As an author, I have stacks of books (serious stacks) and a fully loaded e-reader which make me simultaneously giddy and overwhelmed. I love selecting the next book I’ll read and opening (or swiping) to the first page. I eagerly dove into the advance copy of The Alice Network, ready for a trip back in time and Kate Quinn delivered. I am happy to be a part of the TLC Book Tours blog tour for this compelling historical fiction novel. You can read about the story below, but first, my thoughts.

The Alice Network is riveting and adventurous, suspenseful and thrilling. It’s a wonderfully surprising story of spies, revenge, friendship and heartbreak. Full of intrigue and warmth, Quinn gives the reader characters we root for and care about. They’re authentic and vividly written. The reader feels their frustrations, fears, tension and uncertainties along with them.

Within the terrifying, intriguing, and heart-wrenching moments are tender, touching ones. I love a book about female friendship (so much that I wrote one) 🙂 and this is a satisfying and steady theme throughout The Alice Network.

Quinn’s  classic humor is balanced and well-placed and she beautifully interweaves the two time periods of WWI and WWII and the thematic parallels.

I laughed, cried, and trembled alongside these courageous women and marveled at the realization of all these strong women risked.

Fans of Sarah McCoy’s The Baker’s Daughter and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale will adore The Alice Network. And even if you’re not a typical historical fiction reader, I’m willing to guess you’ll love it too.

About The Alice Network

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 6, 2017)

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947, brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her “little problem” taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the “Queen of Spies”, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth…no matter where it leads.

“Both funny and heartbreaking, this epic journey of two courageous women is an unforgettable tale of little-known wartime glory and sacrifice. Quinn knocks it out of the park with this spectacular book!” Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Kate Furek

About Kate Quinn

Kate Quinn is a native of Southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia.

Find out more about Kate at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

This review is a part of the TLC Book Tours blog tour. Like their Facebook page for contests, giveaways, book talk, links to great reviews, and more. You can also join TLC Readers Facebook group, where the talk is all about books, reading, and writing.

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