To be completely transparent, I didn't realize when I selected this book to read that it was the 4th (and last) in a series - that being said: this book was an excellent read!

Margot is a character that has flaws but she's self aware enough to understand that everyone does, and that she is doing what she needs to to survive. The concept of this novel was interesting and the characters were what made the story really flow well. There were characters that I loved (Margot and Marie) and characters that I couldn't stand (Klaus and Kurtis and Trudy) which always makes me feel like a book has really developed their characters well.

While there were moments in the story where it wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen next, I didn't feel like this took anything away from the story. In fact, it almost drew me in more because I wanted to know how it would be written - I was interested in how the inevitable payoff was going to happen. There were also moments where I guessed wrong, and those moments were even better because, in the end, the story written ended up being better than what I had assumed would happen.

This was a quick read, though certainly not a light read due to the time and place of the plot - something to keep in mind.

Even though I was jumping into the story in the middle I didn't feel lost in the slightest as the characters were fleshed out enough that I knew what was happening the whole time. The flashbacks to events that happened in previous books (I assume) were explained enough in the story that I was able to figure out what happened, which I greatly appreciated. Reading this book absolutely made me want to start the series from the beginning so I know what I'll be doing this next month!

This is another outstanding Roberta Kagan book. It is the fourth and final book in the WWII “Margot’s Secret Series”. It can be read as a stand alone book . Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Margot is a young German lady who finds out that she was adopted and that her mother was possibly a Jew. Margo’s sister, Trudy, is a very evil person whose jealousy and hatred make her do terrible things to her sister. In the 1940’s , Margo finds herself pregnant by her Jewish lover and she needs to protect herself and her unborn child . She marries Kurtis, a Nazi officer while Trudy has an affair with Peter, an SS officer. Margot’s husband, Max, is sent to Dachau where he tries to survive . This historical fiction book delves into the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the struggles to try to survive . We are introduced to many characters without a conscience and thriving of hatred and power. Yet, throughout the book , there is love, passion and hope.

1940’s Frankfurt Germany: Margot is Jewish and in order to survive is attempting to pass as a Aryan German. She is pregnant and alone as her husband and son have died. She will say and do anything to protect her unborn child. The lies build throughout the novel.

This is the last book and the only book I’ve read of this 4 part series and can be read as a standalone novel.

Thank you Netgalley

Margot's Dilemma

Book four in the Margot's Secret Series. After Ben's death Margot runs and lands in Frankfort working in a cafe. Things are going well for her until two things happen. A Nazi officer falls for her and her sister Trudy finds her when the German Officer takes her to a party at the Eagles Nest.
This means nothing but trouble. Can Margot get out of this situation?

Will she have to marry the Nazi to save her child? Will Trudy ruin everything for her once again?

Meanwhile Max is in the camp and he doesn't know if Margot is alive or not. Margot thinks he is dead. Will Max and Margot ever see each other again?

This book is exciting as the last, each book is a page turner. You won't want to put it down until you have finished it and find out how it all ends.

Thanks to Roberta Kagan for writing this great series, to the Book Whisperer for publishing it and to NetGalley for sending me a complimentary copy of the book to read and review

Truth. Lies. Deceit. Survival. How far would a person go? What did it take to survive in Europe during WWII? This novel takes a different perspective on the WWII historical fiction story. Most of the novels I’ve read tell of the resistance and the persistence of those fighting against the Nazis, typically from the perspective of the “good guys.” This one tells about a person who aligns with the Nazis.
Overall, this story helped me view this situation differently. And, to me, that is the purpose of any good novel.

This book is the last book in a trilogy. Most of the characters were well-established in the first two novels, The theme and setting are familiar as well so the plot has to carry the reader's interest. This is a successful conclusion to the trilogy but it does not stand well on its own legs.

This was a very different book from the other books. this felt like a rushed story. loved the other but not this one. such a shame.

all thoughts are my own and arent influnced by others

Note that this is the fourth book in a series but can absolutely be read as a standalone novel, which I did. After learning her story of adoption, Margot is even more on edge with the Nazi occupation of Germany. The Lies We Told is a beautifully written historical fiction novel illustrating the absolutely heartbreaking sacrifices women like Margot had to make to survive in a harsh world. The multiple perspectives, including Kurtis’, makes for a well-rounded and hauntingly authentic story. The Lies We Told truly makes you question the choices you would make it a similar situation and the depth of the sacrifices that were made by so many.

Margot’s Secret Book #4

This is the final book in this wonderful series and it can be read on its own but I highly recommend you read this series in order in order to get the maximum pleasure of being immersed into the world of the characters. The stories are unputdownable.

In this last installment, Margot’s is a woman with a secret that could be deadly if uncovered. She becomes even more desperate when she meets Kurtis, a Nazi officer and soon finds herself entangled in a web of lies. Eventually she sees that be marrying Kurtis her hopes are that he will take care of her and that he will accept the child she is carrying as his own, ( of course he should never know the baby is not his). While in Berlin, her estranged sister, Trudy, has a dangerous affair with Peter, an SS officer. Their world clashes and all come to an end.

Although this story has much going on and you need to pay attention to follow all the coming and going. Of course if you read the previous installment it will be easier to put all the characters in the right place. Recurring characters have their own story and the few new ones add to the challenge of remembering them. Along the way we meet well known figures in history such Eva Braun and Hitler, and the usual Nazi conspirators. Along with these well-known personages we go to a party at Eagle’s Nest. So this story although fictional dabbles in some true events.

The story moves at a steady pace and is smoothly writing and very enjoyable to read. I loved this series and hate to see it end.

Well-said, well-done

Struggled with this book as I hadn’t read the other 3. Will read them first then go back to it. Got a bit lost at some parts.

This is a complicated book for me. The images, while graphic, were very compelling. I loved the story, but I wish I saw more of the very end... It felt a little rushed. Overall, not an easy read, but an okay one.

This book had so much going on at once, Nazis and a serial killer? I’ve never read such a thing. I was slightly confused with some of the plot and characters since I didn’t read previous books in the series but it was pretty easy to catch on if you read it as a stand alone. It ended up being a really good book, loved the short chapters it felt like I flew through it.

I had a very hard time putting this book down! I read it in 4 days, only putting it down to work. There were a few unbelievable parts I didn't care for, but it was overall a wonderful conclusion to a great series!

I really enjoyed this book in the beginning But then I reached chapter 14 or so, and I just couldn’t anymore. It fell so short of what it could have been. The constant “thoughts” of the Margot were the same thing over and over again. While the story line was a good concept, the book itself was a disappointment.

Having read most, if not all, of Roberta Kagan’s books, I was looking forward to reading The Lies We Told as the concluding chapter of her latest saga of a family in wartime Germany. The story is not dissimilar to many other novels written with a holocaust theme, including scenes in extermination camps, but this one seemed to me to be too much like a soap opera with everything going on in the lives of Margot, Trudy and Max. Despite that reservation and the constant reminders of what occurred in the past throughout the book, I was still forced to continue reading to see how the novel concluded.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

An amazing if abrupt ending to a wonderful family saga. I wish there had been a fifth story to deal with Margot and Max’s story in America after the war and the hardships and discrimination they must have experienced after the war. Even in my home town of Chicago, life wasn’t easy for Germans.

“The Lies We Told” is the fourth (and final) book in the “Margot’s Secret” series by Roberta Kagan. This book can be read as a stand-alone, though Ms. Kagan does a pretty good job at filling in some of the backstory. One of the things I must praise Ms. Kagan for is *not* devoting nearly 25% of the book to retelling the backstory, as she did in the other books in this series. While I like the cover, I think it’s odd considering that there is no child in this book until the end - so I’m not sure why there’s a mother and child on the cover. I think this was a good conclusion to the series, but I don’t need to re-read this book. If you’ve read the other books in this series, once again the reader follows Margot, her husband Max, and her sister Trudy as they try to survive in Germany during the later part of WWII in Germany. Margot has fled to Frankfort trying to survive, Max is in a concentration camp (also trying to survive), and Trudy is trying to find lovers to take care of her. At times there’s a bit of repeated information - such as noting a number of times that Margot is Jewish - and also repeating people’s full names (for instance, Eva Braun’s often referred to by her full name). Again this book is a bit more heavy on the soap opera parts of life than historical fiction, though historical bits are lightly scattered about until the liberation of the concentration camp (then there’s a lot of historical facts dropped in). If you like drama and family tension, and want “the good guys to win,” this may be a book for you to pick up.