For fans of “The Nightingale” and “All The Light We Cannot See”“The Lyon Affair” – book two in ‘The Indigo Rebels’ series A late diplomat’s son with a brilliant mind; A Catholic priest with a dark past; A young woman scorned by her fellow countrymen for her German heritage; A young man who has just escaped the clutches of the ruthless Gestapo. A tentative partnership created to fight against the … partnership created to fight against the common enemy, where the secrets of their pasts lead to disaster, and a betrayal of one may become a death sentence to all.
An unlikely hero…
A cunning villain…
One Resistance cell.
One traitor in their midst.
When the Gestapo is closing in, and there’s nowhere else to run, one will make a decision that could change everything.
A riveting French Resistance novel.
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This is a fantastic read. I couldnt put it down.
The second book of Midwood’s Indigo trilogy takes a look at the French Resistance during WWII. Her extensive knowledge about those years provides a page turning, yet tragic, read. The main characters are very well crafted and their motivation is brilliantly shown, not described. It is practically impossible not to feel for them: a priest trying to exorcise the ghosts of WWI, a young man leading a resistance cell right underneath the Germans’ noses, a brother and sister fighting to save their country, and a young girl searching for a place to belong, only to be tossed aside when she isn’t longer useful.
I love reading Midwood’s books because they are so well researched and authentic. You don’t find watered down female characters who depend on male intellect to make decisions, or take action. The characters aren’t cardboard cutouts moved throughout the story like chess pieces. Their backstories are so eloquently told that you feel you’ve known them for years and are invested in their stories as well as the main plot.
For high school teachers wanting to alternative teaching tools, I’d strongly suggest having their students read any book in this series (each is a stand alone novel); they’ll get a clearer picture of what happened then as opposed to learning dates and events by rote. I’d also say Midwood is a must read author for anyone who likes WWII storylines.
THE LYON AFFAIR: A French Resistance novel – Ellie Midwood
France in 1940: Etienne, a young Frenchman, appears to occupying Germans as elegant and wealthy, not a suspicious French Resistance fighter. Blanche, a barmaid humiliated by abusive invaders, struggles to stay fed. A pale blonde, she has been ostracized by her neighbors in Dijon because her father was a German who had kept her mother in bread and cheese during World War I. She is determined to join the Resistance in Lyon. She is taken in by Father Yves, a charismatic priest bold enough to speak to his flock about their enemies. He asks whether, in a time of war, they should act as soldiers or as Christians. Father Yves is tormented by the past war, and the lies he told to be admitted to the seminary.
To avoid detection and execution, the Resistance members adopt different names and personae as they go about their dangerous work. A disguised Etienne becomes a leader of the group. Blanche, now Lucienne, is seduced by her chance to take a First Class seat on a train car of Germans as she delivers coded messages. Will her acquaintance with a German officer turn her loyalty? Her fellow members do not give her the respect she craves, and Father Yves becomes entangled with a young Jewish family.
The members of the Resistance have their own secrets, and the danger they face can bring them to betrayal.
The reader steps into a fascinating, and often unpleasant, place and time. Good writing makes it worth the visit.
In her stunning The Indigo Rebels, book 2, Ellie Midwood introduces the reader to the new engaging and multidimensional characters, at the same time, bringing us together with the ones we cared for in book 1. A master of intrigue, concealed, and mysterious, the author produced yet another book that you won’t put down till the last page is turned. Each phrase and nuance of the novel adds to the depth of the plot. The amazing writing craft of the writer gives a real feel for the ugly horrors of war and of the just cause of resistance, bringing the reader on a journey with the characters. I eagerly look forward to reading the third installment to this series. Highly recommended.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies of her highly developed characters and plot twists in the first book in this series, “The Indigo Rebels,” I was curious as to how Ms. Midwood would continue on with its sequel. To my surprise and delight, at first it seemed as if she had set up a whole new array of individuals. But then, presenting high intrigue and fine historic details, she deftly interwove two of the characters from the first book into this new one.
Again, THE LYON AFFAIR takes place in 1940/1941 France, where resistance to the hated Boches-infiltrating Nazis comes with all manner of techniques––cunning codes, heavy training, and dark, secret backgrounds. We see a caring priest with a past he would rather forget, a naive young woman trying to overcome her mixed heritage for which she has always been ashamed, two resistance fighters who, amid German aggression, discover who they truly are, and of course throughout while facing vicious Gestapo tactics and deeds, all manner of clever schemes are hatched to destroy their enemy. Another winner!
In the second book of The Indigo Rebels, we temporarily leave behind the original three characters and focus on some news members of the Resistance: Etienne, Blanche, and Father Yves. Etienne is the leader/organizer of the Resistance in Lyon while Blanche (who may be one of the most complex characters Ms. Midwood has created) is a new recruit. Father Yves is a Catholic priest haunted by his past, which eventually leads him to joining the Resistance. Slowly, two of our original characters (and one supporting character) rejoin our story, which is filled with betrayal, romance, and danger at every turn. I enjoyed this book more than the first one since I found the characters to be more engaging and the story line was more fast paced than the original. There was a lot going on in the story, but Ms. Midwood presents it in a way that isn’t very confusing and makes it easy to follow along. For that reason, I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars out 5. I didn’t give it the full five stars because the ending felt just a tad bit rushed and I would have liked more detail about how what happened actually unfolded. However, this is a minor detail and I am very much looking forward to how Ms. Midwood plans on ending the series.
Intrigue inside the French Underground during WW II. Intrigue, treachery, patriotism, adventure and derring-do. A great story.
Great courage under very dangerous times.
This book about the German invasion of France is a real page turner. The author creates realistic characters, some of whom we love and some of whom we hate. I will definitely read the next book in the series.
Fictional WW2 story, with basis on actual events in France.
My wife enjoyed this series very much
Excellent!
The setting in occupied France is filled with the tough choices people had to make on a daily basis. And, yet so many survived while others sacrificed to make France and the world a better place. Story line will pull you in and keep you hoping until the very end.
Well-written, well-researched story of the French Resistance. Couldn’t put it down!
Good everyday insight of French resistance.
The trilogy was excellent readying
If you like WWII stories with plenty of intrigue, this is a good one for you. The unlikely collection of characters are well developed and the plot moves along nicely. The author’s knowledge of that time in history is strong and evident throughout the book. A well written, well planned story.
The second book in the series, but you could read it as a standalone. It features a new cast and setting, but a few characters from the previous book pop up again.
What I loved about this book is that we a great insight in the resistance and how they operated. So many things are happening, I read this book in one sitting.
Something i also loved was seeing how the characters develops and grow with each new experience. Marcel starts out as basically a still wet behind the ears student, but really grows in his role so does his confidence. And i have to say I did feel for Blanche. And i was saying please let her be okay for the last part of the book.
I look forward to reading the conclusion of this story.
Ellie Midwood has out done herself in the second book of this Indigo Rebels series. I loved the further developments of characters from the last book – in particular, Marcel (Jules) storyline. In book one I had found it hard to to get into Giselle’s character but when she returns in this book I loved her development. Being the middle book, I don’t want to say much about the plot as the would create spoilers, but the addition of Blanche and Yves added great tension and pitfalls for the plucky resistance rebels. Looking forward to reading the last installment of this trilogy.
Ellie has brought another amazing adventure through her words and a small band of rebels.
One of my favorite parts of this story was finding characters from Book 1, as we follow old and new characters through their next steps. And as we continued their journey, getting to hear from so many characters was also perfect.
So many strings, so many games and events held tightly together, held by a mere string as they try to find ways to overpower the Nazi armies.
I cannot wait for the third installment!!
#JoinTheResistance