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Women & War #2
Penny's Secret Mission
Loyalty, love, friendship, war, espionage.
Penny is hell bent on revenge on the man who caused her to flee France as a fourteen year old with little more than the clothes on her back. She lost everything, her friends, her home and her family.
Stifled by the restrictions of her father’s family, she aches to contribute more to the war effort. A brush with death puts her face all over the newspapers and almost breaks her heart in the process.
It's the second year of the war. Britain stands alone. Civilians face death and destruction on a daily basis through the Blitz. Penny throws herself into her translation job in order to forget about the man that broke her heart. Yearning to do more, she convinces her bosses to drop her behind enemy lines in Northern France as a spy. Working with the resistance in the darkness of occupied France her bravery, skills and resourcefulness are tested to the limit.
The Nazis are the enemy but the real betrayal comes from much closer to home…
Note: Updated, revised and expanded edition. Previously published as Penny under the pen name Ellie Keaton.
Penny is hell bent on revenge on the man who caused her to flee France as a fourteen year old with little more than the clothes on her back. She lost everything, her friends, her home and her family.
Stifled by the restrictions of her father’s family, she aches to contribute more to the war effort. A brush with death puts her face all over the newspapers and almost breaks her heart in the process.
It's the second year of the war. Britain stands alone. Civilians face death and destruction on a daily basis through the Blitz. Penny throws herself into her translation job in order to forget about the man that broke her heart. Yearning to do more, she convinces her bosses to drop her behind enemy lines in Northern France as a spy. Working with the resistance in the darkness of occupied France her bravery, skills and resourcefulness are tested to the limit.
The Nazis are the enemy but the real betrayal comes from much closer to home…
Note: Updated, revised and expanded edition. Previously published as Penny under the pen name Ellie Keaton.
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2014
540 people are currently reading
794 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
July 31, 2015
Five Words: Loyalty, love, friendship, war, espionage.
This was a fantastic read. I really really enjoyed it.
I read Penny so quickly, I got so engrossed in the story that I could hardly put it down.
Ellie Keaton's Women & War series is going from strength to strength.
I love how each of these books has a little feminist streak in them. Nothing much, just a hint of dissatisfaction at how things are, how things should change, how these women are often more than capable of doing the same job.
This was a fantastic read. I really really enjoyed it.
I read Penny so quickly, I got so engrossed in the story that I could hardly put it down.
Ellie Keaton's Women & War series is going from strength to strength.
I love how each of these books has a little feminist streak in them. Nothing much, just a hint of dissatisfaction at how things are, how things should change, how these women are often more than capable of doing the same job.
September 14, 2014
Penelope (or Penny as she is called herein) is a French woman who has lost both of her parents due to the cruelty of Alain, the man who controls most of the small French town where Penny lived for most of her life. It is a neighborly and elderly woman whose kindness to Penny builds up her strength to travel to England and meet the relatives she’s never known in the past. As Penny has been raised as a farmer’s daughter and is totally unused to the world of aristocracy, she is hard-put to conform to the expectations of her rich Aunt and cousin. However, her grandmother, Meme, is determined to build up Penny with love in the present, disregarding the past in which so much harm was done to so many people in this family. None of this warm and hostile treatment deters Penny from her decision to do what she can for the war effort and to exact revenge on the man responsible for the death of her parents!
This is the story of Penny’s training and activities as a member of the French Resistance during WWII. She is hired by England because she passes all of the tests, speaks fluent French and passes with great skill the training for her work as a British spy. During her training she’s attracted to someone she thinks is enlisted as a Royal Air Force member. Is this real love or just an initial infatuation? That picture will change during her time in France when she is even more attracted to a fellow spy, Victor. While in that service, she observes the brutal attacks of German soldiers, the arresting and torture of innocent French men, women and children by Germans and the fact that she can and does kill when the need arises. Penny is challenged further when she is arrested and tortured as a spy.
However, the war story needs to be told. Penny is a survivor but the obstacles she faces test every mental, physical and emotional ability she possesses. Even more distressing is the fact that many of her people are traitors in order to survive. That makes it no less evil to Penny who does what she has to do. She also learns that she may have to make a choice about her dream for revenge, one that may hurt her more than the one who she hates more than anyone in the entire world.
Penny: Women and War is a great read and shows a maturity in Ellie Keaton’s writing skills as she has crafted a more complex plot than in her previous novel in this series. Finely written, Ms. Keaton and highly recommended!
This is the story of Penny’s training and activities as a member of the French Resistance during WWII. She is hired by England because she passes all of the tests, speaks fluent French and passes with great skill the training for her work as a British spy. During her training she’s attracted to someone she thinks is enlisted as a Royal Air Force member. Is this real love or just an initial infatuation? That picture will change during her time in France when she is even more attracted to a fellow spy, Victor. While in that service, she observes the brutal attacks of German soldiers, the arresting and torture of innocent French men, women and children by Germans and the fact that she can and does kill when the need arises. Penny is challenged further when she is arrested and tortured as a spy.
However, the war story needs to be told. Penny is a survivor but the obstacles she faces test every mental, physical and emotional ability she possesses. Even more distressing is the fact that many of her people are traitors in order to survive. That makes it no less evil to Penny who does what she has to do. She also learns that she may have to make a choice about her dream for revenge, one that may hurt her more than the one who she hates more than anyone in the entire world.
Penny: Women and War is a great read and shows a maturity in Ellie Keaton’s writing skills as she has crafted a more complex plot than in her previous novel in this series. Finely written, Ms. Keaton and highly recommended!
November 4, 2021
I hope there is at least a third book coming for this series as many of the characters were just left hanging in this book.
June 5, 2015
Penny is French and is forced to leave her childhood home and go to her deceased father's family in London to escape an evil man in her village. She is taken in and treated as one of their own. But as the Nazi's invade and take over France, her desire to return and help her country makes her go and train as a translator and later, an assassin. Sent into France to work with the resistance she manages to return to her town where all is worse, her enemy is in league with the Nazi's and her friends protect her while there, but she has to leave and continue her espionage work. This is a good read with suspense and romance.
September 30, 2014
4.5 stars
I read this book right after finishing the author's first book in the series "Ellie". In that book I was introduced to the character of Penny, a teen-age girl who has left her homeland of France to get away from a very dangerous man.Penny features frequently in this first book and as the author noted - began to overtake the story in some respects thereby earning herself a book of her own. In this second book in the series Women and War, we learn more of Penny's story from the time she leaves France, her arrival in England to a family that was only partially welcoming to her, her time in England and her eventual return to France to help fight for her countries freedom and perhaps right a few personal wrongs at the same time. This is a longer book than the first one in the series and the characters are a little more fully developed. Historically it made me feel that it was true to the era. I definitely enjoyed reading it but I have also read quite number of true-life stories of women who played important roles i the war and fiction can't quite match up with fact.
I read this book right after finishing the author's first book in the series "Ellie". In that book I was introduced to the character of Penny, a teen-age girl who has left her homeland of France to get away from a very dangerous man.Penny features frequently in this first book and as the author noted - began to overtake the story in some respects thereby earning herself a book of her own. In this second book in the series Women and War, we learn more of Penny's story from the time she leaves France, her arrival in England to a family that was only partially welcoming to her, her time in England and her eventual return to France to help fight for her countries freedom and perhaps right a few personal wrongs at the same time. This is a longer book than the first one in the series and the characters are a little more fully developed. Historically it made me feel that it was true to the era. I definitely enjoyed reading it but I have also read quite number of true-life stories of women who played important roles i the war and fiction can't quite match up with fact.
September 30, 2014
The book, Penny, by Ellie Keaton, stole my heart. The heroine was genuine and true, a person with whom the reader could relate. I really like Ellie Keaton's understanding of not only the events relating to the war in Europe, but the emotions, the relationships, the actions and consequences. I had difficulty putting Penny down after I started it and I look forward to more books by this author. Enjoyable historical fiction but also educated me!!! Can't go wrong with it.
July 6, 2021
Loved it! Rachel Wesson tells Penny's story beautifully. Penny is determined to do her part to help the war effort and take care of some old business. I admire Penny and was in awe of her bravery and intelligence at such a young age. I would love to hear how her life goes beyond the end of the book!
August 30, 2023
Penny
Loved this book. As soon as I finish this, going straight to order the third book. Didn't get me at first, I was a little confused after just finishing Gracie, but it only got better .
Loved this book. As soon as I finish this, going straight to order the third book. Didn't get me at first, I was a little confused after just finishing Gracie, but it only got better .
October 2, 2014
Brilliant read, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Can't wait for the third book :-)
April 10, 2016
Probably 3.5 stars. Good story, but I've read better books about women in WW2. It needs a bit more depth...and an epilogue.
June 22, 2023
Brief synopsis from the book cover:
Penny is hell bent on revenge on the man who caused her to flee France as a fourteen year old with little more than the clothes on her back. She lost everything, her friends, her home and her family.
Stifled by the restrictions of her father’s family, she aches to contribute more to the war effort. A brush with death puts her face all over the newspapers and almost breaks her heart in the process.
It's the second year of the war. Britain stands alone. Civilians face death and destruction on a daily basis through the Blitz. Penny throws herself into her translation job in order to forget about the man that broke her heart. Yearning to do more, she convinces her bosses to drop her behind enemy lines in Northern France as a spy. Working with the resistance in the darkness of occupied France her bravery, skills and resourcefulness are tested to the limit.
The Nazis are the enemy but the real betrayal comes from much closer to home…
My rating:
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Recommended for readers of:
Historical Fiction
Review:
This is a well written story that gives a bit of an insight into the lives of the secret agents of the British SOE who serviced in occupied territory during WWII. but there is also space for joy, friendship, loyalty and romance. The characters are well developed and show all character traits of real people, such as grief, hate, love, and hope. This gave them a realistic appearance.
This book is the second in a series but the story concludes and the end of the book so it can also be read as a standalone To better understand the main character Penny I would recommend to read the first book first.
Penny is hell bent on revenge on the man who caused her to flee France as a fourteen year old with little more than the clothes on her back. She lost everything, her friends, her home and her family.
Stifled by the restrictions of her father’s family, she aches to contribute more to the war effort. A brush with death puts her face all over the newspapers and almost breaks her heart in the process.
It's the second year of the war. Britain stands alone. Civilians face death and destruction on a daily basis through the Blitz. Penny throws herself into her translation job in order to forget about the man that broke her heart. Yearning to do more, she convinces her bosses to drop her behind enemy lines in Northern France as a spy. Working with the resistance in the darkness of occupied France her bravery, skills and resourcefulness are tested to the limit.
The Nazis are the enemy but the real betrayal comes from much closer to home…
My rating:
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
Recommended for readers of:
Historical Fiction
Review:
This is a well written story that gives a bit of an insight into the lives of the secret agents of the British SOE who serviced in occupied territory during WWII. but there is also space for joy, friendship, loyalty and romance. The characters are well developed and show all character traits of real people, such as grief, hate, love, and hope. This gave them a realistic appearance.
This book is the second in a series but the story concludes and the end of the book so it can also be read as a standalone To better understand the main character Penny I would recommend to read the first book first.
February 1, 2024
Penny's life was severely disrupted when her mother was murdered in France and she had to flee to England, to unknown relatives. She grows up in England and WWII throws a wrench in everything. But Penny cannot believe it when France falls under the control of the Germans. This is the story of Penny and her desire to return to her homeland, how she goes about it, serving her fellow countrymen, and seeking revenge, though it may cost her everything. Penny's growth, her character's maturity, is really interesting to me. It shows not just a young lady growing up, but it shows emotional struggles between what she should do, what is right to do, what others want her to do, and what she ends up doing. The growth that the character undergoes is what makes this book so interesting. Throw in the historical fiction aspect and the research the author did to create some very authentic scenes of the resistance in France and you have a wonderful read about life during WWII and the way women served. I truly enjoyed this book of the series and can recommend it.
July 22, 2021
A Good Book
This is a well written book taking place during WW2.it is the story of a brave young woman willing to make sacrifices for France, her homeland. It has it all: rags to riches, love, family, courage, commitment, and betrayal. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy stories of the French Resistance.
This is a well written book taking place during WW2.it is the story of a brave young woman willing to make sacrifices for France, her homeland. It has it all: rags to riches, love, family, courage, commitment, and betrayal. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy stories of the French Resistance.
June 19, 2023
I found this an exciting read, but some parts were unbelievable. One of the characters was wounded and lost a lot of blood, then the next day or so he gets aroused enough to have sex? Some parts were a little bit too happy ever after. It was still a page turner, but that one silly scene was ridiculous and so unreal. Most of the reason I couldn't give more stars.
August 13, 2025
Women have the power!
I loved this story as much as all the others written by Rachel Wesson! She has brought to life the bravery and commitment of the ones who did their best to save France! I also cried a lot of tears, had a few laughs, and loved the romance. This book is a must read!
I loved this story as much as all the others written by Rachel Wesson! She has brought to life the bravery and commitment of the ones who did their best to save France! I also cried a lot of tears, had a few laughs, and loved the romance. This book is a must read!
May 5, 2022
Espionage in France
Kept me on the edge of my seat especially when Penny was in France. The characters all have very string personalities. This is a hard to put down book. For those who enjoy WW ll stories, this is a must read.
Kept me on the edge of my seat especially when Penny was in France. The characters all have very string personalities. This is a hard to put down book. For those who enjoy WW ll stories, this is a must read.
April 29, 2023
Enjoyable but sad novel re. WW2 & the French Resistance fight for their Country's Freedom; ordinary people doing extra-ordinary work so that evil is eventually beaten by goodness. So very pleased that Paul & Penny met again & came thru' OK.
August 10, 2023
A good read but
This book is a good read but there are a lot of inaccurate things in the book, for instance Penny asks for C4 to be Sent over to france, it wasn't available until 1956! These things spoiled it for me
This book is a good read but there are a lot of inaccurate things in the book, for instance Penny asks for C4 to be Sent over to france, it wasn't available until 1956! These things spoiled it for me
December 31, 2024
The story was good but the grammar and punctuation mistakes were maddening and distracting...at least in the Kindle edition I read. The ending with its many resolutions seemed to happen so quickly and was confusing.
July 3, 2021
Good Read
This is a complex story with many characters, locations, and sub-plots. The main character is a young French/English woman who becomes involved in the French Resistance.
This is a complex story with many characters, locations, and sub-plots. The main character is a young French/English woman who becomes involved in the French Resistance.
August 5, 2021
Second in the series , this one takes Penny back home to France as part of the OSS to work undercover for the Resistance. Thoroughly enjoyed it
September 21, 2021
Penny's secret mission
The Continuing saga of Penny and Friends during World War Two, many adventures taking place while working with the resistance in France behind enemy lines
The Continuing saga of Penny and Friends during World War Two, many adventures taking place while working with the resistance in France behind enemy lines
November 3, 2021
A story of young women who are willing to risk all for France.
February 18, 2022
Amazing
This book has been fabulous to read. How those people managed is amazing. Rachel thank you for book 1 and this book 2. Really enjoyed them.
This book has been fabulous to read. How those people managed is amazing. Rachel thank you for book 1 and this book 2. Really enjoyed them.
February 27, 2022
STUNNING!!
I loved this series of books theyvwere great & so interesting!! I couldn't stop reading without stopping. Greatly recommend reading both these books u won't regret it!!!
I loved this series of books theyvwere great & so interesting!! I couldn't stop reading without stopping. Greatly recommend reading both these books u won't regret it!!!
April 30, 2022
Penny's Secret Mission
Another great book I was sorry when it finished well I will have to start my search again for more of these type of books
Another great book I was sorry when it finished well I will have to start my search again for more of these type of books
July 25, 2022
A riveting story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, but I thought that this one was even better.
Penny has a grievance from the past to settle, so she must return to France.
An incredibly powerful and moving story of the atrocities of war and the bravery of the SOE and the Resistance during WWII.
Rachel Wesson has written an amazing story which I found impossible to put down; very highly recommended for lovers of this genre.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, but I thought that this one was even better.
Penny has a grievance from the past to settle, so she must return to France.
An incredibly powerful and moving story of the atrocities of war and the bravery of the SOE and the Resistance during WWII.
Rachel Wesson has written an amazing story which I found impossible to put down; very highly recommended for lovers of this genre.
March 8, 2023
Second book in Women and War series. Penny sure loves her France and goes undercover on a secret mission. Action packed.
September 11, 2023
Riveting
Well defined characters, exceptional plotting and it brings you to the edge of your seat with suspense, love and hope.
Well defined characters, exceptional plotting and it brings you to the edge of your seat with suspense, love and hope.
November 25, 2014
3.5 stars
The author has done a fantastic job in upping her game with world-building and historical details in this latest volume of Women & War. I was swept away in even greater measure than the last volume, sucked into this world of survival, growing up, love, and war. There is a lot more descriptive detail in this book, exploring the world in which her characters inhabit. The little details of life in bombed out London and occupied France were very vivid (let's just say I don't think I'll look at bacon the same way again!).
The story itself was mostly engaging but halfway frustrating as well. The parts actually in occupied France sucked me in like nobody's business. I was kept on the edge of my seat reading about the shadowy corners and heart-pounding escapes of the Resistance as well as Penny's involvement with them.
However, the parts with Gracie and Nell in Britain didn't seem to jive with the rest of the engaging story. They were interesting and informative, don't get me wrong. But the narrative would jump between them and Penny in France and I felt jarred. Both story lines had very different atmospheres and levels of tension that when I was flipped between them, I felt disengaged and just thrown around.
Now as for Penny.... This is a hard assessment to make. I found her likable enough to obviously be engaged in her story and to want to know what happens to her. Yet, I found her far, far too perfect to be all that relatable. She was beautiful, helpful, courageous, intelligent, strategic..... The list goes on. I found very few negative qualities to balance all that good out. And yeah, I like my heroines to be good guys with straight priorities. But come on... Can't she have a few warts and be stubborn or sometimes silly too?
This is a good installment to this series and one that shows some real growth, in both the world-building and story. While I felt jarred at times by the story flipping and found the main character a bit too perfect, it in no way made me hate this book. I'll definitely keep an eye peeled for book 3!
Note: Book received for free from author in exchange for review.
The author has done a fantastic job in upping her game with world-building and historical details in this latest volume of Women & War. I was swept away in even greater measure than the last volume, sucked into this world of survival, growing up, love, and war. There is a lot more descriptive detail in this book, exploring the world in which her characters inhabit. The little details of life in bombed out London and occupied France were very vivid (let's just say I don't think I'll look at bacon the same way again!).
The story itself was mostly engaging but halfway frustrating as well. The parts actually in occupied France sucked me in like nobody's business. I was kept on the edge of my seat reading about the shadowy corners and heart-pounding escapes of the Resistance as well as Penny's involvement with them.
However, the parts with Gracie and Nell in Britain didn't seem to jive with the rest of the engaging story. They were interesting and informative, don't get me wrong. But the narrative would jump between them and Penny in France and I felt jarred. Both story lines had very different atmospheres and levels of tension that when I was flipped between them, I felt disengaged and just thrown around.
Now as for Penny.... This is a hard assessment to make. I found her likable enough to obviously be engaged in her story and to want to know what happens to her. Yet, I found her far, far too perfect to be all that relatable. She was beautiful, helpful, courageous, intelligent, strategic..... The list goes on. I found very few negative qualities to balance all that good out. And yeah, I like my heroines to be good guys with straight priorities. But come on... Can't she have a few warts and be stubborn or sometimes silly too?
This is a good installment to this series and one that shows some real growth, in both the world-building and story. While I felt jarred at times by the story flipping and found the main character a bit too perfect, it in no way made me hate this book. I'll definitely keep an eye peeled for book 3!
Note: Book received for free from author in exchange for review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews