I love reading about strong women! Especially ones that are based on actual people and events. In this novel, the author based several of her characters loosely on actual female war correspondents and photographers, who were a rare breed during WWII. Perhaps the best well known was Martha Gelhorn, and I’m a big fan of hers. In this book, Ms. Lane draws three strong female characters in Dannie, Chloe and Ella. I love that they team up to help each other and literally save each other’s lives. Riveting book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Illinois 1943, Ella Franks has been writing articles using a pseudonym, she’s caught out and sacked. She really wants to be a war correspondent and can’t believe her luck when she’s offered a new job in England. She travels to London, only to discover women journalists are not allowed to be anywhere near combat and the front line.

Sicily 1943, American photojournalist Danni Bradford is taking photos of the war with her best friend and work partner Andy and Major Robert Cameron is furious that a woman is in the middle of a war. The sparks fly between Major Cameron and Danni. The war continues, both end up in England and waiting for the allies to liberate France.

London 1943, Chloe is Andy’s sister and she’s a model for Vogue. The last time she was in France she met handsome Gabriel and she’s desperate to see him again. Despite having no idea how bad things are in France or what's happening with Gabriel and she makes the silly decision to return.
1944 June, D-Day ships are busy unloading soldiers and amphibious craft are taking them to Omaha beach. It’s so loud, planes constantly flying over, mines and bombs exploding and the German machine guns are firing nonstop. Soldiers are being shot, wounded, blown up and killed and its absolute hell. War is brutal and no place for a woman and all female journalists had been ordered to remain in England.
Of course Danni and Ella ignored this order and both made it to Normandy. Eventually Danni, Ella and Chloe team up together; they rely on each other to survive when the war gets dangerously close and desperately try to get back to safety.

The Last Correspondent is an action packed story about three strong ladies breaking down the stereotypical barriers for women in the 1940's and their friendship, loyalty, courage and determination. If I had argue with someone all the time, be shot at and needed be saved from the German’s! My idea of a perfect hero would defiantly be Major Robert Cameron, he can save me anytime, and I give him and the book five stars.

Brilliant. I love reading historical fiction and I read this book in one sitting. I got totally caught up the lives of Ella, Danni and Chloe. The story is interesting and informative. I learnt a lot about female war correspondents and the risks they took. It was an eye opener. This is a memorable read which I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I just love Soraya books and this was no exception!!!! Amazing story right from the first page.. I was so engrossed in the characters and how theses women wanted to do the work that men did!! Highly highly recommend!

The Last Correspondent by Soraya M Lane is a World War 2 fiction inspired by some of the real women who worked as correspondents from the front line , brave and determined women who had to fight for their opportunity in a man's world. The book follows three different women , Ella, Danni and Chloe. Danni is an already established reporter who has been sending columns back from the front lines for months, accompanied by vivid and often graphic photographs that paint an honest picture of the brutality of war. She has been working alongside Andy, another journalist who believes in her right to be there, and has helped her in the past when the official army policy has been no women allowed. Chloe is Andy's sister, a former model in Vogue who fell for a charming Parisian man on her last shoot there before the occupation. She decides, very naively to take matters into her own hands and return to the now occupied city in search of her lost love, but when she gets there she soon realises that she knows nothing about her dream man. Ella had been writing her columns under a male pseudonym until the fiction was discovered and she was fired, but she is determined not to be silenced and is soon on her way to Europe. When Danni and Ella find themselves in the midst of the chaos and carnage of the Normandy landings they find themselves experiencing the tragedy first hand.
I was intrigued by the idea of the female correspondents, it is not a war story that I was already familiar with. I did enjoy the book, thought it was definitely a lot less hard hitting than I hoped for. I struggled with the character of Chloe in particular, her actions seemed inexplicably stupid , and I felt like I wanted to know more about Danni , since so much of the focus was on Ella and her story. This was a quick easy read, but not one I will remember in six months time.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for the chance to read and review this book. I have to confess, I did not finish this book. I like to read about this topic, but the characters just seemed silly. The setting seemed so unrealistic. I did not find it to be an accurate depiction of how I think the characters would feel and act during wartime.

This is a book about war correspondents, specifically about women. It was an interesting story with very strong willed women, reporting during an especially difficult time. I had a hard time with the first part of the book , the second half was way better. At least for me. I really enjoyed the book!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Strong WWII-Europe Tale Featuring Not-Usually-Featured Personnel. This was a solid tale of the trials and tribulations of a job in WWII-Europe that doesn't really get featured much in the discussions - written war correspondents, and particularly the few females who had enough balls to force themselves into such roles. Lane does a superb job at dropping us into the action at famous and infamous points and showing the side of the war she wants to feature rather than the more well known stories - including a seemingly-unreal-yet-actually-real story of one particular female war correspondent who did, in fact, hide herself on a hospital ship and thus become the *only* correspondent - of either gender - to see the events of D-Day unfold with her own unaided eyes. (Yes, Lane fictionalizes even that event, but a real-life version *did* actually happen.) Indeed, my only real complaint here was that I wanted to have Lane have her photojournalist do something in Sicily involving Patton (and his subsequent sidelining by Supreme Commander Eisenhower) that apparently no real photographs exist of. Which makes sense that Lane couldn't then have her character do something that is in fact documented as having never happened. ;) Ultimately a great story of some very brave women and the very real decisions that would have had to have been made by real-life versions of these characters. Very much recommended.

As an engineer, nothing gets me going quite like a story about women fighting to be equals in their profession and The Last Correspondent certainly met the bill. Ella and Danni are war correspondents trying to fight for their right to cover major WWII events alongside their male peers and they have both set their sights on making it to the beaches of Normandy. But as can be expected from war, nothing goes plan as they make difficult choices in how to both publish the realities of war while protecting themselves and those they love.

This was an epic novel covering that displayed WWII from many angles. I thoroughly enjoyed how Ella and Danni did not take no for an answer, instead finding unique solutions and dodging obstacles created by men. My one major complaint is that I could not stand Chloe, the sister of Danni's work partner, who plays an important part in this story. I honestly could have cut out her narrative and been perfectly happy reading more about Ella's growth from shy and timid to headstrong and bold. Overall, I think fans of The Nightingale or The Girl You Left Behind would love this book if they're looking for a new historical fiction novel with some romance on the side.

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't ring true for me. Too many clichés, too much fluff. I was expecting a hard-nosed story based on historical fiction but it was a little too unbelievable, too soapy. Others may love it, I thought it was just okay. Would read another by this author.

A beautiful, well written book that I could not put down. The strength of the women portrayed in this historical novel is nothing less than inspiring. I highly recommend reading The Last Correspondent.

This is a multi-POV, story told in alternating chapters. The chapters are from Danni, Ella, and Chloe’s point of view. Of the three main characters, I feel like I got to know Danni and Ella the best. Chloe however, seems immature and flighty and we don’t get much of her story.

What I liked:
I think the premise of this story was fascinating. I am impressed that female journalists wanted be imbedded with the troops to cover the Normandy landings at great personal risk. I am also intrigued that the story is based on a real-life female reporter. The author effectively presented some of the brutalities of war.

What could have been better:
*The men in this story are very one-dimensional and I would have liked to learn more about them.
*Some of the thoughts and actions from the journalists do not back up the strong women theme (good thing Ella didn’t cut her hair or she wouldn’t have gotten a kiss; Ella doesn’t balk at the idea that love interest wants her as an assistant and typist for his novel)
*The French resistance element of this story was not explored and was given superficial treatment
*I think there was a missed opportunity with Chloe’s storyline. She was essentially a non factor until she needed rescuing.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance novels with historical elements. 3.5/5

Read it. It’s written in a fine and easy style. Danni and Ella are great strong female characters and the backdrop of the war is heart wrenching. Chloe is an egocentric girl, who is the most annoying part of the book in the early chapters. And totally unrealistic in the end especially considering the era.

Totally recommend.

American journalist Ella Franks loses her job when the newspaper finds out she's a woman and not "Ernst Franks." She begins writing stories of the women at home in Illinois who are helping the war effort, which lands her a job in London with the Associated Press.

Photographer Danni Bradford, also an American, has been to Italy and North Africa covering World War II. Her pictures are too graphic for the papers, but she's determined to photograph the war as she sees it. Her longtime partner is a journalist named Andy, a Brit who is like a brother to her.

Andy's sister Chloe is chafing at being home alone in London and apart from her French lover. She misses the travel and excitement that her now-defunct modeling career used to afford her. Chloe decides while her brother is away to sneak into France and find him.

The three women's lives cross paths during the final days of World War II.

Ella has the naïveté of a reporter with boots on the ground for the first time, and her frustration at her editor changing her stories of strong women to fluff pieces angers her. She decides to tell stories of the war, not just women's stories. The reader follows as her exposure to the horrors of war changes her. She becomes a hardened and stronger version of herself.

Danni is hard to begin with because she has to be as a woman working in a man's world. She has made a reputation for herself as one of the best photographers following the war. She's brash and combative, but Andy's influence calms her down. Danni becomes softer as the war takes its toll on her; she begins to open up more to those she loves and sometimes lets her guard down.

Ella and Danni meet in London while working on stories of the Blitz. Several male correspondents will be going to Normandy with the troops on D-Day, but females aren't allowed. They both are determined to make it to Normandy despite not having official credentials to travel.

Chloe begins the novel even more naïve than Ella, thinking that her travels during modeling have made her more worldly. Going to France is a terrible decision, but she only realizes when it's too late to return home to Britain.

Each woman has a love interest, although not all of them are serious. While some fans of strong females see having male love interests as a detriment to the story, the way each woman handles her feelings and ways of expressing them adds to their character.

The writing is wonderful, almost to the point that you forget you're reading and are just consuming the story as fast as you can. The plot is a roller coaster ride of emotions, from triumph to fear to the pain of loss.

Highly recommended for readers of World War II fiction and those who enjoy stories with strong female characters. If any historical fiction fans are on the fence about trying WWII fiction, this book would be a good place to start.

(4.5 stars, rounded up)

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: November 1, 2020
“The Last Correspondent”, by historical fiction novelist Soraya Lane, focuses on three women who come together during World War Two and, despite all that is against them, become important figures in the war.
Ella is a journalist bound and determined to write about the war first hand and show the horrors of war first-hand. Danni is a renowned photographer and, along with her journalist partner, Andrew, she also has dreams of documenting the War that has changed the world. However, both Ella and Danni are denied access to the front lines because they are both women. Despite this, both women separately plot a way to get across the ocean to France, ¬¬¬and end up capturing a horrific and realistic picture of war, losing everything along the way.
Chloe has followed the love of her life to France, where she hopes for a loving reunion after months apart. A former Vogue model, Chloe is rejected by her lover, who has taken up with the Resistance. Now Chloe is alone and in grave danger, but a chance meeting with two assumed strangers will change her life forever.
Lane is a new novelist for me, although she has been writing historical fiction for some time. Her works all have strong, brave female protagonists and that is obviously the case with this novel as well. To experience the war through a woman’s eyes and to experience sexism in a way that is unparalleled to anything today, this novel was not only eye-opening but encouraging as well. All the characters are fantastic, starting off the novel as underestimated females and ending up as game-changers in a tragic and terrible way, Chloe, Danni and Ella are characters to be admired and cheered for from page one.
Lane does not “pretty” up the story, and in fact, the depictions of the war can be quite gory and heartbreaking. However, this only adds to the reality of the plot. Lane’s descriptive language brings the setting to life and, as the story unfolds, you cannot help but be pulled in.
In some sections, the writing style was a bit confusing, as I found some of the interactions between the women to be petty and child-like. But this did not happen frequently enough to have a huge impact on enjoyment.
A powerful portrayal of war, “The Last Correspondent” is a rallying novel for all women. The fact that Lane based this novel on real-life women is not in the least surprising, and I think she pays them the appropriate respect by depicting them so honestly.

I really enjoyed this novel. Interesting characters and well-researched. A story that kept you reading well into the night.

The Last Correspondent by Soraya M. Lane

This story is about journalist Ella Franks, who writes under a male pseudonym in a male dominant career. She heads to war-torn France where she meets ups with American photojournalist Danni Bradford.

To me this is a combination of historical fiction, and romance, however I just could not really get into the storyline and felt it was really written for young adults.

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Soraya M. Lane and Amazon Publishing UK for my advanced copy to read and review.

#TheLastCorrespondent #NetGalley

I raced through this - I used to read a lot of wartime bravery novels as a teen but haven’t really since then, so this was great. I was really invested in the characters and my heart was in my mouth at multiple moments.

I was a bit disappointed with this book, especially when the author said she had based the narrative on accounts of actual female war correspondents' experiences. So I was expecting an interesting account of life as a female WW2 correspondent amidst the horrors and deprivation of war but instead got a soft, rose colored view of a girls own adventure with the war as a backdrop.

We're told by the author that the women are feisty and brave but we're never shown that. Even as the correspondents, Ella and Danni, are wading ashore at Normandy surrounded by dead soldiers in the water, the immensity and catastrophe of that never felt real. The female characters also never showed any personal growth through their experiences and the men they fell for were so stereotyped as to be alpha male cardboard cutouts. And don't even get me started on fashion model Chloe! No one could have lived through the London blitz and be naive enough to think it would be okay to travel to German occupied Paris to see the man she spent a week with before the war and is surprised when she is not welcomed with opened arms.. Although this is disappointingly not a work of serious historical fiction about those women brave enough to report from war zones, it may be popular with those who enjoy a romance set during war time and don't mind if the characters are not very credible.

The Last Correspondent is a riveting and heartfelt novel about three brave women on the frontlines of WWII. I love books that put ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances, and in this book, Danni, Ella, and Chloe exemplify that. Danni and Ella are dedicated war correspondents who rail against the restrictions on women in war zones, and Chloe is a young woman who unwittingly finds herself in the heart of the Resistance. These women learn to fight for what they believe in—three bright women who are smart and determined and passionate. I felt as if I were right in the action with these women—from London to Sicily to Normandy—on the edge of my seat and quickly turning pages, my heart in my throat. I highly recommend this book to lovers of WWII fiction, as well as anyone who loves stories of courage and resilience.