Lester always gives the readers an intriguing and very detailed historical fiction. I am a historical fiction reader, and she knows how to delve into the past.

In 1928 eighteen-year-old Marie-Madeline is living in Morocco with her husband. She is not your typical female of the time. She is into flying planes, driving fast and working in intelligence for the government. She loves live and is living for the next adventure.

In Paris in 1938 Europe is on the cusp of war. Marie-Madeline encounters a enigmatic man with the codename Navarre. She ends up helping him build a resistance network. Marie-Madeline knows going in as a women thing will not be easy. She ends up with a double life on the edge of danger at every turn.

Thank you Ballantine for the gifted e-ARC and I will be pre-ordering to add to the rest of her books on my shelf.

Marie-Madeleine was the only female leader of a Resistance network in France during WWII; she really did lead around three thousand agents, many of whom were conservative military men decades her senior. She had two children who she sent to Switzerland when they were targeted by the Nazi's and she bore another son while leading the Resistance. A remarkable story.

The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester is an unbelievably fascinating story. During World War II, there were numerous resistance groups in occupied France and this book is about Marie-Madeleine Meric and the Alliance. Because she was a woman, she was overlooked and many doubted what she was able to accomplish along with her agents in the Alliance. The Alliance contributed to the war effort and many lost their lives. The outcome of the War could have been worse if it weren't for those agents. I loved reading about her. Though this work is historical fiction and as the author states in her Author's Note, many characters were invented but based on real people. I think historical fiction readers will absolutely love this book. Most especially if you're a Natasha Lester fan. She's amazing. I am so thankful I was able to read an early copy and a huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing.

"The Mademoiselle Alliance" was a fascinating story. While I was aware that there were various resistance groups in occupied France, I had never heard of Marie-Madeleine Meric and the Alliance. What she and her agents were able to accomplish and endure is amazing. Marie-Madeleine was repeatedly doubted and overlooked because she was a woman, which was sometimes to her advantage, as the sexism of both allies and enemies allowed her to escape danger or manipulate situations to her advantage in a manner that would not have succeeded if she had been a man. Being underestimated worked to her advantage at times. Being a woman and a mother also probably helped her gain allies and assistance from other women, who understood what she was risking and saw in her the possibilities for contributing to the war effort in a more active way. She had a tenacity to her that made people want to believe in her and assist her.

The book is a work of historical fiction, and so the author has invented some characters, combined events, and invented dialogue. Furthermore, as the author explains, there are contradictions in Marie-Madeleine's memoirs, and the English translation of her memoir, which was written in French, leaves material out, so the full "truth" about Marie-Madeleine cannot be known. However, some of the more amazing and astonishing incidents in the book are based in fact.

This is a historical fiction novel based on the true life of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade. It goes back and forth between the late 1920's when she lived in Morocco and WW2 in France. Marie ended up playing a huge part in the French resistance and this is her story. It's another excellent read by Natasha Lester!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley, but the opinions are all my own. Did you know that only one woman ran a Resistance network in France during WWII commanding more than 3000 people allied in their cause to save France? Marie-Madeline survived for years longer than the average 6 month Resistance leader. She was an unorthodox woman of her time and often put herself to save others risk. She also had a congenital hip issue which left her in pain much of the time. I was glad to read about this amazing woman who I had never heard of before.

This was everything that I was looking for from a historical fiction novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the description. The overall feel worked with the time-line and enjoyed the way everything worked together to tell the story. The characters felt like they belonged in this world and was hooked from the first page. Natasha Lester has a great writing style and enjoyed the overall package.

Marie-Madeleine‘s story is a fascinating one, and Natasha Lester captures it beautifully. This novel has shades of Casablanca and is a pleasure to read. The setting is rendered beautifully and is almost a character unto itself.