I really enjoyed this book, I love the region of Alsace and the history, and WW2 is my favourite genre, so I had to read this book.
I enjoyed the book and particularly liked the main characters, especially Margaux.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the book and felt that it was rushed, which was a shame as the rest of the book was great.
Thanks to Netgalley, Sharon Maas and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’m a huge fan of books set around World War II, and this one didn’t disappoint me. It’s a wonderful story of love, betrayal and hero’s surrounded by danger so you get that suspense element also.

One of the things I loved about this book was of how detailed the setting was. The descriptions brought such real life to the book as I was reading through, it felt as if I was there during the war.

The main character Sibyl returned to Alsace, France, her childhood home as a British Agent, not as a nurse in which is the profession she is trained in. Having spent most of her adult life in England. She speaks three languages so was the ideal candidate to help the French resistance. Shortly after parachuting into France, Sibyl met the Commander Wolfgang Von Haagan. Who happened to be the enemy and also the man who would steal her heart.

With strong characters who led the story from the start, you want to root for them and kind of protect them. Sibyl is an amazing character with raw guts. She is strong, yet kind hearted at the same time. It was one book I didn’t want to end.

Totally deserved of 5 stars.

Although advertised as a tragic love story, this isn't really what I got from this novel. There is the dangerous relationship between Sybill and a German, but the novel for me was an insight into the German annexation of the Ardennes region of France.

The author has clearly done her research of the area and the early parts of the novel especially when the family live on the vineyard are some of the most evocative and memorable..

Once the story brought the war into play, the history and plot brought some nice surprises and fascinating facts as I haven't read a novel set in this area during the war in a long time and certainly not as it's being annexed. Everything was changing for the people there, even the street names.The level of research and detail is impressive and I did feel the fear and horrors of war.throughout.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the love affair and Sybil's behaviour as many things she did created questions and doubts in my head but then I haven't been a spy during any war. Jacques was also a bit of a mystery to me and I'm still not sure what happened at the end as it all seemed to end a bit quickly. I would have loved to have found out more. ( I know more about wine than I would have expected though)

The author explains how she lived in the town of Freiburg for a while as a student, just across the river from Colmar and at this time has given her the setting of the novel. I think has given the novel a unique edge and as war novel works really well.

Review: This book is a master piece. 

I would like to firstly thank Bookouture and Noelle for letting me review and be apart of the blog tour for this incredible book. 

The first thing that captured by attention was the cover with its title and captions and after reading the blurb I just knew I had to find out more. Sharon Maas has written a beautifully detailed story set in WW2 which is just perfect to read as we remember the fallen in November. 

We follow Sibyl growing up and as we get to know her character we discover learn about a new area of the war. We also discover how our feelings and emotions are tested and affect people during war-time and when in grave danger. 

Such a lovely story. Perfect for fans of historical fiction and romance.

As soon as I saw the description for this book I knew I had to read it, with the cover making me even more intrigued!

The most wonderful thing about this book is how rich in detail and how beautifully this story is told, I just couldn't put it down! From meeting Sibyl as a child to jumping ahead as she grows and becomes an important part in helping the French resistance.

The historical side to this book was perfect for me as I read about a side to World War II that I hadn't really discovered before. The Soldier's Girl is heartbreaking at times showing both the good, darkness and evil that people experienced. It really felt as if I was a fly on the wall seeing it all play out especially in some of the more emotionally charged moments.

The characters had depth showing the reader that war changed everything and that people did things that they wouldn't necessarily do along with that strong sense of survival. There was danger at every turn for Sibyl and it made this book so addictive for me. Watching Sibyl blend in and assume a different life along with how lines can be blurred. Sharon Maas really brought to life all of Sibyl's fears, hopes and dreams which made her such an interesting character. After finishing this book I am still left thinking about it which is a true sign of an engaging story that definitely makes an impact!

With thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for my copy via Netgalley.

The Soldier's Girl is a monumental journey filled with enticingly dangerous espionage, loss and heartbreak and I was gripped from page one. It is a well researched and detail orientated story that picks you up and places you directly in Alsace France amidst World War II in such a way that you can almost smell the fear and horrors of war.

Sibyl's story transgresses a range of emotions and at times can be bleak and extremely difficult to read as her role as a spy becomes increasingly harder as the war progresses making danger more imminent. She is tough with a resourceful attitude which is a major highlight of the book creating a character who is able to hold the attention of the story extremely well. Her relationship with Jacques is built upon childhood familiarity and comfort and takes shape in the ravages of war creating an unpredictable and uncertain future for the pair. In the fight for freedom, Sibyl's path is crossed by Commander Wolfgang von Haagan striking up a relationship that initially works to aid the war effort but develops over time into something of meaning. This relationship is troubled and complicated and a one you never fully know is real or a fraction of what the war created making it heartbreakingly moving to witness in an enigmatic way.

This story is penned with well informed and researched detail portraying the horrors of war which rang true throughout creating a vivid snapshot of life as an espionage agent. It is an impressive read that I could not recommend highly enough piquing my interest to seek out other work by this author.

I absolutely love this cover, it’s gorgeous… This story is beautifully written and heart-breaking.

There is a bit of the story I want to share with you as it’s true and can still be applied today, not often I do this but it just stood out for me…

“It was identification with labels that caused all the strife in the world. That divided people. All the messes, all the chaos, both internally and externally, came from people identifying with the label instead of their basic humanness.”

With rememberance day approaching this is the perfect book to read. Taking the reader back to the war. I felt sorry for Sibyl as she wasn’t put into an easy position, she had a job to do but I believe and still do that she wasn’t fully capable of doing it, her feelings were getting in the way.

A truelly gripping story which had me backing Sibyl all the way through and for the war to just be over. A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend.

Far more than the tragic love story it's marketed as, The Soldier's Girl is a tense story about a strong, intelligent woman who volunteers to help save her adopted country and will go to any length to see the job done.

Whilst reading this well written novel I learned more about the war in and history of Alsace, the plight of the people who's nationality was switched between French and German, the importance of the region as Hitler's last stand and the resistance and bravery of the people native to the region.

I was carried along by the story line and absorbed in Sybil's roles, at times my heart was in my mouth waiting for her to be discovered. Whilst the characterisation of some other key players was, for me,lacking in enough depth, the gradual revelation of Wolf's character was wonderfully done and I actually felt myself rooting for him as the story and his character unfolded.

I was utterly hooked in the last quarter of the book, not knowing how things would turn out for Sybil, Jacques and Wolf or what decision she would make about her life after the war. After the most heart-wrenching events near the end of the story and Sibyls thoughts about returning to nursing and with the Red Cross in Germany to help the survivors of the camps I was shocked and somewhat disappointed at the abrupt and somewhat ambiguous ending, perhaps because I was living the story and didn't want it to end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book. My honest thoughts and opinion are expressed in this review.

The Soldier's Girl by Sharon Maas sees the author stepping away from her books set in India and Guiana and venturing down into new territory by basing a book around World War Two. Specifically the Alsace region, an area I knew very little about prior to reading this story. In the end notes Sharon has said her publishers suggested she try a book set during the war years and I am ever so glad they did because The Soldier's Girl was an interesting, riveting read that showed the author can turn her hand to any time period. In fact I would love for her in the future to write even more books set during this time so caught up was I in the story of Sibyl as she works undercover for the British Special Operations Unit in France.

The story begins with a brief but tense and intriguing prologue as Sibyl sheds her old skin and is launched into enemy occupied territory in France. 'She slid out of the crust called me, that Sibyl - me, out of that persona with a name and a past, parted from it as if it were an old skin useless defunct, a cast of peel'. So begins a journey fraught with danger, anxiety and bravery for Sibyl is determined her beloved Alsace and it's people will be liberated and returned to French hands and she wants to play her part in achieving this. To understand the motivation that drives Sibyl endlessly on through the most nerve racking, disturbing and stressful of times, we are taken back to her childhood.

In 1929 following the unexpected death of her father, her mother Kathleen takes her two young daughters Sibyl and Elena to France to recover and come to terms with their loss. To allow themselves time to heal and plan the next step. They stay at Chateau Gauthier near Colmar which belongs to Kathleen's old school friend Margaux. Five harvests were spent in Alsace, it became a time where Sibyl felt alive again, she fell in love with the country and the people and perhaps she would have loved her deepening friendship with Jacques son of the winemaker Max to develop into something more if she had been permitted to stay. 'It's being apart that lends true depth to love. For if you cannot be together in body you are forced to dig deep inside to be together in the soul'. But with the rumblings of a new chancellor in Germany and fear that if something did happen that Alsace would once again fall into German hands, Kathleen remarries and brings her children back to London. Sibyl is devastated but life must go on.

We jump forward again to the mid 1940's where the war has been ongoing for several years and Sibyl is now working as a nurse in a London hospital. She is dedicated to her job and despite witnessing such suffering she knows she wants to do more. She applies to Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service but a Mr. Smith intervenes and here is where her life is changed for ever. Now is the time for Sibyl to step up to the mark and fight for Alsace, for the area that has always resolutely held such a strong place in her heart. She is passionate that she wants to help liberate France and the powers that be place their ultimate trust in her when she is secretly employed to work in special intelligence aiding the small group of resistance fighters who are at work in Alsace. Sibyl chosen thanks to her abilities to speak German, French and Alsatian. Alsace had been completely annexed by Germany. To all intents and purposes its French routes had disappeared even the residents were now German with name changes. I had never read anything about this previously and it truly was fascinating to discover another strand to the war. How did people cope having their identity taken away from them and living under constant fear of retribution from German soldiers for misdemeanours which may have been normal one day and the next unbeknownst to them forbidden?

Sharon Maas clearly undertook extensive research into the German control of Alsace during the war years and it was like I was attending a brilliant history class with an unusual love story thrown in and I was enthralled by it all. My only two minor complaints regrading the story as a whole was that the training of Sibyl was rushed through and I would have loved to have read more detail of this. The further I read I understand why this did happen as the author wanted to get Sibyl to France and move the story further forward but even one or two more chapters surrounding the training would have been good. My second issue would be for the first quarter of the book there were times where I felt things had already been said as if I was literally reading the same words twice over as if they had just been re-jigged around in a sentence. I had to stop and check had I gone back instead of forward on my Kindle. I felt this section of the book needed a little more editing as there was a significant amount of repetition and a point could have been made in a sentence or two instead of an entire paragraph or more therefore leading to some clunky writing that didn't flow as naturally as it should have. But this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the Sibyl's story and I was eager to see was the balancing act she found herself in worth it or would she trip up and fall too many times and her fate would be sealed?

Sibyl was a self sacrificing kind of girl, she always had the freedom of France at the forefront of her mind and was determined that she would aid in the sabotage and subterfuge of the German's plans. Parachuting into France one of the first people she meets is Jacques, now a grown man and a deserter of the German army. Now older and wiser they confess their deep connection and love but can this last given the circumstances and events unfolding and what's more it is tested even further when Sybil has to make the ultimate sacrifice for her country? There's was a 'unity so deep, a beauty so pure, their souls so utterly fused that the word love was never once mentioned, it was superfluous'. They band together with the resistance group and what follows is a story of living in terror and fear of plans being discovered. Sibyl is hard-working, compassionate and supposedly unshakeable under pressure. I say this because at times I really felt she would give the game away. The minute she arrives in Colmar under her new guise as Jeanne to work with her Uncle Yves in his cobbler shop she makes such a rookie error. There was more than one occasion where she made silly errors and surely a trained spy wouldn't do this? But one has to remember she literally had very quick training and then was launched into a job where she was in command with no other help where usually there was backup. In my mind this demonstrated the pressure people were under to live a life of lies and deception. Words and actions had to be watched at all times as the German soldiers and in turn the Gestapo were not to be under estimated.

The Soldier's Girl of the title comes into play when on arrival to her destination where she will work undercover she meets the Commandant of the Colmar region - Major Wolfgang von Haagen. Wolfgang was a fantastically written character and I could picture him so clearly in my mind always arriving unannounced to the cobbler's shop to woo Sibyl. The author portrayed a different side to a German soldier. one who was disillusioned by 1944 with the way the outcome of the war was going but yet at the same time he remained loyal to the Reich to the bitter end. He was a character who swayed back and forth strong and resolute but then at the drop of a hat he could fall to pieces. I desperately wanted Sibyl to keep away from him but she was in too deep and maybe this would be an advantage to the British powers that be.

At times scenes between Wolfgang and Sibyl were uncomfortable to read simply because I was on the edge of my seat in fear that he would discover the true Sibyl who was Jeanette who later became Marlene. Life was a façade but a very very dangerous one and I was waiting for one slip of the tongue or someone witnessing Sibyl plotting and planning. Sibyl had an inner strength and conviction that was to be admired and though it went against everything ingrained in her she perused something more regarding Wolfgang and given he was so domineering and wanted his plans to go his way she really did have no other choice. She was to be admired for placing herself in such a challenging position that could lead to the worst outcome. I'm still wondering though despite the ending – which was rather abrupt, I would have loved a little more fleshing out - did true love play a part in things or was it all forced?

As we hurtled towards the conclusion The Soldier's Girl took on so many twists and turns and the pace and tension increased page by page. Sibyl comes to realise 'she was just a cog in a greater wheel, a wheel in which feelings played no role whatsoever'. It's when she comes to this understanding that she knows she can play the roles, assume the identities because she is putting the future of the country before her own needs and desires. The Soldier's Girl is a book where by the end I wanted to go and do my own research into life in Alsace at the time of the German annexation.

Sharon Maas has shone a light to great effect on an aspect of the war that has not been written much about in historical fiction. Yes, a love story forms part of the book but it is so much more than that and it proved to a fascinating read. I was caught up in all the drama and kept guessing until the very end as to the outcome. I feared for Sibyl's safety throughout and wondered would she ever find happiness and if so who with? I would definitely recommend this book and I do hope Sharon Maas will provide us with more books of this nature, she has an eye for a good story set in this time period and the potential is enormous given how much of a good start she made with Sibyl's story.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I don't get the urge to read historical fiction that often but I loved the synopsis of this book and had an idea of a war-time romance story. I wasn't too far off but there was so much more to this book than I had ever imagined!

I absolutely loved the storyline I discovered in The Soldier's Girl. While I was expecting more of a "nurse falls in love with soldier" type of story, what I got was so much more interesting. Espionage, danger, under-cover operations and infiltration during Nazi occupation? Call me intrigued!

While the plot itself gave me much more than I was expecting, the character development and narration was lacking. I found all the dialogue to be quite awkward and rushed, which might have been done intentionally in respect to the French & German backgrounds but it made for a very uncomfortable reading experience.

Out of all the characters brought to life in this book, the only one I really connected with was Wolf. Though he was one of the more.....let's say questionable characters, he was the only one I found that had any real depth and development throughout the book. Mind you, there wasn't much in his development but there was at least something. I kind of wanted to take him home like a sad, abandoned puppy. Sibyl and Jacques just irritated me and I could not stand Margeaux from her first introduction

While I wasn't a fan of the characters and felt myself rushing to get past the awkwardness of the dialogue, The Soldier's Girl held a lot of promise and gave a very interesting look at the views of the lesser known affected by Hitler's reign. It was quite an eye opening and heartbreaking experience to read.

This probably isn't a book I would read again, but I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in books based during war times and doesn't mind a little romance along the way.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me this book to read and provide my own opinion.

Advertised as a tragic love affair this novel turns out as something rather different. You expect her to fall in love with a German while her childhood friend is in the resistance and she is send back to the Alsace as a spy. And then I wondered when that was happening.

What you can distil from this novel is the love of the writer for the area where she herself also spend many happy years. The part of the novel situated before the outbreak of war, where a child Sybil lives on a wine château, is the best part of the novel.

It was also interesting to read what effect the annexation had on the region, I knew it was swabbed between Germany and France several times but never would have imagined not only the renaming of streets but even of people. A name is so much part of your individuality!

I did know that there had been heavy fighting in the Ardennes but did not know about the Vosges and Alsace region.

But that love affair? No chemistry between her and the resistance fighter. He is described as dirty and stinking, That is all.

And the German officer? At first he is just annoying , unattractive and his mates are ridiculous. Then suddenly he shows a different side. Suddenly Sybil is in love. Right? But will you do what she does to him when you are in love? I do not think so. What happens had my stomach revolting. In her case I think I would have gone mad with guilt and horror. That guilt is mentioned but it is all done so clinical so distant so short. Apart from the fact that I felt very sorry for the man in the end the book seemed a love affair for a region but as a lovestory it failed,

The story left me completely cold apart from the heartbreaking scene towards the end which hunted me even in my dreams.

The Soldier’s Girl by Sharon Maas
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I don’t like to rate books low, but this book just didn’t grab me in anyway. I felt it was a very poor Nightingale wannabe. Sybil, later Jeanne, then Marlene was trained as a nurse but after a brief period of nursing she is recruited to be a British spy during WWII in the Alsace region of France, now occupied by Germans and made part of Germany. The novel dives downhill from the moment Sybil lands in France. There are unbelievable contrived coincidences, e.g. she is met at her landing in France by Jacques, her childhood sweetheart whom she had no contact with for many years. She is supposed to be in love with Jacques, but there is just no chemistry at all between them. Did she or didn’t she fall in love with the German soldier? Sometimes she defends her actions as her “ job” but other times she just likes his “ loving” self. Although she is under suspicion by the Gestapo for a failed plot, after she is questioned casually, there are no further consequences. We all know, that’s not how the Gestapo operated.
Overall, can’t give this novel more than two stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.
Set in France in World War two I was really looking forward to reading it. But I'm afraid it just didn't grab me at all. I'm sorry to say I've read lots of much better, and story grabbing war books.

Wow! Sharon Maas is one of my favourite authors and with this book, she has excelled herself, raising the bar. In my opinion, this is Sharon's best book so far - no mean feat as every single one of her books is an absolute masterpiece. From the thrilling and intriguing prologue right up until the end, this is a beautifully written, vivid story bringing the war and its attendant dangers, the brave women like Sybil who put their life on line every single minute in one of the most fraught ways, to life for us. I loved the fact that we were introduced to Kathleen, sister to Winnie and Yoyo from the Quint Chronicles. I loved the evocative descriptions bringing Alsace to life. But best of all, this novel's greatest achievement is its fresh take on the war. The sense of place and time is exquisite and absolutely brilliant! I have read a lot of war books and this one stands out by far - it is original and compelling. I have learned so much- I did not know about Alsace and its history. Love the descriptions of the wine, love it all. Love Sybil and absolutely admire her. This is without doubt an important, beautiful and powerful book, and deserves to be read by everyone!

An intriguing premise and well written but it didn't capture me the way I had hoped. Sibyl is back in Alsace where she spent time as a child but this time she's working for the UK as a spy. There's a little romance but regrettably little tension. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of historical fiction, especially that set in WWII might recognize some of the plot points.

3.5 Stars – Rounded

Sybil, her sister Elena, and mother are first encountered in their trip to France after her father’s suicide and financial ruin. Staying with a school friend of her mother’s at a successful vineyard, Sybil and Elena find a new joy in life, time to heal and recover from their grief and simply be children. But, after arriving in some 5 or 6 years earlier, rumblings of war and their mother’s need to move on and build a life of her own sees them returned to England and torn from the place they’ve come to love. Sybil actually remembers no other home but the chateau in Alsace, and never actually feels as if she’s found her ‘home’ in England. But, with a mother who has first-hand experience of not having a way to support herself without a man, her daughters are encouraged to find a career and be independent: with her sister working as a bilingual secretary, Sybil goes into nursing and gets first-hand experience of what is now the second World War through her patients and work.

Having had their time in France, both sisters speak French and Alsatian (a dialect peculiar to the region) as well as Austrian-accented German from early years with their Grandmother, each is poised perfectly to be useful to the Brits in the war. But, it is Sybil that SOE (Special Operations) seeks out, this branch of the government responsible for supporting and infiltrating occupied territories with trained operatives, bringing training and weapons to Resistance fighters as well as being eyes on the ground for the government through radio communique. Sybil is recruited and, because of her ability to speak German, French and Alsatian, set as the lone operative in Colmar, given orders to disrupt, report and above all, provide the local loosely organized Resistance group with funds, weapons and know-how.

Maas did a lovely job in explaining the questions that plagued Sybil, how she sheds identities and maintains a cover (with all of the associated determination to defeat the “Boche”), but while Sybil is not the most skilled, it also brought forward the tension that was rampant, and must have been a source of great worry for the people who actually did this job. Her reunion with Jacques, a childhood friend and love and his knowledge of the area with the determination to push the Germans out while doing the most damage possible could be detrimental to her cover and mission, and the feelings developed for Jacques prove to be a source of contention when, as per orders and remit, she is ‘courted’ by a German officer. Questions about Sybil’s kindness and compassion, and her ability to see her patients without labels of enemy were a concern when interviewing, and these questions again resurface with the arrival and the budding relationship with the German. An engagement, hours spent as she cultivates his trust and passes on the information he shares is her job, almost blown when a ham-fisted attempt to ‘come clean’ and ‘flip’ his loyalties ends tragically, and the resultant guilt for her is a weight, one she can’t shake. I can’t help but notice that the region of Alsace and the development of characters, Sybil included, was a bit thin -but as a story that entertains and allows a sense of the bravery, determination and constant tension that occupied citizens, let alone those working against the Germans faced. I just wanted to see characters breathing in the corners, capturing my heart and breath while walking those paths of danger, and it never quite managed to reach those levels.

I received an eArc copy of title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”https://wp.me/p3OmRo-a7i /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
A historical fiction novel set against the Second world war largely centred around the Resistance fighters in the region of Alsace. I really liked the character of Sybil, for her strength and commitment and passion for the cause.
My only issue with the story, was that I felt the speed at which she suddenly changed her mind and developed feelings for the enemy did not feel realistic. A slightly too rushed end to the book.
But overall a good book which I enjoyed.
3.5 stars

I went in expecting one thing but that was not what I got. I didn’t feel connected to this story at all and found myself skimming quite a bit. But I know many other will like this but it just wasn’t for me.

An English Nurse. A German Soldier. A tragic love affair. This is the tagline for this particular book, and it is false advertising at its finest. Or rather the person that created the cover, didn't read the book. Because what is really about is an English girl named Sibyl, who was trained as a nurse, but is sent to the Alsace region under Vera Atkins network because she can speak French and German to be a spy for the British. Sibyl is also familiar with this region because for six years, she lived there with her mother and sister after her father's tragic death. Yes, she does meet a German officer, but there's no great or tragic love affair. In fact, it is all part of the spy game. Instead, Sibyl( now known as Jeanne, eventually known as Marlene) has a relationship with a childhood friend who is now a Resistance fighter. They have zero chemistry, but I guess she needed to have some type of relationship.

I've read more than my fair share of WWII fiction and this certainly wasn't one of my favorites. Originally, I had plugged in a 3 star but after a good night sleep it plunged to a 2. There was a hurried rush to give us a lot of Sibyl's back story, plunge her into France, where she becomes the worst spy of all time. Yet, I felt nothing towards her as she stumbles around and makes one mistake after another. No time to connect to characters at all. Why when something happens towards the end of the book, I laughed. A very inappropriate response but, that's how silly it became.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this free eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This novel starts out in France, 1944. Sibyl Lake arrives in Colmar, surrounded by vineyards and swarming with German soldiers. Trained as a nurse, she is recruited as a British Agent to support the French Resistance. Soon she meets Commander Wolfgang von Haagan, who is very taken with her.

This was a captivating, heartbreaking, historical novel. I loved Sybil as a character, and her strong female lead as a spy. But this novel left me wanting more answers. When she is finally reunited with Jacques at the end, suddenly the book ends. I would have loved to know more, and to see what she ultimately decided.