3.5/4 stars⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the digital e-arc of this book. I loved the dual timeline throughout this book and I will definitely be reading more of Daisy Woods books in the future. I like the idea that it's set around 1940 and the Second World War which is interesting to read.

I liked the dual timelines and the family legacy that connected them.
This story has good characters and a really interesting premise that I hadn't read about before.
A great book for book clubs, with lots to discuss.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

WWII historical fiction novels are one of my literary weaknesses, so I jumped at the chance to read "The Royal Librarian". Told across dual timelines and perspectives, this novel takes a look at the years leading up to WWII within Great Britain and the impacts those events still have on the present day.

In Vienna 1938, Sophie Klein watches as her country and family begin to change with the looming threat of Hitler and the Nazi forces. When she loses both of her parents unexpectedly, she desperately looks for a path to safety for herself and her younger sister Hanna. Because of her father's professional and her own adeptness with English, she's recruited to serve as the assistant to the Royal Librarian in Windsor Castle and to keep watch over the actions and communications of the Royal Family. It's a brand new environment for Sophie, and she's abruptly forced to get up to speed on her new job, while many of her new colleagues view her suspiciously given the country she grew up in.

In 2021 in the the suburbs of Philadelphia, aspiring writer Lacey Jones returns back to visit family. She has a rocky relationship with her mother and misses her older sister Jess who's moved to Canada after getting married, but treasures the time with her grandmother Gubby. There isn't much that Gubby has shared about her past, but when Lacey unexpectedly stumbles across dated documents showing that her grandmother was originally born in Austria and was adopted to the states as a young child, she realizes there's much more to her family's past than she originally thought. Despite her grandmother's stubbornness to say more, Lacey makes the journey to the UK to uncover what she can - and finds even more than she expected to.

I've read my fair share of this genre, but appreciated the unique setting "The Royal Librarian" centered on, in less central locations in the years leading up to the war. The alterations across timelines and perspectives were smoothly done, and I felt like each protagonist had sufficient time and care given to them to develop well-rounded characters that strengthened over time. In Sophie, we meet a strong-willed and resourceful individual determined to do the right thing; and in Lacey, we find a young woman who's coming to terms with her own trauma and finding her own voice. There were time I did struggle with the complexities of politics and the number of individuals at Windsor Castle, and I also felt like the focus on romantic partners for both women was distracting at times as well.

Nonetheless an adventurous and enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion and recommended for readers when "The Royal Librarian" is published in April 2024!

The title instantly drew me to this book and from the first page to the last I couldn't stop reading. The story of brave Sophie Klein and to Lacey, both of their stories, decades apart, made me want to keep reading, to know what was happening next. I'm a big fan of the British royal family and there was details in this book even I didn't know. I love the journey that the two main characters went on, wanting both of them to finally get their happy ever after.

Daisy has wrote this book fanastically that I wanted to keep reading, wanting to finish the book but also not wanting to leave the characters. It was a journey and even finding out more about a time in Britain's and Europe's history that is so black.

Thank you for writing this book Daisy and for the publishers/NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

The Royal Librarian - Daisy Woods

This book has two timelines in the life of one family. Sophie and Hanna escape Austria just before the second world war after their parents (part Jewish) are murdered by the Nazi's. Hanna is taken to America to start a new life and Sophie who is older manages to get to England and with her and her father's history in the library archives gets a job as the assistant royal librarian at Windsor Castle. This comes at a price and she has to spy for M15 translating and collecting any information on Wallis and Simpson's relationship with Adolf Hitler, Whilst there she uncovers some sensitive material going missing. However being Austrian does not help people believing her side to the story when there is a plot to kidnap the royal princesses by Fascists.

In modern times we find that Hanna now an elderly woman has never told her family about having a sister Sophie or the fact that she had to flee from Austria. Her granddaughter Lacey finds an intriguing letter in her grandmothers possessions that sets her on a journey to England to find out what happened to Sophie.

I found the two timelines easy to follow and the characters lives interesting to follow. Looking at life in Windsor Castle at the outbreak of war felt it could have been real and the fact that some of the characters had been real people in their day made it more realistic.

The World War 2 story in itself did not necessarily need the modern day story to enhance it as it stood on its own but it gave the story added depth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and will read more of Daisy's work.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy..

Daisy Wood's "The Royal Librarian" is just the kind of book I enjoy: (British) history, libraries, and family legacies. It is told from two perspectives - Sophie, who is a refugee in England during WWII, and Lacey, a writer living in "post"-Covid Philadephia. As an archivist and librarian, I was somewhat concerned about the way archives research is portrayed, but I liked the book. I think it might be the first one that I've read that incorporates the Covid experience without it being about the pandemic. Kudos to Wood for writing about WWII in a new way!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

I think the premise and the concept of the book were really good, however for me the writing felt a little lackluster and I just couldn't really get into the story.

Another fabulous read by author Daisy Wood. All the elements are included, mystery, espionage, love and events of WW2 history that affected so many people and of the risks taken by parents to keep their children safe. The book is written in two time zones, 1938 Vienna and 2021 Philadelphia.

Vienna: Ingrid, is a mother of two daughters and owner of a patisserie, one that has a high reputation, however when the Nazis come looking for her talented pastry chef, a Jewish girl, a decision is made that Sophie and Hanna leave the country. Their father is Jewish, not a practicing one but the Nazis do not discriminate on this account. He was a conservator and curator at the National Library but has been in a state of depression since he was dismissed. Sophie has been working at the local library since she turned sixteen and had hoped to follow in her father's footsteps. Sister Hanna is ten years younger than Sophie and for which Sophie feels a real sense of responsibility. During a day in the park for Hanna's birthday, her father along with other Jewish men are picked out by the Nazis and forced into activities that result in the death of the girls’ father. Their mother in admonishing them is taken away. The girls are left to defend for themselves.

Philadelphia: Sisters Lacey and Jess, two very different young women. Jess is married with children while Lacey unlucky in love is a ghost writer, the lockdown with Covid suited her personality, working from home and being in her own space.

In Vienna the wartime story emerges. Due to a rather loud and outspoken new friend when she becomes aware that Sophie knows the man Mr Sinclair from the British Embassy she pushes forward through the crowd of desperate people and through this they obtain an interview and with assistance, arrangements are made for Hanna to to be sent to the United States. After saying her goodbyes to Hanna at the station and distraught at realising that she is alone in the world Sophie finds herself being ushered into a taxi by Mrs Slater from the Embassy to a meeting with Mr Sinclair who together reveal that they are more than just Embassy staff and that they have a proposition for Sophie for which sees her safe in England and working in a fabulous position as well as for the British Intelligence Service.

Hanna grows up in a loving family and has a wonderful life but for one factor, her adoptive mother, kept secrets from her. Now in 2021 she has two grown up granddaughters, Lacey and Jess. Her nickname is Gubby. Lacey discovers her grandmother’s origin while looking to find her passport; she also discovers a letter with a royal marking. This discovery upsets the two, Gubby angry at the intrusion and Lacey by her response. At the unsurprise 93rd birthday celebration at Jess's, the truth of Hanna's origin and adoption is revealed. An angry response by her daughter Adele follows who is horrified at this truth telling. As a nine year old Gubby's memory now as a ninety three year old is vague and apart from the death of her father at the Prater, her memory of her departure from Vienna by train is confused.

A good mystery needs to be solved and Lacey is the obvious one to do this. She heads for England where the events of what happened to Sophie are revealed.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

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 has a dual timeline with Lacey, set in 2021, who is Hanna's granddaughter. Lacey's storyline was less interesting, but was a necessary piece of the puzzle. I do admire her tenacity in searching for her family's legacy so she can honor her grandmother.

The ugly series of events that leaders to Sophie and Hanna becoming orphans will be familiar to avid WWII readers. However, I greatly enjoyed the elements of the Royal Family and Windsor as a setting for much of the novel. The likelihood of this series of events occuring does not seem at all outrageous to me, but the BRF is unlikely to ever admit there was danger to the future monarch.

This book was very well written and researched, I found it hard to put down.

The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood is a historical fiction novel that focused on Sophie, who working in the Royal Library in the Windsor Castle in 1940 and Lacey, who is trying to solve the mystery of her grandmother’s sister in present time. Sophie’s story begins in Austria during the invasion by the Nazis. She has a harrowing time trying to protect her sister, Hanna. She is able to secure an exit to the US for her sister and a job in the Royal Library for herself. Lacey discovers that her grandmother was adopted and finds a letter from her sister, Sophie, that sends her on a trip to the UK to find out what happened to her. Sophie’s story is one of courage, betrayal, and sacrifice. The story is revealed in a clever way between the two timelines.

I recommend this book for historical fiction readers who are also curious about the Windsor castle and Royal Library. My favorite parts of the book were the interactions between Sophie and the princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret. It’s a lovely idea to think of the Queen as a little girl, the author does a wonderful job bringing her to life.

Thank you Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This book will be released April 11, 2024.

Where should I start. I believe I already mentioned it once that I actually don't like to read about the suffering and abuse of the wars, but nevertheless as I found out, that Daisy Wood is going to release a new book of hers I wanted to read it.
Her books are incredible, past mixed with present times. The reveal of old family secrets or untold truths.
Those stories make us think about the gruesomeness and horrors of the time of WWII and about how lucky we've been to live in times like these, although unfortunately there is always some war in the world.
I would also like to say "hats off" to the author as the research that had to be done to get this book written, has had to be intense and deep.
I have to admit I was smitten with the book's main characters, Sophie's dedication and loyalty to the new country and its people, which was out of this world and Lacey's commitment to keep digging to discover the truth.
Anyway I would really like to say, that this book is a worth to read.

This is the most touching story. Two sisters torn apart by war and destined to live very different lives.
The story is moving and there were many ‘chance’ meetings for Sophie at Windsor which mapped out her life.
It was, in some ways, a gentle story as, despite the war, people were drawn together in an atmosphere of comradeship and camaraderie. I was left feeling sad that these sisters spent their lives apart, never to meet again. Through their next generations however, some of those threads were drawn together and old hurts were healed and new relationships and memories created.
A truly enjoyable book with a lovely ending.
This book is highly recommended, as are all of this author’s books.

For fans of Historical fiction, this book is a winner. Set in two time periods, the reader meets two strong women (Sophie and Lacey). who lives intersect with the latter finding a letter with the Windsor Royal Crest among her grandmother's belongings. How did the letter get there sends Lacey to London where she finds the truth about her unknown great Aunt. We meet Sophie (Lacey's aunt) in the Royal Library during WWII sorting papers while also trying to uncover a secret plot which could harm the Royal Family. Filled with historical facts (the invasion of Austria by the Nazis, the abdication of Edward VIII, etc.), the book is a thriller through out. I particularly enjoyed the parts with the young Elizabeth and her sister Margaret. I plan to go back and read the the author's other books. I highly recommend it.

The Royal Librarian
by Daisy Wood
Pub Date: April 11, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I really enjoyed Daisy Woods other books, but this one has fallen a bit flat for me. I found the story a bit far fetched and predictable.

Told in a dual timeline, the story starts at the time of the Anschluss in 1938 in Austria and ends in 2022 in the United States. It covers themes of betrayal, scurrilous journalism and the effects secrets can have on a family. This story is interesting we have no shortage of information of what was happening at the time. By featuring real people and their lives with fictional characters the author has giving us a tale that could be as true to life as possible. “The Royal Librarian” is an interesting recreation of a moment in time and is played out by wonderful and well-drawn characters. In whole this story is easy to stay with it, the pacing is steady and the narrative is quite engaging.

Most historical fiction enthusiast should love this one.
4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #theroyallibrarian #netgalley

Lacey finds out that her Grandmother is actually from Vienna and not USA from her passport that her mum asks her to check and while she's checking she finds a letter from the sister no one knew her grandmother had. This is a dual timeline that follows the life of her grandmother and her sister as well as the journey Lacey embarks on to find the truth.

It was the title and the cover which drew me to this book after I was looking for a dual timeline historical novel.

This book covers some very emotional topics which are often unspoken about and not brought to the forefront of history. It also covers fictitious events that if they'd have happened and very well could have the whole of British history would have been changed.

This author is fantastic. Her writing just jumps off the page at you making you want to read on. One minute you think you know what's coming and then BANG its turned a different way. Dual timelines are very difficult to pull off but this author gives you enough to be interested and slip a little more out and then the timeline changes and your wanting more from these characters so they know what you know or for them to tell you more.

The only thing I would comment on is that for the first half you were unsure really were Lacey fitted in and what she would be doing because all you got from her chapters was her present day life and that she'd found the passport information. There was no hint she was interested in researching what she'd found until the second half.

3.5 ⭐

Birthdays are for celebrating …

…for nine-year-old Hanna Klein, it’s one birthday she’s never forgotten. This birthday marked a turning point in the Klein family history and has haunted her and her older sister, Sophie, every day since 1938.

In 1940 Sophie leaves Vienna for Windsor, England after being hired by the British government as a spy. Thanks in part to her German language, she’s placed in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. One day she discovers that Windsor is indeed compromised and she’s forced to sacrifice again to save the future queen of England.

Eighty-four years later, Lacey Jones discovers an envelope with the Windsor Castle crest in her grandmother’s belongings and it results in a long-held burden being released. To cut a long story short, Gubby's 93rd birthday is one worth remembering!

I loved getting back to Windsor Castle through an armchair travel. I was able to picture Sophie and the royals because of a tour we took through the castle. I’m a royal watcher and loved reading out Sophie interacting with the princesses. I appreciated the ‘visit’ to Frogmore House and laughed at both the coal bin and the couch-surfing incident.

Wood’s story examines the flames of hatred that we nurse, the things we want to forget, the things we must remember, and the fight to survive. Woods reminds us that our stories and our love carry on.

I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I really enjoyed Daisy Woods other books, but this one has fallen a bit flat for me. I found the story a bit far fetched and predictable.

Told in a dual timeline, the story starts at the time of the Anschluss in 1938 in Austria and ends in 2022 in the United States. It covers themes of betrayal, scurrilous journalism and the effects secrets can have on a family.

I found the character development a bit lacking and so it was hard to really care about them, particularly the present day characters.

It’s difficult to fictionalize real events sometimes and even more so to fictionalize something that has been speculated about, but is not necessarily the truth. The British Royal Family definitely falls into this category and it’s hard to make substance out of speculation.

I ask thought some of the backstory involving Lacey was unnecessary.

So overall, it was worth the read, just not a book I loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction set around WW2 might be my niche favorite genre. This book has it all. It starts in Austria with the horrors of Nazi occupation, displacement (and worse) of families, and the fight for freedom. It then follows our heroine, Sophie, as she sets out for London to serve as an Assistant Librarian in the Royal Library at Windsor. The author describes every setting with such skillful detail, I feel like I've seen it with my own eyes. The characters seem real to me (to be fair, some are). As Sophie's story unfolds, a young American woman, Lacey, learns that her grandmother was born in Austria and has a secret past. As past and present converge, we learn about Sophie's life. Drama, mystery, a dash of romance, and loads of history. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction.

Wow! What a great read. Very informative. This book has it all, espionage, war, deception, triumph over wrong, friendships, love, loyalty, family. Heartbreaking and heartwarming read. Characters are spot on. Storyline kept my attention from first page to the last. Must read. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

As always Daisy Wood succeeds in putting you in the middle of whatever time and place she decides to write about. In the Royal Librarian she jumps between the years of the second world war and 2022 and bases her story mainly around Windsor Castle. It was very easy to quickly become invested both in Sophie and her young relative Lacey and their very different problems. Life in Windsor Castle sounds fascinating and I really felt as if I was there with Sophie at times. A very enjoyable book that has certainly made me want to carry on seeking out more of Daisy Wood's books to enjoy. A 5* recommendation from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own