The Silence Before Dawn (WW2 Resistance Series Book 1)
by Amanda Lees
Narrated by Sofia Zervudachi
Pub Date 13 Sep 2022
Bookouture Audio
Historical Fiction




I am reviewing a copy of The Silence Before Dawn through Bookoture Audio and Netgalley;



The year is 1944, Nazi-Occupied France, : I tear open the envelope, extracting a sheet of folded paper. I read it, my heart cracking with every word. There is no mistaking the name of the man who betrayed us. Jack. My beloved fiancé – and now, a traitor.



Marianne’s resistance network has carried out courageous missions from a remote farmhouse in southern Provence, aiding the Nazis’ downfall for months. Unfortunately one fateful night, they are viciously ambushed as German soldiers storm in, scattering, capturing or killing every last person there.


Mourning the loss of her friends, Marianne will need every ounce of courage to survive. Not only has her life as a secret agent been critically compromised, but her heart has been shattered. Because Jack, her darling fiancé and fellow spy, fled in the chaos – and is accused of being the traitor who betrayed them.


Marianne is desperate to believe Jack’s innocence and that their love was true, to her horror Marianne discovers he has been seized by the Butcher of Lyon, a Nazi more brutal and ruthless than any other. Now it is more imperative than ever that Marianne finds Jack – before he reveals the names of every undercover agent in France, or before he is murdered for remaining loyal.


Now Marianne sets out for the most dangerous and most personal mission of her life. With a tight knit group of other women agents by her side Marianne risks everything to rescue Jack. Can she save her fiancé before it’s too late – and change the fate of the war in the process? Or is she blind to the heart-breaking truth, and simply sacrificing her own life?


I give The Silence Before Dawn five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

I was lucky enough to listen to this on audiobook and it was absolutely fantastic!
The narrator was excellent flipping from one nationality to another seamlessly.
The story centred on an SOE member who happened to be a female and was the leader of a Resistance group.
There were many moments where I held my breath as the story went on and we were left hanging about a Judas in the team, this was referred to several times and lots of breadcrumbs were dropped. When the person who betrayed them was realised I gasped!
There were some particularly harrowing scenes, but these weren’t pretty times.
There was a theme running through the book about the strength of women.

Strongly recommended!

This was interesting and held my attention. It was a lot more romance focused than I had anticipated and much less historical.

I enjoyed the writing style and thought the book flowed well. The writing was detailed and quick paced which I liked.

I love books written about the sacrifices of the women of the resistance during WWII. This book was no exception. There is no shortage of these stories out there but this author still managed to keep things new and interesting. The characters felt realistic and I could feel their fear and frustration. There were aspects of the story that felt a bit unbelievable but overall didn’t change my view or enjoyment of the book. After all, it wasn’t a non fiction book. It was just based on the true story of resistance fighters. It has spies, traitors, romance, suspense, and strong women fighting for respect. I look forward to other stories by this author.

Heartbreaking and remarkable!!

Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to listen for this amazing book audio version for a honest review from me!

Nazi-occupied France, 1944: I tear open the envelope, extracting a sheet of folded paper. I read it, my heart cracking with every word. There is no mistaking the name of the man who betrayed us. Jack. My beloved fiancé – and now, a traitor.

How do you keep strong in the times when the world goes mad, when the loved one might have betrayed you and all you fight for. How to keep fighting for the lost ones when you just feel hopeless and defeated.

This book just touched me in the ways I wasn’t sure how to feel about anything I felt mad and devastated and sad and so deeply wounded thinking that some of these things were actually happening and the feelings of people!

I really enjoyed listening to the book tho sometimes the narrator felt as emotionally empty and there were times when I thought that the robot is reading the story but overall I liked it !

I wasn't expecting this book to be so much of a romantic novel. It was hard to get into for me sadly. The narrator did well.

I have read many WWII historical fiction books especially about the resistance. While I do enjoy hearing about these courageous men and women and their goal to wipe out the Nazi’s I had a hard time focusing on the story line in this particular novel.

The narration was wonderful with excellent voices and accents. Not every narrator can pull this off but in this case I thought it was very well executed.
There were a few details in the story that seemed almost unbelievable for the time period. A female leading a resistance group as well as being able to avoid the Nazi’s over and over again without being caught or stopped was a little out of reach for me.
If you love WWII historical fiction I am sure you will enjoy this book but compared to some others I have read it was just mediocre.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I really, really enjoyed this. Listening to the audio book took quite a while, but the story was very much worth it.

The strength and sense of duty and community that these characters exhibited was poignant and moving, and I cared for every single one of them. I loved that we actually got to see the perspective of the women in this case, as their stores aren't given nearly enough attention in this context. If I had to choose what I enjoyed most about the book it would definitely be the characters. Well-rounded and realistic, they were a joy to read about.

This novel taught me a lot about the resistance movement during WW2. But what I respect is that it did so unobtrusively. I didn't feel like facts were being forced on me and I wasn't bored for a single moment. Everything was integrated into the story beautifully, which says a lot about the author's skill.

The reason this wasn't a 5-star read was that I found certain bits slightly unrealistic. Yes, this is partly fiction, but some parts required a bit too much suspension of disbelief for my taste. Still, it was an incredible novel that anyone interested in historical and feminist fiction should pick up.

This book is the first book in a historical fiction series, and what a brilliant start it was to the series. A story of courageous and brave women working for the resistance in France during World War Two. The Author has written an absolute page turner of a read and I was so caught up in this amazing story I honestly didn’t want to do anything else until I’d finished the book. This is one I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction. I listened to this book via audio and the narrator was excellent.

This book was action packed! It definitely kept you on your toes, following the story of marianne as a spy, as well as some of her female counterparts, and the ways they were able to get information from the Germans.

I also loved her strong feelings about supporting the resistance, even if it meant losing her life or Jack's. I am intrigued to see what the other books in this series will be about, maybe the other women who were leading the operations to take back France?

Marianne’s resistance network has faced a betrayal. But anger and heartbreak won't stop her and her intention to free France from the dirty and bloody hands of german soldiers. Going from one mission to another, Marianne meets people who help her accomplish her goals.

Whenever I was beginning to lose interest, the author managed to pull me back into the pages of the book with yet another thrilling twist. Great story of the resistance and their war against the Nazi occupiers. Fast pacing and intriguing WWII read. A wonderful set of characters, too many to my liking, but an author made it work. The novel left me with many unanswered questions, and hopefully, the next book of the series will have all the answers.

Thank you NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel in the exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this WW2 resistance novel. I didn't realise it was the first in a series, and on finishing this one, I look forward to the next installment!
I have recently said that WW2 fiction is heavily satured in my opinion, and new novels have to find a new area of that period to explore.
The stories of the Resistance give me hope and strength to see how people can overcome adversity in the face of true horror.
This book does acheive this very well, and I loved most of the characters, although some situations felt a little 'dramatic effect' to me.
The narrator was excellent, and her accents were superb, and really added authenticity to the audiobook.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amanda Lees for providing me with a complimentary digital audiobook ARC for The Silence Before Dawn coming out September 13, 2022. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Marianne has worked as a resistance worker for months in 1944 Nazi occupied France. She carries out missions from a remote farm in Provence. But one night they are ambushed as German soldiers scatter, capture or kill every person there.

Mourning the loss of her friends, Marianne fights to go on and survive. Her secret agent life as been compromised, but she must go on. Her fiancé Jack was seized by the Butcher of Lyon. Marianne must race against time to find him and prove he isn’t the traitor who betrayed them.

With her fellow women agents at her side, she sets out on a dangerous mission to save Jack. Can she win the battle to win the war or will her efforts be in vain?

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I’ve read quite a few WWII books. It’s one of my favorite subjects to study. I admire all the efforts of the brave men and women who fought during the war. There were so many who were just ordinary civilians but they fought to protect themselves, their families and their country.

It kind of felt like the plot to the movie Charlotte Gray. I really love that movie, but this book wasn’t what I was expecting. There was more romance than I thought. I know Marianne was a strong character who accomplished a lot, but sometimes she seemed to come off as a bit arrogant. I think the plot has to do with that as well. Because her whole mission is to save her fiancé, it makes it seem as if her character is reduced to that, instead of all of her work as a spy for the resistance. It’s not a bad thing and I know she was trying to take down the Lyon, but I kind of wish there was a little more to it. I just think there was something missing for me. It didn’t seem like it was much of a group effort and it was mostly about Marianne and Jack.

I’ll still recommend it for people who might enjoy it, but I don’t think it was my favorite.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys WWII romance resistance stories.

ARC read: The silence before dawn by Amanda Lees
Blurb:

Nazi-occupied France, 1944: I tear open the envelope, extracting a sheet of folded paper. I read it, my heart cracking with every word. There is no mistaking the name of the man who betrayed us. Jack. My beloved fiancé – and now, a traitor.

For months, Marianne’s resistance network has carried out courageous missions from a remote farmhouse in southern Provence, aiding the Nazis’ downfall. But one fateful night, they are viciously ambushed as German soldiers storm in, scattering, capturing or killing every last person there.

Mourning the loss of her friends, Marianne will need every ounce of courage to survive. Not only has her life as a secret agent been critically compromised, but her heart has been shattered. Because Jack, her darling fiancé and fellow spy, fled in the chaos – and is accused of being the traitor who betrayed them.

Desperate to believe Jack’s innocence and that their love was true, to her horror Marianne discovers he has been seized by the Butcher of Lyon, a Nazi more brutal and ruthless than any other. Now it is more imperative than ever that Marianne finds Jack – before he reveals the names of every undercover agent in France, or before he is murdered for remaining loyal.

So Marianne sets out on the most dangerous mission of her life, and the most personal. With her tight-knit group of fellow women agents by her side, she risks everything to rescue Jack. Can she save her fiancé before it’s too late – and change the fate of the war in the process? Or is she blind to the heart-breaking truth, and simply sacrificing her own life?

Based on true stories of the fearless women secret agents – and their tales of bravery, betrayal and love – this is the first book in the heart-pounding, heart-wrenching and totally addictive WW2 Resistance series. Perfect for readers of The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See and Ellie Midwood.

Photo by asim alnamat on Pexels.com

What I loved:

The main character was incredibly strong and ahead of her time in the way she wouldn't let any man dictate anything about her. She was able to lead people and gather resistance groups. Truly inspirational.

The book was able to touch many cords in the heart, as in times of war it is very difficult to know who to trust, including siblings and lovers. Trust is a very big part of the story and rightfully so, as people's beliefs are seldom easy to figure out and stand by.

Even if the sex scenes were a bit too detailed for my taste, I really appreciated them, as they testified to the need for connection and love in war times.

Maggie was my favorite character, strong and powerful and always present and willing to do the right thing for the resistance. The best side character.

The title was very poetic and adequate, evocating the sense of trepidation and fear that the day can evoke when the night is the only secure place there is.

What I didn't love:

the ending left me longing for more, there are certain characters that either get captured or disappear that we never hear back about. This is truthful to many realities of war, as not many people in war times, but I would have liked to know where everyone went.

The end of the story wasn't really the end of the war, and this made it difficult to conceive a true full ending to the events.

The language was a bit too flimsy and tried to evocate emotions by telling and not showing, taking away from the scene. Sometimes the main character was aiming to do more than she coould with words.

Final thoughts:

Overall I strongly suggest the book, as it is very impactful and a glimpse into real life in a time where faith was all people had and trust was something no one could afford to share.

This is my new favourite WWII novel. It has everything I typically enjoy in historical fiction: strong female leads, a few heroes for perspective with a romance storyline, plots, thicker plots and lots of second guessing.

Marianne and Jack are at the center of this story, although it's really Marianne, Maggie, Suzanne and Christine that we follow closely as they run, cycle, manage and boss their way around the French resistance in a plot to keep information about an upcoming operation safe from the enemy.

I listened to an audio galley and LOVED the narrator (well done!). I like how she read all the parts but put on different accents and airs which really made it fun and intriguing to listen to. There's a slight dual timeline, mostly in the first 2/3 of the book as we see some of Marianne and Jack's relationship prior to the war but it's mostly set in the summer of 1944. I do like very much that the timeline is rather short rather than long and drawn out. I understand that there are different approaches to plots and timelines but it was nice to read a relatively fast-paced historical fiction novel for a bit of a change.

The Silence Before Dawn had me hooked from the prologue. It is extremely rare to read a book from the viewpoint of a female leader of the French Resistance. I was attached to not only the main character Marianne but also Christine, Juliette and Jack. The twist and turns kept me completely hooked until the end. I absolutely look forward to reading more from Amanda in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to review this book!

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“The Silence Before Dawn” is a World War II historical fiction novel told from a combination of third-person narration and a first-person account by the female protagonist, Marianne. Marianne is an English woman working undercover as a spy in occupied France, aiding the resistance to free France and take down the Nazis. After many successful operations, Marianne’s world comes crashing down in one night. Her network is attacked, leaving few survivors and many questions. The most pressing question of all: who betrayed them? Soon enough Marianne is given an answer: her fiancé, Jack, is the traitor.

Jack fled during the Nazi raid, only to be captured by the infamous Butcher of Lyon, condemned to unspeakable torture. Marianne and what remains of her network launch a mission to bring down the Butcher and free Jack before he reveals too much. As Marianne’s rag-tag group of spies set to work, she can’t help but wonder whether Jack is truly the traitor. Is she fighting to save the innocent man she loves, or is she on a mission for heartbreaking vengeance to take down the man who betrayed them all?

This book was an excellent tale told from the unique perspective of an English woman working within the French resistance. The narrative features strong female characters fighting to shape the future demise of the Nazis. The book opens with two timelines: the story of Marianne and Jack before they go off to war and the circumstances that befall them after they are embedded in France. Leading her resistance network, Marianne’s strength has a counterpoint of emotional turmoil when her fiancé is identified as the traitor. Despite this turmoil, Marianne perseveres, determined to bring down the Nazi regime.

I felt the book had a strong cast of characters, and their struggles as operatives working for the resistance are beautifully painted. My only critique is that I felt Marianne’s emotional ups and downs in the first part of the book was slightly overwrought, distracting a bit from the core story. Despite this, I still gave this book a strong four-star review. The loss of one star is mainly due to my experience with many other World War II historical fiction novels that just knocked it out the park. This book is almost there, but just falls slightly too short to earn five stars in my book. That being said, I am most definitely looking forward to reading the forthcoming books in this series.

My copy of this book was an audiobook, so I must comment on the narrator. I thought she did an amazing job overall. Her accents were on point, and even her male voices were believable (a feat that many other narrators fail to succeed at). I would absolutely love to hear more of her work.

Overall, this is a strong World War II historical fiction novel. I would recommend this book for adult readers who are fans of historical fiction and fiction in general, as well as readers new to the historical fiction genre. This book was a great start to a series while still functioning well as a standalone novel. I’m excited to read the rest of the series, and I believe that other readers will be as well.

Excellent story! Kept me on the edge of my seat wondering how it was going to end. Rich descriptions and powerful narration give the reader a detailed picture of places and people.

REVIEW: The Silence Before the Dawn

In this story we get a slice of the French resistance during World War II. Marianne is deeply entrenched in spying and subversive acts to try to end the war. We see how women are able to infiltrate and miss lead German officials as well as gather information for counterattacks. These women are sometimes coquettish, sometimes using their feminine wiles but generally just using their hearts to find the strength to fight for what they believe in. We get a few stunning betrayals in this story including some that are quite hard to swallow.

You really can’t go wrong with World War II historical fiction, especially showing the impact of women on the war. I enjoyed the portrayals of Marianne and Christine and the complex network of characters you’re not always sure you can believe.

Thanks to Bookouture via Netgalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions above are my own.

1944-Nazi occupied France. A young English woman, Marianne is a leader of a network of French Resistance fighters. Everyone trust her with their lives, however there is an informant. Marianne is given an envelope of the traitor, and is shocked by what she finds. Unfortunately it is her fiancé Jack. How can she not have known!
Jack has been taken by the butcher of Lyon-Nazi Klaus Barbie. Marianne realizes they have to rescue Jack before their missions are compromised more. Is Jack really a traitor or is the note false?

This beautiful novel focus on the brave women and men. This book is very intense, as is the subject matter, but truly worth the time. I felt this novel was authentic and beautifully researched. Thank you Bookouture, Netgalley and author Amanda Lees for this advanced copy, which is out Sept 13, 2022.