Today, I am delighted to be sharing my review of; A Wartime Secret by Helen Yendall, I can’t wait to share this book with you all.
about the book
A Wartime Secret by Helen Yendall.
Genre: WW2 Historical Fiction.
‘Look after Violet!’ her mother called, as she was bundled into the back of the car. Then she was gone.
When Maggie’s new job takes her from bombed-out London to grand Snowden Hall in the Cotswolds she’s apprehensive but determined to do her bit for the war effort. She’s also keeping a secret, one she knows would turn opinion against her. Her mother is German: Maggie is related to the enemy.
Then her evacuee sister sends her a worrying letter, missing the code they agreed Violet would use to confirm everything was well, and Maggie’s heart sinks. Violet is miles away; how can she get to her in the middle of a war? Worse, her mother, arrested for her nationality, is now missing, and Maggie has no idea where she is.
As a secret project at Snowden Hall risks revealing Maggie’s German side, she becomes even more determined to protect her family. Can she find a way to get to her sister? And will she ever find out where her mother has been taken?
Review
This is my first book by Helen Yendall and it’s a brilliant introduction to her work, I liked her in-depth historical details which run smoothly side by side with the enlightening and very interesting story of a young woman who has found herself in the midst of something, with so many secrets which are swirling around her head she must do all she can to protect her family.
I loved the sound of this book from the moment I set eyes I knew that this was a book that I really wanted to read, and it didn’t disappoint. This is all about family, despite the setting and the intriguing subplot which easily entwines Maggie’s own story this is fundamentally all about family, it poses questions and eventually gives the answers as you read, which keep you engaged throughout.
During the blitz in London as a bank employee; Maggie has been transferred from London and sent to Snowden Hall, which Maggie is told is the bank’s base during these uncertain and dangerous times. But it soon becomes clear that all is not exactly what it seems at the hall, there is a secret lurking in the very shadows of the estate and the building a secret that could put Maggie in danger. On top of that a more pressing matter arises for Maggie, her mother who is German has been taken and is now interred for being German, on tp of that her sister Violet who has been evacuated brings another concern for Maggie as the letter’s she is receiving holds hints that all is not as it should be.
As you can imagine, Maggie has a lot on her shoulders, there is danger at every corner there is lots os intrigue and you feel Maggie’s worry over her family and you can certainly resonate with her and then there is what is going on at Snowden Hall which keeps you guessing and keeps you hooked and because of that this book pulls the reader into Maggie’s world from the first page, I was completely invested into Maggie’s story.
A Wartime Secret is a wonderfully, engaging and highly enjoyable story. It’s full of intrigue and atmosphere of the time, with lots of drama, hidden secrets hiding in plain sight and a mountain of emotion this is a must-read for anyone who loves their WW2 fiction.
about the author
Helen Yendall has been writing ever since she could pick up a pencil and she’s had over 150 short stories published in women’s magazines and dozens of articles in magazines such as Writing.
Her very small claim to fame is that she was once Poet Laureate for Warwick.
She’s been involved with a local literary festival – Evesham’s ‘Festival of Words’ – for the past few years and a highlight of that was interviewing one of her favourite authors, Joanna Cannon, at a Festival event in 2019.
Helen won The People’s Friend magazine’s first serial-writing competition back in 2015 and her serial, set in 1905 Birmingham and about a chocolate factory, was published the following year.
She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and is currently finishing her first novel (a WW2 saga, set in the Cotswolds, where Helen lives).
Helen has a degree from Leeds Uni in English and German and has worked in a variety of marketing and admin’ roles and for various institutions, including a fast-food chain, a camping club, a university and a children’s charity, all of which have provided inspiration for her writing!
But her favourite job (apart from writing, of course), is teaching writing. She’s taught Creative Writing for adults for many years, since a friend persuaded her to take on an evening class that was supposed to be full of ‘beginners’ (but wasn’t).
She likes the way fiction can help make sense of the world and that, as a writer, she can give good people the happy ending they deserve.
When she’s not writing, she likes playing tennis, swimming, reading (she’s in two book clubs) and walking Bonnie in the beautiful countryside where she lives.
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