Ebook: 362 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII,
Publisher: HQ Digital 2023
Source: Amazon Purchase
First Sentence: If the war had taught Iris anything, it was that it was easier to lie during the blackout than in the cold light of day, and so it was with good reason that she always insisted on meeting Guy Mason after dark.
Review Quote: An exceptional tale, expertly crafted with endearing characters and an enthralling plot that will captivate readers.' NetGalley Reviewer,
My Opinion:
This second novel by Theresa Howes was published back in 2023 and has been on My Kindle for two years. Far too long, but at last I have read!
Set during WWII the female protagonist Iris, who is French, has been working in London for the British Intelligence Service. Her current mission takes an unexpected turn and to complete it successfully she has to return to France. She bases herself in Dijon, which is under German occupation, where she has family connections. With an extremely tense atmosphere in a town where everyone is under suspicion she does not have an easy task ahead of her.
Once again I found the author's style of writing appealing with a captivating storyline. Recommended to fans of the genre.
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
A country at war. A dangerous secret.
After a failed honey-trap mission for British Intelligence leads to the breakdown of her marriage, French journalist Iris escapes to Dijon, seeking refuge in the cottage of her beloved aunt, Eva. But Eva is gone, the streets are full of distrust, and Iris is soon followed by the very last man she wants to see – the British civil servant and traitor she was tasked with catching, now keen to rekindle their affair.
Eva’s home used to be a comforting place, where the locals sought out Eva’s homemade tinctures and cures and gifted jars of fresh honey from the garden. Now it is a place of danger, where threats loom in every corner. And as Iris spends more time there, she discovers a secret that will change the way she sees her aunt forever – and the course of her own life too…
Previous Review: The Secrets We Keep
Author Profile
Theresa Howes grew up in Shropshire and has a background as an actor. Her historical fiction has been long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Award, The Bath Novel Award, The Caledonia Novel Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.
She lives in London with her husband and Claude, a larger than average cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys seeing how many more plants she can cram into her tiny London garden, walking, and putting the world to rights over a gin and tonic.
Her debut novel, THE SECRETS WE KEEP was published in November 2022. Her second novel, THE FRENCH AFFAIR was published in December 2023. Her third novel, A MATTER OF PERSUASION, which is a Gilded Age retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set in 1882 in New York and Rhode Island, was published in January 2025.
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:
Authors Official Website. Amazon Author Profile Goodreads Author Profile