The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly is part of a series but I wasn't aware of the other books when I decided to read an ARC of this book. Maybe that's why it took me some time to really get into the story. Also the book jumps back and forth in a timeline so be aware. Once I figured this out I began to enjoy the book. I'm not a huge World War II fan but The Golden Doves provided a perspective that I had not explored. It's always interesting that women are given very little credit or importance in most of America's past conflicts. While I don't enjoy reading about war I appreciate the depth of the characters in the book. Going back and forth in time and discovering more and more about how women operated during wartime as well as how they provided a much-needed but little recognized service made this book one of my favorite stories of World War II
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

The Golden Doves moves backward and forward in time. It involves the story of two young women who worked for the French resistance during the war. Once caught, they were interned in Ravensbruck concentration camp. Forward to just after the war when both women are now leading very different lives. But they soon find themselves drawn into working together on a mission that leads them into a new danger.

Martha Hall Kelly has spun a very absorbing tale involving the hunt for war criminals that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Many authors write stories that involve espionage during the war, and this book has a different take that is done with equal layers of suspense and intrigue.

If you have read and enjoyed Martha Hall Kelly's earlier books, you will enjoy this one. While it was a little slow to start, and I had to remind myself to pay attention to the changing timelines, it was well worth the read.
Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4 stars out of 5
Available April 18, 2023

I've really enjoyed Martha Hall Kelly's previous books, and The Golden Doves was no different! It took a little while for me to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. I loved the character of Josie, a former female member of the French Resistance, who survived Ravensbruck alongside her friend Arlette. Arlette was not my favorite, and I definitely looked forward to Josie's sections more. I'm a sucker for cat and mouse games, so the Dr. Snow storyline kept me turning pages. The author always does a great job of threading so many real historical figures and events into her stories (and sends me down many google rabbit holes!). This book was a little long, but overall, I really liked it and would absolutely recommend it. Can't wait to see what the author does next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

When Josie and Arlette, the former “Golden Doves” responsible for taking down several Nazi operations during World War II, are reunited with a mission that Josie must complete, their old spy habits come to the surface. Josie is tasked with finding a lethal concentration camp doctor, Dr. Snow, and Arlette has been told that her son, who was taken from her during her time in the camp, is potentially alive and well. Both women, on separate journeys that leave them questioning everything they know, come together as the golden doves once more to seek justice and help one another the best way they know how. A well written historical fiction novel told from multiple perspectives and over multiple time periods, it will keep you guessing until the very end.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially WWII. I thought this was beautifully written. I didn’t realize this was part of a series and I wish I would have read the others first because I felt I would have had a more complete picture. But even without reading the others I enjoyed this story.

This author has a way of crafting period dramas with such believeable characters and plots that you want to keep reading . This was just as good as liliac girjs in my opinion.
Thanks ton net galley and the publisher

Where to even start? When you write books such as Lilac Girls and the books that follow it’s hard to imagine an author has that much talent to write a book that’s even better then her previous. But that’s just what Martha Hall Kelly has done. Her newest book goes better the point of view of two women who were both spies during WW2 and survived being in a concentration camp only to find themselves in a race to track down a famous Nazi doctor. Based on a true story, Kelly brought to light part of WW2 history that I knew little of. I loved the characters and how perfectly imperfect they both were.
I highly recommend this amazing book and thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Martha Hall Kelly's new book called The Golden Doves. I've read a lot of books set during World War II and this one was one of the best. Josie is a half-American half-French girl living in Paris with her mother and grandmother. Arlette is French. The two are pulled together through their work with the French Resistance. They work together and become known as the Golden Doves. They are eventually caught by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück Camp. Josie loses her mother in the camp and Arlette loses her son. Years later the two team up again to find Arlette's son and try to bring one of the Nazi Doctors to justice. Our heroine from The Lost Roses, Caroline Ferriday even makes an appearance.

The Golden Doves is a great read by Martha Hall Kelly. I loved it and am giving it a very well deserved five plus stars.

When I read that this book pertained to two women, Josie Anderson, an American, and Arlette LaRue, a French national, who had been imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp for women, working together after the war against heinous Nazis, I never anticipated the thriller-like, edge-of your seat twists, turns, and u-turns of this book. The portions set during the war are heartrending and after, in 1952, suspenseful and immersive. There are numerous Nazi and Nazi-related characters, and the thinking of the Nazis portrayed here startled me at times. So did the vying of the US and Russia to obtain Nazi scientists after the war to gain their evil but strategically useful knowledge; the US government effort in this regard was named Operation Paperclip, not general knowledge in the US as far as I know. In her professional role at Army Counterintelligence, Josie is part of this effort, yet resentful that as a result of Operation Paperclip, many Nazis appear to be escaping punishment for their egregious and inhumane treatment of prisoners.

Arlette had been separated from her beloved son Willie at Ravensbruck concentration camp after having been initially consigned to a Lebensborn home when her cruel aunt finds she is pregnant by German soldier Gunther. Lebensborn homes were for unwed pregnant “pure German girls.” Although Arlette is French, her beloved is German so she qualifies. However, babies were to go to adoptive homes and Arlette escapes with Willie, only to later end up at Ravensbruck.

When in 1952 Arlette is approached in Paris by Luc Minau, whose grandmother Danae has a project to reunite concentration camp mothers and children, she agrees to go to French Guiana to determine if the child Luc and Danae have identified is her long-lost Willie. From Arlette’s arrival there at the Children’s Home, the action and curious incidents run at rapid pace, and eventually Arlette gets Josie to come help her unravel the sinister events.

My rating for this exciting book is really 4 1/2 rather than 5, my only slight criticism being that there are so many characters that at times It was hard to keep track. The author’s note at the end of the book was excellent and gave further historical insight.

My thanks to #NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book but I only liked it. I can’t quite pinpoint what it was missing for me. It was an ok read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! I loved the alternating perspectives and I didn’t figure out the ending. I thought the story was kind of rushed, but other than that, I really liked it.

Told in alternating timelines during and after World War II, we follow two resistance spies, American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue, as they partner up to defeat the Nazis.

During the war, the two women, along with Arlette’s baby Willie live together gathering intelligence on their Gestapo neighbors and feeding information to the Allies. Josie and Arlette are so successful in their spying that they earn the nickname of the Golden Doves, and a bounty is put on their heads. When they are finally caught, they end up in Ravensbruck concentration camp along with Josie’s mother, a famous Jewish singer. Despite Josie’s father’s diplomatic connections, they suffer for quite some time in the infamous camp and Willie is taken from Arlette.

Ten years later, each woman has approached their post war lives very differently. Arlette remained in Paris working in a coffee shop, continuing her fruitless search for her missing son. While Josie headed back to America working for Army intelligence, doing her best to hunt down former Nazi scientists for America’s nuclear arms race against the Soviet Union. Their paths collide again when Arlette gets a lead on her son’s location, and Josie finds out that Dr. Snow, a wanted Nazi doctor, is in the same location—French Guiana.

The Golden Doves is a great addition to the WWII historical fiction genre. The story was interesting, and fast paced. My only hang ups where with Arlette, who seemed to fall for any man in her path and tended to believe what she was told, which seems implausible for a successful spy, who is likely far from naïve and cautious to a fault. Josie’s character flaws were in keeping with her storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Boks, and of course Martha Hall Kelly for the advanced copy of the book. The Golden Doves is out on April 18th. All opinions are my own.

A super interesting story based on history. The characters are well-described, Arlette and Josie have very different backgrounds but merge together seamlessly. The setting is all over the world, Texas, France, Germany, Italy, French Guiana. This also makes for an interesting story. There are so many themes mentioned, WWII, spying, US army, US Diplomacy, concentration camps, Nazis, and more. Some of the difficulties I had with the book were too many coincidences, and the language didn’t seem to fit the time period, and the characters all had the same tone of voice. Overall, I’m glad I read it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This story was interesting but the back and forth was out of control. I’ve read her other book and loved it. I did keep reading because I wanted to read the outcome but for me it was like pulling teeth. At times I didn’t even want to read b/c I was avoiding reading this.

I so love the story behind this book, but am so disappointed in how it was executed. It just didn’t seem well thought out for having so much potential. I was disgusted at how naive the main characters were, believing strangers at their word and jumping to wild conclusions from very little evidence. When Josie met with the bishop, it felt like they were in two totally different conversations. And so much of the plot line and relationships felt too far-fetched to be coincidental in a believable way. Really wish the author had spent more time getting this out the door because it could have been SO good, but I will hope for better from her in the future!

Martha Hall Kelly has done it again - written an engrossing, literate historical novel that makes one grateful for the times we're living in now. Her attention to detail while drawing readers in makes this a true work of art.

What a great book! I love everything by this author and this book was no different! I couldn't put this down and was up all night waiting to see how it ended!

I was so happy too to have been granted and early ACR to read, in return for my review. Martha Hall Kelly gets my high praise again for this lovely book! I read and loved "Lilac Girls" and "Lost Roses"
These two female spies, (Arlette and Josie). want to help the resistance, becoming like family to find the Nazi doctor, Snow, who seems to be responsible for both of their misfortunes in life. What they discover is far more intricate and sinister! This story is beautifully written with strong females along with many twists and turns. It is written in two different timelines, the 1940's during WW2 and then during the 1950's after the Nuremberg Trials. I really had a hard time closing this book to go to sleep...a real page turner!!
I highly recommend this book to all reading fans of WWII. Thank you again, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books! :)

I really enjoyed The Golden Doves. The characters were very well drawn out. The author had clearly researched the time period. At times, I thought there was a little too many things going on at once, but everything did get accounted for in the end. Would definitely read a sequel.