I loved the references to books, bookstores and libraries. I love that these women were smart and brave. Also, liked the settings and do not think I have read a WWII historical fiction taking place in Lisbon. I did have a difficult time connecting with the characters. I will read more from this Author.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Hanover Square Press, & HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I had RIDICULOUSLY high hopes for this book based on the author's debut, The Last Bookshop in London - and while this was by no means a bad book, it also didn't hit me the same way that The Last Bookshop did.

I think part of the appeal of the TLBIL was how insular it was in its scope; the entire story pretty much took place in a couple square blocks of London, even as it had a myriad of different characters, whereas The Librarian Spy spans way more area and has a ton of different characters.

I liked learning about some aspects of the history of Portugal during WWII - the neutrality of the country isn't something I remembered learning about in school and was very interesting (Portugal stayed neutral until 1944 and then became "non-belligerent" in the favor of the Allies).

Overall I liked the book and thought the ending wrapped things up nicely, although one huge caveat is that this book does not shy away from openly discussing the horrors of what happened to Resistance members in France and some of those passages were hard to read.

This book is best read in a wooden arm chair next to a slowly dying fire; it would be best to be wearing a sweater or something else sturdy with a whiskey on the rocks (or a non-alcoholic Fever Tree Ginger Beer) on the side table next to you.

The Librarian Spy
by Madeline Martin
Pub Date: July 26, 2022
Hanover Square Press
Being a librarian, you had my attention as soon as I saw the cover!! Then the title was a sure bet! The Librarian Spy! What a great book!
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of the book! From the New York Times, bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.
This story blew me away! I loved it and will be purchasing it for our library.
5 stars

I enjoyed this book but didn't love it like I did The Last Bookshop in London. It felt like the author was trying too hard, but it's a decent historical read.

5 STARS

This is the first time I've read a story set during the Resistance. This is a heart wrenching story that is not sugar coated and felt I was experiencing the action first hand. When someone was taken from their home and you knew the outcome I felt I lost someone.

The story is told from two POV. In the beginning it was easy to follow but as the stories added more and more layers it was hard to remember what happened where you left off with the previous character. Because you went to Elaine from the Resistance and her spy group, then to Ava the Librarian and her spy group. I'm sure it's because I'm old.

This is a clean story only a few kisses. It's one of the most suspenseful novel's I've read. I've been to the concentration camps in Poland and Germany and this book, brought all the feelings I had when I visited and mourned what happened. I wish I could convey the exceptional talent of this writer in how she brought this history to life.

You are treated to a very suspenseful and tragic story with character's that aren't cookie cutter.

I received ARC, all opinions are my own and freely given. (ljb)

LIBRARY - CHECK
HISTORICAL - CHECK
SPYS - CHECK
CONGRESS RARE ROOM - CHECK
RESISTANCES - CHECK
WW2 - CHECK

YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. I am obsessed with anything that is historical fiction with libraries, so please take my review with a grain of salt. I am the type of gal who enjoyed AP US Government and adored this type of book. Madeline Martin has done it again with this one, and I can't wait to have this in my hands on this bad boy when she comes out. Ava Harper, a librarian at the lIbrary of congress, is offered a unique experience of being a spy for the US military. Elaine just started an apprenticeship at a printing press. Together, these women help Jewish families escape told in the most beautiful way. Madeline just has a way of making history come alive on paper. If you are a lover of historical fiction or anything WW2, this needs to be your next read.

Thank you to Netgalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons For the Advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review

The Librarian spy by Madeline Martin
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on July 26th, 2022.

Writing: 2.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 3.5/5
The story of two brave women during WWII — Ava Harper, a Library of Congress rare book librarian, recruited to spy in Lisbon, and Helene Belanger, a determined member of the French Resistance in Lyon — conspire to make at least one happy ending in a world that is utterly falling apart.

There were some very interesting aspects of this book: I’m a sucker for stories about books, librarians, and the printed word -- and these all figured prominently. The author included a lot of accurate details about the processes (think bureaucracy and visas), technologies (Roneo machines!), and cultural practices of the time and place. The focus on both the French Resistance and “neutral” Portugal covered aspects of WWII that I haven’t read much about previously and were interesting, accurate, and detailed.

On the other hand, this book is really perfect for the kind of person who loves drama and appreciates how well the horror of war is depicted in the suffering of individuals — and I am not that person! The characters definitely draw you in, and I found myself crying frequently throughout because it would be impossible not to. But in truth, I found this book to be overwrought, consistently cliched, and far more melodramatic than I like which is disappointing because I very much liked Martin’s previous novel The Last Bookshop in London. It’s almost as though it were written by another writer.

Some of the writing actually made me cringe — “The Nazis had hovered over Lyon since the occupation, but now their breath whispered hot and fetid at the neck of the Resistance network.” And Ava’s behavior — while exemplary — did not in any way earn the incredible accolades that were awarded to her, giving the book more of an unrealistic Romance kind of feel, rather than historical fiction with a serious theme.

Still — plenty of action and drama, and I’m sure there are those for whom it will be a good reading experience. Bring plenty of Kleenex, and park your sunny disposition in the closet. It won’t be needed.

The Librarian Spy was right up my alley. I studied World War II Europe in college, and am a Public Librarian.

The story starts at a pretty leisurely pace with Ava working at the Library of Congress in The Rare Books Room, and then ramps up with the Librarian of Congress telling Ava to go to an address in DC, and Ava being sent to Portugal with the IDC to microfilm newspapers. Elaine is in Lyon, France, shortly after the Germans take over Vichy, France. She and her husband have had a disagreement, but him disappearing is like this is pretty unusual.

Elaine wants to join the Resistance, and Joseph doesn't want her involved. However, after she gives her identity papers to a woman in desperate need, the Resistance saves her. She starts running a copier and then a printing press to get news to the other members of the Maquis.

Ava starts her new job, enjoying Lisbon and the characters around it and meets someone with the British library services, James. She also encounters a Nazi, Lukas, who keeps reappearing in her life. As she gets to know James more and he takes her to more places, she begins to wonder about him, who indeed he is working for and why?

The stories keep peeling back like an onion--but better! Ava and Elaine and their previous lives are revealed through thoughtful and provocative storytelling. Then, I found myself breathless during a few chapters and on the edge of my seat in others. This book was one heck of a ride! Emotions were high, action was also high and the storytelling was amazing. I stayed up too long past my bedtime to complete it.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical mysteries and libraries (or their workers!)

Absorbing historical fiction with settings I've never seen before in WWII stories. Of course I appreciated that one of the heroines was a librarian, although calling her the titular spy is a stretch.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Martin brings us into the horrors and inside war in Lisbon and Lyon. She has a way of making you see and hear everything that is happening.
The characters were interesting and so strong you want to help the too. ?I was totally involved in the story.

Ava Harper is a librarian in the Rare Book Room at the Library of Congress. Due to the nature of her work and her proficiency in languages, Ava is brought to the attention of the Office of Strategic Services which recruits her to head to Lisbon where she can obtain and disseminate underground pamphlets and newspapers to aid the Allies in intelligence gathering.

Helene Belanger (later to be renamed Elaine Rousseau) lives in Lyon, France, a hotbed of resistance by the Maquis, the young French men who have refused to work in Hitler's labor camps. They take to the forests and train in combat and weaponry for the defense of France.

The lives of these two women will run parallel and ultimately intersect as they work to rescue a Jewish mother and son desperate to reach family in America. In their personal lives, each woman is involved with a man whose role in the war effort makes them "utter strangers".

A cast of very strong secondary characters will set wheels in motion that help defeat Hitler as they labor to assist the Jewish mother and son.

Another compelling and totally readable work from the author of The Last Bookshop in London.

Madeline Martin does it again! After finishing The Librarian Spy, I had to take a day to sleep on the masterpiece I was luckily chosen to read. This book was absolutely remarkable. You can recognize immediately that it’s Martin’s writing. I appreciate the level of research Martin does for each novel she writes. For someone like me, who hasn’t been out of the country, I am able to visually see in my mind the places and characters by her descriptions from her writing. She is honest about the reality of each era she writes about. Even if that reality is not always wrapped up in a nice pretty bow. The era of this novel is set around the same era as her last book. The Last Bookshop in London. However, the locations, the characters and storyline are completely different. There is information about the War I had no idea existed, nor did I even think to look at it from the perspective Martin has provided.
Both of the main characters in this novel are brave, vulnerable, courageous, inspiring and lovable. I’m afraid if I write more, I will end up wanting to give away the whole story. If you enjoy historical fiction, purchase this book! Madeline Martin has easily become one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait for more of her books to come out.

This is a well-written, touching, emotional Historical World War II novel. You are given two ladies points of view. Helene/Elaine is living in Paris under the Nazis. Ava, an American Government librarian is working in Lisbon.

This novel will keep you glued to your chair as you cheer, cry as you read their stories. Well done.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was so moved by this book. Danger, intrigue, romance and heartbreak are skillfully woven into an amazing story of survival during World War II. Truly a masterpiece! Martin has outdone herself, breathing life into the streets of Lisbon and Lyon, capturing the heartbeat of its inhabitants during the war. I loved both Ava and Elaine’s stories, and their fight against evil.

A gripping story that takes you to the Nazi occupation of Lyon, France and American Allies in Lisbon, Portugal. The tale of two women; Helene/ Elaine lives in Lyon and becomes part of the French resistance manning a printing press and Ava who works at the American embassy in Lisbon gathering information regarding Hitler's plans and the truth about what he is doing to the Jewish community and sending it back to the United States with hopes to ending the war. This book is compelling and will grab hold from beginning to end and filled with danger and suspense and a bittersweet ending. It is well worth the read and the author has done an amazing job in researching and writing this wonderful story. I read an Advanced copy in Exchange of an Honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Librarian Spy
A Novel of World War II
Madeline Martin
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ava Harper thought that her job as a Librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a normal, quiet existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission. She is to pose as a Librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Elaine is in occupied Lyon, France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the resistance. Normally that job is only done by men, but in war rules like these are forgotten. She does this everyday, all day, knowing the Nazi's are searching for the press and it's printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine who are strangers find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.

This book just may be that one in a million that becomes special to so many different readers who read for their love of books. Madeline Martin where have you been hiding this side of writing? Talk about fantastic. This is an exceptional book. I had so many emotions flying through me when I was reading this book. I could be happy, then something would happen and I would really be upset. I felt like I was watching two different realities that were bound to collide at some point and oh did I ever have the sniffles at the end. I won't wreck it, but Ill be honest and tell you that you need to read this book. Its incredible. Ms. Martin you took history and found a way to make it live again and for that I thank you.

I love story was very captivating and thrilling tell me on my seat every minute of book. I enjoyed reading about the resistance in World War 2 in French

After falling in love with Martin's previous book, I knew The Librarian Spy was a MUST READ for me. Set during WWII, this novel feels fresh and unique within the historical fiction genre. This was the first time I'd read a book set in Portugal during this time period, and I was completely transported to the incredible setting. I had no idea that librarians were used as spies during the war and I really appreciated the research that went into this story.

I also loved Elaine's perspective, set in occupied France. This portion of the story was emotionally moving and absolutely inspiring. Martin masterfully sets the scene and creates characters that make the pages come alive.

This is another gorgeous read by Madeline Martin, full of courage, resistance and sacrifice, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to historical fiction fans! Plus... that cover. Could it be any more beautiful?

I love reading stories about women during the war. I love hearing about how women helped. I really enjoyed reading about how Ava and Elaine develop as characters. The plot was really good. I don’t like to give out spoilers.