Oh my word, this book was just beautiful and incredible.

I fell in love with Heather’s writing when I read Looking For Jane and she is back with this spellbinding new novel about a pianist in Berlin on the cusp of the Second World War and the choices she makes that carry through many generations.

The story is told in dual timelines which takes us from Berlin in 1939 to London in 2010.  

In Berlin 1939 we meet two friends, one Jewish and one British, as they navigate a world and country that is on the cusp of war as they navigate their friendship, loyalty, secrets, and even go into hiding as Germany is taken over by Hitler and his regime.
This is where we meet our main character Audrey and where the story begins as we follow along with her fight, her heroism and her heartaches.  

In London 2010 Kate is trying to move on with her life after a horrible car accident took the lives of her parents.   While looking through her parents’ belongings she finds pictures from their honeymoon where they stayed at an inn that just so happens to have a job opening.

Arriving at the inn Kate and Audrey’s worlds come together and intertwine as they grow close, and Audrey confides in Kate to finally tell her story. 

Audrey’s story is absolutely heart wrenching and compelling and I could not turn the pages fast enough.   This is where Marshall’s writing shines.   Her attention to detail and descriptions of the events that unfolded had me enraptured. 

It takes a lot for a book to bring me to tears and by the end of this book I was a bawling mess (in a good way)!  

Marshall has become an auto buy author for me and I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

Do not hesitate to read this book!

A very intriguing and heavy book. I enjoyed the book, it has stuck with me, however there were some themes I wasn't quite comfortable with.

Love the cover✔️
Love this author✔️

I loved this book, it was so well written, l couldn't put it down.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

Looking For Jane was one of my favourite books from last year so I knew I was definitely going to read her sophomore novel.

The Secret History of Audrey James is also a historical fiction but it's set overseas in Europe in a dual timeline of present day and early World War II. It shares similar themes of persevering against the odds, found family, tragedy and even a little twist. It kept my attention throughout and I read it very fast!

My only criticism is that this genre is a bit saturated with similar stories. I do enjoy them but I liked the author's debut book more for its time period and really unique historical event. That being said, I'll read whatever this author releases next!!

This book was raw, sad, emotional, moving and exceptional.
Heather Marshall grips me every time I read her books. She has such a way with words and storytelling. I will be recommending this book to all my reader friends! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

Heather Marshall 🤝🏼 Taylor Swift

Putting narcotics into everything they write

This book. So good. I loved Looking for Jane and I loved this just as much. Heather Marshall is a treasure in historical fiction. She weaves such great stories that keep you guessing right up until the end. I cannot wait to see what she does next

"We will all have to forge new paths for ourselves in this overturned world. Find our way. May the stars light your journey, Audrey James."
It bears repeating - Canada has some incredible authors.
I just realized how many I have on my TBR (and current reads) written by Canadians, and Heather Marshall's second book has added her to the ranks among the best.
Her debut novel, Looking For Jane, is in my top 10 all-time favourites.
The Secret History of Audrey James proves that wasn't a one-off. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my review ebook.
The story of the titular Audrey James is told in different timelines - from her days as a young, talented pianist in Germany at the outset of World War II, to 2010 when she recounts events to new employee Kate Mercer.
Alongside Audrey is Ilse, her best friend from childhood and her greatest love. Together they navigate the horrors of war, beginning with attacks on Ilse's family just for being Jewish.
(The Author's Note following the story is a must-read.)
Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing with me an ARC of Heather Marshall's "The Secret History of Audrey James' in exchange for a review.

5 stars, 10 out of 10. I would strongly recommend this novel to readers who are looking for a historical fiction read with substance, heart, and suspense.

This books is a rollercoaster of emotions, expertly broken up by the dual narrative timeline. In Germany, Audrey James witnesses firsthand the violence of growing anti-semitism endured by her friends and surrogate family the Kaplans. When Audrey and Isle Kaplan witness the murder of Isle's father in the streets and the kidnapping of her mother and younger brother a chain of events begins which sees Audrey do everything she can to protect the one she loves most. In 2010, Kate Mercer's life is unraveling. Bereaved of her parents and in the processing of divorcing her husband, Kate leaves London and travels to Alnwick with her dog to take up a job in a guest house. Hoping for a fresh start Kate is disappointed to find the owner of the guest house, a certain Audrey James, is far from happy to have her there. With time a bond beings to form as Audrey decides to share her story with Kate. A story of bravery, luck, determination and heartbreak.

This book was a very interesting read, I could not put it down. All the characters were honest with their trauma and shared their story of what they have been through. There was some twists that I didn't see coming. I can't wait to share this with readers.

Author of the fantastic book, Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall has written another bestseller with strong female characters & a plot that makes the book a real page turner.

The dual timelines take us from 1938 Berlin, on the cusp of WWII, where two friends - one British the other Jewish - navigate hiding, loyalty, fear, secrets & a plot to assassinate Hitler.

To London, 2010. Healing from loss & looking for a fresh start, we meet Kate, whose has the city to work in a remote guesthouse close to the Scottish border.

These stories intertwine beautifully. Bonds are made, secrets shared, healing happens.

In the midst of great loss, grief, sacrifices, unrequited forbidden love, tears & laughter we are taken on a journey with the characters.

Their heartbreak feels like our heartbreak.
Their anger, our anger.
Their joy, our joy.
And their hope, our hope.

This book was an easy FIVE STAR read for me & Heather Marshall has joined my “must buy” list of authors.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the eARC, for my honest review.

Heather Marshall's debut novel Looking for Jane is one of my absolute favourite books (especially because it takes place in Canada!) so I was so excited to be approved to read her next book The Secret History of Audrey James.

Although I've been trying to read more historical fiction that don't revolve around WWII, this book was well done! I highly recommend checking out the author's note as well. I think it's very important that the stories we read about such a historic event have some sort of accuracy to them.

Great job Heather! I can't wait to read what you write next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing story set in Berlin during WW2. Based on 2 best friends and their love for each other and surviving the atrocities of the war. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Five star for me!

4.5 STARS - Heather Marshall's debut Looking For Jane is one of my all-time favourite books. It is that good. Needless to say, when I heard she had a new book coming out and the publisher sent me an advanced copy, I lost my book nerd mind.

Set in two different timelines, The Secret History of Audrey James takes readers into the lives of two women - Kate in 2010 in the UK who is piecing together her upturned life when she takes a job near the Scottish border and meets her new boss, an elderly woman who has secrets of her own. The other POV is Audrey, a young woman living in pre-WWII Berlin. Audrey's character is based on the real life of Mona Parsons, a Canadian Nazi resistor, and the only Canadian female civilian victim to be imprisoned by the Nazis and one of the very few women who were tried by Nazi military tribunals after the war.

Through Audrey's storyline we witness the building of Nazi power and oppression as Hitler gains strength and rumours of death camps become fact. Hitler's hold on Germany impacts Audrey's best friend, Ilse who is forced to hide in her own attic while Nazi officers take over her home.

The book has some tense scenes as readers are pulled into Audrey's world when she joins the Red Orchestra Resistance. There was a serendipitous connection between the timelines, but I enjoyed that I didn't figure out the twist and how the connection involved a different character. I enjoyed both POVs but as with many dual timeline books, I often prefer the older timeline and that was the case here.

This is a compelling and poignant story of loss and love, resistance and sacrifice, the courage of women in war and a bit of mystery that will keep readers eagerly turning the page. I encourage readers to read the author's note at the back of the book. Marshall leaves a wee tease about the subject of her next book for readers who will, no doubt, be clamoring to grab a copy when it releases.

Author Event: I had the pleasure of meeting Heather Marshall at an author event last week and enjoyed learning more about her writing process, research and digging deeper into her characters and inspiration for this book.
[pic in original blog post and on social media]

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital advanced copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I, like most people, fell immediately in love with Heather Marshall’s debut novel Looking for Jane when I read it back in 2022. It was intriguing and well-written and I loved that it featured a piece of Canadian history. I was also so surprised it was a debut because it was just so damn good. Obviously, I was looking forward to her sophomore novel. The time has come and The Secret History of Audrey James is now out in the world and it will be a huge hit with historical fiction fans. I absolutely adored it.

Here’s the book’s description:
Sometimes the best place to hide is the last place anyone would look.
Northern England, 2010
After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers the mysterious elderly proprietor is harbouring her own secrets…
Berlin, 1938
Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As she prepares to finish her piano studies, Audrey dreads the thought of returning to her father in England and leaving Ilse behind. Families like the Kaplans are being targeted as war in Europe threatens.
When Ilse’s parents and brother suddenly disappear, two high-ranking Nazi party members confiscate the Kaplans’ upscale home, believing it to be empty. In a desperate attempt to keep Ilse safe, Audrey becomes housekeeper for the officers while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic—a prisoner in her own home. Tensions rise in the house and the chance of survival diminishes by the day. When a shocking turn of events pushes Audrey to become embroiled in cell of the anti-Hitler movement - clusters of resisters working to bring down the Nazis from within Germany itself - Audrey must decide what matters most: saving herself, protecting her friend, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.


Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during WWII, this is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.
I know what you might be thinking. Another WWII novel? Told from dual timeline/perspectives? Does the world need yet another one of those? Perhaps I’m blinded by how much I loved Marshall’s debut but I definitely think we needed another one of those. (And I say this having recently DNF-ed a historical fiction by another author I loved that just wasn’t telling me anything new. So, yes, I can be objective.) A WWII historical novel has to prove it’s going to give me a new perspective on a time period that’s been written about time and time again. And I immediately got the sense that Marshall’s would be different as soon as I started it.

It helped immensely that Audrey and Kate both were intriguing characters. They both seemed like women I would like (how I wished I could have sat with them to watch Bake Off) and there were depths to them both that kept me curious about their pasts. And their pasts weren’t easy and they both made some decisions they probably would have liked to take back. And they both helped each other, too, which I liked. Kate allowed Audrey to finally tell her whole story and Audrey convinced Kate that hanging onto some of the feelings Kate had been keeping buried weren’t helping her and she needed to properly grieve and move on.

I also really liked that Audrey got the chance to tell Kate her story. Too often the “present” day character has to make guesses or rely on historical documents to figure out what happened during the war. But in this book, Audrey told the story herself and we, the reader, got to hear about it alongside Kate. It was surprisingly refreshing.

I mentioned that Audrey and Kate’s pasts weren’t easy. It was, as you’d imagine, especially hard to read some of Audrey’s memories from her time before and during the war. As I was reading about what was happening to the Kaplans and families like theirs, it hit me that Marshall was timing the start of the novel with Kristallnacht, which took place in November 1938. It was heartbreaking.

I loved The Secret History of Audrey James. Heather Marshall has firmly placed herself on my “favourite authors” list and I couldn’t be happier about it. She writes amazing historical fiction with immense talent and a feminist lens. I love that she looks back at history, asks, “But what were the women doing?” and then proceeds to tell us their stories. Historical fiction readers must pick up Marshall’s latest novel. I think you’ll love it.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Heather Marhsall had quickly become an author to watch after reading Looking for Jane her latest did not disappoint!

A gripping dual timeline WWII novel that gave me all the feels….

In 1938, Audrey was a pianist living in Berlin with her dearest friend Ilse and family. With Germany on the cusp of war, her father implores her to return to London, but Audrey is unsure. As a result of the Nazi regime, Audrey is challenged in ways she would have never imagined. To what lengths will she go to protect those she loves?
In 2010, Kate is looking to escape the city after a recent break in her marriage and accepts an admin position a guest house that is owned and lived in by Audrey. Audrey and Kate develop a bond through sharing their stories that changes them forever.

In the author’s notes, we learn that Heather Marshall takes inspiration from various bits of history to put this tale together, which is no easy feat. Audrey is a force; she faces challenges with strength and resilience and even in old age she remains a little feisty! This is a book of bravery, courage, love, friendship, and the burden of guilt that is carried even when things are out of one’s control. The plot flowed beautifully with elements of shock and surprise that I did not see coming (genuinely caught off guard!!). It goes without saying, this was a page turner!

I just loved it! A must read for historical fiction fans!

I was nervous to read another WWII story but this story felt so different somehow:

The story is about Audrey James, a pianist living in Germany, living with her best friend’s Jewish family when the war started in Berlin. It’s about how she tried to resist the regime and she joined a resistance group called the Red orchestra and it’s about the aftermath of all of that. It’s also about Audrey James in 2010 living and running an old bed-and-breakfast in Northern England. And it’s also about Kate, who is trying to restart her life after trauma and how she ends up moving in with Audrey to help her run the inn. It’s about these two women connecting with each other, telling each other’s story and helping each other heal.

The story is filled with heartbreak, but also hope and even some romance to balance it out. The dual perspective, then and now, the connection between the two and the way Heather Marshall tells a story made this book impossible to put down. I love this author’s debut novel, and this second one did not disappoint. Her writing is impeccable. I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

Heather Marshall’s sophomore novel, The Secret History of Audrey James, is equally as excellent as her first, Looking for Jane. It is a must read for historical fiction lovers and it is most definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

This beautiful historical fiction shines a light on a courageous young woman who worked with anti-Nazi resisters in Berlin during WWII. Her story is inspired by the experiences of the real-life Mona Parsons, a Canadian civilian who joined the resistance movement in the Netherlands and who was imprisoned by the Nazis but whose contributions were never acknowledged.

The novel unfolds in dual timelines and from two points of view: Audrey, a pianist living with a Jewish family in 1938 Berlin who protects her friend when her family is murdered by the Nazis, and joins the anti-Hitler resistance, and Kate, a woman in 2010 dealing with trauma and grief in an inn near the rural Scottish/English border run by an elderly woman.

Each timeline is engaging and engrossing with excellent storytelling. There are definite parallels between Audrey’s and Kate’s lives, there are unexpected twists/reveals, and the two women’s life stories expertly come together near the end of the novel. The characters are likeable and their stories full of courage and heartbreak but also hope as both women struggle to deal with the trauma that life threw their way.

I was pulled into this book from the first chapter and could not put it down. I stayed up way too late to finish the novel but it was definitely worth it. There is so much to love about this book. It makes you feel, it makes you think and it informs the reader about the unsung female heroes of WWII.

In her acknowledgments (which I highly recommend you read), the author relates a great anecdote of herself as a child, when during a history lesson on Canada’s past focused on the role of men, she innocently asked, « What were the women doing? ». It is a wonderful question and one that novels such as this one seek to address by shining a light on the significant and under looked contributions of the many women who risked their lives to fight for what they believed in and to save so many lives.

I 100% recommend this novel and am highly anticipating this author’s next novel.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

The Secret History of Audrey James is the second novel by Heather Marshall, and a book I was over the moon to get a copy of! I absolutely adored Looking for Jane, and Marshall's follow up is even better than her debut!

Audrey James has grown up in Berlin; an accomplished Pianist and scholar she lives there with her Jewish friend's the Kovac's. However, as Hitler comes to power, life as they know it completely changes and Audrey and her best friend, Isle must learn to navigate a changing Germany.

What I enjoyed about this story is that it begins in 1938, and the bulk of the book takes place prior to the war even breaking out. While I've read many WWII stories, this time period specifically is often glossed over until more of Hitler's atrocities begin to happen, but I found this period specifically quite interesting. Some of the plot points seemed almost unbelievable until reading the Author's Note and discovering the real life stories and people Marshall used as inspiration.

There are elements of this book that are true to Marshall's writing, such as the back and forth of a current day and past timeline, but it added a wonderful element to the story. One of the things I didn't love about Jane, was the twist at the end that felt unbelievable whereas with Audrey, it seemed true to the elements of the story.

This is a must read for any fan of Historical fiction! Thank you to Netgalley and SimonBooks for my advance copy! I immediately pre-ordered an actual copy because this is one I'll want to read again!

The Secret History of Audrey James is a poignant and harrowing story of loss, love, sacrifice and courage based on true people and events of World War II. Told in two perspectives in two timelines, it is wonderfully researched with believable characters. Do be sure to read the author's notes for context.

In 1938 Berlin, Audrey is appalled at the treatment of her dearest friend Ilse and her family who are Jews. Not only are they persecuted but much, much worse. Audrey does what she can to save lives and joins the Red Orchestra Resistance which has special plans for Hitler. She also sadly discovers the code for "pianist" and her heart breaks at what the war means for innocent babies. Ilse hides in the attic for a time and people all over are killed for their "crime" of being Jews.

In 2010 England, Kate has suffered trauma of a different kind. She is desperate for a fresh start and takes a job at an inn at Alnwick where the owner is an elderly lady set in her ways. But the two ladies of different generations bond by shared trauma and grow close. In their relationship they learn more about each other's pasts and about themselves. They share burdens and are willing to delve into the business of unlocking secrets. The inn is where Kate's parents spent their honeymoon so she is keen to find out more.

The connection between the ladies is lovely and written well. I had tears of frustration and sadness at the impossibly terrible circumstances and suffering. Authors such as Heather Marshall are adept at choosing words to make the most impact. To translate them onto paper shows creativity and depth of insight.

My sincere thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing novel.

Thank you Simon and Schuester Canada for my ARC copy of this novel!

Audrey will go to any length to protect the ones she loves, even if it puts herself in danger. I loved Audrey's story, and how Marshall included true events that happened to make it seem more realistic. The story is harrowing, showing that not everyone is safe from the effects of war - even if they think they are. It additionally shows the lengths that people will go to save the ones they love. The story also weaves in parts of the present, and how ones youth affects them throughout their life and that the people they meet may come back to see them again.