I have always loved historical fiction when the plot centers on everyday folks thrust into a circumstance of high stakes intelligence and espionage, and this is a great example of the genre. Most of the stories I’ve read from this period in history deal with the Nazi threat abroad. What was fascinating about this novel which is based on real life, is that it explores a plot by Hitler to infiltrate Hollywood and influence American and international audiences with searing pro Nazi propaganda. I won’t share more to save from any spoilers, but so few were monitoring these actions and working to prevent what could have been a horrific turn in History. I was delighted to have to opportunity to review the audiobook from NetGalley - and highly recommend this title if you’re a fan of historical fiction.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media and NetGalley.

I enjoyed the dual POV narration of this story. It was challenging at the beginning because I found the female POV to be robotic sounding, but the longer I listened to more I got used to it.

A lot of the WWII historical fiction I’ve read so far has taken place in Europe. I enjoyed hearing some state side perspective, especially from a time before the US became involved. It was hard to see the hatred on our soil, the distrust of Jews, and how the German Americans thought they were better than others simply because they’re German.

I loved that this was based on a true story. Leon Lewis is determined to keep Hitler and his power out of Hollywood. Liesl Weiss will do anything to provide for her family. She didn’t truly see the suffering of the Jews until she was fired from MGM and started working for Leon Lewis. Even though she was entrenched in The Friends of New Germany, she still wanted to do whatever she could to protect her Jewish neighbors and those at the studios.

“If not me, then who?
If not now, then when?
These words were spoken by “code name” Edelweiss and are true for each one of us.
The Nazis were not only in Germany, they were here in the United States. Words and actions can uplift or damage.
Read how several spies infiltrated the group of Arian Nazis in Los Angeles.
As always, Hollywood drives new ideas. Back then, Nazism and Communism, now the Woke addenda. For those of us fighting for a return to the Constitution and an end to the woke war of our day, the same words ring true.
“If not me, then who?
If not now, then when?”

Dear Code Name Edelweiss,
You transported me to a place and time that was lush and dangerous. I feel like I learned so much from your story as well. A lot of historical fiction is about what actually happens during the great wars, but you showed me a world before World War II truly started. Seeing the events that happened in Hollywood while Hitler was rising to power was so interesting to me. I loved the intriguing world of the spy network that Lisle got pulled into was a lot of fun too. Your story had all the things I was looking for and I really enjoyed you.

Wow! The fact that this based on real occurrences is astounding. That, in and of itself, gives the reader a lot to think about after finishing this book. The character building that Stephanie Landsem does in this book is very nice and nuanced. We really have an opportunity to grow and struggle along with her characters.

For me, the beginning of this novel was slow during our character build, though. I can’t say that we get into the weeds exactly, but maybe something weeds-adjacent. It just felt like there is a lot of exposition and conversation that perhaps we didn’t NEED. And with some of that extra, my attention waned and it slowed the story down quite a bit during my listen.

But, in sharp contrast to the beginning of the novel, the end is gripping and action packed. The story wraps up with some unexpected twists and turns, which were entertaining and kept me very engaged.

As mentioned, I listened to the audiobook version of Code Name Edelweiss and think that both narrators did a great job.

I can’t say that I would recommend this book broadly, but if you gravitate toward historical fiction / WWII stories, I think you would enjoy this one. It is a unique and well-written tale within a pretty crowded field.

Liesl Weiss was just fired from her job at a movie studio. Her husband is MIA so her job supports their 2 children, her mother and brother. The Great Depression is full swing and Hitler is on the rise, giving the KKK and other pro-nazi groups a strong voice in their mixed German/Jewish community.

After securing an interview with a Jewish lawyer under false pretenses, Liesl is enlisted take a job as an insider at an organization promoting Hitler's ideals and the "dangers" the Jewish neighbors portray. She is hesitant, believing their initial line of caring for their neighbors and wanting good values for their families is commendable but the more she learns the more Liesl can't condone the message. It is her job, along with the unknown Agent 13, to gather Intel on the organization and its leaders.

As the story unfolds with Agent 13 telling his story, Liesl telling hers, the story of Hollywood, Naziism and finding ones voice is brought together in a way that creates a slow burn mystery that is impossible to put down.

#arc
#netgalley
#codenameedelweiss

3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley + Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I've been a big fan of WW2 historical fiction lately, and this book is no exception! Set in LA during Hitler's rise to power, this was a fresh perspective on this time period that I had not encountered before. So many WW2 books are set in Europe, it was interesting to learn about the tension between Germans and Jews in America, many of whom fought side-by-side in WW1. I am also always here for a little bit of spy work! I really enjoyed the audio and recommend this book to avid hist fic fans!

Code name Edelweiss is an espionage story with the backdrop of MGM studios during it's height. It is fast paced, action packed, and a story of growth.
Code Name Edelweiss is a treat.

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audio book.

Another excellent ww2 fiction book. This time a former secretary of MGM studios is recruited by a Nazi resistance group to stop the Nazis from getting into Los Angeles and disrupting the Hollywood film industry.

I like the story and narrative. Very well written and informative. Only complaint, could have been a bit shorter.a

So much learned through this novel! It had a slow start, but it picked up. Also, a lot of flash backs that didn't take me out of the story but, may have contributed to the slower pace. I love the power of mom love displayed through the mom taking on a dangerous spy job. The narrator did an excellent job!
Thanks #netgalley and #dreamscape audio for giving me the opportunity to review.

Code Name Edelweiss is a cleverly crafted historical fiction story based on Leon Lewis and the network of citizen spies he recruited to infiltrated American Nazi organizations in Los Angeles in the 1930s. The intelligence they gathered prevented many acts of Nazi sabotage and assassination plots of powerful Hollywood figures and celebrities, as well as plans to exterminate Jewish communities in Los Angeles.

I read a lot of historical fiction, particularly around WW2 and appreciate when I learn something new. I found this particular topic fascinating as I’d never read about it before. As I googled Lewis, I was shocked and saddened to learn how frighteningly close to home Hitler’s evil and hatred landed, and was even more disturbed by the communities and local authorities indifference to – or supportive of – the Nazis and fascists ideas, initially.

I loved Stephanie Landsem’s heartfelt depiction of this historic event. She clearly did her research on the topic and fluidly crafted a fictional account that was made more believable by her inclusion of historical figures and events. Her characters were well written and developed and as the plot unfolds, their courage, sacrifice, bravery and strength is palpable in all that they do, as they risked their lives penetrating the inner circles of the hate groups, to foil their plans plans for murder and sabotage. As hard as parts of this story were to accept or understand, there was also a beautiful portrayal of good people refusing to allow their city and country to be threatened by hate, who did all that they could despite the danger, to protect one another, no matter their race or religion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an advance audio copy of this story that is narrated by Cady Zuckerman and Pete Cross. They really did an excellent job bringing these characters to life. This is my honest review and the opinions above are my own.

This story is due to publish March 3, 2023. Grab a copy, you won’t be disappointed

Did you know that before World War II the Nazi's wanted to take over Hollywood to spread their propaganda?
I didn't until now.

If you are looking for a book that will bring you down a rabbit hole of research, then this book is for you!!! Liesl loses her job at MGM and becomes a spy for Leon Lewis, who is a real person by the way. She works for the friends of New Germany in order to learn their secrets. What follows is a page turning thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

The book ended on a cliffhanger, so I'm hoping that we will see more of Edelweiss and Agent Thirteen.

Many thanks to the author, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook set in 1930’s Los Angeles, California.

Leisel Weiss is a single mother of 2 children working for MGM as a Secretary that loses her job she gets more desperate to find work to support her family. She finds work spying on the German American club in Los Angeles, providing information to Leon Lewis, Jewish lawyer who ran spies in the area. They discover with other spies too that there is a plot by the nazis to overthrow Hollywood from the Jews.

This story had many twists and turns and like Leisel you weren’t sure who she could trust or not.

If you like historical fiction I would suggest picking this up. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The audiobook version of this book was phenomenal! The narration was spot on, the timing perfect and the entire presentation kept me engaged from the first paragraph.

Code Name Edelweiss is based on a true story of an American lawyer, a Jew, who quickly sees that Nazi propaganda and hate has reached American shores and is not contained to Europe. He weaves a web of undercover operatives to infiltrate American Nazi organizations to gather information to fight against the planned oppression of these organizations.

With every page the book became more and more engaging with the stories and lives of the characters weaving perfectly into each other and an ending that left me breathless and satisfied, and questioning what I would do if the same situation presented itself to me.

Stephanie Landsem's Code Name Edelweiss is a riveting story about the fight against Nazism in the US before WWII even started. Leon Lewis is a Jewish lawyer who discovers a plot by the Germans to take over Hollywood. This is the story of how he and some other brave individuals fought back. A great book and the information had me looking up more about that time and what happened. I would love to continue the story and hear more about what happened next! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. The narrator did an excellent job as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great historical novel set during the Second World War. Narrator and author did a great job.

🎧Audiobook Review📕

Thank you to @dreamscape_media for the ALC of Code Name Edelweiss. This book published on March 7th, so it’s available now.

It’s no secret that historical fiction is one of my all-time favorite genres. But, you want to know what my new favorite sub-genre of it is now? Taking a specific person (a woman for bonus points) and writing about their life in that historical sub context. I think The Diamond Eye is what sparked this newfound sub-genre love 🤔. Oh, and that’s exactly what happened in this book.

Liesl Weiss was a real life woman, as well as Leon Lewis and the other male character in this book you’re initially introduced to as Agent Thirteen. Nazi agents were attempting to overtake Hollywood at the same time Adolf Hitler was seizing power in Europe.

Fortunately, they did not succeed. But, a lot of that had to do with what Mrs. Weiss and the others in this book did. Liesl loses her current job at MGM and hasn’t seen her husband in an age when she stumbles across Leon Lewis, a Jewish lawyer offering her the opportunity to become a spy.

Think of it: a single mom and out of work. Her mom and younger brother live with her and her two kids. Her mom doesn’t work and her brother is NOT contributing to household expenses at all. What other least likely candidate for spy work is there? Only…she does it!

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was its message that we can’t sit idly by when other people are being oppressed. Such an important message to be actively anti-(fill in the blank) in whatever oppression you see.

This was such an excellent choice for a #womenshistorymonth read and I’m so glad it published in time for everyone to read it. I highly recommend this one and will read more @stephanielandsem in the near future! This was my first of her books, but it won’t be my last.

P.S. The audio is wonderful; the narrators did an excellent job!

A spy thriller set in Hollywood during the Great Depression/Nazi era? Yes please. This was right up my alley. It features a badass FMC - single mother, spy…I mean what more could I ask for?!

Well as it turns out it isn’t what MORE I needed but instead what I needed LESS of. And that would be religious overtones. I get it. It’s Christians vs Jewish peoples so there will be religious tones, but this was excessive. I don’t need the “well god gives us choices and sometimes we make the wrong ones” speech in a book like this for it to still resonate. Instead, the overtly religious nature of this book ruined it for me. I was not prepared for it to be as heavily religious as it was. Considering I read a lot in this general category, this is the first time this issue has really struck me.

Maybe religion (specifically Christianity) is a trigger for me, but I definitely enjoyed this less and less each time it got overly religious. It’s also pretty slow build and like many historical fiction books, doesn’t seem to go anywhere but it isn’t stagnant either. It’s a story of a mother doing what she needs to do to provide for and protect her family during a time of struggle in the world. If you can handle the religious nature of it, it’s a solid read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio copy.

A great historical novel about trying to stop Nazi sympathizers from rooting themselves in the United States. The story follows an out of work film transcriber who becomes a spy for the people trying to find Nazi sympathizers and hopefully stop “accidents” before they ever happen.

There are rumblings about H trying to take over Hollywood as many of the large companies are Jewish owned and financed. This causes some uproar for the Germans in the US who support the propaganda that is being shared out of Germany about the Jews.

The story at times was a bit slow but it really gave off a slow burn novel with some romance thrown in. It was told in multiple povs and it was interesting at times where another secret agent really fell for Edelweiss’ identity and really believed the part she player. Which means she must have been doing it well! It was enjoyable how the story and characters were portrayed and how the story unfolded around the faith of several characters and their family.

It is a great book for those looking for a different historical fiction novel around WWII and for those who enjoy Christian Faith novels. It was interesting to find out that it was based around true events that happened leading up to the outbreak of the war.

I enjoyed the narrator’s voice, and it was well read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

I'm a little bit confused about what rating I should give this book. After the second chapter, I almost DNFed it, just because of NetGalley-s "must read" rule (otherwise your percentage will decrease) I continued it. I have an issue with older, deeper voices as narrators. I just hate listening to them and when I hear that type of voice, I just start to get bored. In this case, I wasn't able to understand it at all. I heard the words, but I just didn't understand the sentence. It was so weird because I didn't have any issue with the woman's voice. Fortunately, we got Liesl's POV most of the time, but I didn't understand 20-25% of the book. Tried to slow down the chapters with the man's voice, but it didn't help. It was so frustrating.
The beginning of Liesl's story was interesting. It made me think about Jew hate and the Nazis. In the middle, the story started to become boring, and in the end, I just wanted to finish it, I just didn't care about it. I think the ending was bad. Maybe, if I read this book physically, I would think differently, but I just wasn't able to identify people by name. Some people appeared in a few chapters but in the end, they appeared again and I didn't have any idea who they were. I was so confused.