Loosely based on Barbara Lauwers, the main character Niki is assigned to Morale Operations in the OSS during WWII in Italy.

It was interesting to read about the Morale Operations objective during WWII and to read a piece of WWII fiction based somewhere other than France. Although it was difficult at times to keep the timeline straight once I got into the novel I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Lipstick Bureau, a historical fiction novel. The protagonist Nikola is based on a real person. Although it did take awhile to really get into the book, once I did, it was a fascinating story. The strong women characters who took risks during WWII, are dominant throughout. Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy.

A work of historical fiction based on real people and real events, the book describes Niki’s role in the OSS during World War 2. Niki is a Czech native with a flair for languages and is recruited to the OSS (a division that later becomes the CIA) to support Morale Operations, managing propaganda and disinformation to support the war effort.

While I found parts of the book very interesting, exploring a part of history that I knew very little of, I did find that the novel was a little superficial. It lacked depth of character so I was fairly detached from caring about what would happen to the main characters. The pace of the book was fairly slow and I was tempted to give up but at the halfway point, I do think the book picked up pace and became a lot more engaging.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction set in WWII Italy about a Czech native recruited by the OSS. I was very hopeful about this novel as the Czech Republic is near to my heart. Nikola is based on a real person and I enjoyed reading about the MO unit with black propaganda. I didn't like the sex or the unfaithfulness in marriage. And I kept hoping for a different outcome for Niki. Overall engaging and a neat storyline but wished for a few different plot moves.

The Lipstick Bureau is the name of an OSS MO unit based in Rome in 1944. Niki is a private whose personality is take-charge, and get-the-job-done is instrumental in many of the enemy morale lowering efforts of the group. It was an unusual story that I found a little hard to get into, but a good read nonetheless. The story details some of the efforts of Ms. Lauwers during the WWII misinformation campaign.

“The Lipstick Bureau” is a historical fiction book by Michelle Gable. I had never heard of Barbara Lauwers (who the main character of this book is loosely based upon) before but any book about the OSS and misinformation I find interesting. I cannot say that I really enjoyed this book. I found the main character, Niki, to be difficult to like. Her backstory was interesting, but for some reason I just didn’t warm up to her. I found the chapters about Paloma to be both amusing and a titch heartbreaking. This book would probably be enjoyed by people interested in learning more about the misinformation department during WWII, along with the life of Ms. Lauwers. I did like that the author, Ms. Gable, included a number of resources at the end of her book.

It took a while to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked.

I love historical fiction and especially stories with strong women characters.

This book is full of excitement and had me in the edge of my seat. The risk women took during times of war is not often revealed. Many women did much for their country and faced hard decisions.

When emotions become intertwined with those decisions it is hard to determine what is truly the right decision.

A decision many faced heart or country.

Recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.