Temperance's Trial by Hallee Bridgeman

In this first installment of the Virtues and Valor series, Marie Gilbert and her brother escape France as the Nazis invade. They are able to make their way to Britain. There, Marie, code name “Temperance,” becomes an intelligence trainee and than a wireless operator. She is the best the Brits have and when the time comes, she is sent back to France under the cover of being a seamstress. It was a very dangerous job and Temperance would ultimately experience the terrible treatment of the Nazis when captured.

The series is off to a good start and this installment leaves us hanging. I like it that Bridgeman has done her research and readers learn a great deal of history in her fiction. It seemed harsh that, while in intelligence training, the women were not allowed to make friendships. But, if they were captured and tortured, their lack of information about the other women might actually save them. The way the Nazi soldiers treated their captives was a revelation to me too.

While this is fiction, it is based on historical events. This story was inspired by the incredible Eileen Mary “Didi” Nearne, who served as a wireless operator in Occupied France under the code-name “Rose.” As in this story, she, her brother and sister fled the Nazia as the German war machine rolled into France. They eventually made their way to Great Britain. All entered service with the British Special Operations Executive. A group within SOE was called the F Section Networks. These networks were established in France to transmit and receive coded messages. It was one of the most dangerous duties assigned to those within the SOE. Bridgeman goes on to tell the story of Didi, her capture and imprisonment. She did survive the war, dying in 2010. It is an amazing and heroic story.

Temperance's Trial is part one of seven in a serialized story told in novellas. Each of the novellas is inspired by real people and actual events. They tell the stories of amazing heroines of WW II. Seven women of different nationalities, ethnicities, and social backgrounds come together as a team called the Virtues. I look forward to the next installment.

Hallee Bridgeman is a best-selling Christian author. She and her family live in central Kentucky. When not writing novels, she blogs about all things cooking and homemaking at http://www.halleethehomemaker.com.

Olivia Kimbrell Pres, about 100 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novella through The Book Club Network for the purpose of an independent and honest review.