An American Wife in Paris

 

An American Wife in Paris

The Diplomat's Wife #2

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

Publication date: July 20, 2023 by Bookouture

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢

Summary: “If I go back to Paris, it would be my third time there as an undercover agent...” Kitty murmured. “I ask myself, how many chances does one person get?”

Paris, 1941 . When Kitty is asked to return to Paris as an undercover agent, she knows the mission is her most dangerous yet. But she has been fighting the Nazis for too long to stop now. And her role within the Resistance has already cost her friends, family and now—almost—her own marriage.

Because while she and Edgar are more in love than ever, his role as a Nazi spy means it is safer if they are no longer married. And while signing the divorce papers is a formality that breaks her heart, Kitty knows that she and Edgar will find a way to be together when the war is finally over…

More determined than ever to undermine the Nazi regime, Kitty has nothing left to lose. From secretly supplying Prisoner of War camps with essential items, to moving refugees across borders to safety, she will stop at nothing to play her part in bringing the war to a close, even if it means risking her own life.

But when Edgar goes missing, Kitty’s world stops. As she begins a desperate search for her beloved husband, she hears from her contacts that he has been killed. But Kitty feels strongly in her heart that, somewhere out there, Edgar is still alive. And she knows she must risk everything to rescue the man she loves, no matter what…

An absolutely gripping, heartbreaking and powerful story about courage, love and bravery in the midst of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name is Eva and All the Light We Cannot See.

My thoughts: Kitty is a character that defies all odds. Through this character readers experience the sacrifices that everyday people made in order to stand for what was right. Because of her family connections, Kitty was able to be in contact with agencies that sought to support the French Resistance movement and install undercover agents throughout the European continent. When one agency didn't fulfill her needs she moved to another. Kitty's ultimate goal was to save as many people who suffered under the Nazi regime as possible. She didn't care about the politics, she didn't care about whether or not a task looked to be to difficult, she just wanted results. With her husband/not husband also in espionage, Kitty took risks in order to be near him whenever she could while she was working undercover. When he mysteriously went off the grid, Kitty wasn't sure who to believe and endeavored to uncover the truth herself. 

This book covers so much of the undercover work done by both the English and American agencies. Certainly each undercover mission that Kitty went on took months of planning and those on the ground experienced hardships only hinted at in this book. I do appreciate how Lucyk-Berger found ways to have Kitty experience the broadest span of espionage work. And leave it to Lucyk-Berger to deliver one heck of an ending! 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Bookouture via NetGalley.