.ARC in exchange for homes review

A beautiful Historical novel about WWII. The main action takes place in Florence, before, during and after the German occupation that resulted in Italy's exit from the war, in 1943.
Stella is a young English woman that, after his father's unexpected death, travels to Florence to meet with her stepmother, a much younger woman that has remarried a wealthy Count.
She will also meet his future husband and the little be of his life.
She also finds out about a family secret that will make her see her own father under a completely different light. Stella will grow up and learn about friendship, betrayal, violence and that, sometimes, desperate situations lead to unexpected decisions.
The novel is perfectly written and very well documented. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

WW2 historical fiction book out of this world loved that it was based in Italy. This is definitely a brilliant author and cant wait to read more by her

I loved this well-written WW2 historical fiction novel set in Italy. I've read numerous WW2 novels but never from the perspective of an English woman in Italy. I enjoyed the characters, relationships, and settings.

Stella, a young English woman, finds herself living in Florence, with her former stepmother after the death of her father. What follows is a tale of mystery surrounding valuable paintings, heartbreak, and resiliency.

Round up to 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for my unbiased review.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction and this was a great read. I had read ‘In Darkness Look for Stars’ which I loved so was looking forward to a new title from Clara Benson.
‘The Stolen Letter’ is a riveting read of the life of Stella who is ‘orphaned’ as a young woman. She is invited to visit her step mother in Florence and falls in love with Italy. Stella is extremely naive having just finished school in London and really not having had any experience of life. Her step mother Monica has an ulterior motive in her invitation to Stella as her former husband and Stella’s father had hidden some priceless artwork and he had written to tell Stella where they were located. Stella didn’t receive the letter but Monica was hopeful she knew something about them. The war erupts in Italy and Stella is unable to return to London.
The topics of resistance fighters, broken families, hardships of the war, Nazi brutality, domestic violence, family infidelity are all covered in the story to a backdrop of how the German hierarchy continued to pillage and procure art and valuables.
The tragedy of war and the possibilities of love in horrific times makes for an emotional read.

This book was a journey. The prologue was so immersive that it felt jarring to suddenly be watching a wealthy, 19yo girl heading to Florence. It had a Room with a View vibe initially, though with a very timid protag. After some awkward young romance, the book took off with ever intensifying action and character complexity. I particularly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction who haven’t read a depiction of WWII from the Italian citizen viewpoint. It was a fresh perspective in a time period I've read so many books about. Thank you to NetGalley, Clara Benson, and her publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Can love outlast years of war and torment? Stella was a naive girl who grew up to fast in a world of pain that she was caught up in through no fault of her own! She meets Ted a few years too soon, but maybe that was because of fate?

The author has an exceptional writer’s touch in transversing this young girls life from childish to understanding evilness! We feel her pain and her heart! This is not just a romance, but a historical documentation of the war against Jews in a slightly different light.

I loved the manner the author carried the life of the characters and how she showed even the good and bad sides of them. We all have those moments when we make choices that we say what did I do that for or if I only could go back and do that over!

I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to the authors and publishers who work diligently for us the readers.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Oh my, what a gem of a story. Once again, do not judge the quality of a book by the cost, this is the second low cost book in a row that I have read and they both have been absolutely great novels. I cannot recommend this book highly enough nor write a review that can justify why you should read it. Historical fiction at its best.
This book has it all, mystery, murder, greed, love, humor, romance, loss, lots of heart and WWII scenes that are well represented. Stella, Ted, Monica and Marius were easy to love and hate.
The writing is well done, the storyline is easy to follow and there is no lull in the timeline. This is such a good book. We follow Stella’s life as she struggles with many choices made without thinking thru the consequences.
I thank Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC for my unbiased review. High 5 stars!!!!

I had read another book earlier this week also set in Florence at the same point in History and when I read the blurb for this book, I hesitated for a moment. Honestly it was a slow start but I'm glad I stuck with it, the story revolves around a group of people caught up. In the horror of WW2 and their losses and betrayals. It did pick up and was an enjoyable read. I haven't read anything by the author before and would definitely be interested in reading more of her books.

A very well written descriptive book that makes you experience the war from start to finish. I enjoyed the story but at times I wanted to reach in the book and shake Stella.
Historical fiction fans will want to check this one out. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Just as WWII is beginning, Stella travels to Florence after receiving a letter from her stepmother Monica who has invited her to stay at her villa. Stella is a young, naïve and highly impressionable girl who is quickly changed and influenced by Monica and her brother Marius. Then there is Ted, an American Journalist who Stella finds to be rude, arrogant and annoying. But at the same time she is excited by his wild and mischievous ways.

Unbeknownst to Stella, there are unspeakable tragedies just around the corner are which will threaten to tear apart her dreams and future. Leaving her to wonder, is it possible to fall in love when war tears everything apart?



This is the first time that I have read a historical fiction and a book written by Clara Benson and I was not disappointed.


The Stolen Letter is breathtaking and heartbreakingly beautiful…

Be prepared to go on a very emotional journey where your heart will be ripped out and patched up over and over again. The characters are captivating and relatable. The twists and turns throughout the story are truly unforgettable.

Please be aware that this story contains themes of war and domestic violence.

Clara Benson is an author that I would love to read over and over again.



I received an advance review copy for free, and this is my honest opinion

I was ready to give this 1 star when I found out it was yet another historical fiction book set during the time of WWII, there have been too many books in this time period that focus on the horrors of the war and the characters. Thankfully, this story focuses on the many different relationships of its characters throughout the novel; sibling, parental, romantic. I love how there is a bit of mystery surrounding missing paintings and one sister seems to have an idea where they are. This was much better than I expected and it was not predictable.
+1 love the cover
+1 the different kinds of relationships in the story
+1 strong characters
+1 not predictable
-1 another WWII story

Thanks to Netgalley, Clara Benson and Bookoouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 9/24/20

An Englishwoman stranded alone in Italy during WWII.

The Stolen Letter is a Second World War story of adversity and awakening.

Stella had a sheltered and comfortable life. Her father was a successful art dealer and had provided her with education and financial support despite not always being present.

Upon his unexpected death, Stella inherited a fortune but felt lonely in the world. Sometime later, even though she did not like her stepmother, she accepted the invitation to visit her and her new husband in their Villa in Italy.

I love how Stella grows as the story progresses. She starts young and naive, easily persuaded, and with each hardship, she builds strength and shows her true self.

The story is full of fascinating characters. Some were evil, some were good, but my favorites were those in between, especially Monica, the stepmother, and her husband, Gerardo.

The plot is well structured, and I particularly liked the side stories. Be aware that there is violence (it is a war story), including antisemitism and domestic abuse. To counterbalance, there is friendship, generosity, and a bit of romance with a happy end.

The Stolen Letter is an engaging and intriguing read. I recommend it to everyone that enjoys WWII stories.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 09/25/2020 as part of the book's blog tour*

Gripping book - started reading and couldn't put it down until I had finished. The author explores different types of relationships - not just love affairs but siblings and parental. Would recommend to all who love historical novels with a bit of mystery. Excellent.

Love and War

I loved this book, the characters, the setting, and the time period. It was so good I didn't want to stop reading, I read way too late into the early morning.

The main character Stella is a young lady who just lost her father. She goes to Italy to live with her stepmother right at the beginning of WWII. This young lady will grow up much in the following years. I think that almost every emotion possible is found within these pages. Romance, Love, Fear, Anger, Sadness, Depression, Loneliness, Excitement, and Happiness. She will become a wife, go on the run, solve a mystery, join the resistance and find happiness. The story is about lost Paintings which are hidden and everyone wants to find them. It is also about a young girl growing up in a desperate time in history and learning about love, trust, friendship, compassion, and how to survive evil.

You will journey through some very beautiful places and the descriptions are wonderful to a destruction that is heartbreaking. Destruction of property and life. It is both happy and sad it is heartbreaking at times. At other times you will hold your breath in suspense. Keeps your interest all the way through the book.

I loved reading it and you will as well. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Clara Benson, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I received this book "The Stolen Letter" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I like to read historical fiction and this is one of the better ones. I loved this book. The story is full of twists and turns and the characters are great. You won't be able to put this book down. Just when you think you have the story figured out, it changes and you are off on a new adventure.

The whole gamut of human emotion is pretty much covered in this captivating and brilliantly written WWII Historical Fiction novel. The story begins in 1938 when Stella Cockburn travels from England to Italy to visit her stepmother, Monica, who has invited her to stay at her villa. Stella's father, an art dealer, died suddenly and her stepmother remarried rather quickly. There is a question of some missing paintings which Monica seems to think Stella knows the whereabouts of and mentions a mysterious missing letter to her. There are several story lines going in different directions which all mesh together very nicely in the end. The female protagonist, Stella, has lead a privileged and sheltered life and is rather awkward and out of her element at the villa. The author did a phenomenal job of developing the characters of Stella as well as Beatrice as this book progressed.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this heartbreaking story that hooked me from the very first page in exchange for an honest review. This is my second Clara Benson book and she is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

I enjoy historical fiction and was very eager to read this book. I loved the cover, it just makes you want to read this book.
This story has a lot going on...certainly many twists and turns and emotional moments. As with all stories about the persecution of Jewish families, this is a very emotional read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first read of a book written by this author and what a joy it was I love historical fiction and this certainly ticks all the boxes. Extremely well written and researched I have no hesitation in recommending to readers who enjoy books written during this era. I loved every page. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I knew in the first couple pages of The Stolen Letter, that this story was going to make me cry and I was right. This story was so emotional and so full of twists and turns , just when I thought I had a grasp of the characters, everything would change and I was left speechless. I absolutely loved every minute of this story and I can say it’s probably one of the best historical fictions I’ve read.

Oh my word I honestly cannot express how much I loved this book. A historical fiction book that was just simply brilliant. The story and the characters were fantastic and I read this book in one day it was so good. I will be recommending this book to everyone who loves reading, it is a must read,