A riveting tale that connects past and present. Colette is in her 90s when she sees a piece of jewelry that brings back her back to the past- to loss and heartbreak and the terror of occupied Paris in WWII. As Colette attempts to unravel the story behind the reappearance of this priceless bracelet can she come to terms with her history and make peace for the future? Excellent writing and a gripping tale make this a can’t put down read!

The Paris Daughter was my top book of the year last year, so I was highly anticipating The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, and SO thrilled to receive the advanced copy.

This book is the perfect historical fiction! While it does take place with one timeline in World War II, it doesn’t feel as though it’s just another book about WWII to me, that’s just merely the backdrop! If you love a bit of mystery with your historical fiction, I think you’ll love this.

I loved the characters, and the story was perfect. Another incredible book from Harmel.

“Diamonds have witnessed the past, and they will witness a future we can’t begin to imagine.”

Kristin Harmel can do no wrong, and The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is no exception. This modern-day reimagining of Robin Hood, with a WWII twist, was better than I even expected! (And my expectations were high.)

”I firmly believe that as long as we ensure that we only take from those who are cruel, and we always find a way to help those who are kind, we are on the side of God.”

This one has it all—history, romance, intrigue, crime, and so many heartwarming moments. It has the neatest, tidiest ending I think I’ve ever read, which some readers may find unbelievable, but after all the loss and trauma that Colette and her loved ones endured, their many happy endings felt well-deserved. Highly recommend!

”She was smiling, for she had seen the future, and it was beautiful.”

——

A huge thank you to Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It is the time of World War II in Paris. Colette and her sister, Liliane, have always been told by her mother that they are descendants of Robin Hood and they are training to be jewel thieves. During the war they would steal jewels from the Germans and collaborators and use the money for the resistance. But then her mother is arrested, Liliane disappears and is presumed dead but in 2018 a bracelet that was sewn into Liliane's nightgown is found in a museum and Colette needs to find out what happened to her sister.

I enjoyed the story a lot. I liked Colette and even with the thievery she did good things with her ill-gotten gains. I am not a fan of dual time lines and since this was just about Colette I found the time jumps distracting. The other con was there were so many coincidences. Still even with all that I just kept reading because the characters were so likeable and I had to know how it all turned out. I would recommend this for anyone interested in another French Resistance story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a digital copy.

This story of Colette’s family history was so captivating in that they believed that they must steal from the rich (and ruthless) in order to provide for the poor. Their willingness to help those in need was powerful and also a detriment for Colette’s family in Nazi-occupied Paris. After Colette’s four-year old sister was abducted by a German soldier, Colette’s life took a dramatic turn searching for answers for decades. Seventy years later, now living in Boston, Colette is confronted with a possible answer to what happened a lifetime ago. Her story will bring tears to your eyes as she unravels the horrors of war and squeued perceptions.

This book by Kristin Harmel was absolutely one of the best books I've read this year. I laughed, I cried ....my whole heart was taken by this story. Colette, what a hero and what she lived through during WWII, coming to America, losing her family....and that beautiful diamond bracelet was the answer to everything. No spoilers here, but this book is a masterpiece and will be a best seller! Thank you to Ms. Harmel, who not only had to overcome her own hardships, but thank you for this story, which is incredible!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery books for this eArc. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first Kristin Harmel book and I absolutely loved it. It was such an easy and engaging read. It flowed well and it was different from other world war 2 stories. The main character being a jewel thief really kept my interest. I highly recommend this one.

3.5 stars

A different take on a WWII era story. A jewel thief who trains her daughter to be one also. Told in two timelines, the 40’s & 2018, we see a woman who is racked with guilt and who finally gets answers after a lifetime of being denied. Although, I liked the overall story, there were a lot of coincidences and things falling into place. Just too much that I couldn’t give this a high rating. Excellent writing of course.

This story was a bit too neat for me. It follows an incredibly interesting set of characters: Collette, our WWII and Holocaust survivor who is a jewel thief, Aviva, who is her found family, Marty, her accomplice in fencing her steals and the ever present memory of her sister who she lost when her mother was arrested and later killed by the Germans. Set in between past and present, we learn more about Collette’s history and her burning desire to find out who killed her sister. Collette learned her “trade” from her mother and as neighbors were taken by the Nazi’s, her mother stole back a bracelet to return it to them one day, sewing one into Collette’s gown and another into her sister’s. She still has her half of the bracelet and when the other half appears, she is on a quest to find out who had it believing that will lead her to the killer. It was a good story, but as I indicated, it all comes together a little too cleanly for me. I would still recommend for those that love the author, historical and WWII fiction as well as women’s literature. No doubt it will be a best seller.

In this elegant and emotionally charged novel, a jewel thief turned reluctant truth-seeker takes us on a journey through time, memory, and moral reckoning. Colette Marceau, raised on a code of honor to steal only from the cruel and give to the desperate, is haunted by the ghost of a sister lost in wartime Paris and the gleam of a vanished diamond bracelet that once symbolized hope.

Decades later, that same bracelet resurfaces, unraveling secrets buried beneath grief and betrayal. What follows is a suspenseful, heartfelt quest that blends historical intrigue with quiet meditations on justice, guilt, and the cost of survival.

Told with grace and an eye for emotional detail, this is a story about the unbreakable bonds of family and the unexpected ways the past refuses to stay buried. A beautifully paced novel that glitters with heart and humanity.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel is my fifth book by this author. Ms. Harmel has a gift for finding and creating unique World War II stories about regular people doing heroic things. Her characters come to life. They steal your heart and make you question what is right.

This is an awesome historical fiction novel with a dual timeline. One is during the 1940’s during the German occupation of France and the other one is present day. Ms. Harmel’s gift is taking the story and unfolding it so beautifully that both timelines become intertwined with the past converging with present.

Do you believe in Robin Hood? You know him. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Well Colette Marceau is a direct descendant of Robin Hood. Yes our heroine comes from a long line of jewel thieves who ultimately fence the stolen goods and donate to organizations that help others. In this case Colette stole from the Nazi’s to help the resistance.

“No one who has earned his money or his worldly possessions honestly should be parted from them, even if he’s far richer than anyone should be. But he who has evil in his heart, or has used his fortune to bring harm to others, no longer has a claim on his property. Those are the people Robin stole from then, and they’re the people we steal from now.’”

I was impressed with the themes of the story. The major theme being a moral dilemma. How do we let our past shape our future? How does one determine right and wrong? Can a lifetime of good delete past sins? The title is perfect and has an extremely complex meaning. Colette’s character is so deep and rich. She loves deeply, has very strong convictions, and has endured pain beyond our imaginings. She is such a wonderfully complicated character. She will stay with you long after you have finished the book.

One of the interesting take aways from this book comes in the Author’s notes. “Colette has essentially spent her whole life clinging to the sense of identity that comes with being a thief… she’s a woman worthy of love, whose identity isn’t determined by her vocation…”

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is a MUST read! Ms. Harmel has an awesome gift. I was anxiously awaiting this new novel and couldn’t put it down when I started it. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next! Well done!

I would like to thank Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My true rating is probably 2.5 but I rounded up. First, what worked for me:
* the Robin Hood tie-in was creative and fun
* the experience in Paris during the early/mid part of WWII felt genuine. The characters reacted as I imagined to the horrible occupation and treatment of friends and neighbors.
* the writing was good as was the pacing. A little more character development would have been welcome.

What didn’t work as well for me:
* the coincidences that came about at the end of the novel were beyond belief. Yes, there are times it seems like it is a small world but, really, not that small!
* the main character is an active jewel thief for nearly 70 years and is never caught? Seriously?
* tying up every loose end gave the story an unreal feeling which didn’t do it justice

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

Colette Marceau comes from a legacy of a family with Robinhood principles, stealing jewels from the bad to help the good. In 1940s, in German occupied France, her mom Annabel is doing just that to support the French Resistance. But everything falls apart when Annabel gets caught trying to steal back her best friend’s Helen Rosman’s bracelets. As the soldiers come for her, she tells Colette to run and keep her 4 year old sister, Liliane, safe. Each girl has a bracelet sewn into her nightgown.
But in the chaos, Liliane gets taken by a soldier. Colette survives interrogation, but then comes the devastating news: her sister’s body is found in the Seine and the bracelet has been taken from her gown.
Colette spends the next 70 years trying to find out what really happened; tracking down the missing bracelets and uncovering the truth behind that horrific night.

Kristin perfectly executes this book with a dual timeline. It is a beautifully told story that is full of suspense and twists that have you hooked until the very last page. Highly recommend if you're into emotional historical fiction with a bit of suspense woven in. This was a great five star read.

Thank you to net galley for the advanced e-reader copy.

I adore Kristin Harmel. She has a way of discovering lesser-known activities that occurred during WW2 and developing an intriguing novel around them. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau tells the story of jewel thieves who live by a code (steal only from horrible people — like the Nazis and Nazi sympathizers) and use the money from what they steal to do good amid the horror of the Holocaust.

I will admit that this wasn’t my favorite of all the books I’ve read by Harmel. It took me a little bit to get into, and the ending was predictable. For these reasons, I will give this a 4.5, but I’ll round that up to a 5 because…Kristin Harmel.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. However, I didn’t get to it until after it was published and I listened to the audiobook.

I'm not going to lie - I've been pretty over all the WWII themed novels that have sprung up in the past couple of years. I met Kristin Harmel at a book signing and thought she was fantastic; that convinced me to give this book a shot.
I was pleasantly surprised at the unique twist this book gives. The story is told in both flashbacks and current POV. Colette Marceau is an elderly woman reflecting on her life as a high-end jewel thief. She's told her family descends from the "real" Robin Hood and therefore must continue the tradition of stealing from the undeserving wealthy and giving to organizations that help the less fortunate. As a child Colette watched her mother maintain this tradition during WWII by stealing from Nazi sympathizers to help fund the French resistance.
As an adult, Colette is faced with the opportunity to reunite an exquisite pair of bracelets stolen by a Nazi officer. Her reflections of the past cause her to also remember the boy she fell in love with who was removed and never heard from again.
I appreciated the inclusion of the Robin Hood tale to add a spin to this well-trodden theme. Reading about the extreme risks Colette took and what she did with the stolen jewelry kept my attention. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but the ending regarding her love life was just a bit too neat and tidy for me.

I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. I really wanted to like it, but it seemed too far-fetched from the beginning for me to feel interested.

Kristin Harmel… a forever favorite and auto buy author for me. Her storytelling always wraps me up and teaches me something new. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau was a heart warming and heart breaking WW2 story and I’m so thankful to know this part of history now. Though this book was a little slow moving for me I adored these characters so much. The relationships that were formed in this book were so heartwarming and I loved the connections throughout the story. Don’t miss this one!

& looking for more Kristin Harmel? I recommend The Book of Lost Names to everyone! It was one of my very first arcs after joining booksta and it is so special to me. 💜

This historical fiction was quite the unique WWII novel. Harmel likes to take the horrific side of the war and find ways to give you hope through the everyday person making a difference. In The Secret Life of Collette Marceau, Harmel looks at jewel thieves who steal from the rich to give to those in need, similar to Robin Hood. It makes you question the morality of things: stealing is wrong, but is it really wrong if you are taking from a terrible person and giving the proceeds to a good cause? I think of it as morally flexible. I can identify stealing as something that is wrong; however, the context around the stealing makes me turn a blind eye.

This story follows Collette Marceau and events in the present (2018, America) and events in the past (1940s, France) alternating between the two timelines. We watch as Marceau’s family is ripped apart during the war and how she loses her friends, her home, and her family. I loved how Harmel took the past timeline and explored Collette’s character arc through that. We gain a better understanding of who she is today due to the events of her past.

There is also the plot of a stolen bracelet and how a murder mystery from the past comes to light years later. The second part of the bracelet, seemingly lost, is donated to a museum, and Collette is determined to bring justice to the lives lost all those decades ago.

While I enjoyed the story, there were a few plot points that puzzled me. Collette’s friendship with Marty felt unnecessary. He seemed to be used in the plot to further explain Collette’s stealing and funding nonprofits but his romantic/friendship ties with her felt pointless. The final “a-ha” moments were a little too obvious, and I kept finding myself just waiting for them to happen instead of enjoying the lead up.

Overall, I did enjoy this story! Harmel weaves together secrets and lies in this heartbreaking historical fiction, and I highly recommend if you have read her work in the past to pick this one up.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

An engaging read, with a new approach to telling a WWII story. I was immediately captivated by Harmel’s superb writing and the unique premise of the Robin Hood jewel thief theme/plotline. I loved how the author tackled questions around the fluidity of morality, and how we respond when we learn deep secrets about those we love. Excellent historical storytelling.


Thank you to Gallery Books, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this book.

A story about a jewel thief in France and America with connections to WWII? Sign me up!

Collette grew up in the jewel thief business. She only stole from those who didn’t deserve to own such beautiful pieces. Hearing her stories as she grew up in the Holocaust era and how she was able to create a wonderful remembrance museum in Boston kept my intrigue. Hearing how lost her sister and somehow made a connection when the bracelet that was sewn into her sister’s nightgown resurfaced in America was suspenseful. How did it get to America?!

This book was all about mystery, history, and most importantly, found family. Thank you for the ARC of this story.