I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Secret Librarian on NetGalley and I was not disappointed. Soraya Lane weaves her stories so skillfully that I often feel like I am there with the main characters, in the thick of the action. The story begins in the early 1940s, during WWII, and is told in two voices - that of Avery, an American librarian who yearns for something more in life, and Camille, a French woman whose husband was murdered by the Nazis, and who has made it her life's goal to avenge her husband's death and find out who betrayed them. The two women meet in Lisbon where Avery has been sent to microfilm foreign newspapers for the Government and Camille runs a book ship, pretending to be a Portuguese widow all the while helping Jewish refugees from France. This story kept me on the edge of my seat at times and I liked that the mysteries were all wrapped up nicely at the end - with the hopeful, happy ending that I love so much too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderfully written story of women playing their part in the Nazi resistance efforts during WW ll.
Avery is a librarian in NY, highly skilled at micro filming when she is recruited to work as an undercover asset
in Lisbon, sending reels back to the US of Nazi aligned publications in both books and newspapers.
In her new job abroad, she meets up with Camille, a bookstore owner in Lisbon, who unbeknownst to Avery, is a French resistance operative helping displaced Jews and others to escape from the Nazi regime.
A friendship and kinship of effort is born between them and the riveting story evolves amidst daily dangers of
discovery and arrest by the relentless Nazi officers. Not knowing whom to trust, and suspicious of everyone, the ladies bind in a friendship based on instinctive gut guidance and a mutual belief in the tenets of democracy.
Just a great suspenseful story with a pace that moves right along.
Characters are true to definitions and absolutely relatable.
Great read.

This is a truly inspirational story. It’s fascinating, captivating and totally riveting! Set in the unusual World War Two location of neutral Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon was a hot-bed of espionage with both Axis and Allied spies and double agents operating openly during the war. The story focuses on two brave and courageous young women, each with something to prove. Avery is a librarian from America sent on a secret mission to Lisbon. Former French Resistance Operative Camille, now runs a bookshop under a false name. They become firm friends and support each other in their work. Strong bonds are formed. It’s gritty, raw and emotional. Highly recommend

Historical fiction author Soraya Lane gives heroic women the recognition they deserve and brings untold stories of women’s courage to light. She transported me to a time of danger, intrigue, and bravery as I followed her characters who risked it all, navigating the dangerous world of espionage.

Avery Johnson represented the female empowerment that occurred at this time in history. Wartime demanded more of women, and they stepped up to the plate. I cheered her on as she stepped out of the carefully curated life she was expected to live and into one of surpassing courage and resourcefulness. I learned about the necessary role of the OSS, in particular, the Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications, and the usefulness of microphotography during wartime.

I truly felt I’d been swept back in time and could feel the tension mounting as Avery established who she could and could not trust. It’s always nerve-wrecking when the reader knows more than the character! Lane is a trusted author, and I love that I know what to expect when I read one of her 5-star novels.

If you enjoy compelling characters and a gripping historical backdrop, don’t miss this one.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

When I realized this author's latest book was set in Lisbon, I jumped at the opportunity to read the ARC. Knowing that Portugal was neutral during World War II makes you think it was a safe place to ride out the war, but it had its own brutal fascist regime. Having just read a book about the Carnation Revolution that overthrew that dictatorship in 1974, I knew how dangerous Lisbon was.

Avery, the secret librarian, was recruited by the OSS because she was a Columbia University graduate who had been trained to preserve printed material on microfilm. Even better, she spoke three languages, two of which she spoke fluently. Unfortunately, her parents felt that the only goal for a woman was to get married and stay at home to raise a family. I admired her determination to break free from those expectations in such a dramatic fashion. But for me, the bigger heroine of this story is Camille, who had been involved in the French Resistance since 1940 and had already lost everyone she loved. Her resilience, bravery, and endless compassion for the Jewish refugees in Lisbon inspired Avery to do even more than her job.

I expected to be absorbed by the espionage details of this book because Lisbon was famously known as a city of spies during World War II, or to be wrapped up in the drama of the multitude of Jewish refugees gathered in Rossio Square. Believe me, that's all there, but the depth of the bond between Avery and Camille was the true star of the story for me. It's a rare connection, but if you've had a friendship like that in your own life, theirs will ring true for you. Soraya Lane's writing is flawless, as is her research. It's impressive how she drops seemingly unimportant details throughout the story, but ties them all together at the end. Be prepared for your heart to race and your palms to sweat as the tension builds, and then to need a box of tissues as your heart shatters. The Secret Librarian is not to be missed. I loved it.

Sprays Lane has always been a favorite author of mine! Her books are deeply researched and blend history with the present in such a unique, original way. The Secret Librarian is no different! Amazing and beautiful novel!

A quiet rebellion, a fierce friendship, and the war fought in shadows—The Secret Librarian is a powerful reminder of how the most unassuming people can change the course of history.

Set in Lisbon during World War II—a city strategically neutral, but morally ambivalent—Soraya M. Lane’s latest novel shines a much-needed light on a theatre of war often overlooked in historical fiction. The Portuguese capital, known as the “Capital of Espionage,” becomes the perfect backdrop for a story about risk, resistance, and the resilience of women navigating complex political and personal landscapes.

At the heart of this novel are two women from opposite worlds: Avery, an American librarian recruited by the OSS to microfilm enemy newspapers, and Camille, a French bookseller and former Resistance operative forced to conceal her past—and her compassion—beneath the gaze of occupying forces. Both characters grapple with constraints placed on them by their societies, and both refuse to be defined by them.

What makes The Secret Librarian stand out is its refusal to romanticise neutrality. Through Avery’s gradual awakening, we see how Lisbon’s apparent safety is riddled with contradictions. Officials tolerate Jewish refugees not out of policy, but because of public sympathy. Meanwhile, suspicion falls swiftly on anyone suspected of aiding the Allies. When Avery arrives, she still believes in the idea of Lisbon as “neutral ground.” Camille quickly—and rightly—disabuses her of that notion.

Lane draws attention to the gendered expectations that shaped wartime narratives. Avery's arc—from a woman expected to marry and settle down, to one who risks her life to preserve freedom and truth—is deeply empowering. The book explicitly challenges the idea that only those on the front lines shaped the war. Here, women preserve knowledge, forge papers, distribute hope—and take risks that go unseen in history books.

And perhaps that’s what makes The Secret Librarian so important: it illuminates the invisible war fought not just with weapons, but with words, choices, and quiet defiance. These are the stories we must keep telling—of librarians as spies, of books as tools of resistance, of women who defied silence with action.

This is a story of agency, reinvention, and resistance, and it left me both heartbroken and hopeful. I’m a long-time fan of Soraya M. Lane, and The Secret Librarian is a standout addition to her growing legacy of unsung heroines.

I was captivated by Avery & Camille’s escapades. The biggest question that faced them was who to trust?
Avery is unsure of her feelings romantically so is thrilled when she is offered a position abroad, this would allow her time & space.
When she first arrives in Lisbon she is amazed at how busy it is, then in dismayed to discover that the colleague who was going to be taking her through the process of her duties, is leaving the next day.
When Avery makes contact with Camille at the local bookshop they are wary of one another, can Avery trust her!
This is a story of trust, secrecy & survival . I loved it.

I loved the excitement, secrecy and daring of Avery and Camille. My favourite character was Avery, can’t say who my ,
Least favourite was without spoiling the story. I so look forward to more by this author.

New York WW2 a unique fictional story.
Librarian Avery Johnson is longing for adventure not ready for marriage, when she gets the chance doing microfilming as a undercover intelligent she's sent off to Lisbon in Portugal.
Bookshop owner French widow Camille befriend Avery with contacts, but can she trust her?
Living in the city of spies is not for the faint of heart.
Wonderful just Wonderful, I couldn't put this book down.
What a journey what a story what a joy to read.
A gripping tale,
harrowing in chapters,
That draw you into another time, another world.
I absolutely loved this book.

Gripping
It’s 1942 and thanks to her expertise in microfilming, New York librarian Avery has been recruited by the OSS to go to Lisbon to record documents, newspapers and books, for the intelligence services to examine, under the guise of making a record of things for the Library of Congress. Whilst in Lisbon, she meets and befriends bookshop owner Camille who worked with the French resistance but who now helps forge documents to help Jewish refugees leave Portugal for America
I really enjoyed this book, it looked at the other side of the war, a story set in a so called neutral country that had so many spies in that everyone was suspicious of everyone else. It wasn’t something that I had really thought of before but reading about it made it real and I was so drawn into the story that Avery and Camille felt real to me and I could feel the drama and danger that they both had to face throughout the story
Avery and Camille are very different people, but they both have the same goal, to do everything they can to help the Allies succeed. Avery starts off very naive, but soon becomes a more developed character and it’s easy to see her as a spy, is her naivety part of an act or just who she is? Camille on the other hand has experienced loss and has been forced from France to Portugal thanks to someone who betrayed her resistance cell (this is all told in the first few chapters so not spoilers) and who now works to help refugees whilst running her bookshop that caters to all people, even when it puts her in danger
The bond between Camille and Avery may not initially seem a normal one but this is war and these two women have a lot more in common than it may seem
A lot of the story focuses around Avery and Camilles work and how they support those in need of forged documents to be able to escape and the danger that it puts on them. For a neutral country, there is an ever present danger and the story was so well written that it drew me in and had me staying up late to keep reading. I have a couple of other books by this author on my kindle and they have just jumped to the top of my to be read pile!
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a wartime historical novel full of danger and drama that you won’t be able to put down

This exciting and brave world war II novel tells the riveting tale of an American woman's brave journey through war torn Europe during the secod world war. I will admit that I was hooked and intrigued by this book the moment that I saw the cover on Netgalley. A lot of people like to think that all WWII stories are the same but that is not true they are all different in their own way. In this one we have an exciting plot and interesting characters.
In 1942 We are introduced to a young woman named Avery who lives in New York. She is longing for adventure before she settles down to married life so she decides to jump at the chance for a undercover intelligence gathering job in Portugal. Once she arrives she realizes that this is far more different than her Librarian job.
Avery then becomes acquainted with Camille a bookshop owner from Paris who has been a widow for a year. She has access to enemy material which she gladly hands over to Avery. However, the circumstances involving the death of her husband are very suspicious and the enemy seems to be lurking around every corner. Will Avery and Camille be able to survive this situation without betraying each other.