I have been reading more novels set during wartime just recently, which is why I was interested in this.

My first impression was that I was interested in the protagonist and whatever story she might have to tell. As I read on, I found I liked the protagonist, and her connections with the other characters. There were some heart-rending moments, but it was an enjoyable story and didn't take too long to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Dora Schaul has lost everything she had to the Nazis. From her parents being imprisoned in concentration camps and murdered, her closest friends disappearing into the night, and she doesn’t even know if her husband Alfred is alive. Dora isn’t afraid to take risks, after all she has nothing left to lose. Dora begins to secretly work for the underground network in France. She has accomplished many dangerous missions, but the next mission agrees to take on is the most dangerous of all. She goes undercover as the secretary to the Gestapo. This mission is necessary but if she is found out, it could very well be not just her last mission but her last breath.

The Undercover Secretary by Ellie Midwood was a wonderful story of courage, bravery, love, family and friendship. This amazing story was heartbreaking and inspiring and left me contemplating what life was like during such a horrible time. I am always amazed at the strength and courage that so many people demonstrated during World War II and the selfless acts so many people did to survive. This tear-jerker had me reaching for the Kleenex box so many times. I was inspired and enthralled with this wonderfully well written novel and that made it unputdownable. Thank you Ellie Midwood for such a phenomenal story that I will definitely not forget any time soon. I loved this story and I highly recommend it.

Based on the true story of Dora Schaul, the Undercover Secretary unearths the reality of the Comintern and their resistance against the Gestapo in France particularly in Paris and Lyon. Dora, a Jewish German antifascist, was a brave and courageous woman taking on one challenge after another to free European countries invaded by the war. Although a historical novel, it is very close to reality and brings a strong knowledge of the infamous Butcher of Lyon, Klaus Barbie. Sadly during the telling Dora looses the love of her life Alfred who was shot whilst trying to escape the confines of a prison of war camp. Told with explicit detail, the pain, suffering and cunning of the Resistance comes to life without preamble. I found the novel informative but a far cry from enjoyable due to the nature of the topic.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Bookouture, for this advance copy.

Wow, what a fantastic novel. Loved everything about it and highly recommend this. 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY ELLIE!

Review for 'The Undercover Secretary' by Ellie Midwood.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Ellie Midwood, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 19th January 2023.

This is the seventh book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Girl Who Escaped Auschwitz', 'The Girl In The Striped Dress', 'The Girl Who Survived', 'The Girl On The Platform', 'No Woman's Land' and 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz' which I also recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover, its intriguing synopsis and title and its extremely talented author. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network, and The Lilac Girls will be utterly swept away by this heart-wrenching and totally gripping novel about one of history’s most courageous women'.I am a huge fan of 'The Tattooist Of Aushcwitz' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Ellie and if this is half as good as' The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz', 'The Girl Who Survived', 'the Girl In The Striped Dress', 'The Girl On The Platform', 'No Woman's Land' and 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz ' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 27 chapters and an epilogue. . The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is set mainly in Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪, Lyon and Paris , France 🇫🇷 and a Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱.

This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Dora. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

'The Undercover Secretary' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes the persecution of the Jews and others.

Well, what can I say but wow!!! This story is definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon. Firstly I must congratulate Ellie Midwood for yet another extraordinary novel that seriously needs to be made into a movie which I assure would be best selling!!!

This book is very powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The storyline of this book is based on a true story which is another thing that drew me to read it. It is absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry and laugh on the roller-coaster ride to hell that is World War 2 and the persecution and murder of the Jews and many other. Nothing is left out and the author has done an immense amount of research and brings Dora and Alfred's story to life. Dora, Alfred and their comrades are such powerful, strong and kind hearted heroes and I am looking forward to reading more about them. I had never heard of either before reading this but have read 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz', 'Celia' s Journey', 'The tattooist of Aushcwitz', 'The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz,' The Girl Who Survived' and 'The librarian of Aushcwitz', and more, all of which I enjoyed so when I seen this I was intrigued to discover the ongoing of the war through another person's eyes and from a different perspective also. All of Ellie's books that I have read so far are based in holocaust camps, mainly Auschwitz, so I was intrigued when I read this book to see what was going on in Paris and how some brave German's were doing their part to try and stop the slaughter and war by becoming a part of the resistance. I have now also added many books to my wish list thanks to Ellie, her own and ones that she recommends at the end of this story. This story is particularly unique as it is not one I have ever come across before seeing things from the German resistance side of the war. I was also quite shocked when I read about how the French treated those involved and was absolutely disgusted if I am honest. I must admit I had no idea that they were involved and in some ways just as bad as the Nazis in the way they were treated especially at the Rieucros Internment camp. One of the things I love the most about Ellie's books is that I always learn something new with each one and this absolutely shocked me. The fact that the resistance was treated so awfully by both the French and the Germans is just absolutely heartbreaking. My heart broke but at the same time soared at the end of this beautiful story filled with romance, passion, war, love, horror, suspense, tension, hate and just absolutely everything you could ask for in an emotional rollercoaster page turning historical novel. As always Ellie I cannot wait to read your next guaranteed success.

This book did not disappoint. Some people believe that these stories should not be written but I am a strong believer that these victims earned the right for their stories to be told and to not be forgotten and this book does just that. I loved discovering not just Dora and Alfred's stories but those who surrounded them also. This amazing group of people who supported and lifted each other up during these dark times and helping them see the light are absolutely... Words can't really describe but I will go with angelic. This book was very hard to read as a whole but there were certain parts that will stay with me for a very long time and that we're soul destroying. What the Nazi's did to these innocent people makes me absolutely sick to my soul. I enjoyed learning about the lifes of not only Dora and Alfred but the life's and parts of the resistance and many more played. My heart absolutely broke for Dora who was an extremely amazing woman. After being kicked (literally) down so many times and after so many losses and heartache most people would have just given up but Dora was an absolutely true hero and put her life on the line so, so many times just to try and help others, including those who had been part of her suffering. She really is a true hero and I am looking forward to reading more about her. I absolutely loved watching the relationships and friendships between Dora, Alfred, Marthe, Isabel, Claude, Amory, Ashley and Hugo grow and develop throughout this story and each of these characters have their own tales to tell from Claude and Hugo who were a huge part of the resistance to Isabel who refused to give up her beliefs to Alfred whose love for Dora shone brighter than the stars to Ashley and Amory who helped Dora play her parts to Marthe who took her under her wing. Each of these amazing people will stay in my mind for a long time and my heart absolutely broke with tears streaming down my face for so many of them. I can't say more than that though as I don't want to give anything away so you will just have to pick up a copy and see what I mean. One of the characters who made me sick to my stomach was Klaus Barbie who is also known as the Butcher Of Lyon. This is another person I knew nothing about until I read this fantastic book. The man is absolutely vile and what he did to so many people I hope he rots in hell. As much as I despise him I will be doing some of my own research on him as well as many other characters in this book because as always Ellie piques my interest and I find myself wanting to know more and more about these people that changed history. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters one thing is certain and that Ellie has the talent to bring them out of the pages so you feel you are surrounded by them as you walk along next to Dora.

Again congratulations Ellie Midwood on all your research and for writing this amazing story of both Dora and Alfred's and other resistance members who deserved to have their stories told in a way that did them justice and you have done that. I would say this book is on par with the likes of 'The' diary of Anne Frank' which left me with the same feelings your novel has of not even more emotional.

This is EXACTLY WHY you are my favourite historical novel author!!! Here is to your next guaranteed success 🥂

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Ellie's absolutely gorgeous 'The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz' which is another page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!

Overall an unputdownable, heart wrenching, absolutely beautifully devastating story of lesser known heroes of the war.

Genres covered in this novel include War Story, Literary Fivtion, Historical Biographical Fiction, Historical German Fiction, Historical European Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction, Romance Novel and Jewish History amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Ellie Midwood, 'The Tattooist of Aushcwitz', 'The Alice Network', 'The Lilac Girls', 'The Librarian of Aushcwitz' , 'Celia's Journey', 'The Diary of Anne Frank' and anyone interested in the holocaust and its history.

351 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle and £7.99 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Oh my goodness, what an incredible story, The Undercover Secretary is. Based on real life story of Dora Schaul, a Resistance heroine. Dora is a strong woman who went to enormous lengths to pass on vital information for the war efforts. A moving story.

This was such a powerful book that I had a hard time putting down. Based on a true story, Dora is a Jewish woman in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, who after being fired from her job as a shopgirl because of her religion, moves to Amsterdam to escape the Nazis' increasing oversight. Because of her appearance, Dora is a bit of an enigma and is able to pretend that she isn't Jewish. After becoming involved more and more involved with the communist party's resistance efforts, she and her lover Alfred end up moving to Paris and going undercover to monitor Nazi influence in the time before they invade Paris. They are eventually caught and sent to a labor camp, after a while Dora is able to escape and after making contact with the resistance, goes undercover working as a secretary for the man who is the head of the Gestapo in Lyon.
This book moved fast and it was easy to admire Dora's strength through all of her ongoing trials, especially for someone who experienced so much adversity and loss, but that only seemed to make her character more determined to make a difference. It was a privilege to read this book and learn about her experiences, even if it was fictionalized.

An independent woman who is looking to forge her own path in a time when women were not expected to do so, Dora is a young Jewish woman who sees the writing on the wall in her home country, Germany. After going to Amsterdam, knowing the trouble the lies ahead, she meets a young man, Alfred, who is a Communist working against the Nazis. She immediately falls for his ideas and for him, even though it ends up taking her down a path of pain and makes her wonder if she has made the right choice. Eventually, she ends up in France working as a spy for the resistance right under the Nazi's noses; something easier to do since they consider her a German, not knowing anything about her Jewish heritage or her dalliances with Communists.

As an avid reader of WWII historical fiction, I found myself enjoying this book. In my opinion, it starts out a bit slow, taking a while to get to the tense moments in the second half of the book. By the time Dora got to France, I was thoroughly invested in her and her journey and found myself not wanting to put the book down. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or books about strong women who end up faced with impossible decisions and are still able to hold their head high with dignity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. This review expresses my personal opinion.

The Undercover Secretary is an adaptation of the true story of Dora Schaul, a German Jewish woman who joined the underground network in Nazi-occupied France and went undercover as the secretary of the Head of Gestapo in Lyon. It’s an incredible story that author Ellie Midwood tells in an emotive, engaging and unforgettable way which really honours Dora’s legacy and has potential to be the historical fiction book of the year.

The story starts in Berlin in February 1933 and I appreciated the choice to begin the story immediately after Hitler became German chancellor as it gave us as readers the opportunity to really see how Germany and the rest of Europe changed in the six years between Hitler gaining power and the outbreak of war. It gave us an opportunity to explore Dora’s story prior to her resistance work during the war which really helped us to understand how loss had motivated her passion for fighting against and avenging the Nazis and her willingness to risk her life to do so. Forming a plot which stretched a thirteen year period meant that the author had to be really clever with how much depth they went into during each significant event. Although I initially speculated that I would struggle with this and crave more detail and action, she actually nailed choosing which aspects of the plot she granted more depth and which she glossed over slightly. As a reader, I interpreted this to correlate with the depth of Dora’s memories of the event; she can recollect every second spent with Alfred in great depth but the time she spent fleeing Rieucros, not knowing if her husband was dead or alive, was merely a blur.
From the very beginning of The Undercover Secretary you could tell how knowledgeable Ellie Midwood is about Europe during the Second World War and this enabled her to seamlessly weave historical details into the narrative.

We have a really strong female lead in Dora, who was an incredibly courageous woman and this is perfectly captured in the book’s portrayal of her. I found the love story between Dora and Alfred to be truly beautiful. Unlike in other historical fiction novels, the romance doesn’t become a central part of the story and instead is explored more discretely in a which still captures how much they loved each other – a crucial detail in understanding Dora’s pain following his death – but didn’t take away from the rest of the story.

Overall, The Undercover Secretary is a powerful and incredibly gripping piece of historical fiction which is both heart-breaking and heart-warming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

Ellie Midwood’s writing is so immersive that when I read her novels, it’s as if the described events are actually occurring to me.
Dora is disparaged and hated in Germany because she’s Jewish so she flees to the Netherlands as the German sickness permeates Europe.
Many scenes were so cringey and uncomfortable but historically accurate.
There’s a lot of action and suspense in The Undercover Secretary.
I wasn’t crazy about the cause the main character was affiliated with, but it didn’t detract from the story.
Another mesmerizing Midwood read.

Dora Schaul has already lost everything, so she is not afraid to take any risk necessary to confront those responsible for killing those she loved. Now working for an underground network in France, Dora has already taken on dangerous missions, but what she is about to do now, working undercover as a secretary to the head of the Gestapo, Klaus Barbie, could truly place her in grave danger. Can she successfully accomplish her mission of getting the names of the SS to the British press and remain undetected while doing so?

Dora exhibited remarkable bravery while working undercover for Klaus Barbie, who was called the Butcher of Lyon and this proved how amazing she was. How brave and fearless she was. Despite danger at every turn, Dora found someone during these difficult times, and that was Alfred Benjamin. This gave her opportunities to work together with him as part of the the resistance. Dora and Albert developed a friendship that turned into love. This showed that there is a possibility that light can shine through the darkness.

This remarkable book by Ellie Midwood showed how far Dora went in order to work towards the end of the war. The fact that this remarkable book was based on the real life experiences of Dora Schaul, a true heroine, made it was easy to have great respect for her, as her initial desire to find justice for those she lost fueled her determination to continue on no matter the cost. No matter the danger.

The Undercover Secretary is the eighth book. I have had the privilege of reading by Ellie Midwood. Each and every book that I have read by her garnered five stars from me, and this latest book by this very talented author is yet another example of fabulous writing. This story clearly displays incredible research and talent, taking a story that takes place in one of the most difficult times in history and turning it into an unforgettable, remarkable read that just makes any reader wanting even more.

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

This is a heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a German Jewish woman called Dora Davidshon. The novel starts in Berlin in 1933, just after Hitler has come to power. Dora is working as a shop assistant having moved from her home in Essen but because of her religion she is fired so decides to head to Amsterdam. A well written story, very emotional and addictive reading.

Briefly, in Amsterdam she meets Alfred Benjamin who is a Socialist. They work together and their relationship blossoms so when he moves to Paris Dora goes with him. Having no legal papers they are arrested and held in a French Interment Camp. The story of her subsequent escape and work for the French Resistance in Lyon in staggering and one can only wonder at the bravery involved. As secretary to Klaus Barbie, Head of the Gestapo, Dora was able to access confidential information all of which was passed on to the Resistance.

This was a woman who made a difference, despite her fears of what would happen should she ever be found out. The authors research is clearly excellent as is the transfer of the facts to a wonderful fictional tale that held me in thrall from start to finish. A story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming about an inspirational woman. A great read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this absorbing book

this is based on a true story about dora and her work for the nazis and secretly passing on information to the underground

but its also about her loss, her family and her beloved alfred, she doesnt find out what has happened to her parents till after the war is over but her work for the nazis brings her into close contact with the butcher and his terrifying way of extracting information about the resistance

can she find out all she can before he unmasks her....

i found this book compelling reading and though i lost my way in the middle bit i still kept on reading to find out what happened to dora

looking forward to more books from this author

The book is based upon the real life Dora Schaul who was a German born Jew who helped the French Resistance through undercover work at the official Nazi party offices in German-occupied France during World War II. She passed on hugely important information that assisted the war effort.
Intriguing read from the first pages, beginning of the book shows the early days of Nazi Germany.
Slowed down quite a bit when Dora initially goes to Amsterdam then France with Alfred, but by half way and the beginning of WWII really picks up the story.
Dora is such a strong female character, and her life story is so fascinating.
If you like WWII era novels and biographies you will love this book!

The first two-thirds of this book were incredibly dull, to me. I could not get into the story, find anything redeeming or interesting about the characters and wondered why I was wasting my time. The last third of the book was well written and very interesting. Dora, the main character, was relatable and I cared about what happened to her. Any book about war is hard to read, but, to me, this was one of the most difficult for me to get through. As I finished the book I glanced outside and was surprised that it was a pretty sunny winters’ day. I can’t wait to go out and feel the sunshine and let it wash away all the atrocities of war. If only it was that simple. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Dora is a strong, independent young woman despite the times. Though she is Jewish, she finds herself working at the Gestapo headquarters, feeding information to outside sources in the fight against Nazi Germany. It’s risky - can she avoid getting caught?

Ellie Midwood’s books always impress me because they are so well researched and that history is seamlessly woven into her stories. This book is no exception.

I really admired Dora’s strength throughout the book. Even when she’s in risky situations, she doesn’t shy away from what she believes she needs to do.

The book ebbs and flows with times of love, friendship and life-altering situations. I flew through the pages!

If you are a WWII-era historical fiction fan, I highly recommend this and any of Ellie’s other books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. The review expresses my own personal opinion.

What an interesting read. I love when an author includes notes at the end to talk about their inspiration and what parts of their story were based on true facts and what they needed to embellish on. I had no idea while reading this that it was based on a real person, and I found that fascinating. For me, this was a little light on the storyline and a little heavy on the political maneuvering of the times...but that's just me. Apparently I like more fluffy potatoes with my meat and potatoes!!!

Ellie Midwood successfully brings Dora Davidsohn to life in her most recent novel, The Underground Secretary. Based on a true story, Dora, a German Jew, heads to the Netherlands in the early 1930s, where she joins an antifascist group, meets her future husband, and fights against the fascist movements of 1930s Europe. Midwood brings Dora’s passions for justice and her commitment to her causes to life that immerses the reader in Dora’s story. Midwood explores loss, determination, and anger throughout Dora’s story, powerfully bringing these emotions to the surface. Through Dora’s story, Midwood describes the life of the 1930 German Jewish emigrant, addressing Dora’s challenge to prevent her discovery by the Nazis while working underground and undercover to undermine their efforts. Midwood’s prose and emotional language (the novel is told by Dora) bring the cast of characters to life and allows the reader to dive into the story headfirst. Dora’s story provides a new perspective to the World War II historical fiction novel through her unique life experiences, and Midwood convincingly brings her to life as a fully-formed, independent thinker in a time where her very existence was at risk. Midwood’s writing, coupled with the fascinating and tragic elements of Dora’s story, combine to create a riveting, passionate narrative that draws the reader into Dora’s life.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a captivating book. The story is about a girl called Dora, and how she worked as a secretary during WWII.

It starts with some French teams skiing her questions and from there she begins to tell about her journey from the start of World War II started to 1942, how she worked in sales to becoming a secret agent.

I highly recommend this book, it’s very well written and is based on a real person, and that is Dora Schaul, a hero of the Resistance.

Normally I love Ellie Midwood books. I read them with chills down my spine and I get caught up in the story that I read the book in one go..

For some reason this book didn’t hold my attention and didn’t engage me in the story. No goosebumps while reading.

The first two thirds of the book are a build up to the moment that Dora is working for the SS and then it is over in a few chapters. I missed depth into the story and the characters. It all felt a bit flat and like a lot of loose chapters.