Her Secret Soldier by Julie Hartley is a dual timeline historical fiction set in 1940 during WWII in England with Rose and Walter and in 1990 with Emma. Emma inherits land and an old cottage in England along the coast from her great aunt Rose. She flies out to her new property when she discovers an old parachute on her land and starts to unravel the mystery behind what became of her great aunt decades ago during WWII.

I enjoyed Her Secret Soldier and the story moved along pretty quickly so I didn’t find a dull moment. Author Julie Hartley pens a sad and moving story while taking time to develop the central characters, especially Rose.
My favorite part of the book was the descriptive writing and how the storyline focused on nature and keeping it untouched by people as the story takes place mostly in a dense forest called Silverwood Vale in England.

The author captured the 1940’s time period very well and much of the WWII storyline is fraught with tension. I could tell the author did her research. I think this would make for a great book club selection as there is alot that can be discussed here. I enjoyed the way the story wrapped up and came full circle.

I recommend Her Secret Soldier if you enjoy reading about WWII historical fiction with a dash of romance, family issues and dual timelines.

Her Secret Solider. What a great debut book by Julie Hartley. It was such a compelling story. Thank goodness operation Lena was unsuccessful. Sometimes, I find when there are dual timelines one story is more interesting than the other, however, I found both dual timelines were fascinating. I really enjoyed reading the way Tristan had introduced Emma to Silverwood Vale. I felt if you could close your eyes, you could almost feel you were there. A gripping novel of love, hope, trust and sacrifice. I look forward to reading more books by this author. 4 stars
I would like to thank the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my free copy of this novel, in exchange for my honest review.
#HerSecretSoldier #NetGalley

I haven't read anything by this author before, and I did enjoy this book, but I did feel that at times you did have to suspend a little bit of belief.

Of course the threat of invasion was ever present during the second world war, and there may well have been enemy soldiers who weren't quite as they first appeared, but some parts of this felt a little contrived.

That said, although I'm not a fan of romance novels per se (and to be clear this isn't really one) I did enjoy the romantic arc of the main storyline and was largely satisfied with it's conclusion.

Would I read other novels by this author? If they were historical then yes probably.

Another World War II novel to grab my heart and stay on my shelf! When I saw the details of this book I knew I had to read it right away! It is truly a love story for all the ages and pages! Rose and Walter have my heart! 💖

To rewind we have Rose an English girl and Walter! Rose is from the English countryside! And Walter is a German pilot and spy who is injured! Rose finds him and decides to help him! Even though he is the enemy she sees to caring for him! ☕ Love blossoms between the two! Until Walter reveals he is still on a mission!

This was definitely making my heart beat the whole time yet slowed down all in one. Will they end up together? What will cost them? The sweet and intense moments made a tapestry of my emotions and hopes!💗

In this dual timeline novel we have Rose's niece Emma in the 1990s years later inherit Roses cottage! When she explores the cottage she finds human remains wrapped in cloth! This leads on to an investigation trying to determine who is her Aunt really? And whose bones are these? 🫢

All in all this story gave my book loving, multi-level brain a run for my money!! I truly at some points didn't know what was going to happen and I kept rooting for Rose and Walter! These two beautiful characters who did not want to be thrown into any war but were thrown into each other's lives and became each other's heartbeats! 🧁

Bravo!! 🎁

In this fascinating dual-timeline World War II historical fiction novel, readers follow Rose, an English girl, and Walter, a downed German pilot and involuntary spy, in the English countryside in 1940 as the Battle for Britain continues to heat up, while Rose’s great-niece Emma, in 1990, learns about her mysterious aunt and the secrets and mysteries surrounding the abandoned family property. As all three characters learn that there is more to their lives and their worlds than they thought, readers join Emma in discovering her family history and Rose and Walter in looking beyond their two sides of the war. As the stakes of Walter’s unexpected arrival in England and the consequences for both Rose and Walter rise, they must determine what they are willing to risk for their new relationship. With fascinating characters and a fantastic historical setting, this novel is exciting and high stakes, bringing the complications of espionage and morality to life in this complex historical background. As for Emma’s storyline, it helps readers explore Rose and Walter’s lives with the benefit of hindsight, and all three characters are complex with unique backgrounds that set their alternating chapters apart in this enjoyable, tense, and morally complex historical fiction novel.

Really enjoyed reading this book loved the characters and the story behind them. Would definitely recommend this book

A great story of yearning for more out of life and the struggles of making hard choices during incredibly difficult times and learning to trust one's self. I appreciated Rose and her struggle about trusting her heart and intuition and was rooting for her a Walter throughout the story. I also found that two timelines connected fairly well. I mostly enjoyed Julie Hartley's breathtaking descriptions of the variety of flowers, trees, animals, even the sounds of all of nature. Thanks #NetGalley #Bookouture

Her Secret Soldier by Julie Hartley.
I did enjoy this book. I loved the cover and blurb. I did like Emma's part. I liked the story and writing style. I did like the two timelines 1940 and 1990. I read this in two sittings. This kept my interest all the way through

Specifically based on Operation Lena, the plan to destroy Britain that was sabotaged from within by German intelligence. They arranged to send spies who were ill qualified to pass as English due to a lack of linguistic accumen and knowledge of the UK and its customs

1940 - Rose lives in a cottage, islated in a forest, and sees a parachute come down nearby. When she goes to investigate, she finds a soldier, laying injured and immediately feels a deep connection to him as she tends to his injuries. That is, until he speaks and she hears the accent of the enemy

Undeterred, Rose takes the soldier, Walter, back to her cottage, where she continues to care for him while he reovers. However, he has a mission and he needs to return home.

1990 - Roses niece Emma travels from Canada to the cottage she has inherited from her great aunt Rose. As she is exploring the cottages cellar, she finds a cloth bundle. When she opens it, she is horrifued to find human remains. Whose are they? Why are they here? ANd what does this have to do with Rose?

A heartbreaking story of love and espionage, family and loss. Highly compelling and unique in the genre. There are some incredible historical novels out at present and this certainly joins with the best. Julie Hartley is an author who is now straight on to my favourites list

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Julie Hartley for this stunning ARC. My Review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

An interesting read that winds a modern-day individual attempting to learn about an unknown relative. The story mixes modern-day with WW2 Britain. Discovery of a body among other things brings an element of suspense to the story as the main character tries to unravel the story of her aunt. There is a good share of action and suspense to fold in with a romantic story. Overall, a good read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In England in 1940, Rose is living with her mother and abusive husband and her beloved sister has left for London and a new life with her boyfriend. Escaping from their house into the nearby woods, she sees a parachute landing from a downed airplane. Coming closer, she realizes it’s a German Soldier. He claims he’s an involuntary spy from Germany. Is Rose able to believe him? In 1990’s Canada, Emma received news from a solicitor that she had inherited a cottage in England at the edge of a forest from her Great Aunt Rose, who she had never met.

This story taught me about Operation Lena, the Treachery Act of May 1940, and the XX Committee during WWII. Operation Lena was a WWII Operation in which German soldiers were sent to England to plot an invasion. It was an interesting story, which helped me learn about Operation Lena and how the Germans tried to plot an invasion. I liked both stories and the role that nature played in them. This was a new author, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her works.


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC.

Great WW2 novel set in a dual timeline of 1940 and 1990. I particularly enjoyed the historical part with Rose and Walter's story and the heartache caused. Good storyline with a few twists and working well in the dual timeline and also thought provoking as to how you would have acted in that time. Definitely recommended for WW2 fans

A wonderful and interesting story which is a dual time line.

Rose lives with her Mother and Step Father who is a bully. He sister left to work in London for the War effort so this takes place in 1940. Then there is Emma who is the great niece of Rose and this takes place in the 1990. Rose ends up rescuing a German spy Walter one night and helps him where he lives in a hut in the woods. Emma has inherited the woods when Rose dies. This is where the mystery of the woods where Emma discovers bones of a body where did they come from.

I found this book really good and I wanted to find out more wondering what happened to Rose and also Walter were they the bones of him. I liked the story thought it was intriguing.

It was well written.

Her Secret Soldier is the debut historical fiction novel from Julie Hartley. It’s told in the dual timeline format and this works really well throughout the book. The story opens with a brief prologue that definitely aroused my interest as a woman named Rose arrives in London during the Blitz. She is following a man and instantly I wanted to know who the man was? Why was Rose following him and why is there a significant focus on the word betrayal? From this point on, the plot deftly moved back and forth between 1940 and 1990 as two stories begin to merge into one. I love books told in this format and this was easy to follow, and everything felt as if it was occurring at a nice and relaxed pace. It’s brilliant to have a story that focuses on a slightly different angle of the war. I read heavily in this genre and at times I can become slightly jaded with the same story being rehashed perhaps with a different character or setting but essentially the same plot is there. Here, a different viewpoint was explored and one which gave much food for thought.

In the present day plot, it is 1990 and Emma lives in Toronto and is married to Mike. There is an uneasiness in her marriage and it soon becomes evident that herself and Mike want different things. He longs to move to the Canadian wilderness. His panic attacks and anxiety are intensified by the city and he craves peace and tranquillity and to connect more with nature. The trips they venture on don’t suffice for him. Whereas Emma loves her job as a journalist and feels the city is the best place to further her career and it is where she feels most comfortable. Emma has decided it's best for herself and Mike to part ways and the timing is perfect for the separation to begin as she has just received a letter. Said letter contains information that will set Emma on a path she had never thought possible as an unusual and exciting story in her family history is about to be opened up. Emma apparently is now the owner of land and a dwelling in England as a Great Aunt Rose, that she never knew existed, has passed away and Emma is the only surviving relative. As Emma’s parents are both dead she can’t find out much information but a vague memory surfaces of her mother saying that her grandmother’s sister left home one day and never returned.

Emma decides to travel to England to see what she has inherited in the hopes that she can sell the land and have enough money to buy Mike out of the condo they share. She is surprised to discover the land is in fact an ancient forest called Silvervale and the dwelling is a cottage in the centre of it. Emma is transfixed by what she discovers and can sense there must be a deeper story at play than at first meets the eye. When she encounters Tristan who has taken up residence at the edge of the forest in a caravan well this really sets the cat amongst the pigeons as a startling discovery is made which makes Emma think selling the land won’t be as easy as she thinks. I enjoyed Emma pulling back the layers to uncover the secrets of the past and specifically what happened to Rose but I would say Rose’s storyline in the past held me in the palm of its hand. At some points regarding Emma’s aspect of the plot it just became a bit too much focused on the magic of the woods and connecting to nature and truthfully it just wasn’t for me even though I could see the message the author was trying to portray but I just wasn’t that bothered with it and wanted more of the historical aspect of the story.

As mentioned above it is Rose and her story that had my attention for whatever chapters that focused on it. Rose has a tough life. Her sister has recently left home and is engaged and working in London as an ARP warden and Rose feels abandoned and left to pick up the pieces. She craves a life of her own but knows that she can’t leave her mother who is very ill. Her stepfather Norman is an utter tyrant who makes their lives a misery and believes Rose’s role is to mind the house and care for her mother. Of course, she would do anything for her mother but Norman is a different story altogether and even though to the villagers working in the police force he is seen as a beacon of light and he does his duty to his country, Rose knows the other side of him. I wanted Rose to stand up for herself and get out there and do what she wanted to do and pursue her painting but given the situation with the war only at its beginning and loyalty to her mother how could this be achieved?

One night as she secretly paints on the beach she sees a Messerschmitt release something into the forest. Curious she ventures into Silverwood Vale which she knows like the back of her hand. It having been her playground since she as a child and as with Emma in the present she feels a strong affinity and connection to it through nature. There amongst the trees is a wounded German soldier, Walter. She releases him and hides him in a cottage in the woods. His story is soon revealed and he claims he is an involuntary spy but how can he be trusted? Here is where the moral aspect of the story comes into play and it really makes you question what would you do if you were in Rose’s situation? Should she stand by her morals and ethics and loyalty to her country in a time of great peril for millions of people? Or should she follow her heart which slowly starts to open up towards Walter and a connection is established. Is she venturing along a line that if once crossed there won’t be any coming back from?

So many questions filter through the reader’s mind and it really is a game of cat and mouse as to whether Walter can truly be trusted or can any word that he utters be taken as gospel. I’ll be honest in that I thought this all happened too quickly that the couple fell in love and were planning for after the war. It was almost as if Rose was so desperate for love and affection and to break free from the shackles that bound her at home that she jumped at the first chance she got. So what if it was a German and they were at war? My conscience wrestled as to whether Rose was doing the right thing and it was good to see her go back and forth with her emotions, loyalty and her heart as new elements to the plot made things more complex not that they were straight forward in the first place. Rose was lovely, brave and compassionate and Walter kind, sensitive and a lover of nature like Rose but was this enough for the pair of them? Will Walter be discovered? Can love that starts off with a divide, weather the storm that it is amidst? You’ll have to read Her Secret Solider to discover the answers.

All in all, I did really enjoy Her Secret Soldier. It was a quick read and a very good debut. Yes, there were one or two things that I found slightly implausible, specifically how could someone evade detection for so long considering how close they were to their original family home and also how did Tristan never meet Rose? There was never really anything specifically mentioned about this to give me a solid answer and even now it still niggles away at me. The ending did feel rushed considering the wonderful story that had been developed. A chapter or two more would have been very welcome as I would have loved for Emma to have been given an opportunity to explain her reasoning and her final stance in even more detail than was provided. It was almost as if the book for some reason needed to be wrapped up in a hurry whereas reading it I would have loved for it to have continued on for slightly longer. But look, these are minor issues which really didn’t detract majorly at all from my enjoyment of the story. I love discovering new authors and certainly Julie Hartley is one to watch out for as she publishes more books as I sense there is a lot more lying in wait to come forth from the pen of the author.

England, 1940, Rose is living in a country that is in ruins from the war. How will her beloved country ever return to the beautiful place it once was. When she sees a parachute land in the woods behind her house she rushes to help. Her immediate reaction is to help the injured soldier until she discovers that he is German. Walter is an involuntary spy that wants to turn himself in, but he knows that could mean death. Rose does everything she can to keep Walter safe by hiding him in an abandoned cottage in the same woods that she found him in. But when they hear that the Germans are carrying out a deadly attack she fears the worst.

Her Secret Soldier, written by author Julie Hartley is a phenomenal story of love, sacrifice and family. I loved the characters of Rose and Walter. They were captivating and felt like family. I love their bravery and their sacrifices. This heartbreaking and tragic historical fiction, based on true events, was inspiring and emotionally gripping. This unputdownable story is one that has buried itself in my heart and I can’t get it out of my mind. This is the first book I have read by this author and it definitely will not be the last. I look forward to reading many more of her stories. I wish I could give 10 stars, I highly recommend this book, don’t wait another minute read it now.

I do love a good World War 2 fiction, and this one hit the spot. It was the perfect blend of mystery, romance and intrigue. I also learned something new as I'd not heard of 'Operation Lena' before. As always with this genre you have to suspend belief a little as I'm not sure events ever could have unfolded as they did. But then again, how would we know!

Written as a dual timeline, dual POV story, Her Secret Soldier switches between Emma in 1990 and her Great Aunt Rose in 1940. I loved Rose and Emma and seeing how much they learned about themselves during the course of the book. I thought Walter was incredibly brave too.

The plot was well paced, and had just the right amount of mystery to keep me reading. There were a couple of plot twists that I was expecting, which then didn't happen, which I was pleased about as they would have been rather clichéd!

I definitely think Julie will be an author to look out for.

This would be classed as a star-crossed lovers romance as the main couple who falls in love are from opposite sides of the war - Him from the German side and Her from the British side. I really enjoyed this story of overcoming difficulties and being together while finding out things that have been hidden from them in their families.

This novel has a dual timeline - 1940 and 1990 - which allows us to be on both sides of the love story. This is the type of historical novel that I like as it is realistic to the facts but has the fictional element. I like the way that the characters have been developed and how they have been placed in the surrounding environment. I can not wait to read more from this author.

When I read that this book was compared to something written by Soraya Lane and Rhys Bowen, I knew I needed to check it out. Rose was stuck in such an awful situation. Her older sister escapes the bad home life they were forced into when their mother married their stepfather and she leaves Rose to deal with it all alone. I felt so bad for her and it made me really think about how so many women probably had to deal with things like that. When she saves Walter she is able to let him in in a way I’m not sure I would be able to if I dealt with the things she dealt with at home.

The past was definitely the predominant part of the story, but I liked both sides. I enjoyed Emma’s POV. She’s in a pivotal time in her life, and when she finds out that she inherits a whole forest from her great aunt, she takes the opportunity to escape her every day life and go get answers about Rose. Learning about what Rose went through in her life, shows her what’s important in hers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book

Julie Hartley weaves a compelling dual-timeline narrative in Her Secret Soldier that captures the heart and soul of wartime sacrifice. Set in 1940, Rose’s discovery of an injured German soldier, Walter, leads to a forbidden love that blossoms amidst the chaos of war. Hartley skillfully portrays the tension and inner turmoil as Rose risks everything to protect Walter, despite the danger and uncertainty.

Fast forward to 1990, and we follow Emma as she unearths hidden secrets from her Great Aunt Rose’s past—secrets that could alter everything she knows about her family. The seamless blend of romance, historical drama, and mystery keeps you on edge as you root for Rose and Walter’s fate while puzzling through Emma’s discovery of old bones hidden in the cottage cellar.

If you love historical fiction filled with heart-wrenching moments, moral dilemmas, and the fierce power of love, Her Secret Soldier will keep you captivated. Fans of Fiona Valpy and Rhys Bowen, this one’s for you!

"Her decision came down to just one thing: what sort of person was she?"

I loved the exploration of the dualities within people in Her Secret Soldier. Rose, a bit timid and unsure of who she wants to be, but certain in her love of nature. Emma, who knows what she wants, which is to be surrounded by the activity of the city- until she realizes she doesn't.

Her Secret Soldier also explored different relationship dynamics and how relationships can change. Relationships not only with each other, but with ourselves and the world around us.

I highly recommend this book to people who love a sweet, slow burn romance, heart-pounding espionage, and a story shared between dual timelines. I know sometimes with dual timelines you want to skip over one of them because you're more invested one than the other, but I honestly looked forward to seeing what happened next with both Emma and Rose.
Also! I really hope Evelyn gets her own book because I'd love to hear more about her!