This was an intriguing story, set in wartime Paris. Though I have to admit, I expected a bit more focus on the war itself (which isn't to say the focus on the characters was bad, far from it!).

While Flora was born in France, at the beginning of the story we find her in the UK, navigating her daily life and work in a country focused on the war effort. Her husband fails on all fronts, though, which I guess was a necessary plot point. When Tomas finds her, through her connection to Lucien, a well-known Parisian designer, she's still haunted by memories of the twin daughters she was forced to abandon when Lucien chose to marry an heiress instead.

So what do they do? They set off for France to find out if Lucien is collaborating with the Germans and to gather some hard evidence. For Flora, this is primarily a personal mission to find her daughters and make sure they're safe. While things turn out differently than she imagined, she discovers secrets and hard truths that were kept hidden when she left Paris the first time around.

There were so many plot threads running at once—from the girls at the Moulin Rouge, Pablo Picasso and Edith Piaf making significant cameos, to Lucien's wife's involvement in the war effort, the girls' unresolved fates, and what exactly Tomas was even doing (right? tell me I'm not the only one!).

The central thread of Flora fighting for the truth about her children was definitely the most compelling. Intertwined with the constant threat of the German occupation, it makes for a captivating narrative. Her relationship with Tomas is the cherry on top, though the story would've worked well either way. It all ends rather abruptly, though. We don't get answers to half the key questions, so I'm hoping there's a sequel brewing!

Women's bravery during the Second World War is being talked about more and more these days, and I'm glad it keeps finding its way into historical fiction—especially without feeling unrealistic, imposing modern values, or side-lining men entirely. Jenny seems to know how to navigate that balance really well.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Moi ulubieni prawnicy i ich popierdzielony autor. Chociaż na tym etapie to chyba jestem równie popierdzielona jak on. Za daleko to zabrnęło, żeby odpuścić. Mogło być krócej ale przynajmniej ponaprawiał co popsuł w poprzednim tomie i chwała mu za to. Tylko skoro czeka nas połączenie uniwersum to muszę kolejną serię naprawiać... ech, czego to człowiek nie robi dla Chyłki i Zordona.

This was such a comfort read. And don't get me wrong, it tackles some heavy topics—alcoholism, cancer, homophobia, and more—but the characters, the circumstances, and the feelings are all just heartwarming in every sense.

The guys were in a band together, caught feelings, and loved each other, but then one got scared while the other was ready to come out. So it all falls apart, right? Fast-forward a few years and they reunite: someone is being much braver than before, and the feelings clearly never left. Sure, those feelings might have been buried deep, people keep lying to themselves that there's nothing there anymore—but love doesn't just disappear. Not if it's true love.

I was afraid it would be too heavy, especially when the difficult topics started to surface. But no, this is a very tasteful second-chance romance, exploring single parenthood, fame and what it costs, friendships, family, and what happens when people in love act stupid because they're scared. While very few of us will ever reach that level of fame, the characters are still completely relatable in their feelings, doubts, and worries, and in how they want to shape their lives going forward. I really enjoyed Cass's character growth—definitely a lot of work went into that—as well as Levi being the stupid one this time around, with his friends there to say, "WTF are you doing, man?"

This is definitely one I wouldn't mind coming back to for a re-read whenever I need a warm hug.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

So this is definitely an interesting one. I enjoyed the alternative royal setting and trying to figure out how to successfully come out without shattering the monarchy—it's been done a few times, but I feel like it was nicely done here by Zarah.

I saw some comments mentioning this started as fanfiction, but honestly, I couldn't care less. It's an enjoyable read—maybe a tad too prolonged in the second half, but overall it's not bad. We get into the emotions of both characters quite well. Both POVs serve their purpose and present their unique views of the world and each other. The friend circle is also a very interesting dynamic, and everyone deserves a group of friends like that!

As for the romance, well, it's a fairytale, isn't it? A boy with a difficult past helps the prince avoid a scandal, and then fate happens from there. The final drama portion was a bit dragged out—this definitely could have been shorter than it was in the end.

The annoying part, though, was definitely Leo. I'm sorry, but for half the book he is just the most hypocritical person I've ever read about! Sure, it's different when it's your own life and how your past affects others, but one moment you're saying people have to decide for themselves, and the next you take that choice away. Be for real. Joshua was definitely the MVP here and much the more mature one.

Overall it delivers what it promises, so a solid 3⭐, bordering on 3.5⭐.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Booksprout for an advanced copy.

This is a heavy one. Though to be honest, you'd have to try really hard to find a book set during the Vietnam War that's not heavy. With women at its core, it's a compelling read, that's for sure.

We follow two timelines - with Susan, prior to the war, and with Jude, right in the middle of it all. Both women have their own preconceptions upon arriving in Vietnam, their own goals and beliefs. The reality is so much different, though, that it clashes with everything they knew and were expecting, changing them forever.

Jude starts like a typical feminist of her time, 1967 not an easy year. Her ex-boyfriend steals her pitch for the story and goes to Vietnam without her, the editors don't want to send a woman, afraid of offending public sensivities (love that argument every time...). Jude is not giving up and she arranges to go as a freelancer. I was rooting for her from the beginning but I have to admit she quickly started getting on my nerves. It is difficult to funcion in a world that doesn't want you to do what you want to do, I get it. And to add to that, you're in a foreign country, in the middle of the war. But she was behaving like a teenager for the better part of the story. Her struggles with journalistic integrity were nicely potraited and you could really feel it through the pages.

Susan, on the other hand, arrived more mature and faced different obstacles. Her goals, her work - it all had noble ideas, everything was sanctioned by the US Government. She was helping people, making a change. Right up until the vail faded and she realized there's not going to be any choice left to the Vietnamese people, that the democracy she was hoping for was not coming. With her dreams shattered, she focused on what she could do, left the government job and went on to help people. South, North, doesn't matter, the choice should be theirs, she believed. Her own country disappointed her greatly.

The Vietnam War was a horrible experience for everyone involved. Through Jude and Susan we discover various attrocities on both sides, various arguments on what is right and what is wrong, what are the goals and motives behind the actions taken. I like that the historical fiction novels tackle more and more of those difficult topics these days. While I had some trouble with the characters here (mainly Jude), the story is worth spending some time with and maybe learning some more on human reactions to war crimes.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.