As a huge fan of The Lilac Girls, I was looking forward to reading this new release by Martha Hall Kelly. And as a fan of historical fiction ... especially that which occurs during WWII ... I thought it would be a perfect selection for my bookshelf. Unfortunately, I was not as thrilled with the book as many other reviewers. I typically do not mind dual timelines and multiple points of view when reading a book, but this one did not work well for me. It took a lot of concentration to keep up with the time period and whether it was Josie or Arletta “speaking.” Also, while touted as historical fiction, it ended up being more of a thriller.

The primary characters, Josie and Arletta, were well developed and their backstories were interesting. Their naivety was a little shocking to think that they were actually able to survive and evade the Gestapo. I was not convinced it was real and kept thinking that there’s no way that could happen. The “reveal” at the end of the book took me by surprise. I was pleased to learn about Operation Paperclip, something I was not familiar with before reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Martha Hall Kelly is an incredible storyteller and The Golden Doves is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. From Nazi occupied Paris, to the atrocities of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, to Cold War era America and a secret program to bring former Nazis to the United States for their science knowledge, this story was full of heartache and intrigue. The two main characters Josie and Arlette, are drawn into a struggle to right the wrongs of the past, but their quest is more dangerous than they realized. The only fault I had with the story is of course the ending. It felt too convenient and a bit contrived. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I requested this one because I was obsessed with this authors book Lilac Girls. WWII is my favorite part of history to read in historical fiction, so I was interested in this book.

Josie and Arlette were the Golden Doves, part of the Nazi resistance in France in the 1940s. They ended up at Ravensbruck but were luckily liberated. Josie now works for the US government, tracking Nazi doctors and scientists who may be able to work on projects for the US. Arlette is still on a search for her son who was taken during their stay at Ravensbruck. The book is told in a non-linear timeline, with flashbacks to the 1940s interspersed in order to make plot points make sense as the reader goes through the story.

I don't know exactly why, but I never got super invested in this book. On the surface, the blurb sounded like something I would really enjoy, but I never really cared for either of the characters very much.

I also felt like this book was extremely long and didn't need to be quite such a chore to get through. The hardback is over 500 pages, which is a lot to read. I don't feel like it all was necessary to keep the plot moving forward.

I thought this one was fine. Not my favorite historical novel, and I don't see myself wanting to read this one again.

I love this authors previous books as she puts so much research and personal touch to her historical fiction inspired by true events. This one I found challenging to piece together the stories with the alternative times from different POV in different time lines. It starts in 1952 Fort Bliss, TX and Paris, France back to past events in 1943.

Josie Anderson from Fort Bliss, Texas and Arlette LaRue from Paris, France work undercover during the war for the French Resistance stealing Nazi secrets and would eventually be discovered by the Gestapo. The Nazis arrested them and were imprisoned in the Ravensbruck concentration camp with their families where they endured unspeakable crimes.

A decade after WWII, the two former female spies are contacted to risk their lives once more to help track down an infamous Nazi doctor who performed dangerous experiments on people. Both woman also want to avenge the pain the Nazis had inflicted on their families during the war.
Lieutenant Josie Anderson working for the US Army intelligence learns about how certain Nazi scientists were given refuge if they agreed to work with the US government. In doing so they could avoid imprisonment in Germany for war crimes. There was one doctor in particular who remained a risk as he was being sought by the Russians who wanted to lure the talented scientist. Dr Snow was an elusive, virologist and gynecologist who performed inhumane experiments during the war on humans. This is where Josie and Arlette come in as they have their own personal reasons for wanting to see Dr Snow behind bars.

This is a story about trust, survival and resilience.

I feel the author may wanted to include too much information into the novel that some parts didn't feel authentic. I am rounding up my review as I know the author does extensive research from her other spectacular historic novels.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary reviewer copy of this novel. My review is my unbiased honest opinion.

I am amazed that this book is inspired by true events. The content could be from a sci-fi story. Sadly, doctors, nurses, soldiers, and other individuals collaborated to severely abuse and experiment on women and children in the concentration camp Ravensbruck and elsewhere. In this book, two women take steps to stop the evil and save as many lives as possible. Along the way, Josie and Arlette learn rudimentary espionage techniques, participate in clandestine activities, meet double agents, and try to save themselves.
While I appreciated the content of this book, I gave it only three stars. It started slow, and by 25%, I wondered if I could even finish. I didn't care for the chapters moving between characters and how the content mentioned an important plot point but didn't explain it until a chapter or more later. However, the book picked up speed by the second half, and I devoured the end.
I also felt annoyed at the naivete of the Golden Doves. I had to keep reminding myself that they were novice spies. However, even after training, they both make rookie mistakes.
The theme of forgiveness is present throughout. Ultimately, we each get to decide how we'll act in the face of diversity, abuse or other trauma.

I have loved Martha Hall Kelly's other books so I don't know WHY but this book I just couldn't get into. I feel like I missed a whole book at the beginning but I didn't? Maybe it's the whole thing that infuriates me about the nazis getting off to help the US... I don't know but at 25% in I DNF'd.

I loved the Lilac Girls and was so excited to see a new book by Martha Hall Kelly!

The story starts in 1952 at Fort Bliss, Texas, where Josie, the daughter of an American diplomat, spends her days sorting through photos of German soldiers. She's trying to identify scientists useful to their program. Arlette, Josie's friend, joins her in resisting the Nazis in Vichy France. They work together as part of The Golden Doves, a resistance group.

Their efforts are crucial, but they end up in Ravensbrück concentration camp, where Arlette is separated from her son Willie. After their release, Arlette is determined to find him. The story jumps between WWII, life in the camp, and the post-war search for loved ones. Different perspectives and time periods add depth to the narrative. Arlette's journey to find her son years later highlights the impact of the war on families and the quest for justice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read The Golden Doves!

LOVED this story! Fans of the Lilac Girls (my all time favorite book) will absolutely love this story of a group of women working in the resistance. True to form, women save the world as usual.

I love all of Martha Hall Kelly's books and this one was no different. I will say the back and forth in timelines was a little annoying this time, it felt like as soon as you got invested in one character, you were thrown to a different place. But by midway through the book, you were so into each of their stories that it didn't matter.

This was a very well written story and very well researched. brave women inspire me and here were many. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

4.5 stars. Very well written historical fiction account of 2 females (one American, one of German heritage) living in Paris and working for the Resistance during WWII. This book flips back and forth in time between the war/their time spent in a concentration camp and events after the war when these two bada$$es track down heinous Nazi doctors who fled to South America. One of the ladies works for Operation Paperclip, a real post-WWII covert American program in which scientists from Nazi Germany were transported to the U.S. and given freedom in exchange for their talented research and to prevent the Russian government from using them as researchers. I love books that take me down a rabbit hole and also have a mystery/suspense/espionage aspect. I'd totally recommend this book to anyone.

This has been sitting on my to read shelf for a year. I've been wanting to read it, just needed to find the time.

I finally picked it up and dang, I wish I hadn't waited.

I've liked other books from Martha Hall Kelly, she's one of my favorite historical fiction writers. I like how she constructs the story, blending facts and some fiction. This one was no different. It was a little slow in the very beginning, but once you started weaving the past and "current" timelines together, the story sucked me in. It was hard to put this down.

I'll definitely recommend this to others who enjoy historical fiction.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this story offered valuable insights into some of the history tucked away within the WWII era.

However, I really felt the length of this book even with layering in two POV and two time periods. The flow of the story was disrupted as certain chapters ended abruptly and transitioned into the beginning of the next with a different theme or time period that detracted from the previous one at certain times and consequently, establishing a connection with the main characters became challenging.

Nevertheless, I must commend Martha Hall Kelly for her careful and thorough research in authenticating her historical fiction. My interest is piqued to read some of her other works.

Martha Kelly Hall delivers another gripping yet poignant WWII historical fiction with The Golden Doves. Well researched and beautifully crafted, Hall weaves real-life events and people into her story that brings a sense of credibility. Her female characters are strong, bold, courageous and inspiring and her plots are engaging. The Golden Doves touched on so many of my emotions. I simply couldn’t put it down.

A heart thank you to the publisher (Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and advance digital copy of this inspiring story. The opinions expressed above are my own and this is my honest review.

Martha Hall Kelly has an amazing gift of writing. I have loved all of her books. We hosted an author talk with her at our library (virtual), and she was classy, intelligent. and gracious.

I do think that novels about WWII are getting a bit tiresome. It seems like every other novel being published is about WWII. But she makes and old topic seem new again. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free digital ARC. Opinions are my own.

I think that the WWII historical fiction market is overly saturated, but within that niche, Martha Hall Kelly rises to the top. If I am going to read historical fiction from this era, it will be her. The Golden Doves switches between the heart of WWII and the post-war 1950s.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I'm a big Martha Hall Kelly fan and this book gives me another reason to love her writing. Told by the two "golden doves, spies in France during WWII, the novel takes place during and after the war. It's part historical fiction and part thriiller/mystery, with a bit of romances tossed in. There are lots of surprises win this book. I always appreciate what I learn from Ms Hall Kelly's books. I always appreciate the recurring characters. Can't wait for her next book.

This was a powerful and enlightening account of life as clandestine resistance fighters who put bravery above safety each day, as well as how the war continued to plague resistance fighters in the camps following the war – from the prisoners to the Nazi scientists sent to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip and the people who went on to carry out even more atrocities and escape punishment.

The narrative alternates between Arlette's and Josie's perspectives. It jumps around in time and space, which, if you're not paying attention to, can be confusing. We discover more about their time as The Golden Doves, including how they arrived there and the events at Ravensbrück. In true Martha Kelly Hall fashion, she does such a wonderful job of fusing the fictional narrative with her well-researched plot line that it often left me wondering what was true and what was fiction – I even caught myself putting the book down to research certain aspects of the storyline as I read!

I always learn something new from books written by Martha Hall Kelly, who has a reputation for producing historically accurate fiction. Two topics I learned about in The Golden Doves were "Operation Paperclip," which was the US government's program to recruit Nazi scientists to the US, and "Nazi Ratline," which describes how numerous Nazi war criminals were able to evade prosecution with the aid of numerous governments and religious institutions throughout the Americas. This well-researched book also discussed the post-war fate of Nazi war criminals who fled to the jungles of South America and how Nazi scientists and physicians escaped a similar fate due to the Nazi Ratline. If you appreciate a good historical fiction story—especially one where you might meet some amazing individuals and learn some interesting things—I highly recommend this one.

All things considered, this was a fascinating tale about strong, fearless, and tough women. They performed admirably despite having to put up with masculine stereotypes of what women "could" do. Throughout the book, there was mystery, suspense, and grief that kept me on the edge of my seat up to the very end!

Despite its length, if you enjoy WWII historical fiction, you shouldn't pass on this. It's a well-written, fascinating, well-researched, and significant book. Martha Hall Kelly has always been a clever writer, and even though The Golden Dove is a stand-alone novel, I really liked how she included characters from her previous books, like Lilac Girls.

How in the world can you go wrong with Martha Hall Kelly? You can not!

I loved this book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for this advanced readers copy.

What struck me most about The Golden Doves is its seamless blend of spy thriller and historical fiction, offering an interesting narrative that shifts between the years 1952 and the war-torn period of 1940-1945. The emotional depth of the characters is brilliant, drawing readers into their world as they navigate through the aftermath of war and personal loss.

The rich historical details woven throughout the story, particularly the exploration of French Guiana, added a fascinating layer to the narrative, expanding the scope beyond the familiar settings of wartime Europe. I enjoyed the informative author's notes at the end of the book, which provided valuable insights into the historical context and background of the novel.

This is the second book I’ve read about Operation Paperclip (the first was The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer), and the second book I’ve read by Martha Hall Kelly. She just keeps getting better! 5 stars.

**I received a digital copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.