The tie to James Bond is what had me requesting this book! The real Miss Moneypenny.

WWII is a time period many find interesting, and I love to read about those that risked it all to be a spy and take the enemy down from within. I loved that the protagonists in this story were women.

This was a good historical fiction book! It was quick paced read. My only issue is that there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Most British history lovers have heard of Miss Moneypenny. I certainly appreciate what I learned from this book.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this historical story. This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed from beginning to end. This is a story of inspiration, determination and the characters pop off the pages and into your heart. This is a well written story where the author used details to make the story realistic. A fast paced story that is not only engaging but hard to put down as well. I enjoyed being pulled into the story by the characters. They are relateable and truly made the story for me. I enjoyed watching their growth throughout which made the story easy to read. This is a great story that I truly enjoyed. I highly recommend this book.

💜𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💜
ONE WOMAN’S WAR
🩵𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: historical fiction
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3 ⭐️
📖 354 pages
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🇫🇷 🪖 🩷🛩️🕵🏼‍♀️

Thank you @netgalley & @uplitreads for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this one. Usually I see a historical fiction WWII novel & I’m immediately sold. ONE WOMAN’S WAR had a promising premise, but unfortunately it fell short of expectations for me. While the story had potential, it suffered from an excess of characters that made it difficult to keep track of who was who, or maybe it was just that some of their names were harder to pronounce for me? The lack of a strong emotional connection to any of the characters further hindered my ability to fully invest in the story. I know this one won’t leave a lasting impression on me, and that’s okay!

I do believe this will provide enjoyment for fans of the historical fiction WWII genre though! The historical accuracy was commendable, & the author's attention to detail made the setting come alive.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
🕵🏼‍♀️ espionage
🪖 WWII
⚠️ danger & deceit

This was a very compelling read about two women who were spies during WWII. I found the story to be very fast-paced. I thought the writing had gorgeous prose and was full of vivid imagery. I recommend this for fans of The Rose Code, Code Name Helene, and Invisible Woman!

What an interesting story about two women who were double agents. I enjoyed the story about the women and the missions they had to complete. The research that was completed for this book is well demonstrated throughout the book through the details. This book defiantly brings a fresh prospective to WWII and the missions that women completed during that time. This book was a good read and may have been better if I was not in a reading slump.

This was a nice historical fiction novel that explored two women’s lives and how the come together in a plot to work against the Germans as spies. It was well written and interesting and kept my attention. I don’t know if it was the most memorable war novel I’ve read but it was still well done and I’d recommend to historical fiction fans

Thank you @uplitreads @christinewells_ for my #gifted copy and having me on this book tour 🥰

Paddy, a young woman living in WWII Europe, finds herself working for the Naval Intelligence Division as a spy of sorts, and finds herself face to face with Friedl, a double agent working for both Germany and Britain.

I love books about strong female characters, and this story is all about two badass women deceiving the enemy for the greater good. I loved the dual POV, and found myself excitedly flipping g through the pages to find out what these two would be up to next. I was sad their paths didn’t cross sooner, but enjoyed following along in their parallel worlds. I felt everything was tied up really well at the end, and all of my burning questions were answered!✨

Victoire Bennett, better known as Paddy, gets a job working as a secretary in British Intelligence in WWII. She works with the cocky charmer Ian Fleming. But when an opportunity arises for her to play a more active role in an espionage plot, she jumps in. Wells has written this fictionalized story of the real Moneypenny, the inspiration for author Fleming’s memorable character.

Friedl Stottinger is an Austrian socialite who gets trapped into spying for both sides. Her life as a double agent is stressful but also filled with evenings of dancing and drinking in high society. She is caught in her own web of deceit. But there is a connection between the two women that will have immense consequences for the war.

There were parts of the story that glimmered but the overall story failed to really engage. I felt the characters lacked emotional depth and I wanted more. Slightly disappointed but still an interesting and worthwhile read.

I started this one as an ebook, but then switched over to audio which was a great way to go! Such an interesting and suspenseful story about the real-life inspiration for the James Bond character for Miss Moneypenny. You definitely don't have to be a Bond fan to pick this one up, if you love historical fiction and enjoy books by Kate Quinn and Jane Healy. I would definitely recommend reading the author's note at the end of this one as well because it added so much for me and made me like the book even more.
 
Pick this one up if you like:
-WWII historical fiction
-spies and intrigue
-strong female characters
-James Bond movies

Really enjoyed this book about the real life inspiration for Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise.

This took me a bit of time to get invested in the story. I really enjoyed reading of women spies, double crossing agents, and love interests.

Aside from the misleading title, since the book was about two women, it was not my favorite piece of historical fiction. Freidl, an Austrian by birth, is an unappealing character, self centered and looking out for herself, as she leaves for England. We are never sure which side she is on, the Nazis or the British. Paddy is a more sympathetic character, but much was hard to believe, particularly her relationship with Julian. It is always interesting to read about the spy network, Operation Mincemeat, etc, but I felt a lot was glossed over in terms of the war and the casualties related to espionage. The chapters alternated between the two women, but appeared a bit disconnected. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A young woman thinking she's going to be a secretariy to Ian Fleming. But ends up not only being a a female spy but she becomes the inspiration for Miss Moneypenny . I'm a sucker for female spy's. And meeting one that would end up in Bond was pretty cool.

A fascinating look at Ian Fleming and the real Miss. Moneypenny. Great writing and attention to detail. Started slow but when the action started, it was an enjoyable read. While reading this book, I did some research on the real Operation Mincemeat and found it to be a great story. All and all a really great read!

Double agents, MI6, love, loss, and the Ian Fleming who created James Bond.

Christine Wells wrote a great historical fiction in the book One Woman’s War. This book is told in a dual timeline of Friedl and Paddy. Friedl is an Austrian, living in Portugal after a nasty divorce and is approached by a Nazi intelligence officer to use her link to MI6 her brother in law, Stewart Menzies, was the head of the agency; to spy on Britain for the Germans. Paddy Ridsdale worked as the secretary for Ian Fleming in the Room 39 and helped to pretend to be Pam in the Operation Mincemeat that helped to win the war.

This book was incredibly interesting and now I want to read all the books by Ian Fleming. The personal story of Paddy was interesting but not as much as the spy story. For that and that alone I say this is a 4.5 or 4 star book.

Thank you to William Morrow for sending me a finished copy #gifted in exchange for my review. THe audio book was great as well. This is definitely a book to read.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-WWII fiction⁣
-dual timeline, dual POV⁣
-homefront action⁣
-based on a true story⁣
⁣
Synopsis⁣
Bored with nursing, Paddy, a London socialite, accepts a secretarial position for British Naval Intelligence, trading bed pans for a part in some of the most important, and most daring, decisions of WWII. Finally, she's making a real difference, doing something meaningful that impacts the outcome of the war. Meanwhile the glamorous Austrian Friedl has accepted the role of a double agent. As an enemy alien in London, she's well-positioned to secure intelligence from the elites she rubs shoulders with every night in the premier clubs. But who's side is she on? At times the lines begin to blur for Friedl. As both women delve deeper into the world of intelligence their paths are bound to cross. But there's more on the line than their lives. ⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
This book had me at hello! I'm a sucker for WWII fiction, and I particularly love homefront stories. And this one did not disappoint! Glitz, glam, intrigue, secrets, espionage, and romance were all at play. I wasn't sure how the two characters/plots would play out, but I was fully invested in both storylines. I appreciated the fact that the two women were polar opposites, but both played an important roll in one of the biggest tactical moves of the war. It's no wonder that Paddy became the inspiration for Miss Moneypenny, one of the key characters in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. The glitzy life of London's elite gives this one a Gatsby vibe that I am here for! Overall, this was a solid WWII book that will have a spot on my shelf for a long time to come.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!

A novel inspired by the real Miss Moneypenny from James Bond? How can you say no to read it? And you know what? It was as fantastic and fascinating as I expected it to be. If you like historical fiction and spy stories, you need to read this book.

Thank you UpLit Reads for this tour invite and #gifted copy.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝗿 by Christine Wells Author released October 4, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wait?!?!? What?!?! Moneypenny was inspired by a real person with ties to Ian Fleming!

This HistFic was unlike any WWII novel I have read. The double agents, philandering men and the sexy, smart women were reminiscent of old Hollywood movies. The raging night life of London sounds like so much fun too. James Bond films are my all-time favorite movies, and my favorite 007 is Sean Connery.

One Woman's War is a spy drama that focuses on two women who played instrumental roles in WWII's spy game inspiring a fictional character we adore. Highly recommend this novel.

Thank you UpLitReads, William Morrow Books and the author for the #gifted copy.

This historical fiction novel was full of intrigue and suspense set during WWII. Two women are working for different agencies and both have put themselves in danger trying to obtain intel while undercover. Paddy works for the British Naval Intelligence Agency and is the inspiration behind Miss Moneypenny in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series.

Friedl is an Austrian double agent who is caught in a tough spot between fighting for her freedom and for what she believes. The Germans want her to spy on the British and the British want her to spy on the Nazis. The Nazi commander is threatening her future and her family’s safety and she is fearful of being sent to a work camp. Both of these women are amazing characters and I admired their resolve to loyalty.