Based on true stories from WWII highlighting the dangerous and difficult roles a select few women were called on to play, parachuting into France and working undercover with the French resistance.

Heartwarming, nostalgic and compelling historical read with a touch of romance. The story unfolds across dual timelines, from the viewpoint of Betty who is approaching her 100th birthday, her carer Tali who is also troubled by her own secrets, and the newly recruited Elisabeth.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

Betty is about to celebrate her 100th birthday and is planning a party with her carer Tali, but when her carer unearths some paperwork and worse she uncovers Betty’s secrets from the Second World War.

I really enjoy books set in the Second World War and this book was no exception. This was told in multi pov and you slowly got the undercurrents of both plot lines. I loved how this story came together with lots of other subplots to get lost in. I liked the characters and I thought it was well researched. This was my first book by the author but I’d like to read more.

Operation Moonlight by Louise Morrish is a thrilling historical fiction novel set during WW2 in France. The reader follows protagonist Elisabeth Shepherd, an SOE agent tasked with the impossible mission of infiltrating Nazi-occupied France and monitoring their long-range missiles.

The story continues seventy-four years later in Guildford with Elisabeth celebrating her 100th birthday and receiving an invitation to reminisce on the past. When Tali, her carer, discovers a box full of mysterious contents, she pieces together the puzzle of Elisabeth’s past and helps her uncover the secrets of Operation Moonlight.

This captivating story brings readers on a historical adventure, complete with suspense and intrigue, providing insight into WW2, spies and secrecy. It is a testament to female heroism and a great example of the “truth is stranger than fiction” maxim. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans and those looking to get lost in an exciting, gripping story.

Operation Moonlight is a drama set between WW2 and the present day. The focus is on a centenarian and her Mauritian carer rather than the lady's terrifying wartime exploits which could have been explored more thoroughly. A sub plot between the carer and another character padded out the novel and did not advance the story. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I was attracted to this book by the blurb describing it as a novel about SOE in WW2. The narrative swaps between the current day, when Betty is approaching her centenary, and her time in the war. However, there are pages and pages about her carer and the attraction she feels for another woman which are nothing to do with the reason I chose the book, and felt like padding interrupting what I wanted to read about. This subplot could be removed, leaving a good number of pages, or the reader should be warned in the information that there is an emphasis on the current day rather than the history I chose it for. I gave up a quarter of the way through.

This is a wonderful book for those who like a bit of adventure mixed in with human introspection, the challenge of overcoming dread and the dilemma of needing closeness but being reticent about trust.. There are two narratives, one set in 1944 told by Betty, a young French speaking Typist from Guildford who accidentally gets involved with the SOE helping the French Resistance prepare for D-Day. The second narrator is Tali, a young girl newly arrived in Britain from her native Mauritius. It is now 2018 and Tali is caring for Betty who is approaching her centenary and still living in the house in which she grew up. The two stories are told in alternating chapters with the different timelines running in parallel. This device I found very effective in capturing the readers imagination and building tension in the various plots. There is a lot of detail about SOE training and operations suggesting the Author thoroughly researched this subject. One achievement is capturing the constant terror these operatives must have experienced operating behind enemy lines under desperate circumstances with capture, torture and probable execution an ever present risk.
I would certainly recommend this book to people who enjoy Historical Fiction and like a bit of adventure and are interested in the SOE activities during WW2. . Even though it is tagged as “womens fiction” I found it enjoyable and I am a 67 year old man!
Congratulations to Louise Morrish on her debut novel. I enjoyed her character development and writing style and look forward to reading her next book!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to review this book.

The storyline was engaging and really pulls you in, with the suspense level increasing as the story progresses.
The characters are realistic and believable, and you can certainly feel yourself sharing in their emotions throughout.

I found this book incredibly moving to read. I love historical fiction so I was eager to read 'Operation Moonlight' and it did not disappoint. I liked the parallel stories from "then" and "now" as it keeps the reader engaged and wanting to read more and more!

This is a great book with characters who are sad, courageous, realistic, brave, betrayed and loyal. It tells the tale of second world war exploits and secret missions. It shows the necessity and the danger of secrets kept over time in a period when Britain needed to win at all costs and how individuals did their bit to bring about the defeat of Nazi Germany. I found it a gripping read and felt I knew the characters. Recommended.

I’ve always been very interested in the roles women have played in major conflicts, particularly – though by no means exclusively – the two World Wars. The work of the Special Operations Executive has mostly been documented in terms of those who didn’t survive, since most of those who got through World War Two, and returned to their everyday lives, stuck to their vows of secrecy, even when speaking with their own families. As each year passes, there are fewer and fewer of them left to tell their stories, so we have to rely on fictional composites to get an idea of what might have occurred.

Betty is approaching her hundredth birthday, when she receives an invitation to join a social group for people who have reached their century. Initially sceptical, she is persuaded to attend by her live-in carer, Natalia (Tali), who has come to the UK from Mauritius to escape her overbearing family and a failed love affair with another woman. At the first meeting they attend, Tali is very taken with Jo, the volunteer coordinating the group’s activities, while Betty is reluctant to join the others in making her own “memory box,” restricting her work to drawing a representation of the river close to her house on the outside.

Back at the house, Tali searches for items for Betty to put in her box and comes across an old suitcase. This contains various mysterious objects, including a handgun, which Betty insists be thrown into the river. Meanwhile, we slowly learn about Betty’s life during the war, from living with her mother and working at a mundane office job, to being recruited by the SOE and leaving home to be trained and then sent into occupied France, where she will aid the Resistance.

In the present day, Betty and Tali continue to attend the Century Society, and Tali grows closer to Jo. She visits the boat on which Jo lives and a relationship develops. As Betty’s birthday approaches, Tali’s plans for a celebration are disrupted by the return of Betty’s son from Australia. He wants his mother to move into an assisted-living facility, enabling him to sell the house and putting Tali out of a job. Tali’s family are anxious for her to return to Mauritius, but she enjoys her life and freedom in England and fears how she will support herself if she can no longer work for Betty. Over and above that, however, Tali fears for the emotional damage Betty will suffer if she is forced from her home.

The story of how Betty’s son gets his comeuppance is poignant, as is the background to his resentment of his mother. Betty’s wartime love affair and her subsequent marriage are treated sensitively, and it is easy to understand why she wanted no reminders of that time for her memory box. All in all, this was an excellent debut from an author I definitely want to see more from. There were a few places where I could have done with a little more explanation of who was doing what, but overall the story was well plotted and gave a great picture of intersecting lives.

An engrossing, well-written and well-researched historical novel. In present day, Betty is approaching her 100th birthday. Her carer, Tali, finds remnants of Betty's past in the cellar and realizes there is much more to Betty than first appears tot he eye. Back in WWII, she was one of the few women recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Because of her language skills, she was trained to parachute into Nazi-occupied France on a mission. This mission is very dangerous and luckily I knew Elizabeth obviously made it through the mission to become old lady Betty so I didn't need to worry too much about her. While I enjoyed the historical timeline, I was surprised by how much I also enjoyed the present day storyline and learning about Tali's struggles and warm relationship with her charge.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
3. 5stars read for me

A dual time book in the past and present day about the exploits of a woman in World War 2.

Betty is recruited as an SOE and is put into France where she will try and get information back to Britain. Then we are in the present with Betty just about 100 who is cared by Talia. Betty’s son Leo lives in Australia but things don’t seem right with Betty & him. I enjoyed what happened to Betty in France and wondered what happened which was interesting.

The book was well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Century for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know much about this book or the author when I requested it. But I can truly say it was a fantastic historical fiction read. The plot was a great pace for readers, making it an easy read despite the dark topics it included. The story, in a dual timeline, really pulled you into the SOE operation and made you feel as anxious or excited as the characters were. While I would have loved more details on the time in France as it felt very short, the story didn’t miss a beat when pulling you into the atmosphere of World War Two.

However, I was disappointed that I could guess the plot twist coming. It was made very obvious as the plot edged towards it. By the time I reached the twist in the book, it didn’t come as a huge surprise to me. This made the overall ending of the book feel like it was lacking something.

Overall, I’ve rated this book 3.75 stars. It’s a fantastic and easy read, especially for people wanting to get into historical fiction novels.

I was really interested in this book when I heard that the author is inspired by the experiences of real women from the Second World War. I’m especially fascinated by what women did during the war as we usually just hear about the lives of those at home. Yet many women did important and dangerous work during the war and we read the fictionalised account of one such woman in this wonderful dual timeline novel.

Operation Moonlight is a terrific read. I warmed to the main character Betty both as a centenarian in the present day strand of the story and Elisabeth in the wartime part. She was such a brave and feisty character, even as a frailer older lady. She may have needed a carer to help her at home but she was as composed as ever mentally and well aware of exactly what she wanted.

I didn’t know much about the work of the Special Operations Executive in World War Two and so I learned quite a bit from the work Elisabeth carried out during the war. It was such a dangerous mission where she really could trust nobody, and at one point I was almost shouting at her to remember that. There were more than a few heart-stopping scenes and I could only admire the courage of Elisabeth and indeed the real life women who carried out such secret missions. The author has clearly done a lot of research, making the wartime strand of the story feel very real.

In the present day story, I particularly liked the character of Tali, Elisabeth’s carer. She had come to the UK from Mauritius and had her own difficult situation to face. In her own way, she had to be brave and stand up for what she believed in too. She was not just an employee but a friend and she proved herself to be a true friend to Elisabeth.

Operation Moonlight was a book I found enthralling from start to finish. I enjoyed both strands of the story equally and found the author wrote about the themes of bravery, friendship and secrets extremely well. Operation Moonlight is excellent historic fiction blended with a heart-warming contemporary story.

I enjoyed Operation Moonlight by Louise Morrish The dual time line worked well .I particularly liked the contemporary story, where we are introduced to an elderly woman and her carer. Their relationship and carer Tali’s back story were an excellent addition to the book.
It is this modern day story line that introduces 100 year old Betty’s past as an SOE operative in France in 1944. The step back to that period shows the extensive research and passion the author has for the period. While it is the main. plot line of the book, it isn’t the only one and I liked them all.

A brilliant read.I really enjoy there dual time line novels, it begins with 100 year old Betty finding an old skeleton key in her dressing gown pocket but she can't quite remember how she came by it.As the story unfolds its full af drama, bravery romance and secrets that have been kept for over half a century. It was so Interesting reading about the incredible bravery of ordinary people who served in the SOE during the second world war and a absolutely loved Betty's story and really recommend this book

I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve come to really enjoy dual timeline books, this one begins in 2018. 100 year old Betty is trying to sleep but the full moon is too bright, as she reaches into her pocket she finds a strange looking key but she can’t remember what it’s for. Betty can hear her live in carer Tali snoring in the next room, Tali is also her friend not just her carer.

1944 begins with Elisabeth catching a train then a bus from Guildford to London after receiving a letter from a Captain Porter to attend a meeting in London to discuss the photographs of France she sent to the Admiralty. She soon finds out that Captain Porter works for the SOE and he recruits her to do some dangerous undercover work in France but that’s only if she passes the training camp.

Historical Fiction is possibly my favourite genre to read and Operation Moonlight reminds me why it’s my favourite genre to read.

Betty and Doris have been friends since 1944 they met when they both ended up at the training centre together after being recruited.

I adored the friendship they had all through the war and after right up until 2018.

I was so enthralled by the detailed parts of the war effort and the secretive organisations we set up to try and beat the Germans, you can tell the author really knows what she’s writing about and must have researched this subject extensively.

A truly captivating novel that has everything you could wish for! It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.

I throughly enjoyed this wonderful and very interesting book. It had me gripped all the way through from beginning to end. The pages just flew by. Another author to watch out for. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.