A very interesting and enjoyable story. A dual time-line set in 1930's and present day it dealt with recent events such as Covid and the death of Queen Elizabeth. It also dealt with Hitler coming into power and the persecution of the Jews. I loved this story and was sorry to finish it. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - plenty of reviews like that out there already.

This is my second read by Daisy Wood, and I really enjoyed it. I'm always a fan of stories involving libraries, books, history and dual timelines - so this was a perfect mix for me!

It's clear that the author has done a lot of research into the history behind this novel. I was shocked by the events in the Prater in the early part of the book, which were apparently based on real life, making it even more dreadful!

The characters are very well written, and the descriptions of all the settings make it easy to picture the scenes. My favourite character was Sophie, who faced up to huge difficulties with great courage. I was quite surprised to read about the living conditions for the staff at Windsor Castle during the war, and enjoyed the interactions between Sophie and the young princesses. I felt that Sophie's story ended rather suddenly - it would have been interesting to hear more about what happened from her point of view, although we do get an inkling later.

I look forward to reading more books from Daisy Wood.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

This was an excellent read, I could not put it down. The suspense, the character develipment, the mystery, they were all very good.

A beautiful story told across two timelines. The plot itself has a little bit of everything - it talks about family, spies, a royal librarian! And the plot comes together beautifully at the end of the book!

In 1940: secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside. But when she learns that Windsor is compromised, Sophie must sacrifice everything she knows to save the future queen of England…

In resent day Philadelphia, looking through her grandmother's papers, Lacey Jones comes across a mysterious letter stamped with the Windsor Castle crest. But how did it come to be in her family's possession? It leads Lacey to England to find the answers.

Daisy Wood has done it again with this newest book. As a retired librarian, the title immediately caught my attention along with the author who I have read before. It was so well written, concise with no lagging in the story line, and I could not put it down! She gave insight into life in the castle for the young woman who would become Queen Elizabeth as well as her younger sister Margaret. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book. I highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book having read previous books by this Author I knew I would enjoy it and I did .Such an interesting read ,set in two timelines 1938 and 2021 the story travels from Vienna to Windsor UK to the USA .A wonderful story about Family ,War ,secrets ,spies ,love and finally the truth .The characters were very interesting .I look forward to the next historical book by Daisy Wood .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

What a wonderful historical fiction read set in both Windsor, 19040 and present day Philadelphia. A dual timeline story that takes you from past to present when Lacey Jones finds an interesting letter in her grandmothers possessions. The letter has the stamp of the Windsor Castle crest and so begins an interesting and intriguing story of secrets past and present.

The story started off a bit slowly but the story and tension built throughout with mystery that kept me turning the pages. This book is well written and obviously involve much research which adds depth to the story. The characters are wonderful and strong, the story is written in a way that sets up intrigue and builds it throughout. I love the library theme and found this to be a wonderful, heartfelt and interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Avon for providing me with a copy, in exchange for an honest review*

This is the second novel I've read by Daisy Wood, and I love her writing. I admire that this is about a librarian, particularly a royal librarian. One of the first things that captured my attention about the book was the intriguing storyline. However, I felt it took a few chapters to get into the story itself. As the story progressed, I became engrossed and unable to put it down. I was desperate to find out how it would end. My main interest was to see if Sophie would reunite with her sister at some point in the story.

I enjoy books that alternate between two timelines, and I have read several over the years. In this book, I preferred Sophie's story over Lacey's. I did enjoy Lacey's story, but some parts felt a bit slow. I found the parts where she was trying to uncover what happened to Sophie to be particularly interesting, but other parts seemed to drag on. I admired Lacey's determination to uncover the truth about Sophie. There were so many emotions in this book, and I found myself being able to feel every single one of them.

This author has quickly become a favorite of mine. This book is another amazing example of why I love her writing. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

My first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Told from past and present times, we first find ourselves in Austria just as the Nazis invade. Sophie and Hanna are two sisters who flee from the country to safety, Hanna with an American family and Sophie to England where she becomes the Librarian in Windsor Castle, gathering information about the former King and his German acquaintances. In the present day, we meet Lacey who discovers her grandmother is hiding a secret from her past, and Lacey finds herself on a journey to find out what that secret is.

I wasn't expecting the dual timelines in this book, but I thought they worked really well. The story of the two girls in Austria was heart-breaking and you could feel the sadness and fear coming through the pages. I really liked Sophie's character, she was such a strong, level-headed young woman. Hanna was only young when she left Austria, but being separated from her sister brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't sure where Lacey's story was going and it does have a bit of a twist which was cleverly worked in. Her journey was interesting and I loved heading off to Windsor, a place I know well.

Both stories were full of secrets which slowly unravel as the book moves on. I equally enjoyed both perspectives, although the past storyline moved slower than the present. The past was historically correct and well researched and both past and present held my attention through to the end. An emotional read at times, and one which I would recommend if you like historical fiction.

This was the perfect book for any book lover who adores historical fiction. This melding of times was done so perfectly and I was keen to read on and learn all. I adored this book and love Wood's writing, this one did not disappoint. An amazing story told with such grace.

This is a dual timeline story about two Austrian sisters, Hanna and Sophie, at the beginning of the Nazi age in 1938 and Hanna’s granddaughter Lacey in the present. After much struggle to escape their homeland, Hanna goes to America with an American family and her older sister Sophie becomes the Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle, as well as a spy for British intelligence. In the present, Lacey discovers a letter to her grandmother from Windsor Castle and embarks on a journey to discover what happened to her great aunt Sophie, whom she never knew existed. The story follows the challenges of all three women and their struggles to overcome.

I found the story to move quite slowly in the beginning and was surprised that the move to Windsor Castle didn’t happen until halfway through the book. The intensity of the emotion and desperation of all the characters in the first half of the book was very effectively written and the intrigues and searching in the second half were equally satisfying. Daisy Wood is definitively skilled at writing good characters and ensuring the plot is historically accurate. I was especially intrigued by the difficult living conditions at Windsor she described Sophie and the other staff as having to endure. Sophie’s dilemma in maintaining her cover as a spy and still saving the lives of the young princesses was very well handled. I definitely would have liked to read more of the story from Sophie’s perspective once she was jailed at the end of the book. I felt her storyline was abruptly dropped and could have been more satisfying if continued. The overall book was quite enjoyable, however, and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Oh, wow! I'm not a huge historical fiction reader, but I couldn't put this one down! Loved the connection between past and present. Wonderful storytelling!

What a powerful and affecting story. I was rapt. This is a dual timeline novel and I was happy to find both the 1940s and contemporary stories compelling. There was mystery and depth for both female main characters that kept me turning pages late into the night. I adored all the settings. East Coast United States, Windsor Castle and Austria.

Books centered on female family bonds really speak to me, and this one delivered. Loving, complicated, tested. Gubby, the grandmother, was such a fun and resilient matriarch.

I have put off this review for a month because the story hit me so hard with grief - I was sobbing reading at 1am. This is my fault. I usually know to avoid WWII books due to my lower threshold for traumatic subject material since becoming a mom. Reading the description, I thought it would be a much more distanced perspective of WWII being centered in the British Royal Library. If you are thinking the same thing please be warned that we don’t reach Britain until 50% through. The historical fiction story’s first half takes place in Austria during the early Nazi German occupation.

Having said that, there was clear purpose and depth in the painful moments both to portray the real tension and cruelty of the time and to create emotional investment in the characters. I was especially intrigued by Sophie’s perspective. It was my first read centered around how Jewish families were ripped apart by the war and sent to different corners of the world in hopes of survival.

The ending left me stunned. Bittersweet and sincere. I cried some more. Some parts of this story were wrapped up a little too nicely in ways that pulled me out of the story. Others were left painfully undone. Upon longer reflection I see that sharp contrast is just like life and especially this time period. For all the way it tore me up it also stitched me back together just enough.

This book had equal parts heart and thrill, and I am sure I will read more Daisy Wood as I find the emotional capacity. She’s a gifted storyteller.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

Each book that I read by Daisy Wood just gets better and better. The royal librarian is a beautiful story about what it means to live in fear, to trust, And hope for the future. Sophie is a refugee from Austria living in the British castle working as a librarian and spy for the British intelligence center. Her sister Hannah was sent to America before the war began and Sophie hasn’t seen her since. It is only decades later when Hannah’s grandchild finds an old letter that the past comes to light. A lovely story that will bring you peace and hope. I know you’ll love it!
Also, the narrator did a fabulous job!

We start in Austria just before Hitler took over. The family was an industrious hard working one. Father of Jewish origin working in the National Library and his wife a talented baker. Two little girls. On Hanna’s birthday the nightmare began with their father being beaten to death before their eyes, and their mother taken away never to be seen again. Sophie is now in charge of Hanna with no place to go and no adult to guide them.

The story is long and complicated. Hanna ends up in America with a foster family who love her dearly. Sophie ends up as the Royal Librarian at Windsor. The story moves then to Hanna’s family in America who discovers their grandmothers roots - that she was born in Vienna, and that she has a sister. Gubby as she is affectionately known has never disclosed any of this. Confronted by her place of birth she explains to Lacey her grand daughter the broad outline of what she remembers leaving lot of detail out. Lacey takes it on herself to pursue looking for the grand aunt they never knew existed and uncovers the exciting and very unusual story of Sophie Klein.

Spanning Europe and America, in different eras with a different culture in each this family saga is a wonderful read. It covers history in great detail especially the time of Chamberlain followed by Churchill, the turbulent Royal history of the time with the abdication of Edward and the glamour and power that Wallis Simpson wielded.

An Austrian family with Jewish roots is torn apart by the war when both parents lose their lives to the nazis and sisters, Sophie and Hannah are separated. Younger sister Hannah escapes with an American couple who are rescuing children &returning to the states to place them in new homes. Older sister Sophie goes into service as a Royal librarian at Windsor Castle. Dual timelines between the war and the present find us meeting Hanna's granddaughter Lacey as she discovers long kept secrets and sets on a journey to unveil the past and bring peace to the present. And, Lacey may just find her own peace through this process. Beautiful historical fiction!

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of The Royal Librarian in exchange for an honest review.

The book has two timelines: one is with Sophie in the late 1930’s in Europe wartimes and the other is with Lacey in the present 2020’s in the United States and onto London as she goes in exploration of her family history.

We follow Sophie through the beginnings of the war in Austria and the Nazi reign as she escapes to Britain to become the Royal Librarian. Alternatively we follow Lacey in present day trying to figure out who Sophie is and what happened to her.

I struggled with the two timelines at first as the jump was jarring between the two. I couldn’t really get into the present day one and could have done without the COVID commentary. I think I would have enjoyed this more without the present day timeline. That part just dragged things out.

We don’t actually make it to the library until 50 - 60% of the story and things don’t really pick up until the last 20%, but by that point I was skimming to get to the end. If this has not been an ARC I would have dropped out much sooner. Unfortunately I just didn’t jive with it. I enjoy more character based historical fiction and this was not that.

Interesting historical fiction. I always enjoy a good dual timeline. A little slow at times but overall a good story. Thanks for the advanced copy.

The Royal Librarian tells the story of two sisters from Vienna, Austria, in 1938. Sophie is 16 and Hanna is 9 when their country falls under Hitler and the Nazi regime. Their father has recently become unemployed due to his Jewish heritage, and though their mother is Catholic, the danger to the girls is clear. This book was very well written and researched and one I would highly recommend.

I really, really enjoy reading historical fiction, so when I found this on Netgalley I couldn't help myself and I had to ask Avon Books for a digital copy in exchange of an honest review... so here it is!

This story takes places in two diffrent timelines. The first goes back and forth from 1938 to 1940 and during WWII, when war is over Great Britain. And the second one takes place on 2022, with Lacey as our main character, who's digging through her great aunt's family tree and comes across a book with the stamp of Windsor Castle's royal library. This unravels the main plot for this story: Lacey following a quest to find out the story behind this book and the mysterious Sophie Klein.

I really loved reading this book thanks to the dual timeline, because it's so WELL WRITTEN!!!! But, nevertheless, I found some parts to be a bit slow... I really found the past timeline more interesting and hooking than the 2022 timeline.

It's a very interesting story, well written and will probably keep everyone hooked (for the majority of the book). The characters are so well written that you certainly end up feeling they were real, and the pacing is great. I feel like, if you like historical fiction and books in general, you'll certainly enjoy this one.