The Paris Maid is the first book I have read by Ella Carey and I really don’t know how this author hasn’t been on my reading radar before as this was such a cleverly crafted story that draws you in right from the brief prologue. Once it has you in its grip it does not relinquish its hold until the final word and along the way you go on such a journey with the characters. Some of the characters that feature in the story are real people that lived and worked in the Ritz Hotel in Paris during World War Two and the end notes providing details of these people were very interesting and made me want to research more about them. I think blending fictional characters with real life people added even more authenticity and drama to the story.

The brief prologue is detailed and descriptive and perfectly sets the scene for what the book will be about. It occurs as Paris is liberated.The French people having been humiliated, oppressed and abused by the Nazi’s occupation of their country are retaliating in a big way. Anyone deemed to have collaborated with the Nazi’s receives punishment. But one women, Louise, still has a secret and one which she is determined will never be shared. My interest was certainly piqued but then we are taken back to London in the present day and from that point on the story is a dual timeline novel moving between the present day and Paris in 1944. In London, Nicole has received a picture from her Aunt Mariah of her grandmother Louise taken in Paris in 1944. It shows her head shaven and her face branded with a swastika. Nicole is shaken to her core and can’t fathom that this is the woman she loved so much and misses so deeply.

Granny Louise couldn’t possibly be a Nazi collaborator. Nicole feels her world has been torn from under her. What do you do if you learned a beloved family member had been accused of something unspeakable and then that leads you to thinking what would other family members think? Nicole wants to know the truth and to redeem her grandmother’s name for surely Louise was not involved in anything like that but the evidence in the photo paints a very different picture. Nicole is pregnant and wants her child to know the truth about the woman she loved most in the world so she travels to Paris to meet with her Aunt Mariah and cousin Pandora. Relations between the family members have been strained but Nicole will insist on getting to the bottom of things.

The chapters move back and forth between the past and present with the past dominating and rightly so. To be honest, I became so engrossed and enraptured by the brilliant story unfolding in the summer of 1944 that at times I completely forgot about Nicole and her quest. At times, it felt a bit jarring to return to the present but thankfully it was only ever briefly and then we got back to Louise’s story which I really couldn’t get enough of. Nicole is the one who forges the link between the two time periods. She is needed in the book but I just wanted to read all about the past as it was so engrossing with memorable characters who live long in your mind.

Louise works as a maid in the opulent and quite frankly fascinating Ritz Hotel in Paris. Alongside Claude, the hotel manager, and his wife Blanche and Frank the bar man, Louise engages in resistance undercover activities. Louise speaks several languages and she is known for being able to memorise facts and numbers very quickly commiting to her memory details that would seem inconsequential to others but do help with the larger picture. She had planned to go to university but the war put paid to that and now she uses her talents to translate codes and messages and their group in the hotel pass on information to the Allies. The world famous Ritz is officially neutral but really people are on one side or another or perhaps both? Louise’s father left when she was 12 and her mother was left to rear Louise and started her own small sewing business. Louise writes to her mother every week but has heard nothing from her and she is now desperate to know whether she is safe or has she fallen into the wrong hands?

Louise was an outstanding character. She always had her wits about her and was filled with such confidence, grit and determination. No one was going to intimidate her and prevent her from doing her undercover work and as she flits from one area to another in the hotel she knows all that is going as Goring resides in one room not to mention all the other Germans who frequent the hotel and the bar. When Sasha arrives as the assistant to the military governor of occupied France and is given a bed in Louise’s room even that does not put her off. Instead, she becomes even more alert because she knows a dangerous and complex game is being played where the stakes are very high. She becomes even more deeply involved in Resistance work but to say much more would just give too much away. Suffice to say her own heritage has a very crucial role to play within the overall plot of the book. Louise, was just such a fabulous character and one of the best female characters I have read in a historical fiction book in a long long time.

Running concurrently with Louise’s story is that of Kit, an American pilot whose crew is shot down over Northern France and who subsequently needs to get back to safety. I was so smug in that I thought I had it all figured out very early on. All the connections seemed to arise too early or it was just far too easy to guess. But boy was I wrong and in the best way possible. I really love having the wool pulled over my eyes and Ella Carey did this so successfully which only added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

The Paris Maid was an impressive story packed full of twists, turns and surprises and it has made me definitely want to read more by Ella Carey. It’s not often these days that I am genuinely surprised by the revelations that occur towards the end of a book but I was in this case. It was so refreshing not to have guessed the ending and to be honest it really was a mind-blowing twist that had me reeling in shock and had me reassessing my opinion of certain characters and their actions. In fact, it made me want to go back to the beginning and start all over again just so I could look for things that I had missed the first time around and perhaps gain an even deeper understanding of all the nuances and work that was done by the people in the Ritz and beyond. The only thing I will say is that I felt the ending was very rushed. The book itself ended at the 82% mark -with the remainder being chapters from a previous book by the author and details of her other books. I found this very disconcerting as I thought that I had a good bit still to go and I wanted this as I was really enjoying the entire story as it is such a page turner.

In my opinion, the ending was just too quick and I admit to getting confused as to who was who and how things worked out. I needed to reread paragraphs several times to ensure I had everything correctly worked out. A little more development and not having the need to tie everything up in a page or two at the conclusion would have been welcome. I wasn’t ready to leave the characters and I felt they had a little bit more to say. But aside from that, The Paris Maid was a brilliant read and it has renewed my faith that the historical fiction can be fresh and innovative as at times it can become repetitive despite how much I love reading books in this genre. It’s a story of raw emotions, heartbreak, courage, secrets and the further it progresses the more difficult it becomes to put down.

Although I enjoyed both stories in this dual timeline historical novel, I found the historical element more engaging. Perhaps this was because I am a fan of historical fiction or perhaps because the book is more heavily weighted towards the historical story. Nicole, I have to say, didn't particularly grab me as a character yet her grandmother did.

The unravelling of secrets toward the end was very well done and the setting of the Ritz seemed very well researched.

Perfect for fans of WW2 fiction.

4.5★s

It was 1944 in Paris when Louise was working as a maid at the luxurious Ritz Hotel, where it was now home to many top-level Nazis. Louise watched and listened while doing her work, basically invisible, and each night she would report to Frank, who would pass it all on to the Resistance. The Germans were always on the hunt for members of the Resistance and those working with them in the Ritz had to take care.

When pilot Kit Harrington and his brother Charlie flew their bomber over Paris and it was shot down, they both thought they'd be captured by the Germans. Indeed they searched for them both - neither knew where the other was, whether they were safe or captured. When the Resistance individually helped the pair, they had no idea if they would survive the war...

Present day, and Nicole Beaumont received an old black and white photo from her aunt who lived in Paris. This photo would be the beginning of a family searching for answers to secrets held during the war, and after, and with both Nicole's beloved Granny Louise, and her mother, dead, she wasn't sure she'd find the answers. But heading for Paris was the first step.

The Paris Maid by Aussie author Ella Carey is another wonderfully written historical novel which is based on fact. I did find myself a little confused for some of the story, as I tried to work out who was who, as they only had a code name. But I'm still finding Ms Carey's historical novels breathtaking, and the suffering of the people of Paris before the city was liberated is hard to swallow! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is NOT just another historical fiction book about the French Resistance!

With so many books out there set during WW2, featuring the Ritz over-run by Nazis, involving cameo appearances by Chanel and highlighting the French Resistance, Ella Carey’s books stand a head above.

Why? Because she doesn’t just re-tell this dangerous period in history and pepper it with interesting characters, she recreates it for her readers. Her attention to setting grabs readers’ attention and then she holds it with authentic characters … all while continuting to pull in her readers and engage them so that they feel they are part of the story.

“The Ritz is not just any magnificent hotel. The Swiss-owned hotel is officially neutral, but the reality is everyone is tied to one side or the other, sometimes both. If the inhabitants of the hotel are not Nazis, then they are underground. If they are not underground, then they are collaborators. Only a fool would answer their bedroom door in the Ritz.”

Carey plants a seed of doubt with her readers, making them question the motives of all the characters. This keeps the plot moving along and the reader involved.

Carey knows how to tap into readers’ emotions. I’ve read about many downed pilots in enemy territory before, but the little angel in this story kept me interested and alert. The sibling bond was well developed, so those of us with siblings related to Charlie and Kit.

The central mystery was threaded throughout the story and once I learned that a beloved family member of the main character had been accused of something unspeakable, I just had to find out how and why. I felt like I was being reeled in for the duration of the story. I love that feeling!

There’s no doubt that Carey’s love of Paris and her father’s involvement in the RAF added to the authenticity of this spectacular story.

Historical fiction lovers will not want to miss this book as it’s Carey at the top of her game.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Paris Maid
By: Ella Carey
Review Score: 4 1/2 Stars

Five Key Feels
-I loved the setting of the Ritz during World War Two.

-Carey does an amazing job of making you feel the emotions of the characters, regardless of their own moral compasses.

-I loved the connection between Louise and Sasha.

-This story came together so well at the end, and I loved how the ties of family played out.

-No spoilers, but there were a few twists and turns that I did not see coming.

——

The Paris Maid was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Bookouture. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 4/6/23

I loved this book. I have read other books about the Ritz during the Nazi occupation, but I loved what else Carey brought to this story. It was so engaging, and I loved watching the storylines intertwine. It was so well done.

If you love Historical Fiction, you will love this book!


#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #historicalfiction #arcreview #netgalley #theparismaid #ellacarey #worldwar2

I didn't love this. Personally I think the dual timeline thing has been done to death and quite often there is one timeline (usually the modern day one) that is much, much weaker than the historical. I wonder why the author's don't just write a historical novel?
The storyline was weak - it really didn't make sense to me that someone would go to all this effort to disprove a photo simply because she saw it.
This is the second book my Ella Carey I have tried and I haven't been able to finish any of them.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

A quick read that will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last chapter. It also helps that the book is based in the world famous Ritz hotel in Paris. I enjoyed Coco Chanel and her mask on a cushion quite a bit. A nice touch

WWII was a maelstrom of deceit, danger, and disguise.
The Paris Maid fills all of those roles. A granddaughter travels to Paris after seeing a disturbing picture of her grandmother, accused of being a collaborator. Was she or was she a member of the resistance?
The story flowed fast, set right before the liberation of Paris. What seemingly is a simple family connection turns out to be more complicated and rewarding.
This book will turn readers upside down and inside out, get ready to be twisted while reading a treat of a story.

The Paris Maid by Ella Carey is a dual time-line story, with the first timeline taking place in Nazi-occupied Paris during WWII with half-French half-German Louise working as a maid at the Ritz hotel while also working for the French Resistance. The second timeline is that of Nicole, granddaughter of Louise, who knows nothing of her grandmother's background or history during the war and is shocked to see a photo of her grandmother taken during the liberation of Paris where she was attacked by townspeople who accused her of being a collaborator with the Nazis and her hair was cut off and a swastika was drawn on her forehead. Nicole travels to Paris to learn about her grandmother's history and why Louis was accused of collaborating with the Nazis - and she does learn the truth of her history through many plot twists and turns that I did not expect. What a great story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that this book was historical fiction set in WW2 times which happens to be one of my fave genres, it was an easy choice for me to decide to give this book a read, plus the book cover and blurb were highly appealing.

It didn't take me long to be drawn into the stories of Louise, Kit, Sasha and Charlie back in 1944 and that of Nicole in present day, I was captivated right from the first few chapters. I loved how the story went back and forth from 1944 to present day which was done so seamlessly.

Overall I loved the story, it was shocking, emotional, heart breaking and insightful in equal measures. The story really pulled me in and grabbed me tight. It was tense hard reading in places when you imagine that this is what it really was like in Paris back in WW2 times. It was also insightful too as I learnt a fair bit in regards to WW2 in Paris and the Nazi’s, the history of which I was not fully aware of, so it’s thanks to this story that I now have a more in-depth view of just how things were really like back in those times.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I have absolutely loved reading this from start to finish.

The Paris Maid is duel timeline story as well as told in alternating chapters from each main character in the book. There are many characters to keep track of which did take me awhile to figure out who was who.
A historical novel about the resistance fighters and their resilience during WWII. The majority of the story revolves around the resistance working at The Ritz where many German officers were guests.
A emotional historical story that is a must read for any historical fiction lovers.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Having read a substantial amount of historical fiction set during WWII in Paris, I have always been shocked that The Ritz in Paris was one of the few buildings not bombed. This of course was because the Nazis took over the hotel.

Current day in London, Nicole receives a message with an old photo from 1944 with a women with a shave head and a swastika painted on her forehead. She believes this is her grandmother, but how could she have been a traitor?

Nicole and her husband are expecting their first child, and she is determined to prove her grandmother was not a traitor. Sadly her mother and grandmother have passed so she has to rely on others.

Paris, 1944-Louise starts working as a housemaid at The Ritz. She is shocked at how many high ranking Nazis along with others are staying at the hotel. She has been working with the resistance and quickly ends up helping a downed pilot. She has been able to do this relatively easy as she has her own room.

Soon another girl Sasha is her roommate and another maid. Sasha is well known for being the mistress of a high ranking Nazi. Both girls have their secrets. A few twists kept me engrossed in this well-written novel.

Will Nicole be able to clear her grandmothers name or will she be devastated? Family is extremely important and plays an important role in this emotional novel.

Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley and author Ella Carey for this wonderful novel, which is available April 6, 2023.

QOTD? What was the last book you read by an Author that you absolutely could not put down? This one is a must for historical fiction lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to preview the book. This historical fiction book drew me in from start to finish. It's a dual timeline story that begins during the present day, when Nicole, receives a shocking photo of her grandma with a swastika on her forehead. Is it possible that she was a traitor? It takes place mainly during WWII when her grandma Louise is working at the Paris Ritz as a maid. It was there that a lot of the high-ranking Nazis stayed. As a maid she was invisible and she relayed the information she learns to the French Resistance. When a mysterious young woman arrives that looks a lot like her and she shakes things up. It also follows Kit, a British pilot who is shot down in enemy territory, along with his brother, and is hidden by the resistance as they figure out where to send him. I enjoyed this story and loved learning about the different perspectives of the time during WWII.

Nicole is shocked when she receives a photo of her grandmother Louise showing her head shaved and a swaztika on her forehead. This sets up a dual time line novel that shifts back to 1944- where the more interesting story lies, Louise worked as a maid at the Ritz Hotel and found herself on a knife's edge at all times thanks to the Nazis who lived there, She had a secret, though. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, There aren't a lot of surprises here for those who read the WWII genre but Carey does tell the story well,

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

When you read this book, The Paris Maid, some parts may not make sense but as you continue, things become clear about the events that took place.

You will enjoy this story if reading about WWII is something you enjoy.

I highly recommend this book. It portrays how people put themselves first to help those they didn’t know, without knowing what will happen to them if found out.

This novel is set in both the present day and WWII era following Nicole (present) and her grandmother (past). Nicole finds a picture of her grandmother with her head shaved what looks to be dressed like a Nazi collaborator. She is shocked at her finding so she decides to travel to Paris to the Ritz Hotel where the picture was taken. I enjoyed this book, I wasn't blown away with the current day parts (wish it explained her relationship more with her grandma), but I enjoyed it!

Thanks to #NetFalley #bookouture and the author for an #ARC of #TheParisMaid.
I generally really enjoy a historical fiction story, and while this has a great premise to be a good story. I did find it fall slightly flat. It didn't have the pull or mystery of a book that you NEED to keep reading. 2.5 stars.

Nicole is devastated when she finds a photo of her beloved grandmother, taken in 1944 Nazi occupied Paris, apparently showing her as a Nazi sympathiser. She is determined to clear her name, and this book follows a dual timeline (modern day and 1944) to help her try to do this.

An interesting premise, with the book set in the glitzy Ritz Hotel, and lots of famous names dropped in throughout. There are three main story arcs, told through Nicole, her grandmother Louise who worked at the hotel, and American pilot Kit. I've read a lot of WWII fiction, and the story this one is based on was new to me - with The Ritz being such an important location in 1944. Definitely worth a read for those interested in the era.

The plot:
So basically Nicole who lived in London with her husband and currently pregnant is shocked to find a message from her distant (on a relationship basis) a picture of her grandmother was punished in front of The Ritz hotel at France as a collaborator to the Nazi. Nicole couldn't accept the fact that her grandmother, Louise, was a collaborator so she flew to Paris to investigate the real story behind the picture. So we follow Nicole's journey and Louise's journey back in 1944.

Now, you see I already said in my update that the premise of the story is very weak. Why? It's because there was a very small info dump about Nicole's family and Louise's family that I cannot fathom why would Nicole go through that length? I mean of course it's bad if you found out your grandmother is a part of the Naz but she said that her grandmother didn't like to talk about the past. The relationship between Nicole and Louise felt nonexistent so I couldn't persuade myself to believe that this is a very strong foundation to start the whole plot.

Since this is dual timeline book, I would say the past timeline was better than the present. Well, actually I couldn't even review the present time timeline due to how little they exists in the book. The present time mostly consists of the journey of Nicole investigating the picture but I wouldn't even called it investigating, since she did nothing but prodded and poked the picture and ask around. I mean I supposed it's because she's pregnant and there was no way to make a pregnant lady embarked on a thrilling investigation alone in another country by herself, but still, since there was only few chapters for present time and there was barely even scene where she investigated the picture I still wouldn't called it investigation. Now this conclude to my conclusion that this book could do very well without being a dual timeline book. The author and the editors could remove the present timeline completely and this book would end in a better note. Because I prefer the past timeline than the present and it almost even felt like the present timeline was unnecessary. So even though the plot's inside was great but it wasn't framed properly

the ending:
Although sad and succeeded in making my heart break a little, it was something new that I haven't read before. It did impress me a little but other than that it was just that, though it could've been packed in a better packaging as a plot-twist. I'm sure it could be a lot more impactful if the author do that.

the writing:
I was confused when I found out that we have 3 POVs in here. But Insupposed the last time I read a historical fiction book with WW2 background also consists of 3 POVs, so I supposed you couldn't help that with a dual timeline book either. But it wasn't fit to my liking even though the author used the 1st person POV and I even liked Kit's POV better and the author used 3rd person POV in his. The writing just felt proper in Kit's POV and in Louise's there was just too much sentence and monologs that made no sense in my head. There was a lot of unnecessary monologs too.

the characters:
It was weird that there were so many characters in this book and yet no one speaks through me. It's like nobody stood out than the rest you know? Though of course Louise and Kit certainly made more impactful impression in my head and though it's quite sad since Nicole is also the main character here but she was just so plain, boring and flat. I supposed I couldn't even review her since there were barely any of her POV in the book.

final thoughts:
I have mixed feelings and though it was exhilarating and fun to read some points were just didn't make sense to me. It's been a while though to have a book that I dreamed about, most of the time it was a sign of a good thing and I supposed it is a good thing. I devoured this pretty fast because I'm just to curious to find out about the ending, so 3 stars for this book.

This is a new twist on the story of the WWII resistance fighters. These ones were working at the Ritz Hotel in Paris right under the Nazis who were staying at the hotel.
In the present day timeline, Nicole finds a picture that reveals that her grandmother Louis’s was a collaborator and worked as one of the maids at the Ritz during the occupation. While she cleans and serves, she overhears things that she shares with the French Resistance. Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway were among the guests staying at the hotel that Louise took care of, and she also meets various other hotel staff and an Allied pilot who makes a big impact on her life and future.
In the present day timeline, Nicole is experiencing her first child and wants to know more about her ancestors so when she finds the picture she is truly shocked because her grandmother would never talk about her past and the investigation into the secrets behind her grandmother’s history will give her some answers and might be what brings her broken family back together.
The story tells of strong women, the absolutely incredible work of the resistance and the allied forces and the resilience of the people during the time. Fans of Kristin Hannah will enjoy this book.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.