Written by Jenny O’BrienI loved it! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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I am a big fan of Jenny O’Brien's work and having recently read and enjoyed The Resistance Knitting Club I was keen to join the blog tour organised by Rachel of Rachel's Random Rescources for the second book in Ms O'Brien's Threads of Resistance series, The Secret Dressmaker.
I begin by thanking the author, Jenny O'Brien, her publiisher, Storm Publishing, and Netgalley for a free digital copy of The Secret Dressmaker to enjoy and review.
The blurb:
The Secret DressmakerShelves of sequins in a kaleidoscope of colours. Bolts of silk and tulle against the back wall. The sewing room was the last place anyone had seen her daughter alive.
Northern Ireland, 1942. Flora Toussaint packs parachutes for the RAF, haunted by the twin daughters she was forced to give up eighteen years ago. When British intelligence shows her photographs of her girls – now young women in occupied Paris – her world shifts. One is safe. One has vanished. And their father, the celebrated couturier Lucien Lumineau, is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis.
Flora agrees to a dangerous mission: parachute into France, pose as a seamstress at the Moulin Rouge, and uncover the truth. Lodging above a brothel where Edith Piaf sings after hours and where Pablo Picasso still holds court, she mends costumes between shows, searches for any trace of her missing daughter between curfews, and circles closer to Lucien.
But Lucien isn’t the man she remembers. Neither is their history. And what Flora discovers will unravel everything she thought she knew – about Lucien, about her daughters, and about the night she gave them away.
A sweeping tale of wartime Paris, family secrets and impossible choices. Fans of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff and Kristin Hannah will be mesmerised by The Secret Dressmaker.
As a big fan of Jenny O'Brien's work, I was already eager to read The Secret Dressmaker, even before digesting the blurb. When I did finally read it, I just knew this was a book I'd really enjoy as it covers a period in history that I am particularly interested in and, through the author's meticulous research, I'd learn something more about that time. From the blurb I'd already learned that Edith Piaf sang in a brothel during the war years and I was sure there would be more titbits to glean. And there was!
This is an emotional story about love and ties that bind set against the backdrop of occupied Paris. This second book in the Threads of Resistance series reveals more of the ingenuity employed at that time, in finding ways to pass messages covertly. There is mention of coded knitting - a nod to the first book in this series - and which, in this story, inspires the creation of patchwork quilts that would also conceal a hidden message.
As I read, I like to guess how the plot will unfold, sometimes with predicatable accuracy. Obviously I enjoy a story more if I'm wrong-footed occasionally and The Secret Dressmaker had a few surprising twists I definitely hadn't seen coming.
The ending didn't answer all my questions, much as life never rounds things off neatly, but made me want to learn more of Flora's quest to know her daughters.
I highly recommend The Secret Dressmaker to readers who enjoy well-researched, historical, women's fiction set in this era.
| Author Bio – Jenny O’Brien |
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 Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit. Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born. Now, 20 years later, she's retired from the day job to focus on writing. She's currently working on the third book in the Threads Series. Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Web site | https://www.jennyobrienauthor.com/ |
| @scribblerjb | |
| Goodreads | Jenny O'Brien |
| Facebook Author Page | Jenny O'Brien Writer |
| X | @ScribblerJB |
| Bluesky | @scribblerjb.bsky.social |
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