Thank you HTP Books / Graydon House, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Lipstick Bureau in exchange for my honest review.
Today, I’m so happy to be a tour stop on the blog tour for The Lipstick Bureas by Michelle Gable. Thank you HTP Books for inviting me to participate.
Publisher: Graydon House
Published: December 27, 2022
Summary:
Inspired by a real-life female spy, a WWII-set novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.
“A gripping, fascinating read.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan
1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy’s capital. One of the OSS’s few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she’s tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.
Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.
As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she’s been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…
My thoughts:
This is the third book I’ve read by Michelle Gable and I have to say that I really enjoy her writing. Whatever it is she writes about, I find myself completely captivated and swept up in the story and that was definitely the case with this latest book.
Inspired by a real-life female spy, I found myself completely invested in this story from the get-go. I loved Niki and how she challenged conventions and boundaries. She was ruthless, brash and loved bending the rules to get things done. I haven’t read much about the OSS during WWII, and certainly not anything about the Morale Operations Unit before now and this is why I continue to read so much historical fiction set during the wars – there is always something new to be learned. What this unit did was just so cool and had I been around at this time, this is the unit I would want to be part of! I knew propaganda was part of the war, but I never really thought about who developed it or how it was used.
I loved how this story was told, alternating from 1989 to 1944, and told from multiple points of view. It added a sense of tension as to what was to come next. And the short chapters just beg you to keep reading.
I definitely recommend this one to all historical fiction fans, especially those who love books about strong women!
About the author:
MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I’ll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram
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