THE SPY'S WIFE, which takes place in mid-1930s Europe, follows Evie Armstrong and her family, who have spent their lives running the Levisham train station in England. We meet her father Alf and sister Rosie, as well as a mystery man referred to as the Southerner, with whom Evie falls in love. But what should be the beginning of a beautiful life together for Evie and her new beau Max, quickly turns into a future plagued with danger and peril against the backdrop of Hitler's rising power and the horrors of Nazism.

Fiona McIntosh's characters are developed beautifully, especially Evie and Max, and her ability to capture the feelings and fear permeating the very fabric of life in pre-WWIl Europe is astounding. You care so much for our protagonists as they face unspeakable dangers, especially
Evie who is thrown into a world she could have never prepared for, all for the sake of love.

I absolutely adore historical novels surrounding the World Wars, and Fiona does a fantastic job at providing historical context to her fictionalized storyline. We learn about Hitler's failed coup in the early 1920s that sets the stage for his infamous rise as Führer leading into WWII, as well as a very famous car company's role in helping build Nazi Germany's war machine. It was fascinating and as a history lover, I loved reading every word of it.

THE SPY'S WIFE is a beautifully written novel from beginning to end-so descriptive with wonderful imagery that creates a picture in your mind of the lovely English countryside as well as the rich architecture of Germany. I recommend it whole-heartedly and without reservation.

I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Fiona McIntosh, and Storm Publishing for gifting me the ARC of THE SPY'S WIFE. I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read this novel before publication.

When Evie falls for a handsome stranger who arrives on a train at the station where she lives and works, she ends up with far more than she could have expected.
I really enjoyed the description of life in Germany during the 1930s, and the way that Evie reacts to the perilous situation she finds herself in. You can feel the dark clouds gathering on the horizon as Germany rearms, the open and blatant anti-Semitism woven through the story creates a sense of peril and fear felt by the characters. I thought the depiction of the German people was very well done, with keen supporters of the Nazis and civilians prepared to look the other way as atrocities took place, but also those who were determined to resist what was happening in their homeland. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Recommended read!

After a slow start, I enjoyed The Spy's Wife. This novel tells the story of Evie, a young British widow in 1936, who helps her dad, the local train stationmaster, and looks forward to seeing a handsome stranger she feels a connection with, Roger. The Government is concerned about spies in the area - and when she learns that Roger is actually a reluctant German spy named Max who is only spying to protect his half-Jewish son in Germany, Evie makes a deal with the British authorities to return with Max to Germany as his wife in order to collect intelligence about preparations for a possible upcoming war. I can't say much more without some serious spoilers but I can say that the characters are well written and interesting and I liked how everything was wrapped up nicely at the end of the novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like a light and easy read, despite the terrible setting - just before the second world war - with accessible characters and language.
I wasn't sure that it was entirely believable - would the British secret service release a suspected spy simply because his fiance of 24 hours asked them to? Would they accept her as a spy and send her off to Germany with minimal training?
Despite these niggling doubts I did enjoy the story and wanted to see how it turned out. Having visited many of the places referred to in the story helped me engage with the story. For once I managed to predict how it would end, a rarity for me which perhaps says something out the predictability of the ending?
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read, and enjoy, this ARC

This was a great book that I couldn't put down. I found it very interesting and suspenseful. I would highly recommend it. I would like to thank Storm Publishing for this ARC in return of my honest review.

As always, Fiona McIntosh spins a really good yarn . Great locations and sense of time, with likeable and interesting characters, who you come to care about. Evie is an amazing character , who is clever and brave, and is prepared to do anything for the man she loves. Fiona has captured the ambivalent feelings people had about Hitler and the likelihood of impending war. There is a lot of suspense as Evie endeavours to do her job and save her husband and his son. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for sending me the ARC of this novel. I have not read anything by this author in the past, but I see that she is quite prolific, and will read more of hers in the future. I enjoyed this book about spies in England & Germany during WWII (I don't want to give too much away). It is always nice to remind people that women kept the countries going while the men were off at war. Love and sacrifice are prominent themes in this story. And, the ability to adapt to your environment like a chameleon is valuable.

The Spy's Wife is set in 1936 England and Germany. Hitler and the Nazis are rising to power.
Widow Evie Armstrong falls in love with widower and German spy Max Hall.
Their whirlwind relationship is jeopardized when Max is arrested by British Intelligence.
Evie believes Max is innocent. She offers to travel to Germany with Max to gain intelligence on the Nazis. Evie believes this mission will prove Max's credibility.
Max's first wife Rachel died in childbirth leaving him a single father to his son Jonas. Because Rachel was Jewish, Max and Evie fear for his safety. They also want to use this spying mission to get Jonas out of Germany.
The Spy's Wife is another great historical fiction story by Fiona McIntosh. The story is a nail-biter!
Will Evie and Max be discovered before uncovering Nazi intelligence?
Will Jonas get out of Germany before it's too late?
Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a twist on the usual historical fiction that I read and all the better for it. The characters are beautifully crafted and I found myself rooting for them right to the end.

Many historical fiction readers will enjoy this story set in Yorkshire and Munich before WWII. Very engaging but not realistic. Evie is almost too perfect. Max was a little dull. Giselle was the perfect Nazi snitch, hateful to the core. The story was predictable at times but had a lot of historical information.

This is the second Fiona McIntosh book I have read. The author does a great job describing both rural British railway station life and life in Nazi Germany right before the war. There is much suspense that held my attention throughout.

The main character, Evie, is incredibly brave, intelligent, and loving person. You are definitely rooting for her throughout the book. And I did get emotional at the end.

I highly recommend this book, as I did the other book "The Pearl Thief". Both are so well written!

historical fiction at its best. and its best for me surrounding this period in our history. i live war historical fiction. i have done ever since my first read of them. and Fiona has smashed this book and reminded me all over again(as i need one) why books are brilliant, and why books of this period are even more brilliant in my eyes.
i also am one of those people who when really into a book you will know because 20 tabs open up on my internet feed as im trying to learn more from whats in the book regarding a place the book is located regarding the war. terms, people. or just more surrounding the story that the author has intrigued me about in their writing. and this book did just that. i was googling all the places and themes and seeing what more i could learn.
surrounding this of course though has to be a brilliant story. and this one handed me that too. from start to finish i was hooked. from start to finish i was needing to read faster to know where the story would go next and what would happen to our main character who was one hell of a woman. which im quickly learning there is a plethora of these woman true to life of that time too!
the build was right there with the pacing so by the climax i was tense as anything. but i loved that and i was excited every time i got to read more which i then did and refused to budge so i could finish almost in two sittings.
in this time we had those trained to serve us. but those people who also did spying or acting undercover to foil or find out more from the regime were often just brave folk with little training at all, or certainly not one you'd think could warrant the strength and guts it must have taken to do the stuff they did for us.
this book is about a woman who fall for someone around the time Hitler and his power in and over Germany was gaining traction.
Evie has been lonely for a while so when she finds love its something to hold on to. but this takes her into a time of danger. where the risks she takes are truly whoa. but suspicion is everywhere during this time and when it falls far to close to home Evie has decisions to make.i cant imagine if someone you care about during this time is accused of things you cant bring yourself to believe or how it might change everything you once believed.
what Evie does next is frankly incredible. and i often think this of anyone during this time how did anyone do the things they did during this time. following along in fiction gave me a separation from it enough not be too overwhelmed but also at times hits closer to home even more so! because maybe it being fiction it can take you to places we normally wouldn't go with reality. I was rooting for Evie all the way, and reminded once again how love is and causes a resolve and strength ive often found unmatched or unbeatable.
the depth to the emotional aspect and storytelling really immersed me into this book. from the way the characters are fleshed out to us, the locations and scene setting. it was just brill.
this book really made me think. and think over some new things to especially the issue of trust at that time. also what a woman had to do was sadly so telling. as she had to act like some dim 'woman' to get to where she needed to be. haha how apt!
a super book. loved it.

This book grew on me as it progressed. The ending was great, a tense climax as an untrained spy upset the odds and gained crucial info about the Nazi regime before WW2 started. I thought the opening was unrealistic where the love interest fell for each other very quickly yet had lasting passionate feelings for each other. The characterisation is great, especially the female lead and her nazi nemesis and there is some really good description surrounding events. The book is well researched and informative about Munich in 1936, making this an enjoyable read

This was a well-written and tense novel about a woman who first falls for Mas, a man who was being blackmailed into spying for the Germans in the mid 1930s as Hitler was increasing his power in Germany and making moves to spread his power throughout Europe. Improbably, she is sent to Germany to work with Max to spy on the Germans.

This was an original story about a location and time period that isn’t covered that often. I enjoyed it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

The Spy's Wife captivated me from the very first page. Fiona McIntosh crafts a beautifully detailed world where Evie, a widow longing for love, finds herself unexpectedly swept into a web of intrigue and danger. The relationship between Evie and Roger is tender and genuine, making it all the more heartbreaking when suspicion arises amidst the gathering storm of war.

What I truly loved about this novel is how McIntosh brings Evie’s internal struggle to life. She is such a relatable character, torn between her feelings for Roger and the realization that he may not be who he seems. The transition from the quiet life of a stationmaster’s daughter to the high-stakes realm of espionage is thrilling, and I found myself cheering for Evie as she navigates the treacherous waters of deception.

The vivid descriptions transport you to the windswept moors and bustling streets of 1930s Germany, making each scene come alive. I was on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages to see how Evie would outsmart those who threaten her happiness.

While the pacing sometimes felt a bit uneven, the emotional depth and rich storytelling kept me engaged throughout. Overall, The Spy's Wife is a delightful blend of love, courage, and intrigue.

Evie's quiet life assisting her father on a Yorkshire rural railway station helps her come to terms with widowhood and she's generally satisfied with life although her sister Rosie definitively is not. She longs for glamour, excitement and a husband. Enter a regular passenger, Roger. Rosie falls for him, Evie befriends him and that friendship develops. It's 1936 and there are rumours of German spies. Roger is arrested as a German spy just as he and Evie become engaged. Evie does not believe he's a spy and things get rather far-fetched in that she ends going to Germany with him as his wife and to act as a British spy. Mostly she has to act as a lovelorn dim woman interested in shopping and pleasing her husband but has to inveigle her way into German society, be seen to support the Nazi party and to gather intelligence. Roger, now Max, also has problems and is under threat from the Germans - he's a widower with a young son and his late wife was Jewish. The son has been taken under the wing of the ghastly Giselle who wants Max, an old boyfriend. The book certainly shows the dangers, fears, not knowing who to trust in a pretty awful time in history. Evie and Max both have trust issues. There is plenty of suspense and everything come together in the end although not is a typical sugary way. The history was well researched, the characters very human and, overall, this was a good read. Bit slow at times, bit rushed at times but that probably reflect life during the late 1930s. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Absolutely fabulous book. The historical context was wonderful. The characters were truly believable. The storyline was marvellous. 10/10

In rural England in 1936, widow Evie Armstrong is living a peaceful life running the Levisham train station with her father and sister. But when a handsome stranger starts making frequent stops at their station, Evie quickly falls in love with Roger. But when Roger is revealed to be a spy for Germany, Evie has to listen to her heart and prove that Roger is a true English patriot.

Putting herself at risk, Evie joins Roger (aka Max) in Munich as his new wife. Evie will have to toe the line between appearing to be a hapless housewife while secretly collecting intelligence on behalf of England. When one of her contacts is arrested, Evie will have to accelerate her timeline to save herself and prove Max’s loyalty to England.

This was a great piece of historical fiction combined with mystery. The reader can really feel the tension of everyday life in Germany for anyone even mildly opposed to the Nazi regime. I was on edge every time Evie had to interact with the enemy. I did think the relationship between Evie and Roger/Max felt a bit rushed at the beginning of the book, but the pacing improved as the book went on. This book is a great reminder of how frightening life can be when neighbors turn against neighbors and how love is greater than hate. An important lesson in the time’s we’re living in!

A Gripping Tale of Love and Betrayal
The Spy’s Wife is a compelling read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Fiona McIntosh masterfully weaves suspense, romance, and historical intrigue into a story that’s both emotional and thrilling. The characters are richly drawn, especially the brave and determined heroine, and the plot moves at a perfect pace. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction with a twist of espionage. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I read quite a bit of WWII literature and enjoyed this book with quite an interesting twist. The wife is the spy. Recruited by the Brits and married to a German man, Evie is the perfect heroine with pluck, smarts and a true sense of loyalty. There's a bit of love story, evil Germans, especially Giselle and enough intrigue to provide suspense. I did think the book could have been edited down a bit in length. Overall, a very good read.