WWII espionage is very, very well-trod territory at this point, so it takes something special to stand out in this popular genre. Lana's War does that and more. It follows something of a familar path: a spirited young woman suffers a tragedy, then channels those emotions into spying for the resistance. Fortunately, the characters are so well drawn and the details of the world are so precise that it never feels like a story you've heard before.

Lana in particular is an exceptional heroine. She avoids the two worst tropes: the "not like other girls" and the "frivolous ice queen". Instead, she's tough but fragile at times, elegant but occasionally out of her depth, and with the kind of mix-and-match backstory elements that make her feel like a real person, not a conveniently drawn character. The same goes for the supporting characters in her story - no one is quite who they seem, no one is perfect, but they've all got believable motivations and feelings. To be sure, there are a few moments where young Odette seems a little precocious to the point of feeling the hand of the author, but aside from that, it's a beautifully written and deeply felt story that adds a new dimension to a familiar setting.

I have read an absurd amount of WWII books, they happen to be a favorite of mine. I especially love the tales of human resilience and stories of strength in the face of adversity. I expected this to be the same, but honestly there wasn't a lot of compelling story to this one. For the most part it is a period romance with a little bit of flirting with the enemy. It was kind of...mediocre if I am being honest.

Lana Hartmann is a young married woman in occupied Paris during WWII who has just discovered that she is expecting. Life is not easy but with her husband, Frederic, by her side, she knows that things will be ok. Unfortunately, the unimaginable happens and she is left alone. Heartbroken, she wants to do something to ensure that Frederic’s life is not lost in vain. She enlists to become a spy on the French Riviera where she will be mingling with the most dangerous of Hitler’s henchmen and collecting information to save the Jewish population living there. The question is, can she accomplish this, or will she make one fatal mistake that brings death to not only herself but all she is trying to save.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.

The opening scene is unforgettable. A joyful Lana rushes to tell her husband that she was pregnant, but before she reaches him, she witnesses his execution. He was caught by a Nazi officer, trying to hide a Jewish child in his piano. The trauma causes Lara to miscarry and motivates her to join the resistance efforts. Lara moves to the French Riviera where she assumes the cover of a Russian countess to uncover and thwart plans to roundup Jewish families.

Lana is a likable protagonist who believes in the power of beauty. Colors, textures, fashion, art, music, and a lush landscape all provide inspiration, hope, and purpose to the characters while also serving as a cruel backdrop to unspeakable atrocities.

The story moves quickly and includes fascinating historical tidbits. I cheered Lara’s resourcefulness as she overcame challenges, held my breath when she let her compassion prevail over good judgement and rolled my eyes when she slipped up. I wasn’t in Lara’s corner, however, when she pursued a romantic interest. Despite the several proclamations of the merits of fast-tracked war-time romances, the post-husband affair felt forced and unnecessary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books/Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for a candidate review.

Lana's War is a WWII resistant story that isn't nearly as heavy as others in the genre. It is well written, but I would have like it to transition better. It was still a great story that I flew through with the storytelling ability of Anita Abriel. 4 stars

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was so incredible. I was in tears near the end and honestly throughout the whole darn book. Amazing. Definitely a book I would own.

Anita Abriel did a good job of getting inside the head of Lana after her husband was murdered as she watched helplessly. It was an interesting perspective from the Riveria where the war was just a footnote of what was happening in the world. I enjoyed the story but would have liked to get to know the other characters more. Abriel did a good job of letting us know how their lives turned out, but I would have liked more details. I did enjoy the book and recommend reading it if you enjoy historical fiction.

Life will go on

A book about resistance workers in France. When Lana’s husband is shot and killed by a Nazi officer she is recruited by Henri to join the resistance and leave Paris for the French Riviera. She is to post as a couple with an agent named Guy.
They were charged with smuggling Jews out of France under the noses of the Nazi’s’.

These daring members of the resistance risked their lives multiple times to save the lives of the Jewish. They were brave and unafraid, true patriots.

I loved the characters. Lana, Guy, Pierre, Giselle, Charles and Odette. Their parts were all interwoven and equally valuable to the story. The story was a page turner. It was filled with excitement, intrigue, romance, danger and history.

I thought the ending was perfect. This book was well written, a good read, and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Anita Abriel, Atria books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hopeful and inspirational

Lana had experienced many losses early in her life. Her mother fled communist Russia, to Paris, so they could have a better life. When WW2 started, and Paris was occupied by German soldiers, she witnessed one kill her husband and the stress caused Lana to lose her unborn baby. Soon afterwards, Lana is approached and asked if she would consider working undercover for the French Resistance. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do more. She is sent to the French Riviera to help Jewish people escape to freedom. What Lana didn’t expect, was to fall in love with the man she was living and working with. It was supposed to be a business arrangement only. But with the uncertainty of war, could it even work out? They didn’t know if they would live from one day to the next.

I got swept away in this book. Lana had a big heart and wanted to help anyone she could, especially when it was a child. The friendship she made with a little girl named Odette really touched my heart. I couldn’t wait to see how Lana would help her in the end. There were also other unexpected friendships made along the way. And there were a lot of secrets. It was hard to know who to trust and who not to. If you could say there is light and hope during the bleakness of war, this book brought it.

This is about a woman named Lana who helps with the resistance during WW2. It’s a love story too. We follow Lana from Paris to the Riviera and she meets Guy. It was an enjoyable story, it wasn’t so intense like some I’ve read set during this time.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Lana is knee deep in heartache and despair in the beginning of the story. Lana finds herself in a position to join the resistance and save many from concentration camps after losing her husband. Lana is brave in and courageous while spying, rescuing, planning an escape, and falling in love again. Lana’s War has a beautiful story line and characters you love and pray for page by page.

Paris 1943 was not the place to be. Lana looses her husband and unborn child as a result of the shock of seeing her husband shot by the Gestapo. She joins the resistance and goes to the Riviera to be part of that scene as a Russian Countess. Her goal is to get close to the Gestapo offices in order to gather information to help the cause.

It was interesting to see how untouched by the war the south of France was during this time and how things changed so drastically. Jews started being sent to camps, eventually being exterminated. Lana befriends a Jewish mother and her child and is determined to help them. The mother dies and Lana sets her mind to saving her daughter. Lana develops a relationship with Guy, her partner. This is a secondary part of the story. It kept it lighter than it could be as their missions made it tense at times. Guy disappears and Lana escapes to Switzerland, then England, with the orphaned girl and raises her.

The end fast forwards 10 years showing Lana’s success developing a perfume company and the reuniting with Guy. They take off together, still searching for the escaped Gestapo officer who was in charge. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this pre-release.

Lana’s War is set during WWII on the French Riviera. It shows the war from a young spy’s perspective. I enjoyed this book as it wasn’t as gruesome as some WWII books can be. It showed the war from a different perspective in Southern France. I would recommend to friends.

This piece of historical fiction begins in France during the Nazi Occupation. Lana goes to the convent where her husband teaches music to tell him that she is pregnant with their first child, only to find her husband being confronted by a Nazi for teaching Jewish children, one of whom is hidden in his piano. Her husband is shot and killed as she watches through the window. She loses the baby and is devastated. Shortly after this, she is recruited to join the Resistance on the Riviera. Her mother, a Russian counts fled Russia years earlier so Lana uses her Russian aristocratic beginning to become part of the social scene where she can befriend some of the Nazi officers to learn of future plans regarding deportation of Jewish families. She and the Swiss entrepreneur, who as part of her cover live together, rescue Jews in several operations involving boats and trips out of France across the Swiss border.
This book is very engrossing from the beginning: the horror of seeing her husband’s murder, the beauty of the Riviera, the lives of the rich and famous, the plans to disrupt Nazi efforts. I really liked that this book focused on the Resistance and that most of the main characters were members of the French Resistance. However, the ending was disappointing. This book didn’t need to be tied up with a bow years into the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was a light fast paced read. Lana goes through so much love and loss. Was a little disappointed in the ending.

As someone who loves a good WWII story, Lana’s War did not disappoint.

After witnessing the murder of her husband by Gestapo in Paris during WWII, Lana Antanova joins the resistance in the Riviera. There she rubs elbows with German Officers in order to obtain information about upcoming raids. What Lana doesn’t expect is to fall in love with her resistance partner, or to take in a young Jewish girl who lost her family.

The author doesn’t dive too far into the backstories of the characters. And my biggest complaint is that it seems like Lana and Guy went from “co-workers” to lovers out of nowhere. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed, one second they were in the middle of a plan at Brunners New Years party, the next Guy was missing for 10 years, the reconcile and thats the end of that.

However, I did enjoy the book regardless of the lack of character development. Usually WWII books are heavy, but this read quicker and lighter than others. I would love to find out what happens with Lana and Guy after they board the plane to Syria!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lana becomes a spy during the final days of WWII. The author perfectly captures her naivety and bravery as well as the inability to trust in the people around you, the normality of days punctuated with inexplicable violence and deaths. Even the return to normal after the war is anything but routine once a double life of double dealing concludes — or doesn’t. An excellent book even with the current glut of wartime novels. The mundane life is anything but mundane while you are scrutinized through the suspicions of those in power.

This book was just okay for me. It reads like a lot of the WWII books I’ve read in the past. It was good but I felt like I knew what was going to happen.

This novel was outside of my usual genre of what I read but wow, I am so happy that I did go outside my comfort zone. It was fantastic, the words were amazing and the main character really blew me away. Another must read book!

In 1943, Lana’s entire life falls apart when she is witness to the murder of her husband by the Gestapo. Grieving, Lana agrees to join the resistance and goes to the French Riviera where she is thought to be the mistress of a wealthy Swiss industrialist named Guy Pascal. With her new connections, she can openly spy on German officers and help the resistance save the lives of many Jewish people in the area. But her new life of espionage puts not only her life in danger, but she also risks losing her heart to the handsome Guy.

Lana’s War is an intriguing story of one woman’s loss and how she finds a way to get her revenge while learning to love again. I’ve read dozens of WWII stories lately, and this was one of my favorites. Intrigue, suspense, and romance – what more could you want? Highly recommended.