While on her way to tell her husband she is pregnant Lana watches him be executed for hiding Jews during WWII. What follows is a story about heartbreak, loss, revenge, and courage to do the right thing no matter the cost or danger. This book will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

If you’re looking for a lighter WWII fiction, Lana’s War is the book for you. It’s an engaging, fast paced book that will cleanse the palate for those who need a break from the extremes that can be found in this genre.

Lana Antanova is a grieving young, widow having witnessed her husband being killed by the Gestapo for hiding Jewish children in a convent. Her desire to help the children does not go unnoticed by one of the sisters in the convent. She is recommended to the resistance and after some soul searching decided to take them up on their offer.

She relocates to the Riviera which has a large community of Russian immigrants with the intention of running elbows with important people and gaining valuable information to pass on to the resistance and potentially saving dozens of lives. She flirts with German officers and helps to save many Jewish citizens. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her Resistance partner or a young Jewish child who lost both of her parents. Constantly living in fear, Lana puts on a brave face because if she can save the children, the future generation, she’ll be able to make her husband proud and avenge his death.

This novel has a great cast of characters. The authors doesn’t dive too deep into their backstories but just enough that you can read between the lines and understand each character and their place in the story and the war. Their strength, determination, bravery and compassion is very apparent from page one.

If you need a break from the intense and emotional aspects of WWII but are like me and cant tear yourself away from the genre....this a great reprieve. Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuester and Anita Abriel for the early peek at this novel. I enjoyed getting to know Lana and greatly admire her fearlessness.

3.25. The book started out great. It was a really engrossing historical fiction WWII novel about a young French woman, Lana Antanova, the daughter of a Russian countess, who is recruited to be a spy for the Resistance in the French Riviera. Due to her own personal tragedy, she took the risk and her goal was to help Jewish families and children to escape to freedom. It is a little different from many other WWII stories, and you initially get sucked in to the beauty and feel of the French Riviera, which appeared to be little impacted by the war, with galas and dinner parties among the rich and elite with a few high level Nazis also included on the guest lists. However, the novel seemed to have lost its steam a little over halfway through. The ending, in my opinion, was poorly done and there were many pieces to the story that were left hanging, not well clarified or believable, which frankly a good editor should have picked up on. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me the pleasure to read this book and to give an honest review. This book was amazing. This book starts off in Paris with Lana witnessing her husband's murder by Nazi's. She is later approached by a man who is part of the resistance who wants her to go to the French Rivera and help save Jews from being sent off the concentration camps. There, she meets Guy who is her handler of sorts. Her main job is to be invited to parties to "cozy" up to the Nazi's and find out where they will be trying to raid neighborhoods to get Jews off to Dancy (the initial concentration camp). The story that follows is fast paced and is going right to the top books of 2020 for me!

I loved this book!
So different from all the other WWII historical fiction that is out today.
I was totally transported to the French Rivera and enjoyed every minute of it.

I am going to be recommending this book to everyone who loves Historical Fiction!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

3.5 stars for Lana's War
Lana's War is a Historical Fiction story that takes place in the French Riviera during WWII. Lana is excited to tell her husband the happy news that she is pregnant, but finds the Gestapo waiting for her husband. After losing her entire world in that moment, she decides to join the French Resistance on the Riviera. There, she goes undercover and discovers how strong she really is.

This was a nice story, though not my favorite. I am really drawn to Historical Fiction set during WWII, and was intrigued to find one that took place on the Riviera. What a wonderfully different idea! Lana was someone I was able to root for during the book. I felt sad when she lost her family, and felt excited when she undertook the Nazis through the resistance, I just did not care much for the ending, and the writing style, though that's a personal preference. I would enjoy another book by the same author to see if it was just this particular book I didn't care for, or the author's writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I'm not a huge fan of Historical Fiction to be honest, but I did enjoy this book to a point . I haven't gotten a chance to read many books sent in the French Riviera so I did enjoy the different setting and look at the war. The one that that was so disappointing to me was the lack of emotion that was out into the book and the story. There was so much potential and it just fell flat to me. I couldn't help but compare this to the Nightengale which is such a unbelievable and emotion story that this didn't even come close to that story.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Ms. Abriel has painted one of the most unique World War II stories that I have read in a long while.

We start our journey with Lana in war-torn Paris. In the first few pages of the book, Lana will witness an event that changes the course of her life. Lana will pack up her belongings and take us on a trip to the French Rivera, where she will begin to work for the war effort.
I have never read any WWII books that take us there so I am giving this novel a 10 for creativeness and we aren't even fifty pages into the book.
Lana will work for the resistance, as many WWII historical fiction heroines do, but she has a new angle given her ancestry. We will be whisked through parties, casinos, villas, cafes, and winding roads. I don't want to tell you anything about her mission because I loved what she did and the element of surprise too. There are some predictable scenes, but mostly I found this plot exciting!
Good job Ms. Abriel for a story set in my favorite genre, but with a completely new take. I have already recommended that my fellow readers put this one on their TBR lists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this WWII novel. The story flowed smoothly from beginning to end with nice developed characters that were believable. I liked that this took place in the French Riviera as I have never read a WWII book set here. The resistance team were intriguing and while the focus was on the resistance members we did hear a bit about the people they saved. It came across as more of a romance than a story about the resistance but it was still enjoyable. I didn’t care for the ending as the war ending seemed to cut off the excitement and the main story with the last chapter being g an after thought.

Even though this is another WWII story, set in 1943 and pretty much the same story as I have read many times before, this book was so well written and researched, it was hard to put down. It had everything someone who loves HF would want...the Nazis, the Gestapo, Jewish children, tragic death and one extra something, something, the protagonist was a child of Russian nobles, her mother fleeing Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. I have read Ms. Abriel's work before, therefore, it was a no brainer to request this book. I love her writing, it is exceptional. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review..

Lana Antanova's life is changed in 1943 when her husband Frederic is shot by Nazis because he is hiding Jewish children at the convent where he teaches music. Lana soon receives a surprising offer from a stranger -- she can leave Paris for the Riviera and work with the resistance. In order to do so she will pose as the mistress of Guy Pascal, a wealthy Swiss man who also works for the resistance. As they work together, Lana befriends a young Jewish girl in jeopardy. She also grows closer to Guy and faces new dangers.

I wanted to read this historical novel because the setting (French Riviera 1943) and premise were intriguing. I love novels set during World War II and especially like French settings.

This is a very fast paced book! I started reading late Friday night and finished by Sunday evening. I really enjoyed the storytelling and read in every spare moment.

Lana is a wonderful protagonist - brave in the face of tremendous personal sorrow, determined to make a difference in the lives of Jewish children who are in danger. I also liked her slow developing relationship with Guy.

The descriptions were vivid and helped capture the setting. For instance:

"A sign announced Monte Carlo. Yachts bobbed in the harbor, hills glinted in the moonlight, and lampposts illuminated the cobblestones. Guy stopped the car in front of a creamy white building with turrets that rose up like those of a fairy-tale castle. Palm trees lined the circular driveway, at the head of which rested a fountain lit from behind" (Kindle location 838).

There is an element of mystery and danger weaving through the book because of the ongoing resistance work that Lana and Guy are involved in. I found this very intriguing and it certainly contributed to the fast pace of the storytelling.

Unfortunately, the novel came apart for me the last few chapters. The ending was a big surprise and seemed implausible to me. I debated whether to rate the book 3 stars or 4 because of the ending, and decided to go with 4 because I had loved it so much up to that point.

Lana's War by Anita Abriel is an excellent historical fiction novel that takes place in the Riviera during WWII. I have been a fan of Ms. Abriel ever since I read her wonderful book, The Light After the War, so I was excited to be able to read this novel. This second book did not disappoint.

I loved the unique location of this novel, the French Riviera. I loved reading about the beautiful landscapes, the resorts, hotels, estates, and glitz and glamour. The author does a wonderful job depicting these gorgeous images.

I also loved the plot. There was suspense, mystery, intrigue, romance, and I enjoyed the ending. I feel like the author was able to create a nice wrap-up to the characters and it was fitting to their wishes and hopes that were spoken within the story.

I liked Lana, the main female character, and enjoyed reading about her fight for justice. Despite all of the horrific losses she experienced as a child and in her young adult life, she was able to overcome all of this sadness and help right whatever wrongs she could within the Resistance. As a student of chemistry, she was smart, she was complex, naïve at times, but she learned from her mistakes and errors. She was stronger and more feisty then she gave herself credit for. I am glad to see that she received the ending that her character deserves.

An excellent novel for anyone that loves a great historical fiction, WWII novels involving the French Resistance, and enjoy a satisfying ending.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Atria Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, B&N, and Instagram (again) accounts upon publication.

Anita Abriel’s Lana’s War is beautifully written and captures your attention from the start. As I read Lana’s War, I felt that I had been transported to 1940’s France. We learn more about the characters throughout the book, this gives them real depth and personalities. Anita Abriel has done a marvelous job in bring Lana’s War to life. This is a must read for historic fiction fans.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. An enjoyable quick read that takes an interesting approach to the resistance on the Riviera. To me it tended to be more a romance than a thriller. Characters were likeable. I liked the ending a lot. The writing is rough and could use a good edit but maybe that will happen before final draft.
3.5*

I loved the details and a lot of the book.. It was very descriptive and I enjoyed the way the story unfolded for most of the book. The end seemed rushed and not nearly as thought out. I was disappointed in that as I felt that there was a lot more to the story.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!! This book was unputdownable.

Lana’s War is a suspenseful tale of survival and second chances taking place during World War II. Lana Antanova is a young woman living in Paris that witnesses her husband being murdered by the Gestapo for protecting one of his Jewish students. She is also pregnant and loses the baby from the trauma. Depressed and withdrawn she is enlisted to join the French Resistance, relocating to the opulence of the French Riviera where a perfect cover is set up for her being a Russian aristocrat. Here she can blend in with the wealthy as they intermingle with the Germans to learn their secrets and help in the saving of many people in the Jewish Community. This book has quite a few twists and turns, it’s about friendships, bonds with make, a love story and most of all the compassion and bravery of a young woman on a mission to thwart the Nazi’s

A young woman suffers a devasting loss and to go on living, she dedicates her life to saving Jewish children and stopping the Germans responsible for so many deaths. Love comes into her life only to leave her more alone. A beautiful heartwarming ending . Love really does conquer all.

Lana's War by Anita Abriel creates a story of love, loss and determination as she enters the Resistance to wage a battle against the Nazis. From Paris to the French Rivier, Lana is introduced to those that will help her with her ultimate goal of saving as many Jewish children as possible. I really enjoyed this book and Thank you to Net Galley for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

An extraordinary story of love and courage during the dark days of second wold war. I cannot even begin to describe how touched and humbled I was by the heroine’s incredible acts, working to defeat the Nazis. A beautiful and insightful tale!