Molly Green

Rocky start!

Madeline Hamilton had always wanted to be an actress. Something her mother forbade.
Maddie is sent down from University after being found with a man in her rooms. She takes a position as a nanny to a Jewish family returning to Munich.
It’s 1938 and Maddie becomes alarmed at the changes in the German people. Hitler has come to power and anti semitism is rife
When Mr. Weinberg is taken by the Gestapo, Madeline decides to leave for England. Mrs. Weinberg begs her to take the children with her to their aunt and uncle in Berlin. When that strikes problems she’s asked to take the children with her to other relations in London.
Maddie’s return to England is dangerous with the children. Fortunately she has help from someone she met by chance on the train to Berlin. James Sylvester is a cultural attaché with the British Embassy in Munich. He helps her to get the children to England.
On her return home, knowing what’s going on in Germany, Madeline applies to the Foreign Office as a German speaker.
She ends up in Bletchley Park. James makes a reappearance there as well. Romance is definitely in the air until she finds out that James has secrets.
I must admit that the fleeing from Germany was exciting, as was Madeline’s time at Bletchley and further north, (in ‘Forbes War’ country!) but I found Madeline’s refusal to talk to James about her feelings for him illogical and frustrating.

An Avon ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (meer)

Love and duty in World War II.

I can’t help it! Anything to do with Bletchley Park grabs me. A place of secrets and mystery. The British War machine well and truly in gear. Rosemary Frost’s travails and hurts are put aside as she turns to joining the WRNS (Wrens) as part of her war effort. Only that becomes a bitter disappointment. But she wasn’t forgotten and a friend, John Palmer, had a word in the right ears. Rosie is good at math and speaks Italian. She signs the Secrets Act and ends up at Bletchley Park. Just as she’s becoming comfortable, a new CO, Lieutenant Commander Hugo Garfield turns up. A man she has HISTORY with. Can she push down her feelings, feign the consummate professional, and work with him? A winningly woven novel of spycraft and personal history. Very enjoyable.

An Avon ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (meer)

Summer Secrets at Bletchley Park by Molly Green is the debut of The Bletchley Park Girls. Dulcie “Dale” Treadwell is a reporter who is only allowed to write fluff pieces. With the outbreak of war, she is hoping to be considered for more serious articles. She is in the heart of London when the city goes dark the night war is declared. She meets American broadcaster Glenn Reeves, and it is love at first sight. After a special night together, they make plans to meet the next day. Dale is heartbroken when Glenn fails to show up. She is unaware that he had to leave for Berlin shortly after they parted, and Glenn had no way to contact Dale. After entering a crossword competition, Dale is recruited for Bletchley Park. She signs the Official Secrets Act and begins her work in Hut 6 on the enigma machines. Once Dale gets the hang of the work, she finds it exciting. Dale hopes to get a promotion to a cryptographer after she has proven herself. After returning from visiting her parents in London, Dale is summoned to Commander Travis’ office where she is summarily dismissed. She is not given a chance to explain her side of the story. Is there any way to for Dale to her vital war work? I like Molly Green’s writing style. It is casual (easy going) which makes the story easy to read. The book moved along at a good pace. I thought the author captured the time period and I can tell she did her research into Bletchley Park. I wish there had been more on Bletchley and the work done there. The main focus of the book was romance. I thought the characters were realistic. Their behavior and attitudes suited the era. I liked Eddie who also worked at Bletchley. He is a lively character with a good heart. He becomes good friends with Dale. I actually liked Eddie more than Glenn. The ending was abrupt and felt incomplete. I hope we learn more in the next installment in The Bletchley Park Girls series. Summer Secrets at Bletchley Park (also known as Wartime at Bletchley Park) is an engaging historical novel that sweeps readers back to the start of World War II in England. Summers Secrets at Bletchley Park is on the beam with a first glance romance, a warlord landlord, a serious supervisor, mysterious machines, a missing man, a flirty friend, parent problems, and a perilous problem.… (meer)

A Sister’s War by Molly Green is the 3rd book in The Victory Sisters. This book can be read as a standalone, but I did enjoy reading the series in order. I thought A Sister’s War was well-written with developed characters. In this book, we get Veronique “Ronnie” Linfoot’s story. She is the youngest of the three Linfoot sisters and she is anxious to do something to aid the war effort. She is not yet seventeen which makes it difficult for her to join a program. Ronnie was turned down for the Land Girls which was her preference. Her mother, Simone was delighted. Simone would prefer that her daughters wear pretty dresses, do embroidery and other ladylike tasks. Unfortunately, Simone has three independent, rebellious daughters. Raine is a pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary and Suzy is a singer with ENSA. Ronnie sees a newsreel that mentions the canal girls and she sets out to learn more information. Ronnie applies to be boatwoman transporting goods along the Grand Union Canal with the Grand Union Canal Company. We follow Ronnie and five other ladies training with Dora Dummitt who is a harsh taskmaster. The author did her research for this book. I can envision life on the canal in the narrowboats from the author’s descriptions. It sounded like a rough job with long hours. I could not imagine having to open and close the locks along the canal by hand. The cold and wet were relentless. The boats were small with limited room. It was fascinating learning about the canal girls. They transported items needed for the war effort. I was curious after I finished the book and looked up more information about the canal and the boats (transport by boat ended in the late 1970s and the boats are now being used for people to live in). I like that we get to catch up with Ronnie’s sisters, Suzy and Raine. A Sister’s War is a satisfying conclusion to The Victory Sisters trilogy. I enjoyed reading A Sister’s War as well as the other two books in this engaging historical series.… (meer)