Oh dear. Such a disappointment. Partly because the series had been a bit on the fluffy, fuzzy side and with this book it is neither of those. It is dark and the main character loses her charm by the end of the book. Granted the story line is about the SOE and Hitler’s Germany (maybe too close to home to read?) but there is also an overwhelming thread of Catholicism from two of the characters to the point that there is much quoting of scripture. Given the fact that the CC was silently complicit to some extent, this is interesting. It was new to me, however, that two well known bishops and more priests did stand up and condemn Hitler and the camps. Nonetheless, this was a disturbing read in some ways: it seems to change its mood from the previous books; the main character undergoes a fundamental personality change; and the ending clearly hints at a sequel. The train went off the tracks for me. ( )

Wonderful third book in a series for which I anxiously await the fourth book!

Review listed here ( )

The third installment in this series is a little less fun and a little more dark than expected. That’s only because it exposes one of the most gruesome operations of the Nazis. The story revolves around how this exposé affects the lives of Maggie, Elise and Father Licht. Even on a broader level, this book describes how the actions in war might seem relevant during the situation but are more harder to accept in hindsight. Maggie’s character grows a lot in this book; she is courageous and able to quickly think on her feet in dangerous situations but she is still sensitive and finds it hard to reconcile with the evil in the world and her own actions. Even though there was hardly any mystery in this book, I think it’s a setup for character development and hopefully, better mysteries in the next books. ( )

In the third volume of the Maggie Hope series, Maggie becomes a member of SOE and is dropped outside of Berlin to pass on some radio crystals and to plant a microphone in her mother, Clara Hess's study. Here she meets people of the resistance and her sister, Elise Hess, a nurse who uncovers the German program to kill children who are less than perfect, and tries to save a downed British pilot and a German Jewish surgeon. As usual, she does not stick strictly to her orders, but becomes a companion to a Nazi bureaucrat's daughter. Again there are some instances where the editing could have been better, but it is a page-turner. ( )

I enjoyed reading Her Majesty's Hope. I'm very familiar with the era and the events of World War II, both in Germany and England. For those less knowledgeable, some of the events described will be very disturbing. I wondered why a few things were included, they seemed somewhat gratuitous but I presume they will be threads that are picked up in the next book and the reason they are there will become clear, as well as be integral to the story.

I thought the story of David Greene and his parents was resolved a little too neatly. In fact I felt that I had read the same story in one form or another in other books about the era.

Overall it is a good story and the background was well researched, using real people to give authenticity to the story.

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. ( )