Paris, 1941. Journalist Elodie Mitchell has found a Bohemian Paris a huge culture shock compared to her hometown of Chicago - but she loves the new-found freedom she's felt walking its streets. That is until the threat of Nazi occupation starts to loom by the day. After a mysterious man invites her to a Josephine Baker show. Elodie is perplexed and dazzled by the decadence of the performance. But when Elodie is mistaken for Josephine, and whisked backstage, she realises that the star's glamorous shows have been hiding a darker, more important movement than anyone could have possibly imagined.

This story was inspired by the incredible true story of Josephine Baker. I do like a story that is based on true events, and this story has been well researched.

Journalist Elly (Elodie) Mitchell has been living and working in Paris for the last six months. A stranger gives Elly tickets to see Josephine Baker, and she was invited backstage to meet Jo after the show. Elly's life was turned around after the meeting, and she now works undercover as Jo's cousin. Elly had been sought after to join a secret intelligence group. Josephine and Elly are strong characters. This is a story of love, courage, bravery and strength. It;s also complex and well-written.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #EmbassieSusberry for my ARC of #CodeNameButterfly in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging read which, although fiction, is against the true life events of renowned entertainer Josephine Baker. Quite fascinating and has inspired me to revisit Chateau des Milandes when I am next in that area of France. Fascinating take on the beginning of WW2 with the imminent arrival of the Nazis into Paris. The story revolves around Elly a fictional character who becomes involved with Josephine Baker and the French resistance whilst also the prejudices of being a black American. I must admit I found the story so enthralling that I had to look up about Josephine Baker and her involvement with the French Resistance which she managed so successfully.

A wonderful historical story of a resistance in France during the first year of war with the imminent German invasion of France. Centred on the historical person Josephine Baker, the characters around her and the events that transpires are so well done that the reader is drawn right into the action. A most touching story of courage and self-sacrifice in desperate times that in real life results in Miss Baker being awarded Frances highest military honours and her in death accorded a full military funeral with honours..

Iconic entertainer of the Jazz Age, famous for her risqué performances, Josephine Baker responded to the start of World War II by becoming a spy for the French Resistance, using her celebrity to gain access to high-ranking Axis officials.
Elodie Mitchell, living in Paris, is recruited to work alongside Josephine and join the spy network. An intriguing, well-researched and well written book inspired by the real life experiences of Josephine Baker. An excellent read.

Code Name Butterfly is a refreshing take on the French resistance during the early days of World War Two. It took me longer than normal to get through this novel yet I still wish there was more. More of Elly’s writing and spy work would have been great. I enjoyed to slow building of her relationship with Grant, at one point I didn’t think they would ever get together.
Thank you so much this ARC

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I knew very little about Josephine Baker’s war but this was fascinating. Highly recommended and look forward to reading more by this author.

My thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for allowing me to review this arc.

I really enjoyed this book. Something different. A family gets together to do a genealogy tracing of their family and gets contacted by someone online that has a photo that may contain their grandmother , Elodie Mitchell, with singer Josephine Baker. Story then switches back to Elodie when she was younger and how she was recruited to work with Josephine as spies for the resistance. Very well written story. My only complaint, dragged a bit but enjoyed very much.

Code Name Butterfly is a historical fiction set in France at the beginning of World War II. Although the story begins and ends in present time with Elodie’s descendants, it is for the most part concerned with the WWII period.

“… if you do the things you were placed on this earth to do, you will die, knowing that you lived.”

Elodie Mitchell is an American student and journalist living in Paris who is invited to see fellow American entertainer, Josephine Baker. Elodie, unwittingly, has been sought after to join a secret intelligence group that revolves around the social events Josephine gains access to. I was unfamiliar with Josephine Baker and enjoyed learning both the fictional and actual fame that surrounded her. Both Josephine and the fictional Elodie were strong female characters staying true to their ethos and philosophy.

“I’m still trying to figure that out but it came down to doing something I can be proud of when I look back on my life.”

The story is rich in research and I appreciated this fresh lens of African Americans with the author seemingly accurately capturing what life would have been like at this time. The story does move somewhat slowly with drama not really unfolding until the latter pages and then things happen rather quickly. However, there are so many interesting layers to this book from the resistance movement, to life at this time seen through different cultures, to a little bit of romance. I also appreciated both the realism and overarching life themes presented throughout.

“I believe what you put into the world is what you get out of it. I put a lot of goodness and light into those around me. I want to make this world a better place.”








This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Not my cuppa, but my mum loved it. Not my cuppa, but my mum loved it. Not my cuppa, but my mum loved it.

What a great story! I really enjoyed reading about Elodie (what a gorgeous name) and Josephine’s adventures in the resistance trying their best to help the French resistance fight against the Nazi’s. Josephine Baker was a real person and this book had me googling her to find out more. I love reading books about the French resistance and this didn’t let me down at all. I got so into the book, that I forgot that it actually started in the present day with a family doing family history research and was only reminded of it again at the end of the story.

This story opens and closes in the present day but the majority of the story is set in France in 1941, just as the Germans invade. Elodie Mitchell is studying in France and working part time as a journalist when she meets a handsome man who gives her two tickets to different shows. The first is for a performance of Josephine Baker, the second is for an after party. Through the people she meets that evening Elodie becomes involved with the resistance and things do not turn out quite as she expected.
I had to research Josephine Baker as I got into the book and found she was quite a remarkable woman and although the rest of the novel is fictionalised it does follow the story of Josephine's life at the time.
I liked the character of Elodie (Elly) and Josephine very much. Both are feisty and true to themselves although in different ways. The descriptions of places, clothing and things that were part of life at the time made it all very relatable.
However, the story is bit slow and the drama didn't ramp up quite as much as I expected considering some of the activities the characters get involved in, and most of the action takes part in the final part of the book making it far more rushed than the beginning.
Having said all this, it is a very readable and different account from WW2, just perhaps not the one I've enjoyed reading most.
With thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Great book! I love WW II historical fiction and this didn’t disappoint.

Paris, 1941. Elodie Mitchell has found living in Paris very different to her hometown of Chicago and where she was raised by her aunt and uncle who have strong Christian values. Elodie is a journalist and studying her master’s degree and she sends articles to a Chicago newspaper and about life in France.

Elly is worried about the Germans invading, she's thinking about returning home, until she meets a handsome stranger and he invites her to a show starring famous American cabaret artist Josephine Baker. Elly gets to go backstage after the performance, she discovers Ms. Baker is involved with an undercover network and Elly's keen to help.

They tell everyone she’s Josephine's cousin, she passes on information and anything she overhears to Grant Monterey. He’s a bit of an enigma, as part of the ruse they have to sometime pretend they’re a courting couple, to throw off any suspicions about them meeting and it makes Elly feel rather flustered. When it gets too dangerous the group all flee to the French countryside, they join the throngs of refugees on the congested roads, it’s slow going in the two cars and dangerous.

I received a copy of Code Name Butterfly by Embassie Susberry from Avon Books UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed how Christine, Elodie's granddaughter took a DNA test, she wanted to know about her family history and the whole novel is constructed around Elly's secret wartime exploits.

The fast paced narrative is based on the real life of Josephine Baker, an American dancer, singer, and actress, and a member of the French Resistance, and a coloured woman who fought chauvinism, racism and the Germans.

A well written historical fiction story about two brave, courageous and inspirational women, and the friendship and bond formed between them. The balance of characters is perfect and I liked and admired Josephine, Elodie, Polly, Danny, Pierre and the chemistry between Elodie and ex-Harlem Hellfighter Grant Monterey is smoldering hot. Five stars from me and I highly recommend.

I was disappointed with this, as I found it very slow and full of waffle and description, so I'm afraid I quickly became rather bored with it. I think that may be partly due to the writing style, which I don't appreciate as much as others. Also I've just read All the Light we Cannot See, which grabbed me from the off, so this one did have a bit to live up too!

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

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this dual timeline book which is based on true events, about Josephine Baker as well as the French Resistance during WWII.

The story covered different issues. It kept you hooked, turning the page, with the dangers to the characters from being a spy and the war.

It’s so well written, well researched showing what the people living in France went through during the hard times.

I recommend this book.

Code named Butterfly is a historical fiction story based on real life exploits of Josephine Baker who was an African American entertainer in France in WW2.
Paris 1941, the Germans are close. Black American Elodie Mitchell is studying and working as a journalist. When she meets a handsome man Grant Montgomery who gives her ticket to an entertainment show. Where she meets Josephine Baker backstage. Miss Baker’s life is not just Glitz and glamour. But he is also playing her part helping the French Resistance. She persuades Elodie to join them and fight for the cause, with the help of Grant and others associates they decipher and pass vital information to the Americans and the British. Facing all sorts of dangers along the way.
I be honest with you before reading this, I had not heard of Josephine Baker before. But I found this to be a fascinating read. This is not just a book about bravery and courage of the members of the resistance. Doing their bit for the war, but also about racism and finding love in difficult times. This is a slow burn of a story, but it did have my attention throughout. Although I thought it was a quite long winded, I enjoyed this greatly. 4 stars from me.

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, but this was good. It took a while to get into the story because of the slow burn but overall pass the half way mark it picks up. To me this would be a great read for black history month. Thank you to Netgalley letting me get an ARC.

Not just any WW2 spy book.

The book opens in the present day, where Christine and her family are researching their ancestry, while collecting DNA for a wider response. When they receive a message from one Ange Marie Preston in France concerning their grandmother Elodie Mitchell, they are astonished at the story she has to tell.

Switch to Paris, 1941, when Elodie intends to return home to Chicago, before the Nazis move in. But when she receives an invitation to a Josephine Baker concert, she changes her mind. At the concert she finds herself mistaken for the star, and when taken backstage, uncovers an underground resistance movement into which she is recruited, alongside Baker.

And with that, Elodie is drawn into a network of spies and assigned a mission to go undercover as Josephine's cousin and gather vital intelligence for the resistance. This is a story based on fact, and it's a story told well, bringing to light issues that are sometimes glossed over in wartime adventures. Racism, chauvinism and courage and sacrifice are all addressed in a story that makes a slow start, but soon the reader is drawn into the world of the resistance and the horror faced by those who chose to fight Naziism. It's a small cast of characters but all emerge in three dimensions, and will be loved or loathed equally by readers. Wartime Paris society is also nicely depicted in all its finery.

The author is a former US attorney, with a large number of books to her name, many in the "black and African American historical" genre. Her passion for the subject is clear, and there's perhaps no one better to write a novel based on such a complex character as Josephine Baker. The research is solid, and weaves nicely around the story. Is it a spy novel, a thriller or a romance? Yes, all of these, and well worth your time.

Highly recommended.

A modern day fascination with DNA has led to many unexpected stories being discovered about family members, some hidden deep in the past and others more recent events simply never discussed with the family, considered by the people involved best left buried in the past. Every family has them, many remain undiscovered.
When a letter, along with a photograph from Ange-Marie Preston with information about Eldoie Mitchell otherwise known as le Papillon de Nuit, the famous Josephine Baker and her Grandfather, Elodie’s family are caught unaware, believing they knew all there was to know about the family history. But who is this woman that looks like a very young Elodie and why is she with Josephine Baker, wearing an outfit like that.
Elodie Mitchell is in France studying, as well as writing columns about the situation in France for a newspaper in her home town. It is 1941 and the French believe the war with Germany is a ‘Faux’ war. She does not!
She is lonely, fascinated with a man she sees often, and decides he is the man she will marry. She has decided that she will be out of Paris as soon as she can get onto a ship going to England. She is homesick, her spoken French still abysmal and her life, well....
Over a many weeks she is slowly recruited into an underground network by Grant Monteray to pose as Josephine Baker’s cousin, to gather information on German movement and infiltration in the area This sees her French improve rapidly and as she is taught a range of skills she surprises herself with how easily she adapts to the is new role. Slowly she learns to look and listen, seeking out those who are happy to betray the secrets of France to the Germans.
Already convinced Grant Monterey is her perfect match even though he is a damaged man, she discovers has she fallen deeply in love with him. Her new life is one she is not all that comfortable with, the new skills she is learning make her wonder who she really is underneath the skin of Elodie Mitchell.
Based loosely on the story of Josephine Baker, (1906-1975) a famous American born French Cabaret star and her activities in the French Resistance during the Second World War for her beloved France, Code name Butterfly is rich in detail, with characters that come to life as the pages turn. The innocence of youth, the tragedy and callousness of War, the effect that fighting for a just cause has on so much of what is held dear, has been well developed.
Fiction is often an excellent vehicle to tell stories about so many brave people whose stories have gone untold through the generations. Josephine Baker was very real, larger than life and generous too her detriment. The others, Elodie, Grant, Polly, Danny and Pierre are representative of the many who risked their lives to make a small difference.
Code Name Butterfly is captivating, coloured in many hues, and very difficult to put down once begun.

Journalist Elodie Mitchell was in Paris for six months, sending her pieces back to her paper in Chicago. It was 1941 and while Elodie loved Paris, the shimmer of war was on the periphery of her life. When a handsome stranger gave her tickets for a show featuring Josephine Baker, she was in two minds about going. But she went, and after the decadent, awe-inspiring show, she was invited backstage. Meeting Jo, plus subsequent events, turned Elly's life around as she realised what Jo and others were involved in...

With Elly now undercover as Jo's cousin, her role was an important one, and as she passed messages to the enigmatic Grant, some of the things she overheard led her to believe their safety was at risk. When they needed to flee Paris for the country, they joined the other refugees, desperate to escape the Nazis. Would they do it? Could they continue to fight against the Germans from far away?

Code Name Butterfly is a story of courage and strength, of bravery and love - and a fight against the deep prejudices the characters came up against on a daily basis. Based on fact, Code Name Butterfly brings Josephine Baker to life. She was born in June, 1906, in St Louis, Missouri, and was a French dancer, singer and actress. She was also the first black woman immortalised in France's Pantheon. (Fictional) Elly became great friends, almost like sisters, with Jo and together they made a wonderful team. Author Embassie Susberry has done an impeccable job with her research and bringing the courage and tenacity of people like Elly and Jo to her readers. Highly recommemded.

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