Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read The Garden of Lost Secrets
by Kelly Bowen. Gorgeous story that I did not want to end. Kelly Bowen is a master.

This dual-timeline book will keep you intrigued until the very end. We have a modern day set of sisters who are renovating a castle in France, and the story of their great-grandmother, a French Resistance fighter in WWII. Personally, I liked the historic timeline better than the modern one, but they tie together, so you need both. There is mystery, action, and a bit of romance woven together to create an adventurous plot. You can tell the author has really done her research to make it as realistic as possible.

Thoroughly enjoyable read! I love reading stories of real women who endured the chaos of crisis/war and the strength they provide to other women. Too man brave women’s stories have been lost in time. Highly recommend!

A gripping story about the French resistance in WWII and the mythical seeming siren who lured Nazis to their deaths. The story of Stasia was filled with bravery and despair and glued me to the page. The modern storyline was neither as fleshed out nor as compelling. I could have done without it although I appreciated the structure it gave the narrative. This is the troupe of historical fiction that I find addictive.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Garden of Lost Secrets pulled me in immediately and I didn’t lose any of that in my reading.

Gorgeously written story, seamlessly combining WWII historical fiction, and a contemporary setting for a dual timeline tale that I couldn’t get enough of.

❤️ Recommended - with the caveat that you read this when you have the time to sink into it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an early opportunity to read and review.

I enjoyed The Garden of Lost Secrets. I think I've read all of Kelly Bowen's novels, and I put this on in her top third. Like The Paris Apartment, TGoLS has a present day framing timeline with the bulk of the story taking place during WW2. The garden of the title is in the grounds of a chateau near Rouen in northern France and is part of what links the two timelines. We also see a bit of the invasion, occupation, and resistance in The Netherlands.

I wanted more from both storylines - I feel that there is more that could be shown in the development of relationships between Stasia and Nicholas and also between Isabelle and Luc and Isabelle and Emilie. It may be that I come to Bowen's books from her Historical Romance roots. This leaves me wanting more from the relationships rather than the plot though I require plot in my books! I'm convinced the parts I want were written and got edited out along the way. It would be a longer book, but I think would be the richer for it. While reading, I found myself thinking of Connie Willis' Doomsday Book which is my favourite dual timeline novel and it is a doorstopper by today's standards.

I recommend The Garden of Lost Secrets to fand of Kate Quinn.

Have read all of Kelly's books and always good to read on a cold winter weekend and cozy up on the couch

The Garden of Lost Secrets by Kelly Bowen is a really excellent WW II romance/suspense novel. The historical research is well done. Bowen uses little known incidents from WW II as life changing events for the two main historical characters. She does it in such a way that the reader lives the events with them. The characters and story line are finely crafted. The perspective shifts from present time to historical time seamlessly. The author does a good job of showing how little the descendants may know of ancestors who have lived through traumatic times. This is not always an easy book to read but it is engaging and the suspense is compelling. It is an I can't put it down book. Strongly recommended. It will appeal to fans of Kate Morton.

For readers of Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn, this book is a must read. Set in the French country side prior to WWII, we are introduced to characters both in the present and the past. What connects them is an old chateau that is the crucial to the story. A beautifully written story that describes the bravery of the resistance and the horrors of the war. All this is bought together with two sisters who begin to renovate the chateau and discover who their great grandmother really was.

Isabelle has purchased a decrepit chateau in rural France, hoping that the renovation will give her and her sister, Emilie, a good reason to get to now each other again. After all, Emilie is the only family that Isabelle has left. The sisters become entranced by the fairy tales they find, fairy tales written by their great grandmother, Stasia. Intrigued, they begin digging into the past, only to learn their great grandmother was a member of the French Resistance during World War II, and that her most dangerous mission occurred in the chateau that Isabelle now owns. A story of courage, resilience and hope

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