This is a historical fiction book that takes place in World War 2.
This book is well researched and is beautifully written
A great book

I love reading historical fiction books that are set during WWII. I have become enamored with books in that genre that cover the resistance. I am awed by the bravery and selflessness so many young people demonstrated as they fought against the horrors Hitler’s regime perpetrated. The characters are well developed and the author does an amazing job of drawing you into the story so that you are invested. This book is touching and emotionally addictive. This is definitely one to put on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I have read Clara Benson's mystery, and this is the first historical fiction of hers that I have read. It's an ok read. She definitely has a way of showing how people suffered during World War 2, and how in the long run they were changed. The book was a little bit long and kind of slow or tedious in places, but in other places it was very well paced. Could use better editing to have it going at a good clip throughout. Good story but sometimes not completely believable. Even saying all this, I did enjoy The Stolen Letter. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

An emotional but truly heart-warming read. Loved every second of reading it. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

Clara Benson is my go-to author for hard-hitting, highly emotional historical fiction she is one of the best around. this book is absolutely stunning, Powerful, emotional, it will make you weep as much as it will sweep you away. Gorgeous! I loved it so much I have gone and purchased the paperback and the audiobook!!

This was very slow at first, but I stuck with it because I love historical fiction. I loved the atmospheric writing. Stella, however, did get on my nerves a bit. If you love WW2 novels, this is definitely a good choice.

This is a historical fiction that takes place during WWII. I have to the beginning of this book is super slow moving and a little boring. The middle does so picking up the pace, and I did love the middle. I felt that the ending slowed down the pace again, and I did not loved the ending. I normally did not loved books that is about Art/Painting, but this book as a lot of other drama going on. I do feel the pacing of this book is off. I did love the characters. This is not the best historical fiction book I have read, but it was good/ok. Please looked into this book if you get upset about things that you read because there is some hard to read subjects. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Bookouture) or author (Clara Benson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I love historical fiction, it’s my favorite genre. This emotional page turner will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The twists and turns will blindside you and be so engaging. Loved it

A favourite genre of mine and this one did not disappoint.
A bit of a slow burner initially but once you get into it it's hard to put down.

An extremely heart warming read! Historical fiction is my most favorite genre and I honestly, had great expectations from this book especially because it has a backdrop of WWII. Stella's, the protagonist's development comes full circle, is wholesome. She transforms from a meek and submissive girl to a strong, brave and confident woman who would do anything to reunite with her lover. She sees the city she's dreamed of living in getting ravaged in the wake of the bloody war. A heartfelt book about relationships and love that the reader is sure to love and remember.
The characters are amazing with all aspects of their personality coming to the forefront. You can either love them to the core or absolutely despise them.
The beginning of the book had been a little slow and dragged and I was a bit skeptical about continuing it but I am glad I did not give up, because it sure picks up pace and gets interesting.


TW: domestic violence.

Thank you for the ARC!

Well written story about art theft by the Nazis in WWII. Also has a love story on the side which is a wonderful addition. I loved the descriptive nature of Italy. Hard to put down. I
4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.

A historical fiction book taking place during WWII, Stella is a teenager when she arrives in Florence to live with her step-mother. Here she meets arrogant American journalist, Ted, who she inevitably falls for. Ripped apart by the war, will the stolen letter change her fate? The Stolen Letter is a well-researched book, featuring elements of violence, Nazi brutality, Resistance hardships, friendship and betrayal. I found it to be quite slow in the beginning, but by the middle, the pace definitely picked up. I'd recommend it to readers wanting a different perspective in a WWII historical fiction novel.

Just another "It's not you; it's me" book. I just found the pacing slow for my taste in the first half of the book and when it suddenly picked up, I just lost interest. I would have wanted to try re-reading it on a different day.

To be honest I was surprised at how into this book I got. Set around the Second World War, there are a few intertwining stories with a common thread between them being in Florence, Italy. Stella is invited to Florence by her stepmother after her father passes. As a young English woman, she is swept up by the country and the people she meets as rumours of war are spreading. However, as things do not go as planned, Stella finds herself in the middle of a war torn country, relying on new friends, and finding a strength she didn't know she had. Separated from the man she loves, and trying to evade the Germans, with her personality, charm, and will, it is impossible not to be drawn in by Stella, but also by all of her friends as their stories, difficulties, and courage are revealed as well. I found the beginning a bit slow to get into, but was hooked by the middle.

Content Warning - Domestic Violence and Abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

This was an intriguing historical fiction book set during the second world war. It really drew me in. I enjoyed the story and the cast of characters. The vivid descriptions really set the scene really nicely.

Thank you Netgalley and Clara Benson for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
I really like this book and what I like most is the way this book describes the period of time and the places in which it is situated.
The personal relationships is also very touching.

This is an intriguing WWII historical fiction that takes place in Florence, Italy, and reads more like a spy novel than historical fiction. It is well written, fast-paced, and full of drama. This book has great characters; either you love them or despise them. The reader also never truly knows who can be trusted and who can't.
I enjoyed watching Stella progress in her confidence and bravery as she helped the resistance movement and grew in her relationships with others. The underlining story is the mystery she has to solve to find out the connection between her father and missing paintings from a Jewish art collector.
The reader learns more about the struggle the Italians were facing during this time. It was as if they were battling two wars at once; one with Germany and one amongst themselves.
If you are a WWII historical fiction fan, you will enjoy reading this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Florence, 1938. After the death of her father, an art dealer, Stella is invited to stay with her very young, glamorous stepmother in a villa in Florence. Naive and sheltered, Stella is dazzled by the beauty of the villa, the countryside, and the people she meets, including sophisticated, arrogant American journalist Ted. But war is just around the corner, and Stella is soon caught up in danger and secrets as the Nazis take over.

This book had a bit of a slow start and I didn't really like Stella very much, but I appreciated the growth she showed as she learns to stand up for herself and fight for the people she cares about. I also liked the secondary plot involving the young Italians who work at the villa.

The Stolen Letter begins with Stella travelling to Italy to stay with her stepmother who has just remarried. It is 1938 and tensions are high in Europe. Stella's father was an art dealer at a time when the Nazis were stealing Jewish art. Stella's stepmother is hunting for missing paintings and hopes Stella can find them for her. But the danger of war becomes a reality before Stella can search...
The Italian location and historical era are well developed in the first part of the book. The descriptions are vivid so the situations are easy to imagine, however, the pace of the entire book is quite slow as we are introduced to the plot and characters then the changing world or war and relationships.
The plotline about the missing paintings becomes secondary as the war takes prominence. I felt a little disappointed by this as the prologue gave the impression of the book going in a certain direction but then the personal politics of love took over.
Stella is quite an innocent, still griefstricken by the death of her father. She needs to negotiate first love in the climate of impending war. I felt more in tune with her character after part one as we get more involved in her unhappy marital situation.
There are plenty of important themes addressed in this book including domestic violence, class differences, personal and global warfare. I found it interesting to read about the everyday war experiences of the Italians as this has been under-represented in other WW2 historical fiction.
The Stolen Letter was an enjoyable book to read and felt authentic (good research by the author, I think!)

The Stolen Letter took me 30% to finally get interested.. I almost put it down numerous times, but kept on because I didn't know what I wanted to read next. After I got through with the first 30%, the book turned out really good and was very enjoyable, so I am uncertain how many stars to give it. I guess I didn't or couldn't appreciate all of the descriptive passages about Florence, Italy, nor did I care. I was reading it for the story. It was nice to watch Stella grow up from a school girl to a very courageous young woman over the course of the years and I am glad she finally figured out what she wanted. I really liked Ted from the beginning and was so glad he was so persistent. In the beginning Marius was such a nice guy. Being Monica's twin brother he was OK and happy Stella married him, but she should have waited. Then after a few years, after Stella came into her inheritance, we found out he really was a jerk. He was so cruel to Stella and Monica and I am glad Monica was able to have her revenge on him. I don't want to give a synopsis of the book without giving any spoilers. Just get through the first 30% unless you have been to Florence, know the area, or want to go. I am knocking two stars off just because the book was hard to get started, and I had to zip over many of the descriptive passages. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy.
P.S. One thing I really liked was the story did not go from 1937 to 2020. I am really bored with them. I want to have the story go chronologically like it is suppposed to.