The Resistance Sisters #1
Darkness Falls
Rachel Wesson
Recently widowed, Adèle Bélanger is determined to indulge in the pleasures of Parisian society,
despite her family's disapproval. Even the German boots marching down the Champs-Elysées
cannot keep her from the gaiety of the lavish soirees and decadent restaurants. In contrast, her
twin sister Sophie, a third-year medical student, works tirelessly at the hospital. Sophie has no
news of her fiancé who had been on the front lines. She has no tolerance for a sister who consorts
with the German occupiers.
When their younger brother becomes involved in the resistance, the two sisters’ lives are
changed forever. Adèle and Sophie find the loyalty to their family and country tested as their
entire world plunges into chaos.
One wrong word, one unearthed secret and these two sisters could lose each other… and
everything they thought they were fighting for.
- Genres Historical Fiction Historical Audiobook World War II Family Fiction
530 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2022
About the author
Rachel Wesson
58 books317 followersRachel Wesson was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but considers herself to be from the capital, Dublin as that's where she spent most of her life. Her dad brought Rachel and her two sisters out every Saturday to give their mother a break. He took them to the library and for ice-cream after. It took a long time for her sisters to forgive her for the hours she spent choosing her books!
She grew up driving everyone nuts asking them questions about what they did during the War or what side they were on in the 1916 rising etc. Finally her Granny told her to write her stories down so people would get the pleasure of reading them. In fact what Granny meant was everyone would get some peace while Rachel was busy writing!
When not writing, or annoying relatives, Rachel was reading. Her report cards from school commented on her love of reading especially when she should have been learning. Seems you can't read Great Expectations in Maths. After a doomed love affair and an unpleasant bank raid during which she defended herself with a tea tray, she headed to London for a couple of years. (There is a reason she doesn't write romance!). She never intended staying but a chance meeting with the man of her dreams put paid to any return to Ireland. Having spent most of her career in the City, she decided something was missing. Working in the City is great but it's a young person's dream. Having three children you never see isn't good for anyone. So she packed in the job and started writing. Thanks to her amazing readers, that writing turned into a career far more exciting and rewarding than any other.
Rachel lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, two boys and a girl. When not reading, writing or watching films for "research" purposes, Rachel likes to hang out with her family. She also travels regularly back home - in fact she should have shares in BA and Aerlingus.
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They may share the same genes, but identical twins, Sophie and Adèle Bélanger, are different in every other way. Author Rachel Wesson highlights how their differences drove these 23-year-olds apart during a tumultuous time in history when they really needed each other.
Sophie is a medical student in training to become a doctor and is working horrific hours tending to wounded French soldiers at an American hospital low on supplies. Wesson was immediately able to place me in the converted casino and make me part of the action. I’ve read many books with similar settings, but Wesson tops them all with her attention to detail and her ability to sweep me into the action and wow me with her careful attention to setting detail which enriched the plot with atmosphere and mood. She’s anxious to receive news about her charming beau, Jules Stein, a medic at one of the casualty stations near the front. When readers learn of his Jewish heritage, it ramps up the tension and leads to unforeseen dissension.
Adèle is the polar opposite. She’s the indignant twin, a widow, who only harbours a morsel of fear and has reluctantly moved back to her family home. Where Sophie has her eyes focused on the future, Adele is all about living in the moment. Unfortunately, her frustration at her circumstances leads her to make some questionable choices, affecting not only herself but others. The interplay between the twins is fascinating.
Inspired by the real-life contributions of Dr. Sumner Jackson, Rene Senechal, Jacques Bonsergent and Sister Marie-Laurence, Wells has highlighted female heroines, honouring their memory and ensuring that their contributions aren’t forgotten. Her well-paced story with fantastic characterization and vivid setting detail showcases how differences drive people apart, how reality is often very different from expectations and how the decisions and actions of a single person can affect so many. I was in awe of how my understanding of people, places and events changed as ‘darkness falls.’ Amazing story and great cover! Congratulations.
I’m really looking forward to reading more about the twins’ story in the Resistance Sisters sequel, Light Rises.
I was gifted this copy by Storm Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion
Great story to read. I could not put it down.Can not wait for the complete story to bed able finish.
While one twin, Sophie, spends her days working at the hospital and trying to get news of her fiancée’s fate, the other twin, Adele, spends her days and nights indulging in the Parisian society, even if it involves mingling with the Germans.
All changes when a family secret comes out and threatens the lives of the family, we see the will and power to survive in the family, each on their own pace, but at the end reaching the same goal, destroy the German occupiers by joining the resistance.
With a lot of research and beautifully written Rachel Wesson has giving us a book hard to put down once you start reading it and ending on a cliffhanger, making you long for the next book on the series.
Sophie and Adele are twins, but the exact opposite in nature. Sophie is a trainee doctor, while Adele is only interested in a social life. When Paris is occupied by the Germans in 1940, everyone's lives are turned upside down.
An excellent well written and researched read; heart-wrenching and suspenseful at times, with an interesting blend of fact and fiction which I love.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and am very happy to recommend it to lovers of this genre.
“People laughed, shouted, and haggled, their lives just the same as they had been that morning. Yet hers was over.”
I enjoyed this powerful story so much! One family, so many emotions. It shows how some people shine with heroism through the war while others so easily succumb into darkness. I highly recommend this beautiful book and I look forward to reading the second one in the series.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.
This is Book One and ends in the terrible camp of Rivesaltes, built for Spanish refugees but now housing Jews. Having recently visited this camp I can vouch for the absolutely terrible conditions these people endured. Lots of action and I look forward to Book Two.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced copy to review.
Thank you to Rachel Wesson, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the arc of this book
The apartment house they lived in contained three families which basically tells the basis of the novel. On the first floor, lived the concierge, Madame Garnier who was hiding her son in an upstairs room. He was a deserter from the French Army and had been slightly wounded and came home to “recuperate” but failed to tell anyone. She was a gossip and would turn on someone as fast as a snake if she thought it would help her situation.
The Belanger’s lived on the second floor. Noel Belanger was a businessman who was very concerned about no one in the family blemishing the family name. He was conceited, pompous, egotistical, and cared for himself only. However, he put on a good act as a family man and friend; but would turn his back on his family and friends if it helped him get ahead. Madame Belanger, Anne, loved her children dearly; but was definitely partial to her son and Sophie. She constantly criticized Adele; but it didn’t work because Noel overrode any punishment she doled out to Adele. Anne was a typical French wife who stayed home and raised her children and oversaw the house and servants. She was always well-put-together and a cup of tea solved everything. The twins, Sophie and Adele, although identical, seemed to be nothing alike. Sophie was studying to be a doctor when the war broke out and the schools closed. She went to work for Dr. Murphy at the American hospital as an intern. She was unofficially engaged to Jules Stein, another medical student, who was with the French Army as a medic. Adele, the other twin, was spoiled, egotistical, and self-centered. Her husband was a con artist that maneuvered her into marriage. She got his family’s status in society and he got her money. After his death, she was forced to return to her parents’ home when his brother took over the family home. She hated being here and being treated like a child. When the Nazis invaded Paris, she continued to go to parties and dine out as she did before, even though the Nazis had taken over the cafes and restaurants. She thought nothing of flirting and dancing with them as long as she had a good time. At seventeen, Jean-Pierre hadn’t figured out what he wanted to do in the future. Now, he came and went as he pleased and told no one where he was going or what he was doing. All they knew was he spent a lot of time at the museum. Little did they know what he was a member of the French Resistance. Zeldah was the maid. She was Jewish and had known or been with the family since she was a child. The four children grew up together. Thus, Adele could get away with nothing around Zeldah and Zeldah thought Sophie was wonderful and could do no wrong. Nothing in their lives so far would lead anyone to believe what they would do during the war.
The third floor housed the Litwak family. It consisted of a husband and wife and their two young daughters, Alette and Minette. The family kept to themselves but were friendly when they crossed paths with the Belangers. They kept a low profile because they were Jewish. Sophie talked to them when their paths crossed and became friends with the two girls. Sophie could occasionally take them food from what her father brought home from the black market when food became scarce in Paris.
It was when Madame Belanger’s parents’ secret was finally revealed that the family really began to break apart. It also put them in mortal danger. The fire works are just starting.
This book deserves more than 5 stars!!!
Well written & researched book that pulled at my heart strings & I found myself totally engrossed in it & couldn’t put it down & nearly pulled an all nighter to finish it, now I’m impatiently awaiting the sequel even more so as the book does end on a cliffhanger. The twins are strong characters who find the strength to survive & in different ways fight the Germans. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat & I SO wanted to turn to the last page to find out what the ending was – I didn’t.
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I would like to thank Storm Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I love historical fiction, especially about World War II, so I was excited to read this book and know there was another one to follow. But sadly, this book just fell short. The book has the storyline and the characters to make it a great book, but the writing is so disjointed. It just jumps from situation to situation introducing new characters but not ever really laying any foundation down. There is no character development especially with the main characters (the Belanger sisters and their family). If you can get past all that, the story has some interest and there is part of me that really wants to read the next book to find out the conclusion, however I’m pretty sure I’ll be just as disappointed.
This book is special, as it reads from an entirely different perspective from most WW2 historical novels. It shows the true Zionist spirit in the face of impossible odds, and involves three generations of one family, alongside courageous Allies, both under Nazi occupation and those in opposition. Intertwined are many personalities, especially in four of the main characters; profiter, devotee, indifference and hero. The excitement comes in the evolution of each under circumstances unimaginable in this generation. Can't wait to read the next book in the series
I’m on to the next book in this series….🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
…. Linda Romesburg…..
A copy was provided for my review, but all opinions are my own.
Everything changes when their brother is executed by the Germans for printing a resistance newspaper. And the controls surrounding the Jews begin to tighten ever more quickly.
The characters are wonderful and stories are very emotional moving. It is always so hard to imagen what all these poor people with through. But, God bless all those who tried to help. Looking forward to reading next book in series. I highly recommend this series.
A very good story about the French people and how the Germans treated the French Jews during the Second World War. How France was divided at First into an occupied and unoccupied country.
World War 2 in France brings normal life to a halt. The well to do Ballinger family members are forced to take sides. The very different twin sisters react in different ways. But one thing for sure, they love France and want to help. I recommend this book.
An absorbing novel with bringing characters and an awesome plot. Adele is such a brat, but one with grit and determination. I look forward to reading the next one in this series. Happy reading!