This is not a great book, I'm afraid. I normally like historical fiction but I found the characters and plot to be somewhat lacking. Two stars.

Thank you to @hqstories for letting me be part of this blog tour. I finished this book yesterday, on the 11th November, Remembrance Day, while sitting in a coffee shop. 10 minutes after I read the final chapter, the whole shop observed a 2 minute silence to remember the fallen - very apt. This book is right up my street being historical fiction, but I do love reading stories of those not necessarily on the front lines, but on the home fronts. Marguerite’s town was infiltrated with German soldiers throughout the war & in order to defy the enemy, to bring them down from within, she & other remarkable townspeople risked their lives on a daily basis & their bravery and contribution to the war effort should never be overlooked. The amount of loss in this book was hard to take, as was reading about the view some townsfolk took to fellow townspeople who were just trying t survive, who were accused of collaborating. I really enjoyed this story and if you’re a historical fiction fan like me, you’ll like this one!

This novel covers the final days of WWII when Germany occupied France. It takes place in a small village near the Cote D'Azur. The main characters are Marguerite - an artist from the UK who moved there 10 yrs prior to this novel, who is recruited by British Intel to obtain info about the German defenses on the coast and evidence of war crimes. She lives in a farmhouse outside of the village with a friend, Simone, who is also part of the Resistance.
I liked the way the author described the daily life and stresses of the French villagers. She made the food shortages, fear, suspicion, and friendship come to life as they grappled with the realities of war and occupation.
Simone hides another Englishwoman who is a writer, and between her and Marguerite, manage to keep the Germans at bay. Marguerite is supposed to meet with a Catholic priest who the British suspect of collaborating with the Germans, and she unexpectedly, meets him when he has a chance to rescue her from a potentially dangerous situation. However, her visits to his residence arouse suspicion among the villagers and they shun her, limit her ability to purchase food, and generally question her loyalty.
There is a love story but it is not the main focus of the book. This story is about the risks that the characters took, and the secrets they kept to protect them selves and their families. . The plot was well developed, and the characters were believable.
Thanks to NetGalley an the publisher for offering this ARC to me. The opinions are my own.

The Secrets We Keep is a wonderful first novel from Theresa Howes. I couldn’t put it down, the quality of the writing, the realism of the setting in the South of France and the completely immersive story set in the final days of the second World War. Marguerite is an engaging and believable woman who chose to move to the South of France ten years before this story begins. Her back story unfolds gradually but her real role is as a member of the resistance. Howes perfectly captures the tensions of war in those small French villages and we can’t but help to fall in love with Margurite, her friends and then her priest. The Secrets We Keep combines the ordinary daily struggle of village life with food shortages and suspicion at all levels. With romance and joy as well as a dose of sorrow with the horrors and reality of war. The action is so typical French village , rich with emotions and subterfuge but with the layer of espionage it’s also thrilling and a real page turner. I’m looking forward to Theresa Howes next book. What a writer, Thanks to @netgalley for an advance copy to read and review and to the publisher @harpercollins. The opinions are my own.

I love historical fiction especially ones that are set during World War Two and this one didn't disappoint. I liked the story, I thought the characters were well developed and I liked the romance element. If you like historical fiction, you should read this.

WWII novel set in Southern France along the coast. Marguerite, an artist escaping her past, works underground against the Germans who have overtaken the country. Etienne, priest, works as spy. There are people that can’t be trusted and work for the Germans. Good historical fiction with a love story

Fans of WWII fiction might not find much new in this tale of Marguerite, an artist who finds herself working to forge documents for the French resistance during WWII. That said it's set in the South of France, there's a priest who is conflicted, and it's nicely written. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I stayed up late into the night to finish The Secrets We Keep. I had tried putting it away earlier, but I couldn't stop thinking about the story. I needed to know. No, I had to know. The ending was worth every minute I was up past my bedtime. Sleep still alluded me. Ideas for review comments kept popping up. Too bad I didn't write them down. This morning, the most important thought on repeat is--You need to read The Secrets We Keep.

You need to read The Secrets We Keep to gain perspective of WW2 occupied France. The author did a brilliant job describing the results of the occupation. The French citizens were starving. The French citizens lived in fear of the Germans. The French citizens lost any sense of freedom. Their town was crumbling all around them and they had few options.

Standing up to the Germans had serious consequences. I had never realized how many challenges they experienced until the author helped me see. The author's words painted a picture of a suffering I could not comprehend. I have always read WW2 books in the safety of my home. Those in occupied France didn't even have the freedom to read what the wanted. So much was done in secret.

The author created a thrilling, exciting story about those that fought the Germans in secret. Page after page, their bravery came through. Page after page the reader is left wondering who to trust, who will help them. There are many heroes and heroines, but as in the war, many will not survive. You might want to have some tissues handy.

The epilogue is absolutely fantastic!!! Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. The Americans have arrived. The Germans are leaving. The town is punishing those that were Nazi sympathizers. They are looking for someone to blame, to take out their anger. As the main character, Marguerite, walks out into the sunshine you are left thinking what will happen next. There are so many possibilities, just like there were for the survivors of WW2. All will done with a broken heart after loosing so many that she held dear.

I have to admit that I gave up on this book very early on - I hate to leave a negative review, but this book is just not on par with the quality I like to read.

Have not been able to review yet due to illness, will review as soon as possible because this book looks fantastic and I imagine I will enjoy it greatly! Thank you to the publisher!

Marguerite Segal is an artist, she lives in a remote farmhouse with her friend Simone and near Cote d’Azur. First the Italians occupy the French Rivera, they leave and the Germans arrive. Marguerite is recruited by the British Intelligence, they want as much information as they can obtain about German defenses and the officer in charge Otto Schmidt and evidence of the war crimes he’s committed.

The plan is for her to meet a catholic priest Etienne Valade, he’s said to be collaborating with the Germans and Marguerite takes part in a church service. The only people present are German soldiers, the locals refuse to attend and hate anyone who they think is on the Germans side. Father Etienne isn’t what Marguerite is expecting, he’s younger and rather handsome. His family were art dealers before the war in Paris and they share a mutual interest, when Marguerite is seen visiting the priest, the citizens of Cote d’Azur question her loyalty and it puts her life in danger.

Marguerite is not only working for the British, she’s uses her skills as an artist to forge fake documents and she’s the only one able to do this. She and a network of others are protecting Jewish people, enemy aliens who haven’t been able to escape and helping the French resistance.

As the allies get closer, the Germans decide that if they can't keep the Riviera then no one else would have it, they start building anti-tank walls, and digging defense pits around the town and cover the coast in landmines and barbed wire. The people of Cote d’Azur are terrified, they stay off the streets and hide in their cellars.

I received a copy of The Secrets We Keep by Theresa Howes from HQ Digital and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It’s a story about the challenges and reprisals the people faced in the French Rivera during the Second World War, a place once known for it’s beauty, culture and high life. The narrative is about the cruelties of war, hardship, sacrifice, the risks the main characters took and the secrets they kept to protect their friends and loved ones. Four and a half stars from me and I highly recommend reading this book.

This book was a good one, but not as great as I had hoped. The story follows Marguerite, an artist who also forges documents for her comrades, as she and her friends attempt to survive in war time France. She is courageous and finds ways to get through the worst of times, but she seems to put herself in a ton of unnecessary trouble to make the plot better. I think that focusing on her life as a main character is important, but it was probably unlikely that there'd be a hate campaign by the Germans about just one woman.

I very much enjoyed this World War II historical fiction novel. It was simultaneously refreshing and really interesting and informative to read about how the war and eventual liberation affected the Mediterranean area and the South of France. There's so little written about this, as a great many books concentrate on the Normandy coast or Paris. This book definitely made me want to find out more about the South during the War. The author's detailed descriptions and vivid vocabulary immediately transported me and I was there, with Marguerite. My only negative was the abrupt and sudden ending. Sometimes a book does end without knowing what happened, but this was a really abrupt finish that actually felt unfinished. In my own imagination, I know who I would've liked Marguerite to be with but I think an epilogue would have been a better way to finish.

While I enjoyed the book, I felt the story ended very abruptly, even a quick epilogue to fill in what happened to Marguerite after WWII would've sufficed. While I was intrigued about Marguerite's hidden past, the reveal fell a little flat for me. I would've liked to have gotten some of the story from Father Etienne's point of view, some of his inner voice on his conflict of serving God and loving Marguerite. In all, I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favorite WWII novel, it was very middle of road for me.

I was given this book from netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read it.

The book was well-written, but it was similar to a lot of stories set in WWII France with a female main character. There was nothing in particular that grabbed my attention and made me want to rush to finish the book. The characters are interesting enough and the plot is enough to keep the reader interested.

This historical novel by Theresa Howes was similar to some other WWII historical novels that I have read. There is a plethora of these stories each with a different twist. I was not disappointed with "The Secrets We Keep". This novel touches upon the women who participated in the Resistance. This is a love story, but it is also a story of trust. Who is trustworthy? Ms Howes did a wonderful job of keeping my interest. Her writing is quite descriptive and I could visualize the scenes. I rated this book as a 4 star. Please note that I reserve a 5 star only for extraordinary books. If you like historical fiction dealing with WWII you will enjoy this book.

I enjoyed this novel very much! A good and complex plot has kept my attention all through the book! The characters were interesting even though I sometimes got irritated with Marguerite (that's not a bad thing!). I also found very interesting to read about WWII set in the South of France, particularly at the end of the war when all were waiting for the Allies.
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

This was a wonderful historical fiction book thre characters were great to connect with and thr storyline was wonderfully written. I like those kinda books they male you think of the past and what has happened. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher.

i don’t have a lot to say about this one - it’s a little plain, to be honest, and the characters didn’t grab my attention at all. it wasn’t as immersive as one would expect a ww2 histfic novel to be, and the writing was just kind of bland, to be honest. there was nothing too terrible about it, but nothing too remarkable, either.

note: the book isn’t featured on goodreads, so i couldn’t leave a review on the site.