Kate Quinn always hitting a home run with her creative writing! This novel though action-filled with suspense had less tension than some of her other work but I still loved it and felt myself moved to tears toward the end with the satisfactory ending. Also, I loved how she kept the scenes with Prince Philip classy. And the narrator is amazing. Definitely a must read for any lover of WWII and spy books.

4.5
Kate Quinn returns to WWII, but this time it is the story of the women who helped with the code breaking against the Nazi's, only to discover a Spy in their midst:

1940s England and England has been preparing to fight a war with Nazi Germany. What Germany does not know if that England has intercepted and eventually decoded the Enigma machines. It is this ability that brings three very different women to the secret base of Bletchley Park, where the mission of those there is to intercept, decode and translate the messages from the Axis powers. What they begin to realize is that their own lives and those they love are in the messages that go through Bethcley Park and they must do everything in their power to keep them safe. But there is a trader at Bletchly Park that has seen to it that the one woman who could discover them is put away in an insane asylum. Now those who no longer trust each other must work together to figure out who.

I do not read a lot of Historical Fiction novels, but I have found when I do, I reach for Quinn when I am look for one. As I started writing this review I discovered that I never wrote on for The Alice Network last year (and I highly recommend that one too), and this one follows a similar format but I really liked that all the women are in both time frames in this book. This book really has everything in it and will make you feel a wide range of emotions. There is love, heartbreak, anger, deceit, friendship, mystery and of course betrayal. I actually loved the mystery aspect of this book and had me questioning everyone at Bletchley Park and the women as well, if one of them was the traitor and I am happy to say I did not figure it out (which does not happen very often).

I found both periods interesting and appreciated that the after the war periods were shorter until the latter parts of the book as this really sets all three women up as full fledged character. I enjoyed Osla, Mab and Beth's and that Quinn did not recopy each of the women. Yes, they do have some similarities in their overall stories, but not so close that I was not interested in them. However, I will say that the book was starting to feel a bit long by the 80% mark of the book. I got to the point where it was alright enough about the women’s lives and love lives and let’s find the traitor, get Beth and put some sort of plan into action to figure out who it is.

The most AMAZING part of this book is that the women that Quinn features in this book are real and I had no idea until the book was finished. I mean of course Prince Phillip (May he Rest In Peace) but I had no idea that the women featured were real as well. It made me want to look these woman up and know more about their lives, and see which aspects that that Quinn put in the book were true, especially that ending. All I can say is that these woman are extremely amazing and what they were able to accomplish at this time in history is truly special and amazing.

I feel like Quinn can weave an almost perfect story of intrigue, mystery, love story and all with strong female characters. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to those who like Historical Fiction and to those who want to read something outside of their usual genres. I look forward to reading other books by Quinn.

Enjoy!!!

Excellent attention grabbing and holding presentation and storyline. The narrator is really outstanding, managing each character's voice individually with the ability to convey feelings well.

The storyline is an interesting take on the people at Bletchley Park and their importance during this time period. It helps to show the changing roles of women and class levels in Britain also. An unexpected ending is not as predictable as many books. An overall enjoyable read.

624 pages (!) packed with intrigue, World War II code breakers, Prince Philip, Bletchley Park, and three friends in dueling timelines from 1940 through D-Day and 1947 in the days leading up to the royal wedding. This had a little bit of everything and was excellent historical fiction. I listened to this as an audio book and the narration was very well done. It took me awhile to finish because it was long but held my interest as the three women in the novel evolved over time and their stories intertwined. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read and review an advanced readers copy.

Wow! Kate Quinn does it again with another gripping tale that flips from 1940 during WWII to 1947 with the anticipation of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip post-war. The amount of research put into creating these charismatic characters that came to life, detailed settings, and the slow-burning suspense made this one of my 2021 favorite books. Saskia Maarleveld did a phenomenal job narrating The Rose Code, which definitely increased the suspense and character personalities.

In 1040, three amazing, yet completely different women, were determined to assist in the war efforts. Osla and Mab started working at the country estate Bletchley Park, where the brightest go to be trained to break German war codes. Soon they convinced Beth to join them in this highly secretive job, and she flourished into a one of the best cryptanalysts. The women become fast friends until tensions skyrocket and more was at stake with the war looming.

in 1947, the three women hadn't communicated in years until one of them sent an encrypted letter summoning the other two to an asylum. Begrudgingly, the two went to find out why their ex-friend betrayed their country and then was committed there. Secrets are unlocked and decoding occurred to determine their fate.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Audio, and Kate Quinn for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest review. This should move up your TBR list to the top.

Of the three books released in Kate Quinn's books about women working during WWII, this was the best. I've always been fascinated by Bletchley Park and this was a compelling jaunt through history. The inclusion of women who actually existed as characters fed the part of my brain that loves biographies and I cannot tell you how completely bizarre it is to read about the girlfriend of a recently-deceased Duke of Edinburgh before his marriage to QEII. His appearance as a character was bizarre but great.

The story excellently (and infuriatingly) encapsulates the distinctly female experience of being constantly underestimated and abused by men who have decided you're a "witless deb" and the complete lack of control women had before Women's Lib (and we still have a ways to go). Institutionalisation and sexual assault are just two of the many weapons used against women who effectively solved the war through their code-breaking.

The narrator is Saskia Maarleveld and she is spectacular, performing all of the dialects beautifully; her performance of the "upper-class" English was so so great.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and HarperAudio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

The Rose Code explores the world of code cracking during the world war. Everyone must take the code to never reveal what they do or where they work. Yet, one person does not honor the code. Who is it in the close circle of co workers.

World War Two to me is an overdone era, but Kate Quinn makes it seem as if this is a completely new concept. I love that she chose such strong women characters who each had a different layer to add to the story and gave a well rounded picture to the Enigma machines and coding. Anyone who has seen the movie Engima or The Imitation Game would know the background of the British codebreaking teams who cracked the German Engima code. I enjoyed how Quinn gave a female face to this operation. There was so much new information I didn't know about Bletchley Park and Britain during World War Two in general. Quinn does a phenomenal job of adding not only a human face to the war but letting the reader know about what the famous people everyone knows from their history books were up to as well. This book is great for someone who doesn't like reading non-fiction but who is interested in history. Will definitely be picking up more of her novels after this. Saskia Maarleveld does an amazing job giving each women her own unique voice and bringing the personalities and Quinn's writing to life.

I have read two of Kate Quinn's other novels; The Alice Network and The Huntress, and loved both of them so when I saw The Rose Code was available - I knew I had to read it! I read a lot of WW2 historical fiction and find I learn more with every book that I read - and this book did the same. I loved the characters in this book and the plot twists kept me asking for more. This is a must read book for 2021!

I have known that known that Kate Quinn's books are very popular, and I've been interested in reading her after hearing her speak at a book and author luncheon, but her books are rather lengthy which has prevented me from diving in. I'm really sorry now that I have waited so long. This book was so good! To begin with I am just fascinated by the code breakers from the war.

The book is filled with interesting characters with a variety of backgrounds and situations they come from. It's fascinating to me how they did all the amazing work, but had to keep everything so secretive. The duality of women's lives at the time was demonstrated well. Women were just suppose to have these secretarial type jobs, find a husband, and be of high moral character, yet here we had these women doing such amazing work, but having to hide it from those they knew. It allowed the workers to become a close knit community. But then there was also some fallout. The book also brought up some moral dilemmas. What do you do if you learn something might be happening in an area where you have a friend or loved one?
The book was told from the perspective of the three main women characters. I listened to the audiobook which was superbly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who did an outstanding job.
We were supposed to be going to London this August, but the trip has been cancelled due to the current pandemic situation. I can't wait, though, to return next year because I learned at the end of the book that they have renovated and re-opened Bletchley as a museum. It will definitely be on my must visit list!

I highly recommend this book for historical fiction lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook to listen to in exchange for an honest reviews.

Kate Quinn writes incredible historical fiction. I was instantly drawn into the story of codebreaking. I knew nothing about this part of history and really appreciate the author's notes about the real history. It gives me a good idea of the incredible amount of research she must have done to make this come to life. I was invested in the lives of these 3 women and felt their pain at keeping such secrets. Thank you for the opportunity to listen!!

I needed access to this novel, because the story was so well done, so intriguing, so consuming that I couldn’t put it down. It was by no means a quick read, but it was epic and heartfelt. It is a remarkable work of historical fiction and will be one of my top picks for 2021, if not of all time. I am traditionally a fan of heroic WWII sagas, but I enjoyed that this didn’t put us on the frontlines or in the shoes of those living through an invasion, but brought us behind the scenes, so to speak, and into the heart of valiant warriors in their own right. I found it to be an absolutely fascinating masterpiece that brought me to laughter, tears, and frustration. It will be worth a re-read one day, and in all honestly, I’m having a difficult time leaving Bletchley Park behind.

My thanks to HarperAudio for the advanced listener copy via NetGalley. It was truly appreciated.

Note: This review is based upon the audiobook.

In the Rose Code, author Kate Quinn gives readers a peek into the cloaked-in-secrecy lives of the cryptanalysts and codebreakers of England’s WWII Bletchley Park. Told in split-time, the story unfolds through the eyes of three women thrown together amidst the chaos of war: Osla, rich, beautiful, and determined to be more than a “silly deb”; Mab, poor and working hard to prove there is more to her than her wrong-side-of-the-tracks upbringing; and Beth, shy and relentlessly bullied by her mother but with a knack for puzzles that could turn the tide of the war.

Unspeakable tragedy divides the trio, but danger and betrayal reunite them, providing the opportunity to right an old wrong. Masterfully written, there are moments that left me wanting to press pause because I knew the next sentence was going to shatter my heart. But I couldn’t stop listening—I simply had to know.

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld does a brilliant job of giving each character has her own unique voice and accent. A delight to listen to.

*I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I am absolutely blown away after listening to the audio version of The Rose Code. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will not be disappointed! I predict that this book will be on all the best sellers lists. Kate Quinn outdid herself with an emotional plot, lovable characters, & an unforgettable ending.

Great book to listen to. I enjoyed both the story and the narrator. If you're a fan of Bletchley Circle, The Imitation Game, and/or the history WWII codebreaking, you'll enjoy this book.

What a beautifully tragic war time story filled with love, loss, friendship and betrayal. Kate Quinn has created a masterful piece yet again. I felt so connected to all of the characters, feeling joy with their happiness as well as being destroyed in times of their losses. I have a feeling this story will stick with me for a very long time!
5*

This story follows 3 women in a dual timeline that occurs during and after WWII. They are working at Bletchley Park in England where they are breaking German codes. I mean, how awesome is this topic!? I did not even know that this corner of history existed, so thank you @katequinn5975 for telling the story.

This book has it all: love, heartbreak and grit. What a perfect read for Women’s History Month!

On a scale of good, great or fantastic, this book is fantastic!

I loved this story and what a fascinating part of WWII this taught me about. At first, I found the length daunting but I never felt like the story dragged. Rarely do I find a book written in multiple viewpoints where I didn’t have a favorite character but I found all three women to be both strong and flawed in their own ways and felt very human to me. There is a mystery aspect to the story which I guessed but there were plenty of other small surprises along the way that had me audibly gasp. Overall, this is a perfect book for historical fiction and big book lovers alike. The voice of the audio was a joy to listen to and fit the book perfectly.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve come to the conclusion that historical fiction done via audiobook is not for me. It’s always such a struggle to keep up with the multiple perspective and, usually, multiple time frames. I think it will be nonfiction via audiobook for me going forward.

However, with that, I did enjoy THE ROSE CODE by Kate Quinn; after THE HUNTRESS, she quickly became an auto-read author for me. And this book didn’t disappoint - it reminded me of the movie, The Imitation Game with Kiera Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch, as it follows three code breakers, their friendship, and what happens to them after the war…especially when one of them mysteriously disappears.

If you are a fan of strong female characters, historical fiction, or spy/code breaker novels, definitely pick up a copy today!

First, thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced listener’s copy to review. Now, do you have a preference of genres when it comes to audiobooks?

This was my first book from Kate Quinn, but it won't be my last. In the vast landscape of WWII novels, this is a standout. It is a vivid, engaging story and I couldn't stop listening. Sometimes reading via audio takes me out of the story a bit, but this one was superbly done.