Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors. This book is a sloooooow burn. Extremely slow. A beautiful beautiful story but wow that was such a slow start I almost DNFd

This was a very heartwarming story about a French woman named Collette who is a descendent of Robin Hood. She steals from the rich Germans to give to the poor during WWII.
She continues the theft family business even into her late eighties in Boston, but still using her skills to help others for a bigger cause. The novel is set in two different time periods of Collette’s life and as the story unfolds both the past and the present connect with each other to give the characters the happy ending they deserve.
I really enjoyed this book, though I do feel like this story was a little predictable at times. I loved the main character Collette and her determination to figure out mysteries surrounding her younger sister’s death. I loved the two timelines equally, which is rare- usually I like one timeline way more than the other. I would recommend this novel to historical fiction fans who love World War II stories about women.

Loved this book! So interesting and emotional. Colette is a descendant of Robin Hood and a jewelry thief with a connection to beautiful jewels stolen by nazis from a jewish family.
This is a dual timeline novel and I loves the back and forth and how the two timelines were tied together. This is not your usual WW2 novel. Yes, we hear about the atrocities committed against Jewish people, but the meat of the story is the story of the jewels and how they connect people over the passage of time.

Kristen Harmel weaves a captivating story of resilience and redemption in The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau. Set against the backdrop of WWII Paris and unfolding across decades, the novel explores the extraordinary life of Colette, a jewel thief guided by a moral code passed down from her mother. The gripping narrative shifts seamlessly between past and present, revealing the tragic events that shaped her life—her mother's arrest, her sister Liliane's disappearance, and the mysterious loss of a priceless diamond bracelet. Harmel masterfully builds suspense as the long-lost bracelet reemerges in a Boston museum, threatening to uncover long-buried truths and change everything Colette thought she knew about her past. The characters are richly developed, and the emotional depth of their stories lends authenticity to the plot. As secrets come to light, readers are taken on a journey of discovery, forgiveness, and the courage required to confront one’s own history. While at times the pace slows slightly in the middle chapters, the overall storytelling remains compelling and thought-provoking. Fans of historical fiction intertwined with mystery and a touch of romance will find this book both satisfying and inspiring. Kristen Harmel has crafted a beautifully layered novel that reminds us that, sometimes, the greatest treasures are hidden within ourselves.

A family of jewel thieves from France. The story moves from the present to Paris during the Nazi occupation. A pair of twin bracelets are made, but taken from the Jewish family by the Nazi's. Collette's mother steals them back but is captured and killed. However, she had sewn the bracelets into her girls nightgowns. Colette has hers 76 years later but the other disappeared with her little sister the night they came for her mother. Then is turns up on display in a museum. The story moves back and forth in time and the bracelets' story is told.

Thank you to NetGalley for The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau in exchange for a honest review.This has to be Kristin Harmel’s finest work yet! This book is full of so many characters that shape this story into the masterpiece .This is the story of Colette Marceau , a jewel thief, who was 14 when her mother Annabel was murdered by the Nazis after she stole back an intertwined bracelet made of 2 parts that connect that belonged to her friend Mrs Rosner, a Jew who had the piece taken from her when she was deported. to Auschwitz. Determined to hang on to the necklace for her friend, Annabel sews one half into each of her daughter’s nightgowns.On the night her house is raided by the Nazis after she is identified as the thief, Colette and her husband are also arrested but their youngest daughter Liliane goes missing. Her body is later found in the Seine but her half of the bracelet is missing from her nightgown.Fast forward 76; years and we meet Colette who at almost 90 is still stealing jewels from evil people and helping fund a Holocaust Remembrance Center in Boston.She has lived an adventurous life but has never married despite enjoying a brief flirtation with a boy named Tristan before her mother’s death.She finds that there is going to be an exhibit at a museum and one of the pieces is the matching bracelet to her own.Is the person who has this bracelet related to the person who murdered her sister? Will she ever find closure to her family’s story? Read the story and find out.This story had so many twists and turns and kept you guessing to the end.A simply fantastic piece of literature.

Kristin Harmel has a talent for writing my favorite niche--WW2 Historical Fiction (set in France, specifically).

This one has such an interesting premise: Colette is a jewel thief. But more of a modern-day Robin Hood who steals for the greater good. It brings up so many questions of what's right vs. wrong vs. just and who gets to dictate those morals, and how war muddies the water even more.

Things I liked:
-the premise. Love the morally grey but loveable Colette
-the storyline and how it all wove together (suspend your belief a bit)
-setting
-the fact you do get closure on Colette’s tragic life

Things that kept this from 5:
-a bit TOO perfectly woven — requires a lot of belief suspension for a WW2 novel
-too many romance strings and almost-romance strings. (Specifically Marty, see below)
-Marty felt like a character who should’ve had more of a role or been cut out altogether. He was just basically shunned in the end :(

Colette Marceau grew up during WWII. Her mother taught her the family craft, handed down through the centuries by their patriarch Robin Hood. They would steal from those who were bad to help those less fortunate. The danger to their craft was that they were completing their mission by taking jewelry from rich people while their victims wore it! Very high stakes for anyone. When the war came to Paris, Colette and her mother watched as the Nazis took Jewish possessions for themselves. Many Nazi officers would "gift" girlfriends with appropriated jewelry. Colette and her mother worked or attended events where they could steal the jewels from the Nazis and fund the Resistance.

Years later, Colette is still stealing. She has anonymously funded many organizations. One piece of jewelry has remained with her since those days back in WWII. Colette has a beautiful custom-made bracelet that belonged to a family friend. It is comprised of two pieces that can be worn alone or together. Colette has one piece of the bracelet. She learns that the second piece of the bracelet will be shown at a local museum. Where has it been? How did the museum manage to acquire this piece? Colette yearns to find these answers, but doing so could reveal her occupation. Can she resolve the mystery while keeping her identity safe?

Kristin Harmel never disappoints! Colette's story is one of twists, turns, love lost, and tragedy. Her characters are inspiring and understandable. Even though we know stealing is unlawful, it is so very hard to find fault with Colette when she is doing so much good. She is a remarkable woman who has lived her life in the shadows. She deserves happiness and appreciation for the good she has funded. The story of Colette's life is so vivid and memorable, this character will touch many readers' hearts.

Thank you, NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books for the advanced reader copy.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is about a family of jewel thieves who steal from those who are evil and mean and give to those in need. Set during WWII in Paris when the Germans were in control and horrors were committed, the book follows Colette, haunted by the deaths of her younger sister and mother. She ends up searching for a specific bracelet,, one of a pair her mother had stolen to return to its owner. She was hoping this would bring her answers about her sister’s death and bring her some peace. And then the bracelet appears in a museum show in NY and she continues her search for answers. This book grabbed my interest at the beginning and held it throughout. It will be a popular book club selection, ripe with important things to discuss.

Kristin Harmel can write historical fiction in a way that makes you sink into the book and just go along for the ride. This one is WW2, which seems to be her place. With every book I read from this author, I learn a little more about that horrible time in history. In this book, a mother passes down a skill to her daughter. That skill is stealing. She teaches her how to lift jewelry from the rich to give to the poor, (Yes, like Robin Hood) Collete's mother does not only teach her to steal but teachers her to only take from those who have loose morals or who seem to support the Nazis. Then, one night, the Germans come to their home, Collete leaves her four year old sister in her bedroom to help her parents, when she returns to the bedroom her sister is gone and she sees an officer taking her baby sister from the home. The book has a dual story line and we go back and forth in Collete's life during WW2 and her life in America, where where she moved after the war.

Then, a bracelet from her past shows up at a show in New York. Not your average bracelet, and one that was custom made for her neighbors who died in Auschwitz. This bracelet was taken with her sister when she disappeared but was not recovered when her sister was found, drowned in the river. The story that unfolds from this is poignant and breathtaking as each layer is pealed back until the end of the book. This is now my favorite Harmel novel. Make sure you read the author's notes at the end for some notes that make this book even more heartwarming. This is my first 5Star read of the year. I would give it six if I could.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Gallery books for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I love historical fiction stories, especially set during WWII and this one did not disappoint. We have a dual timeline, one set in France just occupied by the Nazis back in 1940 and then another in more present day 2028. Collette was trained since she was little to be a thief with a purpose, a thief by her Mom. They are more like Robin Hood thieves, helping the poor and disadvantaged with their stealing of fine jewels. However, the horrors of the war get in the war and tragedy strikes. We then meet Collette as an old woman and she is still trying to figure out what happened to those she loved during the war, and avenge their loss. This book was touching and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat at times. It had a sweet, wrapped up nicely ending that was almost too perfect but I loved it anyway!

A DELIGHTFUL AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING NOVEL

SUMMARY
Colette and her mother, Annabel, try to make a difference in their little corner of the world. Their focus is on volunteering and redistributing wealth by stealing beautiful and valuable jewelry. They live by a heroic code of honor, much like the lore of Robin Hood; these women take only from the corrupt and the evil and give to the poor. They never keep the jewelry for themselves.

When Colette was just ten, her mother taught her how to steal jewelry from the hands, wrists, and necks of the undeserving to fund the French Resistance. But one night in 1942, everything went wrong. Colette’s mother was arrested, and Liliane, Colette’s four-year-old sister, was kidnapped along with an exquisite diamond bracelet that had been sewn into the hem of her night gown. Colette spent the rest of her life trying to find out who took her sister and what happened to the missing bracelet.

REVIEW
THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU is a delightful, thought-provoking novel that will leave you questioning right and wrong and finding shades of grey. The story alternates between the 1930s and 1940s in Paris and 2018 in Boston.

Author Kirsten Harmel is well-known for her WWII fiction and her ability to find hope in people during desperate times. Colette's unique character serves as the pillar of the story. She is careful and determined, and although she is a jewelry thief, her intentions are honorable. Readers can’t help but wish the absolute best for her.

My favorite part is the fascinating connection between Colette and Robin Hood, the legendary, heroic outlaw. Was Robin Hood merely a character in literature, or can an argument be made that he was an actual living person to whom Colette’s family was related? You must read the author's notes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance reading copy of this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Publisher Gallery Books
Published June 17, 2025
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Kristen Harmel is an auto buy author for me & she does not disappoint!! The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau was phenomenal & one of my favorites by this author. This is one of those books I think about & could definitely read again!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for decades. Growing up, her mother taught her their family code—steal from the cruel and unkind to give to those in need. The story follows Colette both in the present and as a child as she seeks to unravel the story of her missing younger sister.

I read this WWII/present day family mystery in just a few days because the story really pulled me in. I thought at the end, some parts fell a little flat; overall, I’d still recommend it to any historical fiction lover!

I have not yet read any works by Kristin Harmel - this was my first one. It was a good introduction, in my opinion, and I greatly enjoyed reading it and entering Colette's world. Colette is a jewel thief, trained by her mother in the 1940s. It is a family tradition but they only steal from people who are unkind, greedy or morally bankrupt. Colette's mother is a member of the French Resistance and her arrest and death impact Colette forever. So, too, does the loss of her younger sister. Colette ends up in America after the war and makes a new life for herself, eventually founding a Holocaust center with the profits of her trade. Secrets and history come to light and Colette's world broadens as they are revealed.

I enjoyed Colette's character and found her scrappy, bright and determined. Her relationships were well fleshed out and I wanted to know what happened and why. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. It is an excellent story told between 2 timelines. Colette is taught by her mother to steal jewelry from nefarious people to sell and give money to the more deserving people. Kind of a robin hood type of story. Colette's mom sews matching jewlery into Colette and her sister Liliane's dresses to be used if they need the money. One night her mother is arrested and later her sister is found dead. But years later Colette sees her sisters matching jewelry in a museum exhibit. She is lead down a path of memories to find out what really happened to her sister.

This book was such an amazing journey.
The past, the present, a family of jewel thieves, the Holocaust, family, secrets, past, and present, all colliding together to the most beautiful ending!

I could not put this book down. From the minute I opened it, I
was all in. I needed to hear all sides of the story from the survivors and the victims.
One of the best books I have ever read!!

The Stolen Life of Collette Marceau is a beautifully written novel that stands a head above so many recent books set during WW2.

Alternating between 2018 in Boston and the early 1940s in Paris, it tells the story of Collette Marceau as a teenager and as an octagenerian, her family's legacy as jewel thieves, and how two bracelets, Collete's family, a Jewish family sent to Auschwitz, a lost sister, a teenage crush, and other secrets are all connected across time.

The pacing is spot on, and while Harmel has written several books set in this period, this book and it's themes feel original and not overwrought or overdone.

If there’s one quibble in an otherwise absorbing story, it's that the resolution ties up too many loose ends with unlikely coincidences. While it doesn't undo the power of the story, the neatly wrapped ending was a little too unrealistic, with so many characters finding their happily ever after all tied together with a neat bow.

Still, The Stolen Life of Collette Marceau remains a well written and thought-provoking novel that will satisfy readers of historical fiction, even those like me who have sworn off reading yet another story set in WW2.

4.25 🌟s, more if you like every plot point tidily resolved by the end.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristen Harmel is a story of Collete Marceau, a French woman who now lives in the Boston area. The story goes back in forth in time between current times and the years of WWII. Colette’s mother’s family is descended from Robin Hood and they steal mostly jewelry from people that are corrupt, deceitful and in the case of WWII, the Nazis or people profiting from the German occupation of Paris. This is the story of Colette, her quest for the truth and a missing bracelet.
I couldn’t put this story down. It kept me interested from the beginning. The characters are so vividly described that one can picture them. A wonderful story!

I was hooked on this book from the beginning. It’s told from two points of view; one in 2018 and one during WWII. Thank you to net galley for the ARC