Ariel Lawhon strikes again with historical fiction sure to leave you gripping the edge of your seat. This time she tells the story of Nancy Wake. In 1936 she is an Australian expat living in Paris who lied bluffed her way into writing for a newspaper when she meets a wealthy French industrialist. Soon after her wedding the Nazis invade and she becomes a spy.

As with Lawhon's last book, I struggled with the timelines and trying to keep everything straight. Since Nancy goes by 4 different code names it can get confusing at times, but overall we are kept at a good pace with the plot. It was hard to believe it was all one woman. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction and WWII era stories of resistance and hope this one is for you, but don't forget this is based on a real woman and war is a hard for everyone and comes at a cost.

Nancy Wake was a feminine dynamo who joined the Resistance in the beginning of the occupation of France. She later worked with English Special Operations Executive to help drive the Germans from France. Along the way, she became a legend as a fierce and effective spy.
Ariel Lawhon has written a captivating story of Nancy’s life, long on both history and romance. Since historical romances are not my favorite genre, I may have not chosen it had I realized this was a major part of the book. I think Lawhon utilized Nancy’s love story to illustrate her feminine wiles, which served her well in her time undercover. That said, I found that Lawhon handled the romantic aspects of the novel well.
Character development was exceptionally good, for both the good guys and the villains. I found myself captivated by Nancy, Henri swept me off my feet (wouldn’t we all love to be treated like that!), Marceline incensed me, and Henri’s father disgusted me. Many of the fighters were actual people involved with the resistance. Their depiction in the book seems true to their actual history.
Overall, this was a good read. It was a little confusing with the time shifts, especially since the ending was also the beginning. I had to go back to reorient myself as to the timeline, but that may have been due to sloppy reading on my part.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lipstick was her armor; profanity was one of her weapons. Such is the description of the title character in Ariel Lawhon’s latest novel, set during the French Resistance of WWII. Nancy Wake -- whose code name was Helene, among others -- was originally from Australia, but at age 16 began traveling and living abroad. She worked as a journalist for the Hearst Corporation, chronicling the early years of Hitler’s rise to power, even interviewing him once.

Nancy/Helene married a French businessman and after the Nazi occupation of France, found herself becoming more involved with the Resistance. Trained by the British SOE, she supplied weapons to the maquisards (guerilla bands fighting the Germans). This is a fictionalized account of a real heroine, whose exploits were amazing, especially for a woman in the 1940s. Despite the primitive conditions of bivouacking with soldiers, Nancy/Helene endeavored to maintain vestiges of her femininity; hence the lipstick. She also had to be tough and no nonsense around men who did not see women as playing a role on the battlefield; hence the profanity.

I have read close to one hundred WWII novels and would place Code Name Helene in my top 10. I’ve also read all of Lawhon’s novels to date, and this is my favorite. Her writing style and plot pacing have matured. These characters leap off the page and remained with me long after finishing the book.

Ariel Lawhon writes great historical fiction. Code Name Helene is about a real-life war hero, Nancy Wake, an Australian journalist who became a leader of the French Resistance in WWII who killed a Nazi with her bare hands. It's told in an alternating narrative style, narrated by different versions of herself with her various code names in different time periods. That part was a little hard to follow in the earlier chapters, but became an important part of the story. There were a couple of very graphic, violent scenes she witnessed that were hard to read, but important to understanding the motivation for her actions later on, particularly cruelty and violence toward women and children in a war setting. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm inspired to learn more about Nancy Wake as a result.

Thanks so much to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for my advanced ecopy of Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon. This was my third book by Lawhon and I really love how she takes a historical subject, then picks a point of view to tell her story from, then writes the heck out of it.

Code Name Helene takes the real life WWII heroine Nancy Wake and tells her story from the perspective of her love story with her husband. Lawhon takes factual events and adds fictional details in places where the details are unknown or to move along the narrative. As always, when I finished a Lawhon book, I immediately started researching the real characters and learning what I could about them. Nancy Wake never set out to be a spy or wartime leader and hero, but her actions ended up defining her as such.

She was a journalist before women were valued in that field. Their own names couldn't even be published on their work. They either had to publish under a pseudonym or their articles were published without author names attached. She travelled from Australia to France writing this way. It was in France that she met her husband, a wealthy heir. It is written as if this was a marriage fully based on love both sides. Most factual evidence that is known more than backs that up. After Nancy marries Henri, she stumbles upon her eventual purpose: saving Jews and soldiers who are fighting the Germans.

I was fully invested in Wake's story and am awed that she is not talked more about in history. Given we are in an era where strong women are so valued, a story like Wake's is so timely. Add in that a strong marriage was shown to be possible and valued while so much important stuff was happening in her life and in the world as a whole, and I was really impressed.

As always, I will be anxiously awaiting Ariel Lawhon's next novel, whatever the subject.

This was a riveting book about real-life World War II heroine, Nancy Wake. The chapters bounce back and forth between Nancy's life in the late 1930s, before she is fully invested in the Resistance effort, and the mid-1940s when she is working with soliders and high ranking men to bring down the German army. She was an important member of the Resistance who many people don't know about. Even though Lawhon took liberties with some of the characters and the timeline of this book, it is still an amazing story of a fiesty woman who pushed boundaries and changed the lives of many during the war.

One of the best things about historical fiction is meeting historical figure about whom I knew nothing. Nancy Wake, Australian by birth, French by choice, British spy by necessity. Her heroism during World War II is an interesting story. Chapters are well titled to know when they take place as her story moves back and forth from a journalist stationed in Paris before the war and the strange turn it took during the war. Sometimes I wonder if there were ever any average looking women who made good spies, but again, a woman’s beauty makes them more attractive to enemies they were trying to engage. Beauty, brains and bravery were Nancy Wake’s attributes and she used them well. How she kept her separate identities during the war as a spy is an interesting story.

First, I would like to thank #Netgalley for the privilege of allowing me to read this amazing novel in exchange for an honest review. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when I chose this as it seemed similar to an all time favorite of mine, Jackdaws. Well, as noted above by my five star rating, I was pleasantly surprised when I immersed myself in the life of Nancy Wake aka, Helene, during her time as a Marquis in WWII France. The time jumps between chapters gives the book even more depth, learning the “before” and “after” of Nancy’s life. Full of memorable characters and vivid settings gives the book a non-fiction feel, that will leave you breathless to the very last page.

First line: I have gone by many names.

Summary: World War II has arrived in France. A spy named Helene has dropped into France. She has money and the means of getting arms to the struggling resistance. Told through interweaving code names and timelines we get the story of Nancy Wake, an Australian woman who uses her wits to help undermine the Nazis.

My Thoughts: This was a fairly average WWII novel. It reminded me of The Alice Network in many ways. I liked Nancy and her husband Henri. I loved their interactions. The suspense and writing were well done. The history of this woman is written very well. I think people that love anything during this time period will really enjoy it. I used to read WWII books exclusively but it has slowly become one of the topics I rarely read about anymore.

FYI: Lawhon is an excellent author. I loved her book I Was Anastasia. It was told in such a unique way and on a subject I love to read.

I had a hard time putting down this novel. The hardships endured by women in the resistance was laid out in great detail. I really enjoyed learning more about this time period and recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this interesting book.

I am always so in awe of stories about real people who defy what society expects of them, pushing boundaries with their determination and grit. Nancy Wake is one of those people.

The story time-jumps between 1936 - 1944 and pulls you into Nancy's world. It does a great job of showing us the bond between Nancy and Henri (her eventual husband) along with the horrors of WWII. Some of the Nazi scenes are hard to digest, knowing they were written based on real-life scenarios.

Nancy is an amazing woman, and I'm so glad I read this story as I'd not heard of her before. The book makes me want to visit Marseille France, it sounds so beautiful! The characters were very interesting and well fleshed out, the story haunting because I knew it was real. The author did a fantastic job and I can't imagine all the research that went into writing this book.

The only thing I struggled with was the length of this book. It's a long one, but take my comment with a grain of salt. I read this during the first few weeks of COVID-19, and I struggled to concentrate on anything, much less a long novel!

I read a lot of WW2 historical novels. One thing I really loved about this book was the focus of a young heroine. She had confidence and bravery. This is a work of fiction, but the author explains real events at the end of the book. Please save that information until after you have read this book about ultimate sacrifices for other.

Thank you @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for this advance ebook of Code Name Hélène.
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This book pulled me out of my quarantine reading slump! For the first time in weeks I resisted the urge to check the news or social media. I was absorbed in this page turning historical fiction novel with a bold, fearless female protagonist. I avoided WWII era historical fiction for awhile just because I read so much of it - but don’t be dissuaded! This story is so utterly unique and based on the real life of war heroine Nancy Wake. Check out the author’s notes at the end to learn more about her research (but only after you’ve finished the book).
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Pick this up if you are looking for an addictive action packed read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Code Name Hélène just published on March 30th. Have you read it yet? Are you adding it to your TBR?
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#whatjillreads

Over the years, I have a read a lot of novels about the French Resistance during World War Two, but I feel I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever felt as if I was embedded in a group of fighters.

This biographical fictional piece centers on Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, an Australian freelance journalist living and working in Paris. The book covers the time period of 1936-1944. Right before the Germans march into the City of Lights, Nancy and Henri, a wealthy industrialist, fall in love and marry. The Nancy gets involved in helping fight the Nazis.

What truly amazed about this novel is the complexities of the timelines (I counted six!) that tell Nancy’s story that takes place from 1936 through 1944, and in some ways, it is written backwards. I cannot image how author Ariel Lawhon managed to keep it all straight.

I mentioned six timelines: Nancy and her four code names (Madame Andree, Lucienne Carlier,
Helene and The White Mouse) plus Henri. There is so much detail and yet it seems like there is hardly any; each element enriches the story. I never felt lost or confused about who was who and what was happening. Like the war itself, Nancy’s story is too grand to have only one aspect of it spoken about or recorded. The research Lawhon must have done probably lasted years!

I could not put this book down. “Code Name Helene” receives 6out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

In the past year, this is the third book about women conducting intelligence operations in Nazi occupied France during World War II; the other two being The Alice Network by Kate Quinn and Spy by Danielle Steel. This is my favorite of the three because its main character had a dazzling array of wartime accomplishments that were told in an interesting fashion.

The story literally launches itself with the main character taking off (after a night of heavy drinking) in an aircraft to be dropped with her partner behind enemy lines in France. Shortly afterward, the story bifurcates between the main action of Madame Andreé working with the maquis to liberate France and the back story of how Nancy Wake, a Australian freelance journalist working out of Paris, became Madame Andreé. Chapters from the love interest’s point of view were sprinkled into the back story to illustrate how a casual glance and a French 75 at a restaurant grew into a strong marital bond. While the main action ends with somewhat of a post war reunion in London, the back story ends with the night of drinking prior to the aircraft’s take off.

Overall, I appreciated the story being told in two narrative strands rather than completely linearly. That construction resulted in a number of “a ha” moments while reading the Madame Andreé strand. Discoveries like why she does things a certain way, why she feels certain ways about certain other characters, how certain characters may have crossed her path earlier, who certain characters really are, and the like helped build my interest in the back story. Otherwise, had the story been told linearly, I probably would have found myself flipping backward in the book to make those connections (or missed them all together), which would have ruined the pace of the Madame Andreé storyline. Also, building the Madame Andreé storyline up to a critical point of tension before flipping into the back story kept my attention throughout the novel. Had the story been told linearly, I would likely be complaining about having to wade through too much drinking in Paris and socializing in Marseille to get to the primary action.

The one complaint I will lodge against this novel is that the chapters from the love interest’s point of view were a distraction to the back story of how Nancy Wake became Madame Andreé. I can see how the author would have thought that these chapters added depth to the thread of the love story throughout the novel, but I felt like they chopped up the back story too much - especially when the characters occupied different places. Telling the whole back story from Nancy’s perspective would have made it seem much more powerful and cohesive, and could have been done without diminishing the love story element of the plot.

I’m not usually one to comment on the author’s notes at the end of the book, but this one was exceptionally well written. I strongly recommend heading the author’s advice and not reading it until after recovering from finishing the novel. I loved the idea of the author writing the novel with footnotes so she could keep track of the sources for what was true, as well as keep track of what was invented. Of course, I’m glad that she edited all of those out in the final version!

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good World War II historical fiction novel. The main character is fascinating in both plot lines, although sometimes a bit incredible. The plot lines intertwine to build and dissipate tension in a manner that keeps the reader engaged throughout the entire novel. And the story is so different from the other novels about female run intelligence activities in occupied France that it feels fresh.

I am speechless which, if you know me, is saying a lot. The fact that Nancy Wake was a real woman that really did everything this book entails is what renders me speechless. Talk about girl power!! Reading everything she had to sacrifice had my eyes misty for a good part of this novel. I can't even begin to imagine what she went through and the grit, passion, and determination it must've taken to fight to the end is unfathomable.

Ariel Lawhon did an incredible job of submersing the reader in the life of Nancy and how she maneuvered through the war, giving exact dates and locations, along with Nancy's various aliases, really helped bring her story to life. You are also able to see moments through the eyes of her love Henri, which adds wonderful dimension to Nancy's story, as well as show how hard it was letting the person who holds your heart risk their life for the the lives of others.

This book does flip back and forth between multiple timelines, which did keep the story interesting, and the parallels fascinating, but it did get confusing from time to time, especially when you're having to keep up with which alias Nancy is using during that time period.

Yes, there is a lot of drinking and swearing, but this is all apart of who Nancy was, thus a big part of her story, but it's easy to look past all that and see this beautiful, powerful woman that fought harder than any man could in one of the worst battles in human history.

Though not an easy read due to the gruesome subject matter (WWII), it is an utterly fascinating tale of one woman just trying to to her part, and fighting for her country, and fellow countryman. This is a well-written, deeply researched account that has me craving to know more about the incredible woman, Nancy Wake.

I had never heard of Nancy Wake prior to reading Code Name Helene. That was a mistake. Lawhon paints a richly developed portrait of an already multidimensional and colorful woman who was ahead of her time. Her personal story and chutzpah meshes so well with the precarious time she was living. Wake was brash, outspoken, intuitive, and full of leadership. Lawhon's fictional depiction of Wake moves at lightening speed and had me running to buy Wake's biography seconds after I finished the book.

Nancy Wake is an Australian that has moved to Paris to work as a journalist. She soon falls in love with a Frenchman while war approaching France. Nancy finds that she cannot stay away she must do what she can to help with the war effort. Independent, feisty and foul mouthed, she becomes a powerful leader in the French resistance.
I always love reading historical fiction, but I especially enjoy historical fiction when it is based on a true story. From page one I was absolutely captured! I admired how strong, smart and resilient Nancy was. Throughout the book my heart swelled and broke, it was such an emotional adventure. I highly recommend this beautifully written book.
A special thank you to NetGalley and DoubleDay Books for my ARC eBook!
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon is now available!

I was amazed after reading this book to discover that it was based on a true story. What an amazing person Nancy Wake was! It is very tense because it is about the French resistance during World War II, and it was such an awful time for everyone there during the occupation. The writing was intense, once the action started, and I found it almost hard to read, waiting to see what happened next. Lawton did justice to Wake’s story in many ways, but she used the alternating time periods device, and I think it just didn’t work here. I would have enjoyed the story so much more if she had told it chronologically. There were a lot of characters, and they used different pseudonyms at times, and I just couldn’t keep them straight due to the time hopping. We didn’t find out until almost the end of the book about her relationship with some of the other main characters, and I would have enjoyed knowing about them when life behind the lines was playing out earlier in the book. But it was definitely a great story to tell.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lady, what a story! This is a fictionalized story of a real Australian woman who led British and French forces in WWII and had a husband back home who supported her. I can’t believe her story isn’t more well-known! I enjoyed the unique timeline structure of the book, and how pieces of Nancy’s life and slowly uncovered for us. We see her both as a leader on the battlefield and as a young woman in love in Paris. All stories about the war are hard and difficult, this one is no different, but I liked how a woman in the military was the focus, it’s not something you see often. I would definitely recommend this book!