A legion of WWII-era historical fiction set in France is published every year, so I was delighted to learn that this novel was based on a very real resistance leader. Yvonne is not a typical heroine - she's small in size, considered too old and delicate to parachute into Occupied France, and largely overlooked and dismissed by her own family. And yet, she takes over and unites a resistance network in rural France, she uses her expertise in explosives to disrupt Nazi troop transportation, and manages to deceive the Germans even after she's captured. An excellence read and one that stands out in its genre. ( )

Yvonne Rudellat is a divorced woman with a grown daughter with nothing to do to help the war effort until she is approached to help with explosives in France.

We follow Yvonne through her training and her bravery as one of the only women in this special operations group.

Of course, the men thought she wouldn’t be capable of doing the same job they do, but she proved them wrong.

It did get a bit confusing and dragged at times because there were so many characters and because of the back and forth and the details about the operations.

It was well written but didn’t really hold my interest even though it got more personable toward the end and less about the operations even though it was based on real people.

Even though it was not an enjoyable read for me, we do need to thank these brave men and women for their unwavering efforts to fight for France and risk their lives as they resisted the Germans.

THE WOMAN WITH NO NAME will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans, fans of strong women based on a real person, and details about war operations. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ( )

Yvonne was a fortyish year old woman in 1942 when she was flown into France as an espionage agent who was charged with helping the French resistance. She was estranged from her daughter and husband and their home in London had been decimated by a bomb during the Blitz. When she was recruited as Britain's first female sabotage agent, expectations were low because she was older but everyone thought it would be easier for her to do things in France without raising the suspicion of the Germans because of her age. But to get there, she had to learn to shoot and become an expert on explosives and how to hide herself in plain sight. The men in England and in the resistance didn't believe that she could make a difference but they hadn't given her enough credit. She was tenacious and brave and willing to do things that no one else would or could do. Life got even more dangerous for her when the Germans started looking for her but it didn't make her stop doing what she could to end the German occupation of her beloved France.

Even though I've read numerous books about the French resistance, I've never read about a character like Yvonne. She was older than most of the resistance fighters and no one felt that she would be able to do the job. She was strong enough to be able to prove them wrong. It's apparent that the author did extensive research on life in the Resistance in occupied France. ( )

Yvonne is divorced and raising a young daughter. She is determined to help with the war effort. Because of her age, she is having trouble finding a cause who will let her help. So, when the war takes a turn for the worse, Yvonne ends up being a famous demolition expert.

This story is a bit drawn out and can get a bit slow, especially during all the different operations. But, I did enjoy Yvonne. She is tough, intelligent, and strong. I love that the author uses a real person. It always makes the story more personable and has me researching.

The narrator, Amy Scanlon, did a good job. There are quite a few characters and she had a voice for every one.

Need a novel based on a true story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

I have loved every book I have read by Audrey Blake, but this one not so much. It was certainly well written with an inspiring subject, but I just couldn’t get into it. Even though it was clearly factionalized, it read more to me like a biography—a list of events and situations. I hate to leave a review like this about one of my favorite authors, but it would be even harder for me to be dishonest.

Maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time for me. I hope so, and I certainly look forward to reading this author’s next book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )