The Spy Keeper of Marseille by Roseanna M. White

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
Content: Clean

 

Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few. With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and prove herself to those who doubt a woman’s place at the helm of France’s largest spy ring.

Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi sympathizers. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded messages over the airwaves.

As Zelie and Marcel grow closer through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at risk. When a double agent infiltrates their ranks and the two are captured, their bond faces its greatest test . . . and any misstep could jeopardize not only Alliance but the very outcome of the war.

 

“None of us have done this work before-but we learn, because we must. We stand up, because lying down isn't an option. We fight with our wits and our words, because that's all they've left us."

 

This is the second WWII era novel by Roseanna M. White, and while it's not considered a series there are character cameos from the other book. I ended up liking this but it started out really slow for me, and I didn't really get into the story until around 40 percent in. At that point there were events that occurred that had me glued to it from then on. Though I liked The Collector of Burned Books better than this one, I thought this book had more of the danger and intrigue that I felt that book lacked. I think the author did a good job with that without it getting too grim for a romance. I'm interested in seeing what else the author writes during this time period.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House for providing me with an ARC of this book.