I was so excited when I received this ARC. I loved Anna Stuart’s book The Bletchley Girls, you can read my review here. This book is the second book in the series and hopefully not the last! You can also read my review to Anna Stuart’s book, The Midwife of Auschwitz, which is one of my favourite books, here.
Code Name Elodie
By Anna Stuart
Historical Fiction, Romance
382 pages
Published March 29, 2023 by Bookouture
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
1943, Bletchley Park: In the dark of night, my heart is pumping with adrenalin as I wait for news of the secret agent operating under the code name Elodie. She has a dangerous part to play in the Normandy landings and so many lives are at stake. But I couldn’t bear to lose her…
Inspired by the brave women of Bletchley Park, this is a totally gripping World War Two novel of friendship, heartbreak and hope. Perfect for fans of The Rose Code, The Alice Network and The Nightingale.
Valerie Rousseau is burning with determination to help free her beloved France from the Nazi regime. Working at the mysterious Bletchley Park, she strikes up an unexpected bond with smart, fiercely loyal Fran Morgan as they spend long days together with their heads bent over maps of France in preparation for the Allied invasion.
Their friendship grows increasingly important as they distract themselves from the dark days of war with afternoons skating across the icy pond at the heart of Bletchley Park and evenings talking late into the night. But Valerie’s wartime role is shrouded in secrecy and there are things that she can’t even tell Fran.
When Valerie volunteers for a dangerous mission linked to the D-Day landings in Normandy, Fran is devastated. Valerie has knowingly put her life on the line and Fran is terrified that she will never see her again.
Soon, Fran hears about the bravery of the agent operating under the code name Elodie. She’s certain it’s Valerie and she knows the work she is doing in her little office, overlooking the green fields of England, could be the difference between life and death for this secret agent…
Can both women secure victory for their country? Or will the fight for freedom cost them their love – and their lives?
This is the continuing story of the hard work of the Bletchley Park Girls. Based on true events of Bletchley Park, Anna Stuart has introduced us to three very different girls brought together by their hope to end the war and start living a, somewhat, normal adult life.
This is, once again, a riveting World War II story and, like Anna Stuart’s other books, it will leave you celebrating the small, and large, victories. Feeling the heartbreak of characters as they endure loss. And feeling the anticipation of the end of the war.
This was a slower pace than the first book. There wasn’t as much action as the first, or at least it was a different kind of action. Some parts did read a bit slower. However, the amount of secret work and deception that were used in the war were predominant, which was its own kind of excitement.
Just like in the first book, this one follows Steffie, Fran and Ailsa. Once again, they have incredible character development and personal growth throughout this book. They continue to showcase the brilliance and strength women showed during the war as part of the war effort. They all experience some kind of heartbreak in their own way, but they also all experience incredibly happy moments too.
Anna Stuart has such an amazing writing style and you can feel the passion she has for everything that she writes. Code Name Elodie is no exception.
I definitely recommend Code Name Elodie if you are a historical fiction lover, if you love books with strong female protagonists.
Thank you so much for reading my reviews, if you enjoyed this I’d much appreciate it if you liked, commented and shared! You can follow me on Instagram and Goodreads for more!
Momma Needs to Read 