Carole´s Monday: The three lives of Alix St Pierre

Author: Natasha Lester

Title: The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 432

Published: September 28, 2022

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

1943. After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St Pierre comes to the attention of the US government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organisation.

Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces - but there's also the chance he might be a double agent.

1946. Following the war, Alix moves to Paris to run the Service de la Presse for the yet-to-be-launched House of Christian Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realises that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.

The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre is a thrilling, sumptuous work of historical fiction told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII. This completely immersive story takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where elites of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.

Review:

When I first saw this book I was curious about it and then I was asked to read and review it so I was extra excited! 

Here we follow Alix St Pierre. In 1943, after spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, she catches the eye of the US government. She accepts the position in a fledgling intelligence organization. Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces...but there's is a chance he might be a double agent. 1946, following the war, Alix moves to Paris to run the Service de la Presse for the House of Christian Dior. Her postwar life is going great until a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future. She will need to bring him to justice in order to right the wrongs of the past. 

At first, I was a little worried about the jumping timeline. We see her pre-war, during the war, and post-war. That is a hard narrative to do, but it worked well! Even though she survived the war, there are still mysteries and things in the past she will uncover. The format worked for this story! 

Loveddddd Alix. She was such a strong and independent woman, but with a huge heart. She loves her friends and wants to make the world a better place. Oh! And she is so brave. I don't think I could sign up for the spying world....even though I find it SO interesting and intriguing (I think I would be good at it)....but she was tough but she could also be vulnerable. She is classy...creative...smart...and flawed. She isn't perfect, but that makes me love her even more. 

I could gush over her all day.

Anthony was an interesting character too. Don't want to spoil anything, but he was compelling. 

Oh, Lillie and Bobby!!! My heart!!!!

But yess a great cast of characters (even the big baddie). All complex...all intriguing. 

The story was good too. I had NO idea how she was going to uncover the mysteries or fix things. I did feel that one resolution was....a little too easy at the very end. I think someone (won't name names) should've done more. There needed to be more talking. Lots of hurts...lots of distrust. Don't get me wrong I was happy about WHAT happened ultimately, but I feel like we needed more time. 

The beginning was a little slow which makes sense because there was some build-up but once the ball got rolling I couldn't put this down. SO good.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Such a great cast of characters especially Alix! She was awesome. The story was enthralling. I did feel there needed more talking and work at the end, but I still was happy with what happened. Again...SO GOOD. I really should read more by this author. She really brought the three different lives and times of Alix to life. 4 stars from me. I highly recommend it for those that like mystery, history, and a splash of romance.