*received for free from netgallley for honest review* actually a lot better than i thought it would be, finished the book in one day and thought this would be one of those chapter here chapter there books lol would buy

The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother, and a Family Divided was a great read by Alexander Larman. This is the next volume in the biographical chronicle of the Windsor family as they go to war with not only Adolf Hitler, but each other as well. The British monarchy was in a state of turmoil at the beginning of 1937. Edward VIII abdicated the throne and left his terrified brother Bertie to become George VI. The now Duke of Windsor was waiting for the decree that would allow him to marry his mistress Wallis Simpson, and took an increased interest in the expansionist plans of Adolf Hitler. Meanwhile he may have even betrayed his country in the process. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

Part two - More examples of rich people, or at least privileged people, behaving badly, but also with a more eventful historical setting as the backdrop. I appreciated having read The Crown in Crisis first because there are a good number of recurring characters that carried over into this time period.

There is a bit more intrigue in this time period just due to the nature of the country being at war. There’s more of a focus on the monarchy and family members who had ties to Germany. As well as some narrative on how the Duke of Windsor was treated by family when he came back to Britain.

I probably recognized many of these characters because of other WWII reading I’ve done (and also from watching the Crown) - whether historical fiction or other non fiction - which made this narrative a bit easier to follow and put in context. I can definitely appreciate the research that needed to go into compiling the narrative for this period in time - and the difficult task in differentiating this from other WWII works.

The narrator was different for this audio than from the first book. The narration was well done, with a little less voice acting - I’d think mostly due to the fact that this book has a female narrator for the mostly male narrative. Thank you to NG and the publisher for the ALC to listen to!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I listened to about half of this book when I just could not listen to anymore. It’s interesting but sometimes a bit dull too.

These days, I try to ignore everything the British Royal Family does, but I will say <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4786824/">The Crown</a> got me captivated in Edward VIII's story. For as much as Elizabeth II was famous, I didn't know the steps that got her to the throne. And behind those steps, what forced the family to change their German surname to Windsor. And so on and so forth until back around Plantagenet times, my favorite English era.

A wild, spoiled boy, the Duke of Windsor spent his rule philandering with married women. Wallis wasn't the first. I'm not here to slut shame. That's not the issue here. The issue is ignoring your duties while having the audacity to ask for more.

As this is nonfiction, I don't feel like I need to recap it for you. Know that parts of it interested me very much. Obviously, some of it is dry, as it is, again, nonfiction, but some eras of history are just easier for me to digest. And I'm not here to digest Nazi sympathizers.

thank you St Martins press and netgalley for an alc and arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an in-depth look at Britain's Royal Family in the middle of WW2. The stories were very intriguing, the deceit and dysfunction. As well as being connected to Germany during that time as Nazi sympathies.

The Duke of Windsor’s connections with the Nazis are no longer danced around but point blank discussed by pretty much everyone everywhere. However, few authors are quite as thorough as Larman. He examines the Windsors’ movements and actions beginning with the abdication and ending with the decade following the war. I very much appreciated that while David and Wallis are in focus, he also trains his lens on other key players, like The King, The Queen, and Churchill.

Prior to reading this, I would say that I had a fairly in depth knowledge of David and Wallis’ wartime escapades. However, what I did not know is the extent to which their aristocratic friends both strongly agreed and disagreed with them. There were several jaw-dropping moments while reading this book, and that is something that I did not expect.

Larman’s previous book, The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication, is also a must-read if you have not already.

Larman is a journalist and not an historian, which does make for a different type of book. It also differs from the number of glowing royal biographies that have been released in the last year to mark the Platinum Jubilee and then the late Queen’s passing. All in all, a well-written, fascinating book.

I think that it is incredibly notable that in the weeks prior to the sovereign’s coronation, we have a book publishing on a former sovereign’s Nazi ties- the monarchy no longer holds the same position that it did in the 1950s during the last coronation. Obviously, King Edward VIII abdicated, but it still seems unthinkable that someone would have even conceived of a book like this in 1953.

Sophie Roberts was a fantastic narrator for this audiobook, as well. I find that non-fiction books can have awkward narration but Roberts brought a lot of interest to the book. (And if you are a fan of non-fiction royal history, she also narrated the audiobook for The Little Princesses.)

I enjoyed Alexander Larman's second book about the House of Windsor, this time delving into the background of Edward. After going into exile away from the spotlight, the influence of Hitler is a well known fact that the Crown never wants to mention. I enjoyed the history, the background and the organization of information so it was easy to follow and keep track of.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for access to this audiobook ARC.

I have read the first book, Crown in Crisis, but I think I enjoyed this one more. It is well-researched and told in a manner that is easy to follow (not like a boring history book). In this book, we see exactly why David and Wallis are known to sympathize with the Nazi regime. We see exactly what they had to gain by this allegiance. We also see Bertie's reactions to David's abandonment of the crown. I knew these things were true, but reading about them in-depth was very enjoyable.

Well, alrighty then.
This book picks up where the first book leaves off and WHOOSH, what a wild ride. I learned so much [much of it NOT good in regards to the the Duke of Windsor {COULD he have been a bigger whiner? I highly doubt it}, which really shouldn't be a surprise to ANYONE] and with the way the book ends, I am hoping for a book 3. ;-)

If you love history [including British history], are interested in the Monarchy [especially before and during WW2], and want to learn things that have never really been talked about, this book is for you [I highly recommend that you read the author's first book "The Crown in Crisis" before diving into this book]. I highly recommend it.

I was lucky enough to have my audiobook request granted and WOW, what a great narrator. I would have loved this book regardless, but the great narration was just icing on the cake. Sophie Roberts does an amazing job and I can only hope that I find other books to read that she narrates.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexander Larman, Sophie Roberts - Narrator, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing both the book and audiobook ARCS in exchange for an honest review.

I loved that the author used lots of first hand accounts and correspondence for this book, it really allowed me to feel the strained relationships the Windsor's enduring during this time frame. That being said, a lot of this book felt superfluous and being that the subject material is so dry, it would have made more sense to keep the scope a bit smaller. I was hoping this book would focus more on the family dynamic and less on the general politics of the time.

The narrator was pleasant, but her American accent (that she used for all American POVs) was rough and I would have rather she just stuck with her native accent.

My thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press Audio for this audiobook.

Although we think of the dysfunction of today's royals, there was plenty of dysfunction in the royal family when King Edward abdicated his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, King George was unprepared to serve as king, yet fulfilled his duty. The Duke of Kent had his own colorful past. And all this in the midst of the build up to WWII. Add in the brilliant but bold Churchill, Chamberlain and his lack of strong leadership, and this book was such an interesting insight in to all that went on in the years building up to WWII. It is still hard to imagine that the former King Edward and Wallis Simpson, along with the two Mitford sisters (Diana and Unity) were so blinded by ruthless dictators. Also a bit of Roosevelt and separate visits to the White House by the King & Queen and Winston Churchill. So many interesting stories! A very interesting book if you enjoy insights into history.