Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

For fans of Historical fiction - this one does not disappoint!

Even better than book 1!
I couldn’t put it down.
Highly recommend.

Kitty is an amazing character and I root for her everytime. Such a great heroine. Couldn’t recommend more.

This was a great read with a lot of action and things happening. It kept your attention the entire time wanting more. The main character, Kitty, is an undercover agent who is put in dangerous situations but wants to fight the Nazis and do what is right for her county and for other people. As soon as doing this she is constantly worried about her husband Edgar never knowing when she is going to see him again. The author does a marvelous job of giving us some history on how bad the time of the Nazi invasions were and the devastation it did to so many people. Wonderful read.

I really liked this book but this just needed a little something extra for me in my opinion. It was a good read though!

I know when I open a book by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger that I am in for a real treat. It is a roller coaster ride of edge-of-your-seat excitement and drama. I fell in love with the characters … especially Kitty. They were well developed and you became invested in their life and their adventures.

I love reading historical fiction … especially when it is set during WWII. And this book gives you a different focus than the typical books I have read in this genre. After reading the first book in The Diplomat’s Wife series, The American Wife, I was anxiously waiting to see if the author had managed to write a successful sequel. I was pleased to see this story accomplished that well.

I continue to be amazed at the lengths individuals were willing to go to help defeat Hitler and his evil empire. Kitty and others who agree to be a part of the French Resistance were willing to make extreme sacrifices. Your heart will be breaking as you experience the difficulty and horrific events they endured. This story of courage, love, support, faith, dedication will grab your attention from the first page and keep you enthralled until the final page. And whew! What an amazing ending to the story. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

[Book Review]

The American Wife in Paris | @ckalyna
Genre: Historical Fiction/War Fiction/Spy/Espionage
Publisher: Bookouture

🥐🥐🥐🥐

If you are a fan of:

✔️ War Fiction
✔️Spies and Espionage
✔️The Nightingale
✔️All The Lights We Cannot See

How amazing to find another talented historical fiction writer in Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger 🙌🏽

With short chapter sequences, unsuspecting red herrings and detours, as well as a killer ending, The American Wife in Paris has ALL the goodies you expect in a well-written World War II fiction piece.

Main female lead Kitty Larsen, takes you behind the scenes of the spy and espionage world during the rise of Herr Hitler in World War II. Kitty is clever, smart and WAY ahead of the game throughout this book, while also revealing her humanistic side along the way.

The only reason this beauty didn’t get five croissants is because it didn’t give me an epic bookish hangover; other than that, I loved this book and have added the two other books in this series to my Amazon wishlist.

Thank you to @netgalley @bookouture and the amazing @ckalyna for the opportunity to read and be literary involved in Kitty’s adventures.

Not what I was expecting for the continuation of this story but a good read. Great for any WWII fans who want to learn about the war's effect on Paris and the surrounding areas.

Due to college I did not get time to read and review this one. Seems like a story I would enjoy, so I will keep an eye out for it.

Courtesy of Netgalley I received the ARC of An American Wife in Paris by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. This compelling and well researched WWII historical novel features the fictional Kitty, courageous daughter of a US senator, joining the French Resistance and becoming involved in espionage and spying for the Allies. Both a thriller and a romance, this story is a page turner!

In the second book of The Diplomat’s Wife series, Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger brings Kitty Larsson and Edgar Ragatz’s tragic love story back to the center of her latest novel. Kitty and Edgar, now divorced, are continuing their anti-Nazi espionage efforts across Europe. Kitty, upon her return to London, finds that the SOE is recruiting and that they are interested in her particular skill set across the Channel in France. However, Edgar has disappeared and other familiar faces are emerging from the woodwork across Europe. Once again, Lucyk-Berger’s characters shine, and her integration of the SOE and World War II-era espionage and tactics into An American Wife in Paris adds to the accuracy and charm of the novel. New characters are equally lively and meet the energies and challenges of 1941 admirably. The new settings across France are well-described and incredibly detailed, while the new characters’ personalities are fully fleshed out and interact well with Kitty. Once again, Lucyk-Berger’s prose and word choice elevates this enthralling historical fiction novel, a fitting sequel to the first book of the Diplomat’s Wife series. An American Wife in Paris, spearheaded by Kitty Larrson, continues to captivate readers with its characters and stakes, making 1941 (from Kitty’s perspective) as realistic and vivid as possible.

I only realised after starting to read this book that it is the second in the series. I feel now that I have read it I would have liked to have read book one as I did feel as if I was missing something.

Another story of war, Paris and the people war affected. It is a good story and one I will revisit once I get me hands on the first book. It is thrilling, intriguing, powerful and heartbreaking. A diplomats wife and missing husband, It has all the emotion, suspense and thrills of a great book and I enjoyed reading it.

I have given it a 3 1/2 stars due to not reading the first but will revisit this score once I read the first book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Paris, 1941: Kitty returns to Paris for the third time and this time is her most dangerous mission ever. As an undercover agent for the resistance she knows that she must complete the mission. She has lost so many family members and friends old and new to the Nazis so she can’t possibly stop fighting now. But is she willing to lose more people that she is close to including her own husband? Kitty and her husband Edgar know that the only way the Resistance’s mission will be successful is if they are no longer married. This is the hardest time of their life and they know that even though they are no longer operating as husband and wife, her heart is put to the test when she gets word that Edgar is missing. Kitty continues to fulfill the mission of the Resistance in risking her own life, by moving refugees across the borders while at the same time, sneaking supplies into the Prisoner of War Camps. Kitty knows that one day she will find Edgar and that is the hope she hangs on to in such horrible times.

An American Wife in Paris authored by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a wonderful continuation to The Diplomat's Wife Series. This heartbreaking World War II historical fiction kept me on the edge of my seat with Kleenex in hand. I felt such a deep connection to each and every character hoping that they would survive. This unputdownable, phenomenal story was a rapid page turner for me. The author did an amazing job of pulling me into the story that I felt as if I was sneaking across the border myself. My heart was pounding faster and louder at every gasp, as I continued reading to the very end. I loved everything about this story and I highly recommend it.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series, but it wasn’t hard to “catch up.” An American Wife in Paris was an action packed and engaging read. I enjoyed the plot line of sabotage and intrigue. I would absolutely recommend this novel!

An American Wife in Paris
By: Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This author is quickly becoming a new favorite for historical fiction. I loved The American Wife, which was first in this series.

1941, Paris
Kitty gets another chance to return to Paris as an undercover agent. She knows this mission will be tough and her marriage to Edgar suffers as he is undercover as a spy. They decide to divorce for appearances, but a deal is formed and their love continues.

When she hears rumors Edgar is dead she makes her mission to find out what happened.

Her help with the resistance to continue to fight the Nazis and look for answers about Edgar are with every risk and she is willing to do whatever it takes.

I don’t want to spoil the rest, but this is a MUST read for Historical Fiction fans. Excited that the 3rd in the series The American Wife’s Secret comes out in October.

Out as of July 20. Thank you Bookouture for allowing me on the tour in a few days.

#anamericanwifeinparis, #bookouture, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #bookreview, #historicalficfion, #stamperlady50

Viewing World War 2 from a different perspective (the American wife of a German officer) is a pretty unique view by itself. However, this series has the additional benefits of great factual history woven throughout, fabulous characters, and wonderful writing. You’re sure to enjoy it.

An American Wife in Paris is the second book in The Diplomat’s Wife series by Chrystyna Lucyk Berger and being 100% honest and up front I do think it’s best if you read book one before starting this new book. It will provide you with the backstory to all the characters and how they find themselves in the position they are in when we meet up with them again. When reading the first half or so of the book I viewed it as if I was new to the series and to be honest I think it would come across quite confusing for new readers. I feel you would have to read too much between the lines to figure out what was relevant from the previous book. I think a brief note before the story actually started would be beneficial for people who picked this book up without realising that it was a sequel. Again, as with the previous book, I found this story heavy with detail with an awful lot going and you do need to keep your concentration to make sure who is who and what is actually happening in terms of Kitty and those around her and what is occurring in relation to the war as a whole. Pushing all this aside An American Wife in Paris is a very good read and a worthy successor to The American Wife. Kitty is an astounding character who goes from strength to strength in this book as she lurches from one crisis to another but her devotion and loyalty to the cause are never to be under estimated.

The story is split into three sections and within each Kitty, the main female protagonist, takes on several personas and characters. She is like a shape shifter and so deftly able to alter her appearance, her personality and her roles whenever that is required which is quite often given the line of work that she is engaging in. Work which only grows more dangerous the further the war develops and to say that this book was packed full of tension, unease and suspicion would be an understatement. Kitty is living in a world of conflict and she can never rest on her laurels until justice has been fought and won. Knowing that she can’t be with her husband, Edgar, is killing her and any time they can snatch together is very brief but this only serves to make her more determined to do any resistance work required of her and no one could say that she doesn’t throw herself into the thick of things. In fact, there are times you would love to be able to say to her slow down a bit, you are going too fast and are too eager as I was nervous that she was being a bit rash and hasty and the worst would befall her.

Both Edgar and Kitty are working undercover. I won’t say anymore regarding Edgar because to do so would give away too much for those who may not have read book one but suffice to say he appears as if one thing and he is perhaps another. The issue of whom to trust rears its ugly head time and time again. Suspicion, having faith and belief in people and having the courage to listen to your instincts and stick to your convictions are some of the themes explored throughout the book. For reasons I won’t go into Edgar and Kitty are leading separate lives although the love, longing and devotion that Kitty has for her husband radiate from every page through all her actions and words. She is so devoted and dogged and you can see that every minute spent away from him is excruciating for her and I think that’s why she is determined to throw herself into the thick of things working undercover for the British. She sees all her roles and tasks as ultimately helping Edgar and she wishes the war to come to an end sooner rather than later. ’Everyone recognises evil when they see it. That is, if they are not evil themselves. We’re here to hunt down the animals’.

Events from the previous book do also have a forbearing on Kitty and there is guilt eating away at her. Guilt that she didn’t do enough and may perhaps have been at fault for the loss of someone who was so very dear to her. This shame/responsibility weighs heavily on her and when things get very bad when she is deep in France undercover working for the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E) you would have thought that she would have questioned what have I got myself into? But she wasn’t like that at all. Yes, she has regrets but she is determined to atone for what she believed she did. ’If we do nothing, than we are complicit’ and no way was Kitty standing by and doing nothing especially as she knew how deep Edgar was getting himself into things. Really, Kitty was a woman ahead of her time and her strength and ability to shift between different lives and worlds was remarkable. I loved how Kitty threw caution to the wind and began working as an undercover agent with the S.O.E. Alongside her group she risked everything to get people to safety along the French escape line. They secreted materials and transported them right under the noses of the Germans, all of which helped them in their resistance work. They may have been a small cog in a much bigger wheel but every little bit helps as they say.

Throughout each section, I found that there were a lot of characters introduced and I didn’t know should I be focusing my attention on them as in will they have a bigger role to play or were they just passing by? I suppose this in a way kept me on my toes guessing how things were going to eventually work out. One of the main elements in the book which I found quite surprising was how the Americans were given evidence of what was going on in the concentration camps long before they were liberated yet they refused to believe what was going on. It completely blew my mind because if they had taken things more seriously at that stage then my god the outcome could have been so different for so many that perished needlessly in the most inhumane and barbaric of ways.

The blurb suggests Kitty’s world stops when Edgar goes missing and in a way I found this misleading because this only occurs in the last quarter of the book if even that. I was reading through the book and kept expecting this to happen with every new chapter and it didn’t and to be honest when it did occur it was just too little too late to make as dramatic an impact as I think it could have. Although that very final line and how it came about threw up a whole load of questions and I was left with wanting more and asking why did it have to end. A cliffhanger it sure was and it certainly whetted my appetite for book number three, The American Wife’s Secret, which is to be published in October.Yes, I may have found book two a bit of a mixed bag which got better in the later half but I wouldn’t have missed on Kitty’s story as she is proving to be a feisty woman who is brave, courageous and makes for a gripping character. Let’s see do things work out for her in book three or is much more trouble, strife and danger in store for her.

Secret identities, code names, and extreme danger are just a few things an undercover agent must put up with. Kitty is determined to play a part in destroying the Nazi regime and will do anything within her power to do so. Including divorcing her husband to maintain the safety of them both, though she still loves him dearly. Each mission increases the danger. Her friends are dying, she’s lost touch with some of them and has no way to find out if they’re okay or not, she no longer knows who to trust in the field. And she’s no longer in touch with Edgar. Will this war ever end? Can she find out what happened to Edgar? She refuses to give up.

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a new-to-me author. This is a story of love, sacrifice, loss, heartbreak, courage, determination, and more. I loved it!

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

This is the second book in a series and I would recommend reading the series in order. I started with this book and felt I would have understood the opening of the book more if I had read the series. With that said, this is an excellent book. It is about the people that fought against Germany and especially the networks that helped people escape from occupied areas. The main character goes by many code names and is a strong willed woman. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the rest of the series.

I enjoy reading this second book in the series of the Diplomat's wife probably even more that a first one if it's even possible. The characters are authentic, with struggles and making mistakes. We can observe Kitty as she is changing during a war, when she is working as an secret agent.
If you like reading books about WWII you should definitely read this one.

An American Wife in Paris is the second book in the incredible The Diplomat's Wife series.
Before starting this book, I do advise you to read An American Wife which is the first book in this series. It will give you the characters backstory and help you to understand their thoughts even better.
Once again, we see Kitty returning to Paris as an undercover agent. She knows it's her most dangerous mission yet. Married to an Austrian diplomat she is thrown into a very different world than she was used to. Edgar is Nazi spy; it breaks Kitty's heart to have to sign papers for a divorce for her safety. This is for you if you enjoy spying, thrilling, edge of your seat gripping stories.
One thing we notice is Kitty's unfailing love for Edgar. It propels her forward and is the driving force and encouragement for doing what she needs to do.
Once I started reading it this book was very hard to put down.
You must ask yourself can you trust your contacts?
Kitty works with the Resistance movement and constantly finds herself in dangerous situations
The research is very evident in the book and it's such a compelling read. Very well written. The ending was very tense, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Publish date July 20, 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.