🌹 "The Socialite" 🌹 (2020) - Book Review

MY REVIEW

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 20, 2020 [also April 14, 2020])

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0785233520

ISBN-13: 978-0785233527

Click Picture for Purchase Information

“Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.

As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.

Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?”

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Thomas Nelson/TNZ Fiction, JustRead Publicity Tours for providing a complimentary advanced review copy. A positive review was not required. All words are my own.

J’Nell Ciesielski is a new-to-me-author and she doesn’t disappoint.

Some “trigger” or content warnings might include:

* Antisemitism

* Nazis (particularly Adolf Hitler)

* Genocide (or rather a hint at it)

* Homicide

* Suicide

I have, as of last year, been choosing to read certain books outside my preferred genre. One of the historical time periods I enjoy – World War II. My grandfather served on an escort carrier in the Pacific, and my grandmother was home in the states with a young son (he was born in December 1943). Also, my grandmother’s family is from the Alsace-Lorraine area. So, the story grabbed my attention.

J’Nell Ciesielski’s “The Socialite” takes a dark, yet somewhat romantic turn in 1941’s occupied Paris.

The cover is striking, yet simple – a young woman on a balcony overlooking the Parisian skyline. One would hardly know anything is wrong from that view. No one would know or suspect that deep underneath the beauty is something ugly, sinister, and evil.

While it was hard to start at first, I was soon drawn in and felt like I was right there as it was happening. It was hard to put down, and at times I had to as I needed to breathe. At times subtle and light, this was at times terrifying – especially the scenes with Hitler. These were scenes I thought could have been left out, but at the same time, they highlight the reality of the evil that was present in that time.  

This richly historical novel doesn’t hesitate to pull out all the stops. Intriguing, daring, bold, dangerous, shocking, brutal, passionate, edge-of-seat read that includes high society and spies. This also included violence and murder. It was a highly emotional read for sure.  

Kathleen “Kat” Whitford is there to “rescue” her sister, Eleanor “Ellie” Whitfield from Nazi-occupied France. In addition, Kat is also there to rescue Ellie from becoming a pawn in the Third Reich’s propaganda machine. And, Ellie has no idea that her German lover is a married man with his own agenda.

Barrett Anderson, who is unassuming as a barkeep, is not only there to watch over them, but he is part of the resistance. I truly loved Barrett and Kat. And, had the situation not been as serious as it was, their banter would’ve been hilarious.

While categorized as a romance, there was more focus on the intelligence as well as escape of Kat and Ellie than on the romance with Barrett and Kat.

The “romance” between Eric and Ellie was creepy and disturbing; though not unrealistic for the time and situation it was set in.

Ellie begins to see Eric’s true evil when he shoots a Jewish man who breaks into the pub during a “party”. But, that still doesn’t convince her to leave – even his “punishment” of her and her sister. Once she and Kate learn of Eric (and his wife’s) true intent for her, Ellie knows she has to leave.

This is where the escape took up most of the plot, and was an edge of the seat journey that towards the end almost had me holding my breath.

Kat’s progression as a character was not surprising. She was the older, and obviously more mature of the siblings. There was one incident that surprised me that it didn’t seem to haunt her as perhaps it should’ve. Barrett’s past was revealed in chapter 25 and it was heart-breaking.

While the story had a “happy as can be, given the circumstances” type of ending (remember this was 1941 and the war wouldn’t end until 1945), I was still deeply concerned about the true fate of two of the “servants” from Ellie’s apartment – Pierre and Sylvie. Pierre (and his probably his family) and Sylvie were apparently hauled off towards Poland. Although I am almost certain most everyone knew what their fate was. That was what disturbed me the most. I think I would’ve felt better about the ending if they had been revealed to have been “okay”.

The ending did; again, given the situation; make me smile. Kat’s impulsiveness and determination were a wonderful sight and showed that her progression wasn’t just because of the circumstances or a plot device.

Ellie’s progression was more “told” by way of Kat mentioning it to Barrett. I would’ve liked to have seen more of a progression with her, and perhaps seen her one final time before the story ended.

Even though this was distributed by TNZ Fiction/Thomas Nelson, a Christian division of HarperCollins, this book has no real Christian references. This is a clean read with no real sex scenes and no offensive/questionable language. There is some heavy kissing with references to prostitutes and a whore house.

I would like to see a sequel to see where Ellie’s story might end up along with concluding Pierre and Sylvie’s fate – whatever it might be. Also, as I felt there could’ve been a “post-war” epilogue to see how all the characters ended up or where, that would be great to include in a potential sequel. 

Those who enjoy a spy/intrigue fictional story set in World War II or fans of the author may enjoy this read.

I did, for the most part, enjoy the book.

RATING:

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com.

You can follow her on the following social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jnellciesielski

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jnellciesielski/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JnellCiesielski

*This post contains affiliate links