loved seeing the friendship that developed between them, while they worked to help win the war

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this historical novel. It was a joy to read, totally captivating and beautifully written. The blending of characters from differing backgrounds and cultures gave rise to a united front at the time of WW2, producing the new age of breaking down social barriers. Research for this novel brought to light many aspects of the little known intelligence operations taking place behind closed doors. Ultimately this was a novel of a fight for survival, not just collectively but for the individual characters harnessing the bonds and love of new friendships.

Delightful!, heartwarming! Strong female characters! Blossoming love! Eternal Friendship!

This book was wonderful from beginning to end. I didn’t want to put it down. Evelyn, Betty and Judith are beautifully strong and caring women and their friendship is such an important part of this book. I loved each of the female characters and having them be so different from each other made the friendship special. The author did an amazing job of not only creating the characters but also this storyline. I did not know about this intelligence gathering facility during WWII and it was nice to learn about and to see women not only doing such vital work but being appreciated for their intelligence.

If you like WWII books then you will love this one. It touches on different people me how war affects each of us even if we aren’t in the middle of the action.

Thank you to One More Chapter, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for asking me if I would like to read this ARC. It was greatly appreciated.

Absolutely brilliant.
I loved the writing style and it's my favourite genre. I believe we all need to read about the horrific period during the war and read about the bravery of women an men that worked on trying to find out about Hitler plans.
This is based around 3 different female characters who were all based at Latimer House. They all had fiffeent roles but were do important. The friendship and loyalty runs through the book. And its full of drama
6 stars from me!
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A good storyline with good characters I really enjoyed this and shall be looking out for other books by this author

Latimer House in the English countryside near Amersham is a secret base where allied troops interrogate captured German soldiers and sailors. Three very different women are recruited.

Evelyn, a society heiress whose father and brother are fighting for King and country, previously engaged to a German aristocrat her impeccable German and good looks help to make the prisoners more amenable.

Judith a German Jew who lost everything in Kristallnacht has been in England since 1938 but has never truly fit in. Her job will be to listen to private conversations between prisoners in their cells to see if they reveal any secrets away from their interrogators.

Betty is a local girl, she relished working in London away from her fussy mother and her sort-of fiancé Bert, but concern for her younger sister leads her to request a transfer to work at the Distribution Centre which has been set up at the local stately home.

Billeted together, doing top secret work, these three women form an unlikely friendship.

I thought that this would be more like The Rose Code which I read and really enjoyed earlier this year. However, this was less about the work and more about the romances, pleasant enough but not what I was really looking for. Also, it was all a bit predictable and don't even get me started on the 'coincidence' at the USAF dance!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jules Wake is a new author to this reader and "The Secrets of Latimer House" was a wonderfully written story.
I usually shy away from war stories and when you come across a good one, such as this one, it was worth the read. I didn't know what to expect as I was anticipating on reading a typical WW2 novel. So, this one proved me wrong and I was drawn in from the beginning.

The story features society heiress, Evelyn, farm girl Betty and German ex-pat Judith who become friends as they are joined together in WW2 at the Latimer House to work in secret in Buckinghamshire. All three women have very unique backgrounds, are strong and intelligent, and skilled at what they do and were likeable characters that had a desire to contribute in anyway to win the war. Their friendship was heartwarming and loyalty to one another at times brought tears to my eyes. This was a well-written and beautiful story. It contained love, sorrow, hope, and the remnants and realities left from a devastating war. Not having a familiarity/history of WW2, this read as well researched bit of historical fiction that gave me a glimpse into the secrets inside the Latimer House during that time period. This is one novel based on war time that will stick in my memory and one that I very much recommend the read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Secrets of Latimer House is completely different from anything I have read before from this author and it certainly lives up to expectations.

The story of Evelyn, Judith and Betty: three women from very different backgrounds who bond during World War II when they are billeted together at Latimer House, a country estate where secrets abound.

An interesting well written story with a cast of strong determined women which made for an excellent read.

Outstanding, struggled to put it down and when I did I was still thinking about the storyline and when I could grab five more minutes to read it again!

I have read a lot of war based fiction but none about Latimer House before so as well as a strong storyline it was educational too.

Likeable characters always make a book easier to read and this was the case in this book. Each had their own 'history' and strong storyline which all tied together really well as friends.

I'd love there to be another in the series to see how things go at the end of the war but there is not mention of another book. I will certainly watch for this author in the future. You have made a weekend of being poorly more bearable, thank you!

What a captivating and beautifully written story about three, strong young women who have signed The Official Secrets Act to work within the top secret confines of Latimer House in the English countryside of Buckinghamshire.
Betty, a country girl from the village; Evelyn, an English socialite and Judith, a Jewish girl who has escaped Germany are thrown together as room mates in Latimer House. They all have different backgrounds, personalities and problems but they all have one thing in common - their desire to help the allies win the war and their hope for a better future.
The friendship they develop and the love and loyalty they have for each other brings tears and joy to the reader.
A real page turner and a must read for lovers of historical fiction !

I love stories like this as you see what effect war has on everyone from those fighting for freedom to those at home missing and worrying about their loved ones and then there are the people doing their bit for at home . Despite horrendous times their resilience is admirable. I do hope that the author will go back and revisit these characters again.

Set in Buckinghamshire during WWII, this fabulously intriguing book is based on a true location, Latimer House, where interrogations were held. The author writes beautifully of sorrow and love, the realities of war, human resilience and hope even under the darkest of circumstances. Each time I read a novel depicting this era (and I read every one I can get my hands on) my hope is for something different and this one has that special je ne sais quoi which elevates it. It has soul.

Evelyn, Betty and Judith are young women who are billeted together in Latimer House. Though their histories, abilities and personalities are very dissimilar, they are all eager to serve during the war. I love how the author describes and weaves their background stories with the present, absolutely seamless. She also writes about the effects war has on each and on others. Their duties are incredibly interesting, too, as they find their niche. Not only that but there is romance, love and friendship.

Historical Fiction and Women's Fiction readers ought to add this to the top of of their to be read lists. It is well worth your time. Thoroughly enjoyable.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wondrous book.

Enjoyable novel about an unknown, for very obvious reasons, aspect of WW2. Based on real events it describes eavesdropping on German prisoners to learn about unknown strategies, guided tours of London to demonstrate how false Hitler's propaganda was; and, perhaps most importantly, how the needs of a country at war can, and did, change women's lives.

With thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC.

I have read one Jules Wake book before (Christmas in Covent Garden) and on checking I found that I gave it a good review so thought I would request this title. The Secrets of Latimer House is a great story and is certainly worthy of a five star review. . It is set in my favourite reading period - WW2 - and involves strong women doing interesting and important work. I hadn't heard about Latimer House before and loved this tale based around the covert work being undertaken there. Betty, Judith and Evelyn are three very different women and make for an excellent cast of main characters with their different backgrounds, histories and hopes. I loved it. With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this title. It didn't say that it was an unproofed copy so I hope that the several pr00f-reading issues are sorted out before publication.

Wow! This is a fantastic story! Friendship, duty, loyalty, strength, guilt, sorrow, love and hope all woven together into a book that will have you cheering on this these three very different women as they struggle with life as it is in 1943-44, have pride in what they can contribute and have hope for a brighter future.

It was a pleasure to read about Evelyn, Judith and Betty as they discover the strength within themselves during this time of war. They all stepped forward into roles that never would have been their futures without war. It was empowering and sometimes heartbreaking to read. The omnipresent of males trying to keep woman in their place, at the same time of desperately needing them in the work force while most men were off fighting.

This book is a snapshot of the work done fighting the war with intelligence to gain knowledge of the enemy to hopefully end the war sooner. The work done in Latimer House was essential to the war effort and the people working there accepted the duty with expecting no thanks, since it was done in secret.

The author wrote an amazing book. It was definitely a page-turner for me. I was anxious finish the book to see where the plot would end, and at the same time wanting to read slower to not leave the story and these wonderful characters that I got to know so well behind me.

This is definitely a must read for any Historical Fiction or Women’s Fiction fans. Also, I will add that I love this amazing book cover! Release date August 30, 2021.

I want to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

1943: Three women each with a different skill are posted to Latimer House deep in the English countryside. Evelyn Brooke-Edwards - a lieutenant who thought she would be demoted after an incident with a senior officer but she has excellent technical knowledge. Judith Stern, a German jew is now in the ATS having previously worked in an aircraft factory but hiding her nationality for obvious reasons. Betty Connors, locally born and bred and knows the big house of old is not really sure why her less than speedy or perfect typing skills are required. The three women sign the official secrets act so can't even tell each other what they are doing but each knows they are a key part to the war effort. This was easy to get into- there is quickly a camaraderie amongst the women along with a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Betty and Evelyn soon find that they have similar experiences with bullies and that the men around them are of a different breed. Judith finds out more about what is going on in her homeland and struggles to come to terms with it. A story of determination and friendships and of putting the past behind you- however difficult that may be. Based on true events- Latimer house was a distribution centre. “ Friendship improves happiness and abates grief by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief” ( Cicero)
( rest o flinks on publictation)