The Mademoiselle Alliance is a powerful and extraordinary book. It follows the amazing efforts Marie-Madeleine Fourcade went to protect her country and what she believed in. Natasha Lester really brought her to life through her amazing writing. This book made me feel all the feels I laughed, I cried, and I really felt every emotion of the characters.
I highly recommend this book if you love history. While this book is categorised as historical fiction, the research that Natasha did for this book was amazing with so many elements capturing the real life events.

A captivating and emotive story. We ended up choosing it for our book club group and it received really good feedback there too.

I was utterly blown away by this book. The amount of research was staggering, but more importantly the author managed to breathe real life and emotion and heart into this story. Marie Madeleine was an incredible woman and I’m so grateful to the author for bringing her story to so many readers

I absolutely loved this book! I finished and sat for a while sobbing. It is a story that deserves to be told. It was just perfection.
I love reading books about women and their contributions to history as they are often left out of the history books. Their stories are important, they matter and their heroics deserve a page in history. Marie Madeleine’s story is well deserving of being told. She was fierce, determined and faced everything thrown at her with courage and strength.

I’ve read all of Natasha’s books and I can say that this is her best yet. I’m so looking forward to what she does next. This is a must read in my book. Even friends who read this and aren’t big fans of historical fiction loved it!

I usally enjoy historical fiction but found The Mademoiselle Alliance hard to get through. I found the timeline changes in the first third a bit tricky (even though I usually really love multiple timelines) and there were lots of characters to try and remember. I enjoyed if more from about a third of the book, but found the last 15% was when I was really engaged.

Marie-Madeleine is an amazing woman and I appreciate knowing her story - somthing I hadn't read anything about before. It was heartbreaking and raw and I can see how much research has gone into the story. There was just something about it which made it hard for me to stick to and pick up regularly. Could be a case of it's not the right time in my life to read this book rather than anything wrong with the book itself.

I first discovered Natasha Lester about ten years ago and I eagerly await each new release.

While her latest, The Mademoiselle Alliance, didn’t grip me from the early pages as others have, it did set the scene for what was to come.

Like others Lester has written, this book is set during World War Two. The difference is that this one is based on the real life of Marie-Madeline, a young mother living in France. She becomes an integral part of the French Resistance, leading the network “Alliance” under the codename "Hérisson" ("Hedgehog").

If you also enjoy stories about strong women who change the world, then grab a copy of The Mademoiselle Alliance. It’s not a quick read, but it is a deeply thought-provoking one that will stay with you for a long time.

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Mademoiselle Alliance is published by Hachette Australia and New Zealand and available to buy now. My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an early review copy.

#TheMademoiselleAllianceNatashaLester #NetGalley #bookreview #fiction

This was my first Natasha Lester novel, and I’m both embarrassed that it took me so long to discover her and thrilled to have the rest of her work ahead of me!

I had never heard of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade or the resistance network she led in WWII France, so I found this book fascinating. The writing is so immersive it felt like I was reading Marie-Madeleine’s own journal. The depth of research behind this story is incredible.

It really made me think about how many lesser-known heroes there are in history. Without their courage, the world might be a totally different place.

It’s a long read with a lot of characters to keep track of, but I was hooked the whole way through. There were so many points where I was gritting my teeth with suspense. The authors note at the end was the perfect way to wrap it all up.

Highly recommend for historical fiction fans!

EXCERPT: "What are you fighting for?"
He's the first person who's asked me this and I almost snap a retort at the condescension that probably lurks beneath the question. But Léon's expression is curious, as if he's looking for someone who wants the same thing he does.
"I have two children," I say very carefully, because thinking about how long it's been since I held them makes me want to cry, and speaking of them is the hardest thing of all. "I never want . . ."
Béatrice's blonde hair unfurls in my mind. My hands quiver, wanting to braid those tresses. Are they still long, falling to the middle of her back?
Mothers should know those things. But I only know this: "I never want my children to believe that their mother taught them to sit back and accept something that they know is wrong."
I almost don't add this last thing, but it spills out. "My youngest is a girl, and I can't bear her knowing only a world that shuts women in a trap from the moment they're born. Based on what's happened in Germany, the Nazis are readying that trap for France."
Léon is silent for a moment, staring at the empty glass in his hand. Then he says softly, "That's worth fighting for."

ABOUT 'THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE': How did a young Parisienne mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, come to lead the largest spy network in France?

Morocco, 1928. Eighteen-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Madeleine is not the kind of woman who goes through life sitting down, something her new husband can attest. Her unconventionalities - rally car driving, flying planes and dabbling in intelligence work for the government - earn her a reputation, but she knows who she is - an adventurer.

Paris, 1938. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, a chance encounter with a mysterious man codenamed Navarre turns Marie-Madeleine's life upside down. Recruited to help build a resistance network known only as Alliance, she conceals her identity - and gender - as she navigates a perilous double life away from her children and the man she loves. Capture and death are only a heartbeat away.

MY THOUGHTS: Natasha Lester brings to life the true story of one of history's unsung heroes, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the only woman to lead a resistance network in WWII France. Her story is one of epic love, tragic loss and magnificent leadership.

Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was a brave woman, an extraordinary woman. Mother. Rally-car driver. Journalist. A woman who was at the top of the Gestapo's most wanted list. A woman whose heart was broken over and over again by treachery, by the war, but who kept fighting because it was the right thing to do.

This is a story about the very best people, those who endangered their own lives and the lives of their loved ones and associates, and the very worst people in the world, those who tortured, destroyed, raped, pillaged and killed.

At one point the Gestapo pushed in Marie-Madeleine Fourcade’s door while hunting for French Resistance spies. They shoved her aside, ransacking her apartment for information about an important member of the Resistance cell known as “Alliance.” Little did they know its ringleader was Fourcade herself. The inability to recognize—let alone even imagine—a woman spymaster wasn’t just a German shortcoming: throughout, the same proves true of men on all sides of World War II, including MI6 in London.

Fourcade was the revered leader of thousands of men and women who, as members of a military intelligence network and at the cost of their own lives, resisted Nazi domination. She was a master of disguise, intelligent, resourceful, and cunning, but most of all incredibly brave.

I, and I assume most of us, had never heard of this woman, but once I became immersed in Marie-Madeleine's story, I did more research online and learned something more of her story, and then the author's note at the end of this book (make sure you read it) answered many more of my questions. She also lists her sources for this novel, and I have asked my local library to try and obtain some of these for me. She explains the liberties she took with the truth and the characters in order to produce a readable novel, and eminently readable it is.

The Mademoiselle Alliance is not a quick read. There were days I had to put it down and walk away, overwhelmed, sickened, afraid for this amazing woman and her children. I cried. Copiously. I was also amazed by the strength, determination and courage of Marie-Madeleine and, like the author, developed a 'hero-worship' of her.

There are many other wonderful characters in this novel, Léon, Lucien, to name but two - but I shall leave you to discover them for yourself.

After the harrowing opening to this novel, there came a point where I worried that this was going to be superficial and nothing more than a love (yes, love - not romance) story set against the backdrop of WWII. How wrong I was.

Thank you, Natasha Lester. I have rediscovered my love of history through your passion and your storytelling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheMademoiselleAllianceNatashaLester #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Natasha lives in Perth, Western Australia with her 3 children and loves fashion, history, practicing the art of fashion illustration, collecting vintage fashion, travelling and, of course, books. Prior to writing, she worked as a marketing executive for L’Oreal, managing the Maybelline brand, before returning to university to study creative writing.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing an e-ARC of The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

It was 1938 in Paris when Marie-Madeleine's life changed forever. The Nazis were devouring Paris and joining the resistance was a no-brainer for the adventurous young woman. A mother with two young children, Marie-Madeleine would soon head the resistance group known as Alliance, where they grew in strength and numbers, receiving aid from Britain. Known only by code names, it wasn't long before the Nazis were aware of Alliance - there were plenty who would betray the group to the Germans - and Marie-Madeleine would shift their headquarters many times, only just staying ahead of the Nazis who were determined to rid Paris of their existence. But the courage of men and women who were determined to see their country free from the domination and cruelty that surrounded them continued.

Marie-Madeleine would be captured - and escape - along with many of her fellow resistance members. A lot would lose their lives to the brutality of the Nazis but Marie-Madeleine kept her courage and determination, while missing her children desperately, and craving peace...

The Mademoiselle Alliance is an exceptional piece of historical fiction, based heavily on fact, by Aussie author Natasha Lester and in my opinion, it is her best yet! Her author's notes are descriptive and heartbreaking; definitely not to be read before the novel. I hadn't heard of Marie-Madeleine, but certainly have now. What an amazing woman, running a huge resistance group on her own, while battling shocking odds. This is one book I recommend very highly.

With thanks to NetGalley & Hachette AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

If you follow my reviews you know Natasha Lester is an auto buy for me, so get ready for this week her new book is about to be released ... and yes ... it is another five star read! I applaud Natasha once more as she flies the flag for these incredible women from history who so deserve their story to be told. This time we follow along with Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the only woman to lead a resistance network in France during the Second World War.

'My place is the air, the void, the very edges of existence. And from that place, I manage 3,000 agents, the only network that covers the whole of France'.

Truly an incredibly inspiring woman, Marie-Madeleine helped France and the allies win the war putting her country first above all else. Natasha truly captures not only the time and place but more importantly the voice of the many who battled the Nazis. She brings to life Marie-Madeleine as a resistance fighter, as a leader, as a mother and as a woman in a man’s world. The risks and sacrifices that these heroic people undertook for the love of what was right and just is heart wrenching. Love and loss, bravery and brutality all come together in this fight against tyranny.

“These women will set the world ablaze. And from their courage, a better one will rise. We have to let them.”

Fans of Natasha will not be disappointed with this latest addition. For all historical fiction buffs this is a story you simply must read for its passion and power, for its inspiring and informative detail. A masterclass in beautifully crafted writing of an incredible tale.

“What’s happened in Alliance is extraordinary. I don’t know if ever again in history there’ll be another woman like you, MarieMadeleine.”







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

How do you even begin to review a book that moved you to tears? …That prompted you to spiral into research mode for a whole Sunday afternoon looking into more of the history this book is based upon to learn more….? That made you consider purchasing a $350 book*, ~in French~ (of which I’d be able to read very, very little) because it’s from the protagonists own words…?
*n.b. I resisted lol.

✨ This book was incredible! ✨ It was also confronting, moving, astonishing and completely inspiring.
This is why I love historical fiction. This is exactly why.

It’s unfathomable to me what went on during Hitler’s reign of tyranny for both the good and the bad reasons. I cannot fathom the loss and cruelty and evil that was carried out. But simultaneously, I cannot fathom the bravery, courage and love that endured as well. These people blow my mind. These are the true hero’s and the names that history should remember.
Names like ✨Marie-Madeleine Fourcade ✨ The only female leader of a French resistance network during WW2.

This book personified love.
A mother’s love for her children. A couples love for each other. The love between mates. The love of your country. And the love that exists in hope.

I cannot wait until mid-April for our book club. This is our book of the month and we have the very lovely, intelligent and beautiful Natasha Lester joining with us to discuss this book. I cannot wait.
You all know I’m a massive fangirl for this author 🙈 so this is an absolute honour 🤍

I am so thrilled that I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this book (thank you @netgalley 🫶🏼).
I look forward to my preordered paper back arriving so I can transfer all @amazonkindle highlights to book tabs 🥰

Available in stores this week- March 26th ✨

On paper this one ticked all my boxes. I enjoy historical fiction particularly when forgotten women are recognised. It was clear that the author had done a lot of research and her passion for the subject and people in history was evident. Most of the characters were so loveable that their challenges broke my heart repeatedly throughout the book but their sense of resilience and hope shone through. My issue was the pacing. The story felt too slow and dragged on which isn’t something I have experienced in previous books I have read by this author. I also didn’t enjoy the love story. I understand this is based on real people but the connection felt rushed so I wasn’t emotionally invested. While this wasn’t my favourite Natasha Lester book, I can appreciate the research that went into this story. Marie-Madeline sounds like an incredible woman and I will continue to research her story.

Born in 1909, Marie Madeleine Méric (later Fourcade), mother of two children and separated from husband Edouard Méric, was working as a journalist in Paris in 1936 when she met Navarre, the man who would change her life. She had already led an exciting life, growing up in Shanghai, and later helping Edouard, a French intelligence officer, gather information from women in Morocco for the government, while also driving rally cars and learning to fly.

Navarre, WW1 flying ace and hero, was a French military intelligence officer whose warnings to Prime Minister De Gaulle about Hitler’s preparations for war have been falling on deaf ears. Now he’s decided to publicly publish information smuggled out of Germany detailing what is really happening so the public are aware and recruits Marie Madeleine to help with collecting the papers. This intelligence gathering network later expanded as war was declared, under the auspices of Britain’s MI6, after DeGaulle refused to help them with funds and equipment.

Known as Alliance, the network eventually grew into a resistance movement with 3000 agents covering all regions of France with Marie Madeleine taking over as its leader, after Navarre was arrested and imprisoned. Marie Madeleine would give up so much for France, not least of all not seeing her children grow up, as she could rarely visit them. She had to deal with the fallout from traitors in the ranks and the deaths of agents she had grown close to and come to rely on. In total 439 agents would be killed by the Nazis, often after suffering the worst imprisonment and torture.

Based on the real accounts of this unsung heroine, the only woman to lead a French Resistance network in WW2, this is an amazing tale of sacrifice, betrayal, loss, love, leadership and extreme courage under impossible circumstances. Natasha Lester has done a brilliant job in researching Marie Madeleine and Alliance, pulling together facts to bring her vibrancy to life and writing a fascinating novel that engages from the start and keeps the reader enthralled. This is without a doubt the best novel I have read about a French resistance network in WW2.

Historical fictions are my favourite genre, but it’s just made so much better when they are inspired by true events and when the author takes the time to mention what parts of the book are facts vs real.
Women and our courage are so underrated and undermined, it is insulting. However, sometimes women have been forced to use this to their advantage to win in this patriarchal world. Women are not weak, we can be both mothers and a CEO, both mothers and a spy! Such is the story of Marie-Madeleine!
We know so much about World War 2 and the wars men have fought. But do you know how the most successful spy agencies were run by women? France’s biggest spy network was run by Marie-Madeleine and she was a lioness. You have to read this story and the authors note after, to know what she did and what she was capable of. She was a fearless leader and a loving mother and front and foremost a true patriot. She fulfilled all responsibilities to a T.

I have loved this book, I have smiled laughed and cried with the “Noah’s Arc” and felt all the emotions with them. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia for giving me this book! This one will always be special as it’s my first physical ARC!!

I really loved this book. It was paced, it had great characters and the story was compelling and moving. I think this is her best yet. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars!

thank you netgalley and hachette for access to an early copy of this book.

sometimes you read a book that just takes your breathe away, the mademoiselle alliance did that to me so many times, this was truly an incredible book and an incredible story. i really enjoy natasha lesters writing and i find her storytelling to be incredibly beautiful, which was why i was so excited to pick up this book.

the fact that this story is based on fact breaks my heart and makes the reading experience so much more impactful. i was blown away by marie-madeleine over and over again, and the fact that she and her friends, family and her huge team fighting against the nazis were real makes me so proud of the strength that humans have. this was truly a phenomenal read and i would HIGHLY recommend!

'My place is the air, the void, the very edges of existence. And from that place, I manage 3,000 agents, the only network that covers the whole of France'.

Marie-Madeleine is just a 30 year old mother of two, living in France, estranged from her husband, when the reality of Hitler's impending advancement becomes clear. When asked to help courier some bits of information to British intelligence, she deosn't hesitate. Little does she know that not only is this the dawn of WW2 escalating, it's the introduction to the evolution of the French Resistance. Although clearly a woman with gumption, if her rally car racing and aviation skills were anything to go by, ultimately it was her dogged resilience, in the face of fascism, that propelled to become the leader of the largest, nation-wide resistance group- Alliance.

This a great piece of historical fiction based on the real life Marie-Madeline. A mother who utterly resisted the idea of Germany’s occupation of France and all they stood for. Lester does well to give a feminine voice and mother’s perspective to the violence of war, ‘The train draws into the Gare de Lyon in Paris…I leave behind the mother who has no children and become, once more Herisson’.

Firm fans of Lester’s fiction, will not be disappointed with this latest addition. It also another coup for bringing women written in the margins of fiction to the fore.

‘It will make you believe in the power of a few courageous souls, led by one remarkable woman, to change lives and give humankind back its freedom’.

Natasha Lester uses the true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade as a basis for her latest historical fiction novel and she was the only woman to lead a resistance network in France during the Second World War. A risk taker, Marie-Madeleine liked to drive fast cars and fly planes and she did this while living with her husband Édouard Méric in Morocco and when they separated she moved back to France.

Marie-Madeleine was approached by a man calling himself Navarre to start a resistance group, to fight back and to free France with the help of the English. They have no idea Hedgehog is a woman, one who had to keep her children safe and her identity a secret. You read what it was like to live and survive in France at the time and as the resistance group grows. Marie-Madeleine had to worry about finding radio operators to pass on vital intelligence and organize air drops and everyone in the group doesn’t stay in one place for long and they play a game of cat and mouse with Gestapo and traitors.

I received a copy of The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester from NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand in exchange for an honest review. At stages the narrative did move along at a slow pace, I was concerned at first and Ms Lester obviously had to lay the groundwork and a foundation.

A story about leadership, bravery and courage, war, friendship and the bond Marie-Madeleine had with the fellow resistance members, danger and sacrifice and even romance. An inspirational and amazing woman, and Marie-Madeleine helped France and the allies win the war and she put her country and children first and herself last, I highly recommend and five stars from me.

My first Natasha Lester book but certainly won't be my last. I've got another of her books on my tbr pile already.

I had never heard of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade before I read this book but I will certainly be searching for more information on her now. What an incredible woman she was, so brave, daring, talented and commanding. The Alliance would have crumbled without her at the helm, fighting for what she believed in, as did the thousands of brave men and women who worked for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Big thanks to Hachette for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A woven tapestry of fact and fiction reveals the selflessness and determination of a dedicated group that fought the Nazis within.
True martyrs that made a difference with their bravery and resolve.
A heart stopping prologue sets the scene.
Marie-Madeline from a young age embraced life and adventure and generally didn’t conform to the norm.
A devoted mother who enjoyed a wild ride in life with rally car driving, flying planes and using her intelligence to make a difference.
The fragility of peace was replaced by destructive war as the world divided in its respective alliances.
Marie-Madeline was approached to join the resistance and fight the Germans in her own country with a network of fighters.
Brave missions and intelligence gathering, true love and an insight into an underworld that undermined the enemy all mingle in this epic testimony.
It takes talent to bring an era back to life and let the reader experience the horrors of life during the war.
The emotions, descriptions and peripheral detail paid tribute to the real and very remarkable Marie-Madeline.
This courage will now live on.