I really loved this book because it encompassed my interests: tennis and espionage! A thrilling blend of sports, espionage, and historical drama, follows the life of Alice Marvel, a young tennis prodigy whose rise in the international circuit takes an unexpected turn when she becomes embroiled in the covert world of World War II espionage.

Alice's journey begins in tennis tournaments during the 1930s, where her talent, charm, and fierce determination earn her global recognition. However, as war looms, she is recruited by intelligence services to aid them in capturing an old beau that was hiding Nazi goods in Switzerland.

The novel masterfully intertwines the elegance of tennis with the gritty realities of war, offering a protagonist who is both formidable and deeply human. The book captures the tension of both a high-stakes match and a dangerous mission with equal finesse.

Jenni Walsh brings historical authenticity to the story, detailing the role of women in wartime intelligence operations while painting vivid portraits of the tennis world of the era.

Highly recommended.

I love tennis! I love spies! Did I know that Billie Jean King's coach was both a tennis star and a spy? Not until I listened to this book!

The author is clear that Ace, Marvel, Spy is historical fiction based on one primary source: Alice Marble's own memoir. (Walsh is also clear that the memoir itself is probably not 100% factual.) That said, it was full of real tennis history and tons of fun. I spent a great 8 hours listening and learning about a real life interwar tennis star.

The book has dual timelines, one in present tense set during WWII, and one in past tense that describes Alice's rise to tennis stardom. While I am on the record as being very skeptical about the dual timeline narrative technique, it worked really well here.

If you like historical fiction, WWII narratives, sports history, or are at all interested in tennis, I definitely recommend this book.

The narration was really fun, especially as voice actor Gail Shalan uses a "golden age of Hollywood" midatlantic accent to bring the story to life.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

After reading Unsinkable last year, I knew I had to get my hands on @jennilwalsh’s newest book.

I’m not a big tennis fan, but tying tennis into WWII, I knew I would like this one. I had never heard of Alice Marble before this book. Tennis is definitely a more prominent part of the story but it didn’t turn me off. We get the history of Alice’s tennis career and her participation in the war, in dual timelines. Her relationship with her coach, Teach, is also a large part of this story. I find that relationships between coaches and high level athletes to be incredibly controlling, and Teach is definitely that. Alice struggles to have any kind of life beyond tennis.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio of this book. Gail did a great job bringing Alice to life for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse Books and TLC Book Tours for my copies of this book.

From the bestselling author of Unsinkable and The Call of the Wrens, Jenni L. Walsh delivers a masterpiece, ACE, MARVEL, SPY, inspired by the true story of an icon—a tennis champion, world number one ranking, a remarkable, courageous, strong, and determined woman, Alice Marble.

Alice's life, filled with triumphs and challenges, is a testament to the power of resilience and determination. This captivating and inspiring historical fiction not only sets the tennis world on fire but also ignites a spark of inspiration in the hearts of its readers. A true heroine you will root for until the end.

Alice Marble and her tennis coach, Eleanor “Teach” Tennant, are formidable women in this captivating historical fiction. I loved this book so much. You will laugh and cry. No matter what gets Alice down, she perseveres with the help of her side-kick demanding and hilarious British coach. It is hard to imagine this in the 1930s and 1940s.

About...

Born in the small town of Beckwourth, CA, Alice Marble moved to San Francisco with her family at the age of five. A tomboy, her brother persuaded her to try tennis. They had little money, but her dream was about to come true. All her hard work will pay off.

Alice chose tennis as a sport when her brother Dan suggested it over baseball. Who knew she would become the #1 tennis champion while maintaining a growing career as an associate editor on Wonder Woman?

She also created the 'Wonder Women of History' feature for the comics, which told the stories of prominent women of history in comic form. This was a pioneering effort in highlighting the achievements of women in a male-dominated industry.

After being recruited by her tennis coach, Teach, she excelled, worked hard, and continued striving for the best. She went on to marry, but then her world crumbled after the news of her husband's death serving in the war in Germany and the miscarriage.

With the war halting her tennis, she wanted to help. The opportunity came when the US Army sent her a request under the guise of playing in tennis exhibition games in Switzerland; she would be a spy for them. She wants nothing more than to avenge her husband's death.

But Alice's journey was not without its challenges. The war halted her tennis career, and she faced another setback with TB and going up against men. However, she did not let these challenges deter her. With the unwavering support of her coach, Alice overcame these obstacles and continued to excel in her career.

My thoughts...

The author brilliantly crafts an unforgettable story inspired by Alice's life and her memoir. The story came alive with letters, notes, telegrams, and newspaper articles. I appreciated the author's note and enjoy books about strong women, especially in this era in a man's world.

Alice was an American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam championships, ranked No. 1 in the world in 1939. She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1936 to 1940, with extensive accolades.

From winning the French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Grand Slam doubles, and much more, in 1964, Marble was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and became a tennis teacher in Palm Springs after retirement with Bille Jean King as one of her students. How cool is that?

Marble's contribution to the desegregation of American tennis was significant. She wrote an editorial in support of Althea Gibson, which was instrumental in Gibson's entry into the 1950 U.S. Championships. This made Gibson the first African-American player, man or woman, to compete in a Grand Slam event, a milestone in tennis history.

She inspired many and achieved many more things during and after her career, including being a spy. Thank you, Jenni, for a creative retelling of this memorable story. Meticulously researched, rich in detail and character, mixed with heartache, competition, drive, ambition, and humor.

ACE, MARVEL, SPY is enthralling: a fabulous mix of literary fiction, historical fiction, coming-of-age, sports, WWII, adult fiction, and feminism. A page-turner, the novel will appeal to a wide variety of readers and is perfect for book clubs. Marble was a remarkable woman with grit and determination, making her mark on the world.

If you love tennis (I come from a family of tennis players, my sons and grandson), you will adore ACE, MARVEL, SPY, and getting to know the dazzling Alice and her coach, Teach. I cannot wait to read the author's backlist! Love her writing style.

Audiobook...

Top Audiobook List of 2025! Last but not least... Oh my, I loved this audiobook, narrated by the mega-talented and favorite Gail Shalan! It was an award-winning performance; I listened to the audiobook twice and enjoyed it immensely. The banter between “Teach” and Alice laugh out loud hilarious, and priceless! Gail added the passion, intensity, suspense, and drama of both Alice and Teach. I especially enjoyed the parts about the men, and Gail's British accent (Teach) was riveting and highly entertaining. I highly recommend the audiobook. Thank me later. Quite the performance you do not want to miss.

BEHIND THE MIC: Speaking of Gail, stay tuned for my upcoming Feb (Blog/Newsletter) #AudioElevatorSeries Q&A Interview with Gail Shalan (the first to kick on a new series as part of my #AuthorElevatorSeries & #LitLiftMiniAuthorChats collection) where we go behind the mic, the audiobook, and the narrator. Get all the exclusives from Ace, Marvel, Spy, and her three other featured January audiobooks and upcoming projects and secrets inside the booth. I am a huge audiobook fan excited about this new series, connecting narrators and listeners. And, of course, Gail is the perfect storyteller! You are going to love it.

Recs...

For fans of the author and those who enjoy novels of strong, resilient women, sports fans and the works of Kate Quinn, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristin Hannah, Patti Callahan Henry, and other historical fiction focused on real women and their bravery and courage.

A special thank you to Harper Muse and Harper Collins Focus for an ALC and ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the paperback copy, which sits on display front and center in my home library. (I wish it came in hardcover).

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025

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A novel based on the life and memoirs or American tennis star Alice Marble - Wimbledon champion, author of the original Wonder Women comics, and allegedly a spy for the Americans during world war II. Until reading this book I'd never heard of Alice Marble and I enjoyed learning about her through a work of fiction.

The novel jumps between two periods, "the present" and the past. Although Walsh changes the tenses to distinguish between this the plot points don't change much and I found myself getting lost in which period we were in. I also felt disappointed about the amount of the novel covering Alice's time as a spy. Based on the title I thought this would be the main focus, however it is only covered in the final 1/4 of the book. I didn't connect with the story much up until that point. I would have been less interested if I didn't know it was based on a real person. An easy read but I wasn't hooked on the story and didn't find myself desperate to keep reading.

Ace, Marvel, Spy is based on the real life tennis champion Alice Marble. From meeting her coach for the first time to be incorrectly diagnosed with TB, winning tennis championships across the country and abroad, to meeting a man and falling in love to doing it again, before becoming a spy for the United States government during World War II; Alice didn't lead a quiet life.

While the story surrounding Alice Marble was interesting, I felt the writing style was very choppy. This isn't the first Jenni L. Walsh book I've read, but this was the first time where I felt the flashbacks harmed the flow of the story. Jumping from finding out about Joe and then immediately flashing back to when she was 20 was really jarring. I had to go back to make sure I didn't miss something. Also, the spy stuff really wasn't a central piece of the story and felt like an afterthought.

While I'm still a fan of the authors this was more miss than hit for me; I thought she wrote the tennis stuff well though, and I am someone who finds tennis to be fairly boring.

The narrator did a good job, but I felt the flashbacks needed a better transition because of how choppy the timeline was written.

Thank you Harper Focus for the gifted ALC.

If you enjoyed Carrie Soto, this is in *your court* with a side of spy.

This story is inspired by the real-life experience of American tennis player Alice Marble. In addition to winning 5 Grand Slam titles, she is said to have been involved in espionage for the US Army during WWII.

While her actions were driven by patriotism, one of her main motivations was avenging the death of her late husband, a war pilot who was killed in action.

From tomboy little sister to international sensation, you follow Alice throughout her journey. Novel is heavier on the tennis versus the spying. Great to learn of a strong name who also advocating for equality in sports, pay and participation.

Great audiobook narration

Jenni Walsh has written a fabulous historical fiction novel about Alice Marble, a star tennis player in the 1930s and 1940s. She presents Alice's story in a nonlinear timeline from adolescence through adulthood, including a few love interests.

If you love tennis, then you will enjoy the narrative about her training and matches.

Walsh did a good job incorporating Alice's work with the US government, though I cannot lie, I wish there was more focus on the spy portion of her life.

Gail Shalan performed well as the narrator. I could tell from the first few minutes that I would want to finish her story quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book. I am happy to announce that as of 1/14/2025 this is now available!

#AceMarvelSpy #NetGalley

This audiobook is narrated beautifully, with excellent pacing and a skillful handling of an English accent. The narrator avoids sounding corny, except when deliberately exaggerating for a mocking tone, which adds humor. However, when attempting non-American or non-British accents, the execution felt rough and could pull you out of the moment.

The story is heavy on themes of loss and resilience, with the protagonist enduring a staggering number of hardships. Despite everything, she approaches each challenge with an "it is what it is" attitude that makes her story both heartbreaking and inspiring.

The author does a fantastic job weaving real-world history into fiction, incorporating actual people and events seamlessly. The shifts between past and present are smooth, adding depth to the narrative.

One surprise was the level of romance in the book. From the title and cover art, I expected a spy-centric plot, but romance seems to play a much larger role than anticipated. While I understand this reflects the real-life timeline of the person the story is based on, I went in expecting espionage to dominate the narrative.

Overall, this is a story of strength and survival, with a unique blend of history, romance, and personal triumph. Just go in knowing it leans heavier on romance than espionage.

"COME ON!!!!!"-If you know anything about Tennis you know "Come On" is the universal cry that gushes from any tennis players mouth when they have just executed a huge shot and won a decisive point. Well Jenni Walsh can shout Come On with gusto because she nailed it!
Alice Marble is one facinating woman that I had very limited knowledge of prior to last year when I had the opportunity to read "Queen of the Court". Queen of the Court was a more historical/biography take on Marbles extrodinary life. Walsh did a wonderful job of narrarowing in on just a few story lines and wove them together beautifully.
Jenni Walsh came to my local bookstore and spoke to a crowd about her writing process for this book which added to my interest. She revealed she had very limited knowledge of tennis, and she wrote about it like a seasoned player (as a former tennis player myself I get frustrated sometimes when authors misrepresent tennis--I know, yes we are prima donnas)
You will develop a great sense of respect for Alice and all the difficulties she faced in her life, she suffered incredible loss and endured hardship. But inspite it all her determination show what a true competitor she was.
This book was facinating as well because Walsh informs the reader about so many interesting facts, I did not even know about tennis (Like woman were not allowed to jump??)
Also if you don't finish this book totally100% in love with Teach, then I dont know who you are!
As I learned with Queen of the Court, Alice was not the best historian and did seem to fabricate a few things, either way, she lived a remarkable life and I couldn't have been more excited than if it was 6-6 in a third set tiebreak!
Rush out to read this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Jenni Walsh for allowing me to review this advanced copy read of Ace Marvel Spy. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fascinating read. Historical fiction based on a real person, Alice Marble. She was such a fascinating woman. The story is told in two timelines. The first is when she is plucked from obscurity by her coach, Teach, who coaches her and takes her in. The second is when World War 2 breaks out, and Alice is sent on a clandestine mission to spy, using an international tennis match as a reason why.

I listened to the audiobook at the narrator was so talented. She was so good at doing multiple accents and making the story extremely engaging. I highly recommend it.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Ace, Marvel, Spy provided an interesting look into the life of tennis great Alice Marble. I found the book enjoyable, but as I am not very interested in tennis, I wish there had been more about the spying and other aspects of her life. I understand from the author’s note that she chose to focus mostly on tennis because there wasn’t as much information available about the other aspects which is understandable. I have had Unsinkable, also by Walsh, on my TBR for a while and look forward to going back to read that because I really liked her writing style. Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

My rating is 5 stars
This book is about tennis legend Alice Marble from the early 1930s to the 1940s when she set he world on fire as a tennis star. and the WW2 changed her life. Before her whole focus was on tennis and as the war begins, she falls in love and loses it. She is trying to deal with her own tragedy and also wanting to strike the Germans the pain she feels. The book follows several different timelines in Alice's life from the start of her tennis career and also pivotal points which could have changed the entire stories.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Alice and her coach, Teach who was intimidating, loving and complex character.

Three words to describe this word: Tennis, Champion & War.

I am not normally a historical fiction reader and definitely won't usually rate them over 4 stars, but this book really blew me away. I am a lover of tennis, I play all the time, and I had no idea who Alice Marble was before reading/listening to this book. Knowing the book is historical fiction I definitely spent a lot of time looking up what I could about Alice Marble while reading this book. She was a powerful tennis player, who had multiple times in her life where it felt like she'd never play again. From fainting on the the court to suffering through the loss of many people she loves, Alice works had to get back on the court throughout her life.



That is, until she is asked to help spy for the Americans during WW2, to help them find out who is helping move things across the border and that person is connected to someone she knew in the past. The story has a lot of ups and downs, with the moments where tennis is being played written so well and the others showing the emotion of how big the moments are for Alice. There are some time jumps, but they are well labeled and easy to understand where in her life we are during those chapters.



We get to watch Alice go from a stubborn teen/twenty-something to deciding to get married behind her coach's back and eventually falling pregnant. As these events pile up, we also get to experience her loss of child and husband, how this impacts her game and her mental health in general. Then, as she tries to climb up the ladder of great tennis players again, getting asked to spy. Throughout the book it is brought up how much she wanted to help during the war, to make a difference in the lives of those impacted. When tennis allows her to spy, she wants to jump all in, even when her coach seems to think her traveling is a bad idea. The descriptions about Alice, and her coach, Teach, are also really great. Teach being a great mentor while also holding Alice to a lot of high expectations. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship play out throughout the book.



Overall, I'm not sure if this is a book I would have picked up on my own, but I'm so happy I had a chance to listen to the audiobook (and pick up the finished copy). I loved learning about someone new, especially in the world of women's tennis, and having that background of WW2 and how it impacted her. Alice Marble was a big part of the history of tennis, helping desegregate it and even training Billie Jean King!



I'm always really happy when a book teaches me something, while also surprising me with good writing and a story I never would have known before.

Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75

Ace, Marvel, Spy is a fictional recounting of real-life tennis player turned spy Alice Marble. Told through a dual-timeline, we get to experience Alice’s life from humble beginnings to breakout tennis star to World War II spy.

When I started this book I had no idea it was based on a true story. The author reveals in her author’s note at the end of the book that her inspiration for this novel came directly from Alice Marble’s memoir but discloses that there are several historical inaccuracies in it, due to Alice’s misremembering of certain events — despite claiming to have an eidetic memory, but that she did the best she could to tell Alice’s story as accurately as possible.

That being said, going in, I was under the impression that this would be a novel about a female spy using tennis as a cover, however most of the novel is spent recounting Alice’s life and career before she turned spy for the Allied powers. The actual spying portion doesn’t begin until around the 80% mark. Because of that, I was somewhat bored and unimpressed throughout most of the story waiting for the spying to actually begin. It seemed like an unnecessary amount of setup.

However, in the author’s note, Walsh says that the actual spying portion of Alice’s memoir also only consists of a very small section, which makes sense in how she translated it to fiction. Once I knew that, I was able to appreciate the rest of the story leading up to the spying more than I did while reading it. I do wish that the book had been presented slightly differently in terms of the synopsis and even the title to account for this discrepancy and to give the reader a better idea of what this story truly consists of, but regardless, I was still entertained.

With that being said, I did enjoy this story. It reminded me a bit of something Taylor Jenkins Reid would write. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I do try to read one every now and then to spice up my roster.

Alice’s story was interesting and dynamic, as was her character. The dual timeline was slightly confusing at times but overall not too difficult to keep track of. The tense does shift between past and present depending on what timeline you’re in, which also made it occasionally hard to read, but this was a creative choice made intentionally by Walsh to differentiate between the two times.

There were sections when I felt like the story was rushed along a little too quickly, particularly when it came to her relationships with Joe and Hans. I thought those parts could have been fleshed out a little more to give a better idea of the nature of those relationships. It was a lot of telling rather than showing, so I was never feel an emotional connection come through with either.

One quote that really stuck with me was, “How many times can a person begin again and still be taken seriously?” Alice deals with many health complications throughout her life including tuberculosis, torn muscles, a miscarriage, multiple car wrecks, gunshot wounds, and more that lead to this recurring scene of Alice waking up in a hospital bed over and over and over again. I was personally able to relate to that and really enjoyed the theme of resilience and stubbornness it showcased in her character. She always got right back up again and found a reason to keep fighting and achieve her dreams. Truly inspiring.

I would recommend this book to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristin Hannah, or anyone who loves historical fiction set in the World War eras.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Harper Muse, and Jenni L. Walsh for the ALC!

The audiobook was very well done. The narrator made it easy to differentiate between which character was speaking, and I was able to fly through it.

Alice Marble was a tennis star during the 1930s and 40s. She faced adversity as a young woman trying to be seen as an elite athlete. This story was so interesting because it is heavily based on a real woman, and the author used Alice’s memoir as the base of her research. I rooted for Alice while reading all about her life as a tennis pro, and thought she was a very cool person. I enjoyed how the book flipped between a then and now timeline, so the reader could learn about Alice as she grew up in the tennis world, and then later on in her adult life as a “spy”. However, there was not a lot about that portion of her life, and it seemed like it was only this one event where she was a spy. The author does make more of this in the authors note, but I still wished there was more. I also felt the writing was disjointed, which made it hard to follow the back and forth of the story at times.

Firstly, I love this book—the first five stars of the year of me. I would say that historical fiction set in WWII + a little-known female character in history; is very often equal to 4 or 5-star read for me.

In this one, we follow Alice Marble, a tennis woman in the 20th century within two different time frames: 1) "now" during WWII and 2) when she was younger and became a tennis champion. Despite the term "spy" in the title, we have very little spying in the book (which did not bother me at all but can if you choose this book for that in particular), but the author explains the reason very well in the afterword (to listen to because it was really interesting and allows you to better understand certain parts of the book and the influence of the author).

The only very little thing with which I had a bit of trouble was the passage when the death of someone was announced. It happens often at the beginning of a chapter and comes a bit from nowhere. Each time, I had to go back a little because I was convinced I missed a passage (but no).

Thank you to the author for introducing me to Alice Marble and thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I had high hopes for this book. First off, Alice Marble is the coolest female athlete I had never heard of! Second, Gail Shalan is such a strong narrator for the time period.

Jenni L. Walsh did craft an intriguing story based on legitimate aspects of Alice's life. However, the use of horoscopes and psychics threw me off. I tried to look up if this was true to Alice's life but couldn't find anything. I prefer to avoid these aspects in fiction. Additionally, the story was slow to ramp up. I would have been happy to press more into tennis or jump into spying, but neither one kept my attention enough to continue past halfway. Special thanks to Harper Muse and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.