The Silence Before Dawn takes place during one of my favorite historical periods, World War II. The first chapter gets you involved in the lives of the characters and puts you in the middle of the peril and action that will get you to keep reading. I loved the way that the author, Amanda Lees, weaves romance and intrigue into this historical narrative. The characters are believable and are based on true stories of the French Resistance during the occupation of France during the war.
This is not a tanks and dogfight story, but rather one of the intrigue that is present in the fight for survival in a time when you aren't sure who is talking to the occupiers, so when you make your plans and communicate them to your team, you have to have faith that someone isn't telling the Germans what is going to happen. The main character, who is telling this story in Marianne, and she is in doubt as to whether the man that she loves is really as trustworthy as she once believed. As the story unfolds, she remembers times in the past when she and Jack were falling in love and it kills her inside, thinking that her lover could be betraying her and her team.
I loved the story and the setting, and I can't wait to read other stories from this period from Amanda Lees. Her attention to detail is what keeps you in the story.

What a page-turner!!! I really enjoyed all female main characters fighting not only the war as resistants , but also the fact of their being women in a world of men! Up to the end, I did not know who the traitor was! Many twists and turns make this novel really enthralling!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel and I am leaving voluntarily a review.

Incredibly brave, courageous women feature in this first WWII resistance series by Amanda Lee.
Marianne, Juliette, Christine and Suzanne are all working towards one goal and that is to rid France of the Germans who invaded the country and the freedom of those who live there. The women are based on lives of true female secret agents in the War and one can only marvel at their strength of character.
This is not a book you can put down once started you need to keep reading - it is a real page turner . A story of fighting for what is right against the brutality and evil of the Nazi regime..
I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

This book was sent to me by. Netgalley for review…historical fiction at its best…written by a talented author…war and soldiers…civilians……Allies…enemies…love and romance…family…this novel reads like nonfiction at times…it could have happened the way this is written…the names changed of the characters to those in real life…a movie or a television series in the making…this is a unique novel…

If you love strong female protagonists, then look no further than ‘The Silence Before Dawn’, - a frightening but beautifully written World War II novel that is based on true stories of female secret agents!

Nazi occupied France 1944, and young Englishwoman Marianne, is leader of a network of French Resistance fighters, most of them men. She may be young and she may be female, but the men trust her with their lives - she has earned the right to be their leader. However, there is an informant in their midst, responsible for many deaths - that person will be found and dealt with! Marianne is then given an envelope, supposedly with the name of the informant, the traitor in their midst, so with shaking hands she slowly opens and reads the name. The shock she experiences is like nothing before - the informant is none other than her fiancé, secret agent Jack!

In the meantime, Jack has been seized by the butcher of Lyon - Nazi, Klaus Barbie, currently head of the Gestapo in Lyon. Marianne doesn’t want to believe that Jack would betray them, but she isn’t sure what to think. One thing is certain though, they will have to rescue Jack before he reveals important information about any upcoming missions, and also prevent him from giving the names of all the undercover agents. And equally, if he isn’t a traitor, then they need to rescue him before the brutal butcher of Lyon does his worst on him.

It goes without saying how much we owe to these amazingly brave young women (and men) although this novel focuses mainly on the women. ‘The Silence Before Dawn’ is exceptional - the characters were perfectly formed, the storyline authentic, (if brutal at times). There are many heart stopping situations, so naturally the tension is palpable throughout, but it makes for a real page turner. You don’t want to miss this one!

This is an excellent first in a series novel. WW2 is one of the periods in history I'm interested in because my father saw action during that time.

The author wove actual events into her fiction seamlessly. I loved it! I admit I didn't know much about the resistance other than it existed and the portrayal of the women involved in leading their men - Marianne, Juliette, Christine and Suzanne - was well-told and believable. They were strong yet vulnerable which made them appealing.

Thanks, Bookouture and NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The entire read was a heart-pounding impact on me.
Very well-drawn characters. Their emotions, their restlessness was all playing in front of me. Everything was flawless about the book, roll on book no 2!

What a story! I enjoy WW2-era novels and this absolutely delivers. We see our main female character, Marianne, faced with leading a group of resistance fighters against the Nazis while also grappling with the discovery that her fiancé has been outed as a traitor to their cause. Along with a few other female secret agents, Marianne fights to get to her fiancé before he reveals all the secrets of their Resistance network. I could not put this book down and I cannot wait for this series to continue!

Really enjoyed this book and delving into the life of the resistance, just how much they were willing to do and to sacrifice to help even in the smallest way, loved the strong female characters who all came from various backgrounds but worked together despite this
Really can't wait to read book two to find out what happens next for our ladies and of course men