This story is told in two timelines. In 1944-45 teenagers Josie and Arlette were working for the French Resistance. They were nicknamed "The Golden Doves." Eventually they were captured and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp where they witnessed Nazi atrocities firsthand. In 1952 Josie works for US Army Intelligence hunting for Nazi war criminals. Arlette lives in Paris and is trying to find her young son who was taken from her while at Ravensbruck.

I had difficulty caring about these two women. I felt that Josie lacked experience in her job and drank too much. Her focus was too narrow, and she did not listen to her superiors. Arlette so desperately wanted to find her son that she let her emotions guide her decisions. She was easily led astray by blind hope. For someone who survived a Nazi concentration camp, I found her to be very passive.

Having loved The Lilac Girls, I was looking forward to Martha Hall Kelly's newest book. I mostly liked but did not love this book. Thank you, Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. The comments expressed are my own.

Wow- what a story! I am constantly
blown away by Kelly’s ability to write the most stunning and immersive historical fiction and The Golden Doves is no exception. As readers we get to be transported to so many different parts of history. Kelly has such a talent of choosing strong, complex females with compelling stories to share.

The Golden Doves is the perfect read for those who enjoy a genre mashup. While it is clearly historical fiction, there is a large mystery involved which has the pacing of a thriller. As this story does deal heavily with the aftermath of WW2 and the atrocities committed by Nazi doctors in concentration camps, the triggers abound. Please proceed with caution.

The narration is executed with such care by Jeremy Carlisle Parker @jercarpar and Saskia Maarleveld. The Golden Doves spans continents and decades and these females kept the story moving with powerhouse performances.

I highly recommend reading The Golden Doves in any format but I selfishly loved having both the physical and audiobook to throughly consume the story.

Having read The German Wife last month, I already had knowledge of the U.S. brining Nazi scientists over after the war to help with the “space race” but in this book it’s a much grittier and upsetting side of that process. It’s good to have both those perspectives, not just for the reality but for better understanding of the volatile “space race” and “nuclear” years following the war.

I thought both perspectives were written well and gave a really thorough look at what working as an SOE operative might look like. I’ve read A Woman of No Importance, the true story of Virginia Hall, which was inspiration for one of the characters and I felt like that was very beneficial while reading this story.

The 528 pages that make up this novel took me awhile to get through. It was all necessary information but if you don’t have a ton of time to just sit and read the audio would be a good option: It’s a pretty great story that historical fictions fan will enjoy!

Thank you Ballentine Books for the advanced copy via Netgalley

I've read quite a few WW2 books in my day (saying that makes me feel old), and I've been loving the trend lately of looking at the years after the war and the effects it had on people.

The Golden Doves does exactly that, following two women who worked together in the French Resistance. We see their time during the war, as they eavesdrop on messages from the Germans and as they're sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. We also follow Josie and Arlette after the war. Josie works for US Army Intelligence, with the expected chauvinistic male coworkers, identifying Nazi scientists that the US hopes to recruit to help them win the Cold War. Arlette is a waitress in Paris, mourning the loss of her son and hoping to find a way to get him back.

Their paths collide again when Josie returns to Paris in 1952 to hunt down an infamous doctor, though only briefly at first as Arlette is on her way to French Guiana to try and reunite with her son.

There's so much in this novel I didn't know about, such as how Germany was trying to develop germ warfare, how the US accepted known war criminals to help further the US's scientific knowledge, and how many Nazis escaped to South America with the help of the Vatican.

It was fun to see characters from The Lilac Girls make their cameos. And I think the books ends with the perfect closing line too :)

But, I think both girls made horrible spies. Everything spy-related just didn't seem realistic. From their recruitment (their recruiter flat out says, upon meeting them the first time, "Hey I'm part of the French resistance and you should join us), to their not so subtle ways (one is trying to get a character to finish a drink and makes no attempt at conversation other than repeatedly trying to get them to drink), to the ways they referenced their skills (they keep talking after the war about being expert lock pickers and thieves, but their work was to listen to and transcribe radio messages. No locks needed).

Maybe in a shorter novel, I wouldn't have minded, but this one is long and I ended up doing some serious skimming. I've really enjoyed Kelly's previous novels. I read this one after reading quite a few other historical fiction books, and maybe it suffered because of that.

I have read many books about the French resistance fighters but this one approaches the story in a new way. Josie and Arlette are just teenagers who stumble into the work. The book is told in alternating chapters about their experiences. And it alternates between the 1940s and 1952. So there are 4 different points of view. Instead of being confusing it brings a continuity to their stories. The surprise twist at the end was riveting. I swore I was done reading WW2 books. But this one is a cut above. I was gifted this book from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest feedback.

I stand in awe of the great amount of research that must have gone into writing such a detailed and personal story set in the time period about seven years after the end of WWII. This feels like the curtain has been pulled back on a past era, and you can read it as it is happening.

The story opens several years after the close of the war. Josie Anderson is stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso. Arlette LaRue is in Paris, still looking for the child that was stolen from her in Ravensbruck Prison Camp during the war. Together the two of them were the Golden Doves, and successfully spied on the Germans and relayed important information to the Allies, until they were eventually caught and sent to Ravensbruck. They managed to survive until the camp's liberation after D-Day. Josie is now in the US Army, and gets the assignment to find an infamous Nazi doctor who escaped on the "rat train" to South America, after the close of the war. This particular doctor was responsible for her mother's death, as well as hundreds of others in the camp.

Meanwhile Arlette is following a lead on finding her missing son, which will take her to French New Guinea. The Golden Dove's paths will converge there as they try to bring another escaped Nazi war criminal to justice.

I listened to this book in audio, and when I first saw the length I though, this is going to take a while. Within the first few minutes, though, I was so drawn into the story that I raced through it in less than three days. I do love stories based around WWII, and this one takes place in the aftermath. I found the characters compelling and the story interesting. The writer presents her story with skill and fluidity in her writing. I am now compelled to go back and read her former books!

Do stick around for the epilogue at the end. It was interesting to hear what motivated and inspired this story. Always remember. Never forget!

4.25 🌟


Can you tell I enjoy Martha Hall Kelly’s books? I am amazed at how she can pen such detailed stories that take you back to a place and time in history. And she always gives you memorable characters, suspense, and plenty of pages (this one was over 500).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 is a compelling and intriguing story of Josie and Arlette, two former spies who were caught and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp during WWII.

After the war, both women are on the hunt. Josie is hunting down the Nazi doctor, Dr. Snow, that did horrible things to her mother and countless others, while Arlette searches for her son, who was taken from her. The two women - known as the Golden Doves - are once again working together.

The story traverses the globe from Texas to Paris to French Guiana. And while much of it takes place post WWII in the 1950s, there are flashbacks to during the war. I want to call this a historical mystery because it has the thrill of chasing down the nasty Dr. Snow, and the ending was quite surprising.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @marthahallkelly for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
And thank you @PRHaudio for the complimentary audiobook.

This historical novel is told from the perspectives of two women, Josie and Arlette, in both 1952 and flashing back to their experiences during WWII. In 1952, is working for the US government and gets sent on a mission to find an uncaptured Nazi scientist. Arlette meanwhile is living in Paris, and searching for the young son who was taken away from her during the war. We know from the start that Josie and Arlette worked in the French resistance together and ended up in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, and the flashback chapters reveal how that came to happen, while their searches in the present become increasingly fraught as well.

And, well, this is another great historical novel from Martha Hall Kelly! Given that it is over 500 pages, I assumed it would take me quite a while to read, but instead I ended up reading it over the course of just two days, staying up until 1 am to finish it because the end got suspenseful enough that I just couldn’t put it down! Atmospheric and well-researched with two great strong female characters. Martha Hall Kelly’s first book, Lilac Girls (also set at Ravensbruck) is still my most favorite, but I love all her books and will read whatever she writes - including what I bet will be a sequel to this book, based on how it ended.

It was an amazing privilege to review The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly. It had a bit of everything in it romance, mystery, healing, heartbreak, murder and hope. Not to mention extremely educational. .

The Golden Doves follows the stories of an American Josie and Arlette, a beautiful Parisian. The Golden Doves times slips as we follow Josie and Arlette from Nazi Occupied Paris as they work with the Resistance to their time in Ravensbrück, then in 1952 as Josie helps in Army Intelligence with Operation Paperclip and Arlette is helped by a kind stranger to reunite her with her lost son. My mind was blown with knowledge about the Vatican, the Ratlines, Operation Paperclip and the various ways Nazis were able to evade being brought to justice.

I highly recommend The Golden Doves to any fan of Historical Fiction. It was a great read and I am so excited to add it to my library. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the opportunity to read The Golden Doves.

I read "The Golden Doves" by Martha Hall Kelly on NetGalley. I had trouble putting this book down! In fact as I got closer to the end of the book I stayed up until 3:00 am to finish it! This is the story of 2 young women who join the resistance in France during WWII. The end up going to a concentration camp. The story line fluctuates between that time line and 1952. The author does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life and unveiling the horrors that occur.

Martha Hall Kelly never disappoints with amazing, well research historical fiction and this book was not surprisingly- excellent. It centers on a dual time line story of experiences both during World War II and after. The characters are exceptionally developed and it was easy to get completely wrapped up in their world. There is a bit of a science fiction aspect to this story but it was blended in so well that it added to the story. I would highly recommend this to any historical fiction fan!

In The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly, the story line shifts between WWII and 1952. Two young women are selected to help with the French Resistance in WWII and become fast friends. Josie is an American living in Paris with her mother and grandmother when the Germans arrive. Arlette was raised in France and ends up in Paris with her young son. Arlette and Josie are dubbed the Golden Doves and the Germans wanted to capture them.. In 1952, Josie is in the US Army stationed in El Paso and tasked with reviewing the German scientists that the Americans were trying to woo to the US rather than go to Russia. Some of the scientists were Nazis as well. Arlette is in Paris still trying to locate her son that was taken from her during WWII when she is approached by a man that believes her son is at a boys home in French Giana. In different ways, both women are drawn back into scenarios where they draw upon their experience of spies. The Golden Doves explores another facet of WWII that I was unaware of. It made the story interesting. The chapters shifted between time periods and POV, but it was useful that each chapter clearly stated the time frame and who was telling the story in that chapter. When the POV changed, you were not left trying to figure out who was narrating the chapter. The Golden Doves kept me engaged as many of the chapters finished with dramatic situations that kept me reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC of The Golden Doves.

Definitely recommending The Golden Doves if you're a historical fiction reader. Both main characters, Josie and Arlette, are equally intriguing. The book is very easy to read, switching from present and past, and from Josie and Arlette. There're a few underlaying unknowns such as what happened to Willy, what's on the locket, who and where is Dr Snow....it's a very hard book to put down.

Make sure to read the author's note to learn more about the research that went into it!

Thanks so much to Martha Hall Kelly, NetGalley, and Ballantine Books for this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Historical fiction is a difficult genre for me to read because it often focuses on the worst of humanity. This book was one of the most horrific I’ve read.

In this story, I learned about Ravensbrück, Hitler’s only major all-female concentration camp. Many of the women there were victims of horrible experiments by Nazi doctors. Women who were sent to the camp while pregnant or with children saw their babies starved to death, stolen, or murdered.

I also learned about Operation Paperclip. Operation Paperclip was a secret program run by the United States government following the end of WWII. This program employed over 1600 German scientists, many of whom were former members and leaders of the Nazi Party.

The protagonists are two young women, Josie and Arlette, who are recruited as spies by the Allied resistance. The story is told in two timelines by both women. The “before” timeline tells of their experiences at Ravensbrück in 1944 and 1945. The “current” timeline is set in 1952. Seven years after their liberation from the concentration camp, Arlette is still searching for her son, who was taken from her at Ravensbrück, and Josie is a US Army officer reluctantly recruiting German scientists for Operation Paperclip. Their journeys take them all over Europe and South America.

I had a difficult time with this book. Not only because of the horrors of life at a Nazi concentration camp, but also because I found this author’s writing style odd. She often uses incomplete sentences that took me completely out of the story. I also found a lot of the story tedious. The book is over 500 pages long, and at times, it felt like it would never end. It did pick up speed toward the end, but it would have benefited from more thoughtful editing.

The Golden Doves, Josie and Arlette, were two teenage spies for the resistance in France during World War II. Once discovered, they were sent to Ravensbruck, where Josie's mother was killed and Arlette had medical experiments done that damaged her legs. Now seven years later they find themselves together. Josie is trying to track down Dr. Snow, who was able to escape prosecution. Arlette is given a lead on the whereabouts of her missing son and goes to French Guiana in search of him.

Martha Hall Kelly is a great historical fiction storyteller. While I mostly enjoyed this story, I found parts of it to be too coincidental to be believable. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I found The Golden Doves to be a very intriguing and interesting read. It kept me engaged throughout the story. Two heroic and brave women working after WWII to find the Nazi doctor that brought such heartbreak to them and their families.
Told in two timelines of past and present, the story is based on true events. I learned information about WWII history I didn’t know about.
Highly recommended reading.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Excellent sequel to Lilac Girls to tell more stories about what went on at the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Started a little slow but as soon as the action started, I was hooked and could barely put it down. The fact that you had no idea who Josie and Arlette could trust, as they traversed countries and continents, Josie pursuing a Nazi doctor and Arlette trying to find her son, really ramped up the tension and suspense to an almost excruciating level. I got a little aggravated by all the stupid things that Josie in particular did, but overall really enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone who likes WWII-era historical fiction.

Huge fan of Martha Hall Kelly and her Lilac Girls series. The Golden Doves doesn’t disappoint. MHK has thoroughly researched all her characters and weaves an intriguing story.

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sharing this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Martha Hall Kelly has written an intriguing historical fiction account of two indomitable woman involved as SOE spies during WWII known as the Golden Doves.

When Josie and Arlette met, they were thrown together and unsure of each other, but their bond ran deep. Two teen women that could walk through life unobserved, they carried out many clandestine operations for France. When they were captured for a smaller infraction, the two were sent to Ravensbruck. There they endured many travesties, perhaps the worst when Arlette’s young son was taken from her.

Seven years later and the two are in completely different places in life.
Josie poses as a reporter but is really working for the US army’s Operation Paperclip, a secret intelligence program that brought war criminal Nazi scientists to the United States. When she’s given the case of finding Dr. Snow, she travels far and wide to find him, but would rather put a bullet through his heart then bring him back to the US.

Arlette’s working in a coffee shop in Paris when a handsome stranger approaches her with information on her lost child, Willie. Is there a chance he’s still alive and living at Hope Home in French Guiana? When Arlette feels like she’s in danger of a secret being revealed in Paris, she quickly heads to French Guiana hoping to find Willie.

The longer Arlette is at Hope Home the more she’s convinced all is not what it seems, but what’s really going on?

When Josie’s search brings her to French Guiana, the Golden Doves are reunited for what might just be their biggest challenge yet.

Kelly’s story brings to light a completely new and different aspect of WWII that isn’t heard or talked about much. Told in the before and after in both voices, this book was extremely compelling and had me holding my breath in more than one place and with an ending that was perfect, this was an excellent read!! Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

LT Josie Anderson is stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1952. She briefs Germans, who were former Nazi scientists from Ravensbrück. Interviewing them is challenging, but a must to keep them away from Russian Intelligence. She is given an assignment to look for Dr. Snow who tortured her mother in the camp. Can she find him and bring him to justice?
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1952- Paris, France Arlette LaRue is another Ravensbrück survivor. The war ended 7 years ago. She is working at local cafe with other Ravensbrück survivors.
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In the concentration camp Arlette was experimented and suffered abuse and although she survived, she suffers daily now. The atrocities at this camp were shocking. It’s amazing some survived. They were know as “rabbits”, Polish women who were experimented on. Now she is in a mission to find her son who was taken from her.
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These ladies were known as The Golden Doves for their incredible work with the resistance.
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Martha’s novels are always well researched and bring us heartbreaking but inspiring novels where women worked tirelessly with the resistance during some of the hardest times in our history.
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I enjoyed the mention of Caroline Ferriday from The Lilac Girls. Be sure and read the author notes for some insight.