A New York Secret: A heartbreaking and unforgettable World War 2 historical novel (Daughters of New York Book 1)

Wonderfully written historical fiction. Lily is born into high society but, her Grandmother convinces her to follow her heart. She faces many challenges from an overbearing Mother, falling in love with a man whom she knows her Mother will not accept, to working as a head chef of a famous and exclusive restaurant during the war, only to loose this dream job following the war, just to name a few. Lily is strong and prevails. She wins against all odds.

Lily Rose loved to cook, and she conscientiously worked hard, moving up in the kitchen brigade of Valentino's from vegetable chef to sous-chef, hoping to be a head chef one day running her own kitchen. Lily's mother has a very different dream for her daughter to marry the wealthiest bachelor in New York—a marriage appropriate for their place in society and ensuring the continuation of Lily's accustomed lifestyle. In 1942, lifestyles and dreams were changing in New York for women and men. The changes at Valentino's began the day that the beloved head chef, Marco, was drafted.The novel portrays the differences in expectations and desires of dreams granted and crushed by societal status and family ultimatums. Add in the unexpected changes of war and possibilities deemed the natural course in employment were taken away for some while in the same context, unanticipated opportunities beyond their dreams.The story immerses the reader in a behind-the-scenes view of a restaurant wanting to keep its elite menu and service for clientele with high expectations. Customers at the highest level of society did not wish anything to falter, even during wartime and those that made it possible amid restrictions.A captivating story of relationships, from the mentorship and camaraderie within the restaurant to the dramatic change of spirits when family members are supportive or use pressure to influence behavior. I loved Lily Rose, Josie, Emmeline, and Gia; their strength, courage, and love.

Reading this was an enlightening experience for me.  I was not aware of the multitude of changes & restrictions that the war caused in the lives of the entire population of the U.S.,  not just the soldiers & their families.  Learning about the hierarchy of the chefs & their various duties was an added bonus.Since I am not a historian I don't know if all the statistics & timelines were correct but I recognized the references to the different WWII battles & invasions.  With it being set in New York it was nice knowing where the various locations where that she mentioned.  The love story could have used a tad more development.  Holding hands on a couple of walks, one or two kisses & multiple sly smiles being exchanged did not really equate to a forever love for me but I could definitely feel the interest.  More attention needed to be given to the editing.  It was not horrible but a little distracting at times.  Overall I enjoyed it & would recommend it.

The author is a talented writer, but ... the story was too long, blah, blah, blah, Lily is talented, yes, on and on. My main complaint was the ending. It felt like the ending was a mad rush to finish the story. In the end I found Lily to be extremely annoying and shallow. Although I share the many complaints of women being taken for granted and passed over, one has to understand the historical implications of that time. Men were being drafted and sent to fight in the Pacific, Europe and Japan. Many were scarred or died. Some were fortunate to live through it and return. But the end focus made Lily the victim. Come on, while she learned how to be chef, men were dying in some hell-hole battle field. Did she forget that? She learned a skill. I have a hard time feeling compassion for someone given so many opportunities and their failure to recognize the sacrifices of others. Was the purpose of the story to pit women against men? Focusing on the end of the war as an example of the inequality of women was stupid and offensive to those that died and served during WWII.

Loved this book so much! Few realize the contributions made by women during war time. The challenge of survival and the sacrifice made by women needs to be celebrated. A wonderful love story I truly enjoyed.

I really liked this one!!!! I'd give it 4.5 stars. The author has created great characters and storyline. I will look for other titles by the author.

It's 1942 in New York City and as the fury of WWII in Europe continues, people in New York are trying to keep their lives as normal as possible with the circumstances. As the men go off to war, so much is changing, including food being rationed and the women left behind must press on. This story is centered around Lily, her family and the people she encounters as she proves her abilities as a chef at Valentino's. Her beloved grandmother, Josie, is the light of her life and encourages Lily to pursue her dreams. Josie is integral to Lily's story. Lily's mother is so cunning and wants to completely run Lily's life so Lily must convince her family and co-workers of her abilities and maybe, fall in love with Tom along the way. Lily and Tom realize they have so much in common. Their love of creating recipes and as they work together, find enjoyment and fulfillment being with one another. She must prove she can liberate herself and her position in society as people criticize her for wanting to excel in her career. You'll encounter snobby neighbors and some other chefs in the restaurant challenge her at every turn. Soon, secrets are exposed that could put Lily's dreams in jeopardy, and she must make some very difficult choices.I really enjoyed everything about this book. This is book 1 of a series and now I can't wait for Lily to return!

The book held my interest for the most part, but too much time was spent going into detail about the food. Reading about food was essntial due to the content of the book, however, it went into too much detail and became boring, I enjoyed the book otherwise.

I really enjoyed the book, its gave me a great story were there is war goin on and its starts off of at restaurant and great characters in it as there lives change. Enjoyed every page on the book. 5stars

The book is good, great story, decent writing.I will from now on have to check a book's details carefully and not consider purchasing if I see 'Bookouture' anywhere.This is totally the wrong type of paper, like any cheap printing paper, not cream-coloured as us the standard.Reading is or can be a sensual joy as well but this isn't.Feels and looks as if someone asked their copy shop to print and bind it.It's a shame as this book clearly would have deserved better.I want to know in advance when I buy a second-rate print and it should be cheaper too.Amazon Fulfillment is no option for me!

The portrayal of so many issues during WW2 is well done. One is transported back in time and learns so much about this period in history.

The author has put a huge amount of thought and research into this novel and it is easy to read. The writing makes superb atmosphere and sense of place. However, although it was enjoyable and interesting to hear about wartime recipes and food in this sumptuous restaurant etc, I found it went on too much about that. The character of Lilly and Tom were good to begin with. I didn't believe in Victoria as she was a bit too unreal for me. The grandmom was very good and Jacob at the start. I felt we were pulled along wondering what the outcome of Lilly and Tom would be. It was a disappointing ending because we were not given enough time to watch the characters change and resolve their problems and it was too rushed and lacked feeling towards and at the end. Victoria did develop and was far more believable at the end. However, Jacob her husband went from being a bit of whimp to a man of steel without us seeing that transformation. We only heard him announce his new way of behaving. I wish the ending had been given much more attention and strength and then I'd be over the moon. I don't believe the ending chosen would lead to the happy resolution it seemed it was meant to be, although even that would have made it stronger. If you want to know more about The USA in wartime then give this a go because the writing alone is beautiful.

I really enjoyed this story