#BookReview The Secret Society of Salzburg by Renee Ryan @ReneeRyanBooks @Harlequinbooks #TheSecretSocietyOfSalzburg #ReneeRyan #LoveInspired Title: The Secret Society of Salzburg

Author: Renee Ryan

Published by: Love Inspired on Dec. 27, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

London, 1933. At first glance, Austrian opera singer Elsa Mayer-Braun has little in common with the young English typist she encounters on tour. Yet she and Hattie Featherstone forge an instant connection—and strike a dangerous alliance. Using their friendship as a cover, they form a secret society with a daring goal: to rescue as many Jews as possible from Nazi persecution.

Though the war’s outbreak threatens Elsa and Hattie’s network, their efforts attract the covert attention of the British government, offering more opportunities to thwart the Germans. But Elsa’s growing fame as Hitler’s favorite opera singer, coupled with her secret Jewish ancestry, make her both a weapon and a target—until her future, too, hangs in the balance.

From the glamorous stages of Covent Garden and Salzburg to the horrors of Bergen-Belsen, two ordinary women swept up by the tide of war discover an extraordinary friendship—and the courage to save countless lives.


Review:

Compelling, intense, and absorbing!

The Secret Society of Salzburg is a charged, intriguing tale set between the mid-1930s to the end of WWII that takes you into the lives of Hattie Fetherstone, a young British artist with a love for opera and a kind heart, and Elsa Mayer-Braun, an Austrian operatic singer, who after befriending a devoted fan and discovering just how dangerous the world is about to become, creates a network with the help of her new friends to transport as many Jewish people as possible out of Nazi-occupied Europe to the safety of the United Kingdom.

The prose is fluid and rich. The characters are resourceful, loyal, and trustworthy. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, loss, secrets, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, tragedy, survival, danger, friendship, art, opera, and war.

Overall, The Secret Society of Salzburg is an enticing, heart-tugging, atmospheric tale by Ryan that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be fully engrossed and completely invested throughout.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                

 

 

Thank you to Harlequin Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Renee Ryan

Renee Ryan grew up in a Florida beach town outside Jacksonville, FL. Armed with a degree in Economics and Religion from Florida State University, she explored various career opportunities, including stints at a Florida theme park and a modeling agency. She currently lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband and a large, fluffy cat many have mistaken for a small bear.