This is where Shari Ryan truly excels. The importance of history is to learn how not to repeat it. But for many, history is dull or difficult to deal with. Storytelling like this brings us the history in such a way that you are completely transfixed by the characters and their landscapes. You become so wrapped up in their lives, dreams and hopes that you keep reading all the difficult parts with so much hope. Hope they will survive all the atrocities that are visited on them simply by virtue of their birth. While we know that Mila and Ben's story is fiction, it still gives you a view of what so many people and families had to deal with during those turbulent years. This story is one well worth reading, whether or not historical fiction is your favorite.

As usual this is the latest brilliant novel by Shari Ryan. She has a way of writing that is full of empathy while telling the harrowing stories of her characters.
If you like historical fiction, then I recommend this book.

I love author, Shari Ryan's style of writing. She grabs you from the very beginning to the end. During World War II, the Romani people were also hated along with the Jews. The Romani's were also referred to as 'gypsies' and were looked upon as liars and thieves. They were a nomadic people who traveled from one place to the next.

This story begins in 1938 in Czechoslovakia where Mila Leon, who is Romani, and Ben Bohdan, who is Jewish, meet. Mila becomes employed by the Bohdan family as a maid. The Bohdan family are a very wealthy Jewish family. Mila and Ben connect to each other right away. As Nazi occupation begins, many changes happen that are beyond the family's control. Soon Mila and Ben fall in love and secretly get married although it is forbidden for a Jew to marry a nonJew. Their families are separated and taken to the ghettos and concentration camps. Will they survive the war and find each other afterwards?

'You will survive this. You are braver than you know. Remember that always.'

I was glued to this heartbreaking story of courage and love. Ryan brings each character to life and I felt engrossed as their lives were torn apart. It is beautifully written, powerful, and emotional. Highly recommend!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review. Opinions in this review are completely my own.

Shari Ryan writes books that are soul filled and compelling.
The Maid’s Secret is about a forbidden love in a foreboding time. Mila is a Romani who works for Ben’s family who are Jewish.
As the vices close in around them, both are considered vermin by the new government.
The book depicts the difficulties, the struggles and the determination To live and triumph over the extreme adversity.
The light that threatened to be muted throughout the book., shines brightly at the end.
It’s an inspirational read.

Shari J Ryan has found her calling with historical fiction writing. She weaves her stories and characters with emotion, suspense and heart. The Maid’s Secret is the latest in her writings and it’s one you will not want to miss. It is powerful and beautifully written.
The Maid’s Secret centers around Mila, a Romani gypsy girl and Ben, a Jewish boy. Mila comes to work for Ben’s family and the two form a strong connection.
Ryan does a wonderful job with her characters. Ben is strong, has a kind heart, is courageous and loving. Mila is strong, bold and independent. The two can’t help their connection, even through the times they are living in.
The world around them is filled with hatred, but the love that develops between them, even though it goes against the times, will warm your heart and take you on an emotional journey.
This story shows the fear that the Jews faced, the fears that the Gypsies faced and the trials and tribulations of war, Hitler and having to hid for fear of your life. Every emotion is felt in Ryan’s writing. Grab the tissues and clear your schedule for an emotional read about love, loss, fear and survival.

3.5 stars.

I will admit, this was a hard book to get into. Most historical fiction from this time period doesn't go into what non-Jewish people suffered from during the war, and because of that aspect alone, I wanted to read it. However, the whole Ben/Mila getting to know each other felt glossed over. I wasn't sold on their story line at all - it seemed to out of nowhere and with too many obstacles to allow the reader to accept their relationship without some hint of the whys.

Thankfully, however, once that was out of the way, it started to flow better. There were still some points when I felt situations were rushed without a why being answered (it felt like a lot of information had been edited down to make the book shorter, but that left me wondering about the motivations of characters doing complete turn-a rounds) but overall, I did enjoy reading this book.

I massively enjoy Shari J. Ryan's writing style, and this book was no exception. Although it took me a little while to get into, I finished the second half in under a day, and found the pacing and POV changes to be perfect for the book.
However, saying this, I do think some aspects of the novel--especially in the first half--dragged slightly longer than they should have, and other aspects (such as Mila's family) were not lingered on for long enough. This made it a slightly frustrating read at times, though I do believe that overall it was worth the read.
Though this isn't my favourite of her books, if you enjoy the genre, you will undoubtedly enjoy Ryan's latest novel.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC!)

It is 1938 and everything that once seemed normal is changing in Czechoslovakia. If a resident was Jewish, no matter their age, their life was soon to be in peril. There was another community greatly affected by the changing climate in this moving story, and those were the Romani citizens doing the best they could for themselves and their families. It was not easy for any of them, either Romani or Jew.

Mila Leon had seen a young man named Benedikt Bohdan as her father sold a couple of horses to his father. Little did Mila know at the time that Ben would change her life forever. Eventually, Mila became a maid and worked for Ben's family. Ben's parents and three brothers were affluent Jews whose lives were soon to be turned upside down. While prejudices existed when it came to Mila and her community (as travelers were thought very badly of at that time), Ben saw past that. In fact, what he saw is a beautiful and kind young woman who made his heart beat faster.

Ben did not share the prejudicial judgment like his brother Tobias, nor did Ben allow his mother's bitterness to affect his growing feelings towards Mila. He was drawn to her quiet and rather secretive nature. Meanwhile, Mila strove to keep her head down and to do her job, even when she experienced a sudden and great loss.

Society may have had its dictates when it came to Germans, Jews and the Romani, but Mila and Ben found a way to move forward despite the fear, loss and complete emptiness that came with the actions of Hitler and his minions. Shari J. Ryan has written a wonderfully touching book of hope and love that shone through the darkest of times. With a storyline unlike I have read prior to reading The Maid's Secret, this incredible story takes readers on a journey of loss, love and eventually hope.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Maid’s Secret is my first book from Shari and it blew me away. So incredibly well researched, and well written. It is so emotional, you can feel the love, the uncertainty, the fear and forgiveness.

Ben and Mila will do anything to stay together despite being from incredibly different backgrounds. They know their love for each other is worth fighting for, and they indeed have to fight for it.

This book, honestly I’m a little bit speechless, it’s so hard to sum up a book that touches your soul, and makes you feel honest and raw emotions. I cannot recommend The Maid’s Secret enough.

Czechoslovakia 1938: Mila is a Romani (gypsy) traveling with her family. Upon arriving in a village, her father goes to trade horses with the Bohdan family at a local estate. When he returns to his family, he tells Mika, his oldest child, that she will be working for the family to help train the horses. Soon after starting her job, she returns to where he family is staying with a caravan to find the site abandoned. Without anywhere to go, she confides in Ben, the second oldest son of the Bohdan family, about her dilemma. Ben take with his parents, and while his mother is against the idea, he secures a room within the estate for Mila to stay in.

Being a Romani is dangerous enough, but Ben and his family are Jewish. After being kicked out of the local university here he was studying economics, Ben begins to spend even more time with Mila. As they work with the horses and take nightly walks, they fall in love. Secretly marrying in the village, they choose to keep quiet about their relationship. Pushed to desperate measures when the Germans occupy Czechoslovakia, Ben reveals the news to his family.

As the war rages on, the family finds that the strength that held them together was being unraveled by forces out of their control. Would they be able to avoid the atrocities of what the Germans were doing to their culture? Would they come out of the end of the war together or will they find that things will never be as they were before?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #themaidssecret #bookouture #sharijryan

Every book that I have read by this author has blown me away and this was no exception, I loved it, I couldn't put this down, it was so emotive and made me tear up and feel frustrated in equal measure and I took some of the charcaters to my heart. A fantastic read.

This was a well-researched gripping read. I was entertained and captivated, well done to the author.

However, I think the editor should rethink the blurb. Stating that the story starts in 1942 immediately causes issues with historical facts of the time (Jews were sent to ghettos first, not concentration camps, which came later--and the story supports this--but the blurb makes me think the author got it wrong by specially mentioning 1942 and Ben being sent to a concentration camp). Again the author got it right, but the blurb is not factually correct.

Wow! This is an intense WWII read. People often forget that many other groups besides Jews suffered. Gypsies were very hated by the Nazis.
I enjoyed how there were different viewpoints and plans leading up to the take over in Czechoslovakia. Realists, militant, mentally unable to carry on, and more. Of course we do not know the future, but there are signs to prepare for the days ahead.
Hope is very powerful especially in the middle of suffering and the unknown.
I highly recommend this read.
I received an ARC. My opiate my own.

I have read every book by Shari J. Ryan and The Maid’s Secret is by far my favorite book by her so far. This story tells the incredibly heart warming and devastatingly heart breaking tale of two main characters. Mila, a Romani girl and Ben, a Jewish man.

Mila comes to work for Ben’s aristocratic family as a maid and before to long the two fall in love. Shari J. Ryan created two powerhouse characters with these two. Ben will make you swoon. He is brave, sweet, kind, loving, strong and very quickly falls as a protector for Mila. Mila is a strong willed, determined, fiery powerhouse of a woman who finds herself falling for Ben as fast as Ben is falling for her.

Society, Hitler, family and the Nazi’s all have their reasons why Mila and Ben should not be together. In a world that is consuming their lives with darkness, impending doom and heartache, can their love make it? You will have to read to ultimately find out but I promise the entire book is worth it.

Each chapter is told from Ben or Mila’s perspective and you get a raw, unfiltered, and heart-tugging look into the soul, heart, and mind of both of them. This book is so well-written and the author does a flawless job at making the reader feel every emotion that the characters do. So much so I thought what would I do if my husband and I were in Ben and Mila’s shoes? When an author latches onto your own heart as the reader and draws you in that deep and works your mind long after you have put the book down, than you have yourself a bestseller.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Bookoutune, and the author for an early copy of her book to read.

This book is a romantic story during ww11,Mila and her family are gypsy travellers and find a place to settle,her father a horse trader needing money to feed the family sells 2 horses to a family who are Jewish they make a deal for his daughter Mila to work for them to look after the horses and to be a maid,one day she arrives to the site to find her family gone.will she find her family?she falls for there son Ben will they take her in as she has nowhere to go.war approaches will they survive..a heartbreaking story with hope.would give this 3.5 rating as took a while to get into this read.rounded to four star rating. A good read.

Another beautiful book from Shari J. Ryan. The author has a way with her words that send you through a range of emotions, and I have really enjoyed the books I've read by her - this one definitely didn't disappoint.

The Maid's Secret sees Romani girl Mila working on the lavish estate of the Jewish Bohdan family, where she meets Ben. Their love is forbidden and frowned upon, but the couple are determined to be together. When the Nazi occupation reaches Czechoslovakia, the lovebirds are pulled apart - can they and their love survive the war?

A gorgeous historical read. It’s an unforgettable World War Two page-turner. This tearjerker shows that, if you have love, you can survive anything… Very well-drawn characters. Their emotions, their restlessness was all playing in front of me. Everything was flawless about the book,

An easy read with a nice story. It was definitely sad at times, but the story still had hope throughout.

The Maids Secret is a heartbreaking story of WWII and a family devastated by tragedy after tragedy.

Mila is a Romani, or as most people refer to her family, a gypsy, her father trades in horses and they move constantly to keep up with the money.

Ben is a Czechoslovakian Jew who has not yet felt the impact of this war.

Mika’s family pulls into a small town for her father to do a horse trade, he finds out that the family is in need of a maid and someone good with the horses and he barters for them to take his daughter on.

Mila is not treated well by most of the family, they disparage her because she is a gypsy and make comments about what she might steal and other not nice things, nothing she has not heard before. She has the relief of going home to her family every night until one night they are gone, the entire encampment has vanished and they left her behind.

The war approaches closer and closer to them and the family is beginning to get nervous as they hear how bad things are, when it finally lands on their door step the horror of what they truly face comes to light and they will struggle from then on to stick together and stay strong.

The idea of what these families all went through, the camps, the hiding, the Starvation and the loss of life is mind boggling and this book gives a good perspective with also giving you a bit of a happy ending.

Very good

Captured my heart… so immersed in the story it was hard to put it down it was such a good book to read highly recommend.