"The Soldier's Girl "wasn't the exciting, heartbreaking read I was expecting it to be. It reminded me of Fiona McIntosh's "The Lavender Keeper", just not as good. The plot was superficial and the pacing was wrong. I found the first part dull but other parts were rushed.

I also didn't connect with any of the characters. Sybil made some stupid mistakes as a spy, Jacques wasn't in the novel enough to form a bond with him and the German major, Wolfgang von Haagan, was obnoxious. In fact I found him quite cringe-worthy and an insult to his rank. The so called love triangle was a joke as there was no chemistry at all between Sybil and the two men in her life. The book finished far too abruptly and left me feeling cheated. Very disappointing!!! ( )

There is quite a history between France and Germany over Alsace and I so enjoyed the history lesson within this story which sent me on a quest to learn more. Sharon did not hold back in painting the picture with her prose of a gloomy, horrifying time in humanity. Then to lighten things up she also gave us a love triangle like no other between Sibyl, Jacques (her childhood sweetheart), and Major Wolfgang von Haagen (a German officer). How Sibyl kept her different persons straight (Sibyl, Jeanne, and Marlene) amazed me, as I waited for a slip. If I had to pick a favorite character it would be Wolfgang as he was so complex and the interaction between him and Sibyl kept me reading.

To be honest I actually read this story prior to its release date and only gave it 3 stars and didn’t publish my review which I am glad I did not because after reading it again it deserves 4 stars. Since I read an ARC copy both times I am hoping that what bothered me so much the first time I read this book was re-edited and corrected...in the first quarter there was some redundancy making me think that my bookmark was not working which took away from the beginning for me. However, once Sibyl arrived in France the story took off and I mean really took off.

I have had the honor of reading the Quint Chronicles Series by Sharon Maas and at first was hesitant as to whether a story about WWII spies would be a stretch for this author. Thank you Sharon for proving me wrong, for writing such a captivating, heart-wrenching story with parts with so much emotion I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth, held my breath... Best writing by this author thus far. I recommend this different take on a WWII spy novel to those who really enjoy reading gripping historical stories based on actual facts.

I received a complimentary copy (or ARC) of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )