What a beautiful debut novel. I really enjoyed this gripping and heartbreaking wartime story about love, sacrifice, espionage, romance, secrets and lies. It’s deeply moving and I was totally hooked from start to finish. With an interesting storyline it’s easy to follow and is atmospheric.
It explores Rose and Walter’s story, told in different POV’s of Rose, England 1940 and Emma 1990, starting when Emma inherits Silverwood Vale from her Great Aunt Rose. The dual time line adds depth to the story and the hidden secrets bought suspense. It’s well written, interweaving between the two timelines to slowly reveal the story and join it all up together nicely. It’s a captivating story with characters you fall in love with and the author captures the emotions and struggles of the characters perfectly. It has a good mix of history, mystery and romance.
Overall, a well paced, enjoyable story. Well worth the read.
Definitely recommend if you enjoy historical fiction.
With thanks to #NetGallery @bookouture for an arc of #HerSecretSoldier in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 12 September 2024.

Her Secret Soldier by Julie Hartley is a brilliant book here. It captured me from the first page to the last. A heartwarming historical fiction novel.
It was an engaging read with a delightful set of characters.
This book is a must read for lovers of historical fiction.

This is an unique read.
England is next on Hitler’s radar.
In addition to the a blitz bombings, German spies are sent to England I’ll equipped and not trained. This story reflects challenges these Germans had.
There is adventure, mistrust, and suspense moments throughout the story. There is also love and loyalty.
Trigger warning for anyone who can’t handle domestic violence.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Rose and sister Evelyn Tilburn are quite used to seeking refuge in the local woods to het away from their stepfather Norman, so after Evelyn stands up to Norman and leaves home Rose continues to escape to the woods. One day Rose sees a parachute fall into the woods and decides sh will see if she can find it. When she comes upon the soldier, Rose thinks he’s dead, then discover he’s injured. It’s not until she hear to accent that she decides it would be unwise to take him into the village because he’s German. Is this wise or will Norman who is a police sergeant discover him?

Fifty years on and great niece Emma has been left silverwood vale by Rose. When Emma arrives from Canada and discovers the remains of the cottage she fails to understand how anyone could live there, secluded from society and sets out to discover how Rose managed to live so close yet so far from her family without their knowledge.

On the whole I enjoyed the book although I felt it hard to understand, if Rose was sending her works around the country how did she manage to promote them when she was living undercover? How come Tristan hadn’t come across Walter before !
It definitely felt rushed at the end.

Literally a German soldier falls out of the sky…well, from an aircraft with a parachute. Rose’s life is turned upside down as she rescues him. Then she has to decide her next steps, & if he can be trusted. A totally riveting & intriguing read. Dual timeline, 1940 & 1990, both set in the Uk. It’s so very different from the norm WW2 story. Emma, has her own challenges, & decisions to make, as she too stops & listens to the layers like Rose. Nature isn’t just something we need, “it is what we are”. Highly recommend this very interesting, well written book.

It was England, 1940 and Rose was still sad her sister Eleanor had left them for the bright lights of London; left their sick mother and brutal step-father Norman. Rose was doing her best to care for her mam, but being in the presence of Norman made her want to flee like Eleanor had. The night she was breathing in the fresh salt air, away from their cottage, and saw a plane fly over and a parachute fall from its innards, Rose had no idea her life was about to become even more complicated. For the injured airman was Walter, a reluctant German spy, who wanted to hand himself in as soon as his feet hit the ground. Rose persuaded him otherwise, as the law had changed and Germans on British soil were to be executed. Could she hide him, and tend to his injuries? Should she?

1990, Canada, and Emma had received a letter from solicitors in England, stating she'd been left a significant parcel of land and small cottage by her Great Aunt Rose, a woman Emma had never met. Emma flew to England, leaving her husband Mike behind, with the intention of selling the land and cottage. But what she learned about Great Aunt Rose, astounded her. Who was this reclusive old lady who'd buried herself away in the forest called Silverwood Vale? And how had she come to own the forest which housed such beauty?

Her Secret Soldier is an exceptional historical novel, based on fact, by Julie Hartley, which I loved. A heartbreaking story, but a story of hope and love, of resilience and courage, and one of trust; following Rose's journey was an inspiration. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for my digital ARC to read and review.

An atmospheric book with a good mix of history, mystery, and romance. While it took a while for me to become engrossed, the story and characters continue to stay with me long after finishing the book. I typically don’t enjoy dual timelines but this was very well done. At times, the action and characterizations were unbelievable and melodramatic, but it kept things exciting so I won’t complain too much. Overall, it was a heartwarming story that made me feel things.

A beautiful novel inspired by a true story about war and a forbidden love. Rose’s and Emma’s stories touched me deeply in so many ways. Without ever having met, Emma had a strong emotional connection to Rose. The powerful conclusion was incredible!!
It’s always difficult to read about war and the holocaust but as readers we learn from history and I will continue to mourn the individuals who suffered and sacrificed their lives.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This moves between 1940 and 1990 to tell the story of Rose and Walter, a young British woman and a German sent to the UK as a spy. Rose's niece Emma, in 1990, arrives in Silverdale to sell the land Rose has left her and discovers there's a mystery ,one which dates from WWII. And that's the more interesting story, the story of a forbidden love. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of the WWII novel.

This book had a very interesting storyline - but I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed. I feel there were a few details from the story that were left unaddressed, even in the end. For example, it was stated throughout the “present” chapters that some of the townspeople hated Rose, for “what she did” - but never actually stated what she did. There were a few things I can speculate about, but a more clearer picture would have been nice.

Rose, a young woman growing up during WWII in a coastal town in England called Lowbury. Her mother is slowly dying, her step-father is an abusive drunk, and her older sister left the family for London. Rose is expected to keep house for her stepfather and sick mother. Her life is mundane, uneventful, and boring - until one day, she meets a man Walter. He’s handsome, he’s kind, he shares in her love of nature . . But, he’s a German soldier/spy. He claims he hates Germany and wants to surrender to England, but can he be trusted?

4/4 due to the unanswered plot lines, otherwise a very good read!

Really enjoyed this book. Full of forbidden romance, secrets and lies! Love a Ww2 book and this was up there with the best of them!

Excellent dual timeline novel based in the 1940’s and 1990’s. Hartley delves into Roses and Walter’s life/ love story.
Thie book is well written and interweaves between the two time periods to slowly but solidly reveal the story.
A good read, well paced and enjoyable

Set in 1940 and 1990 this is a dual timeline story. Emma, in 1990, discovers she had a great-aunt Rose, who disappeared during the second world war and who has lately died and left a tract of land to her, called Silverwood Vale in the English countryside. Emma lives in Canada and is having problems in her marriage. She decides to fly to England to sell the land while she decides what to do with her life. When she arrives she starts to delve into Rose's life and what she discovers astonishes her.
I found it hard to rate this book. Silverwood Vale is really the central character. Rose and Walter's relationship while strained at the start, turns out to be lovely. Her story has the most page time. She had a pretty miserable life until she found Walter in the woods. I learned stuff about WWII that I hadn't previously known. I love this when you read something in a fictional story, based on real happenings that has you looking up information afterwards.
The story overall just didn't grab me. I felt like there was a lot of stuff left hanging. I needed more explanations of some events. Still I'm in the minority here as I know lots of people loved it. If you like stories set in WWII then try it because it comes at the war from a different angle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of this book.

It is WWII and Rose lives at home with her sick mother and aggressive step father. Her sister is engaged to a service man and has left home to live in London. Rose does not see any light in her life until she discovers a German spy in Silverwood Vale Forest close to her home. Walter has been sent as a spy as part of Operation Lena, an ill conceived program by the Germans. Walter is determined to give himself up but Rose and he find a connection and she hides him in an abandoned cottage in the forest with Rose’s help.
In 1990 Emma who lives in Canada discovers she has inherited a parcel of land and a cottage in England from a Great Aunt she knew very little about. She travels to London to learn more about her inheritance and in the process we learn about Rose’s incredible life and the life of the forest.
We are taken on a journey through a dual time line that is filled with nature, family secrets, loyalty and love.
A wonderful weekend read !

I enjoyed how this book switched between the 1940s and 1990s as it explored Roses and Walter’s story. It kept my attention as each puzzle piece was slowly revealed and finally all joined together.

When Rose found an injured German soldier hanging from a tree in a nearby woods, she took him to a small cabin to heal. Walter wanted to stop the German plans for sabotaging London. Escaping from a brutal step-father, Rose helps Walter at her own peril. Their kindness and love of nature combine for adventures that saved lives during the blitz and an old growth forest. Her Secret Soldier, by Julie Hartley, is a very different WWII story and well worth the read. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

I am always drawn to stories about world war 2, the tenacity and resilience of the generations that lived through this difficult period in history. This is a story of secret love, trust, families over 2 time periods 1940 and 1990 and the joy nature can bring in times of uncertainty. I loved the story that intertwined the 2 time periods withe the war and trust at its heart.

What a great historical WWII fiction debut novel! I thoroughly enjoyed the book, reading it in less than 24 hours. With the dual timeline routine in books, movies, and TV getting rather stale, Julie Hartley wrote a beautiful tale of love and loss using this style of writing. Her Secret Soldier has found a permanent place in my heart and on my bookshelf.

Easy to read, and far easier to become lost in the woods alongside Rose and her German lover, a downed German spy sent to England to help Hitler with his desire to invade the British Isles, this new author kept me glued to the story with only a few breaks for a walk, a refill of the coffee pot, and 40 winks. The tale was refreshing, bringing to light a few details I hadn’t known about Hitler’s use of spies, many having little idea of the British way of life, the language, or the terrain.
This poignant tale of love and loss tugs at the heartstrings. The prose is beautiful, the settings are rich and well-developed, and the characters are well-developed.

If you love WWII historical fiction, you must read this unputdownable story.

I started reading at 6 PM on a Friday, slept for three hours, made a pot of coffee, and picked up the book because I simply had to keep reading. A book rarely calls to me like Her Secret Soldier has. I highly recommend this book and this new author to all historical fiction lovers, especially those with a deep love of WWII historical fiction.

Who says you can’t find love with the enemy? Julie Hartley’s character, Rose, proves that compassion always makes sense.

I loved the book and can’t wait to read more of this author’s work. It's a five-star read all the way around.

Thank you to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Julie Hartley for the opportunity to read this free advanced copy. This review is voluntary and mine alone.

Operation Lena, the German espionage operation in Britain, turned out to be one of the least successful spy missions of World War II. Plotting an invasion of the United Kingdom in 1940 – codenamed Operation Sea Lion – the Nazis sent spies to gather intelligence across the English Channel.

England 1940, and Rose is about to come face to face with one of these German spies. Seeing a parachute crash into the woods she rushes to help and discovers a young soldier. Her instinct is to help him but when he speaks she discovers that he’s a German named Walter. He admits that he’s a spy but tells her that he’s been made to do it and will do whatever it takes to sabotage the Nazis plans - he has no desire to harm anyone. Does she believe him, or is he just telling her what she wants to hear?

Fast forward to 1990 where we meet Canadian, Emma, who has just received some unexpected but amazing news. She’s inherited a cottage in the middle of a forest in Silverwood Vale in England. Her great aunt Rose (who she’s never met) has named Emma as her only beneficiary in her will.

Emma travels to England and finds that the cottage is really isolated, and she wonders how Rose could live like this. Searching the cottage, she discovers human bones hidden in the cellar. And so begins the search to discover everything she can about Great Aunt Rose, and it’s quite a story!

What she finds is a tale of espionage and romance, and not forgetting Silverwood Vale which is almost a character in itself!
Enjoyable read.

“Her Secret Soldier” is a debut WWII novel by Julie Hartley. In this book we follow two people in two different timelines - Rose (1940s) and Emma (1990s). Rose, who lives in the UK in 1940, as she discovers a parachute in the woods near her house. Rose decides to rescue the parachutist - a German who had spent some of his life growing up in England. Rose and the parachutist care for each other, but Rose wonders if she can really trust him and not betray her country. Years pass (50 or so of them) and Emma is surprised to learn that she has inherited her great-aunt Rose’s cottage in the woods. Emma is unaware of Rose’s history, but she decides to go see the cottage - and woods - before selling the property. Both Rose and Emma are changed in this book. I did like that any romance happened off the page with both characters. I also liked the resolution to Emma’s story. I thought the idea of this book was an interesting one (do read the Author’s note) and this book held my attention. It was pretty easy to keep the two women’s stories apart.