The Librarians of Lisbon

by Suzanne Nelson

The romance of Casablanca meets the spy world of Ian Fleming in this WWII love story for the ages.

In a glittering city of secrets and shadows, love is the most perilous gamble of all. Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Brimming with evocative writing and meticulous research, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson spins a web of secret aliases, sweeping romance, and great sacrifice. Inspired by real historical figures, this is the captivating story of two remarkable young women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

With World War II raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In official capacity, librarians Selene and Bea have been recruited to catalog the vast mountain of information gathered by the Allies, but by night, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.

Where Selene is confident and brash, Bea is bookish and careful. Selene longs to escape her family’s impossible expectations and embrace her independence, while all Bea wants is to heal from heartbreak and keep impulsive Selene out of trouble. But soon, both librarians are caught up in treacherous games of deception alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal double-agent, Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms and fêtes with Luca, Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy underworld of informants.

Victory depends upon the joint success of their missions, but when an unexpected betrayal throws a carefully spun web of lies into chaos, everything they’ve sacrificed is put at risk. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, World War II, Portugal, Books About Books, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2025

About the author

When she was in kindergarten, Suzanne Nelson jotted down in a school keepsake album that she wanted to be a “riter.” Though she clearly had issues with spelling, she persisted, composing cryptic poems about rainbows, fairies, mud, and even "Star Wars" in spiral notebooks all through elementary school. When she was seventeen, she filled four journals with her handwritten first novel, titled “The Dream Keeper.” To escape her chores, she often lied to her parents about what time her shift started at the local fast food joint so that she could spend an extra hour writing in the parking lot in her mom’s faded Buick. Her first published novel was The Sound of Munich, followed by Heart and Salsa, The Ghoul Next Door, Cake Pop Crush, and Dead in the Water. She is a shameless fan of “The Sound of Music,” Hershey’s kisses, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen, and can often be caught daydreaming of romping about gothic castles in lovely Victorian gowns. She was born in New Jersey, grew up in Southern California, attended college in Texas, and spent eight years as a children’s book editor in New York City. She now lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut with her family.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

1943: Selene Delmont and Bea Sullivan are best friends and librarians from Boston, they are trained to be agents for the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon. Selene and Bea are here to catalogue the vast quantities of information gathered by the allies, and by night, both women are undercover agents and they can’t tell anyone and including each other.

Selene is from a wealthy family she’s beautiful and poised, Bea is bookish and lacks confidence. Both librarians are caught up in treacherous game of cat and mouse alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men, Luca Caldeira a social outcast, and Rafael Delgado an agent known as Gable. Despite Portugal and Lisbon being neutral, it’s the last gateway to Europe, full of desperate refugees and nobility, spies and double agents, a thriving black market and the top producer of wolfram and a mineral used to make ammunition.

Both Selene and Bea have night time missions and are under pressure to find out who’s the main leader of the spy ring, Selene and Luca, go to Lisbon's casinos, ballroom’s and hotels and she’s hoping to make friends with the mistresses of the underworld figures and get into their inner circle. Bea works for Colonel Fitzgerald and so does Gable and he doubts the stuffy librarian has what it takes and is shocked when he discovers she excels at deciphering codes and has a photographic memory.

I received a copy of The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson from NetGalley and Zando Projects in exchange for an honest review. Based on real people, events and what happened in Lisbon during the Second World War and the debut novel is told from the points of view of the two main characters. The reader gets an idea of the roles women played in helping the allies win and how important they were and what stopped me from giving the book a higher rating was the “romance” was a bit over the top, especially when the characters are agents and on high alert, very odd timing and it didn’t fit into the narrative. A story about friendship and secrets, survival and danger, action and intrigue, loss and heartbreak and four stars from me and well done to Ms. Nelson in having her first historical fiction novel published.

[Sonia Almeida Dias (Peixinho de Prata) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer, I must say I requested this book on Netgalley because I am portuguese, born and raised in Lisbon, and was trying to catch inconsistencies.

Well, I did find some, especially at a language level (it should have been reviewed by a native speaker, so these could have been spotted), but I also found a very good and solid story, well written, well researched, and I ended up learning many things about what it was like to live in my city 30 plus years before I was born.

The characters were compelling and we were invested in their fate, the plot had a nice pace, and I ended up enjoying myself very much.

Recommend it to all those that love historical fiction, well researched, with a dash of romance.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um romance leve, passado em plena Segunda Guerra Mundial, numa Lisboa onde coabitam espiões, tropas dos Aliados e do Eixo.

Uma leitura agradável, sem grandes clichés — aliás, até surge uma referência que não envolve pastéis de nata nem de Belém.

— Prova o pão de deus. — Selene ofereceu-lhe um bolo com cobertura de coco, o segundo da manhã. Bea só podia maravilhar-se com a segurança da amiga. Selene espreguiçou-se como um gato ao sol, transbordando um vigor despreocupado. — É delicioso.

[Katie Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I was going to absolutely love this. The premise sounded fantastic with a unique WWII POV. But it was way more romance than I was looking for. I learned a few cool things, but overall it was just an average read for me.

[Alanna Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Librarians of Lisbon
This was a debut historical fiction novel, and I really enjoyed it. This story is about two Boston librarians turned spies during World War II in Lisbon, Portugal. There is friendship, lies, coercion, and suspense. I have full video reviews on my socials if you are interested.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Vera Sopa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história de espionagem durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial passada em Lisboa e com bibliotecárias pareceu-me irresistível. Um livro mais aventureiro e esperançoso e se possível também com algum glamour e romance, o que fez deste uma escolha perfeita. E para mais, lê-se num ápice.

Selene e Beatrice são duas personagens que me convenceram, numa movimentação apoiada em factos para esta narrativa ficcional. Luca Caldeira é inspirado em Aristides de Sousa Mendes, o cônsul-geral que, contrariou as ordens e concedeu milhares de vistos a refugiados em fuga, enquanto “Gable” era um “agente-duplo” em Lisboa num país neutral que negociava volfrâmio com os aliados e o eixo. Coerente com as confusões da época já documentadas para uma empolgante leitura. Gostei muito.

[Catarina Benedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este foi, sem dúvida, um dos meus livros preferidos de 2025.
Quis lê-lo o mais devagar possível para poder aproveitar mais tempo a Bea, a Selene, o Luca e o Gable. É um livro que nos prende desde a primeira página, está muito bem escrito e mostra-nos como "Lisboa foi um raio de luz durante um dos períodos mais negros do mundo. Em tempo de guerra, o amor e a perda andavam de mãos dadas."

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading the Librarians of Lisbon. It is a fast-paced page turner with twists around each corner and an intricate plot that keeps you guessing. The main characters, Selene and Bea, are strong, brave, and clever women with complex dimension and innate differences. Selene, an astute seductress who meets her match, and Bea, a timid bookworm who learns how to tap into her own power and use her voice, provided engaging perspectives, as each chapter jumps from one woman’s POV, back to the other. I am always on the hunt for well thought out, strong female characters, and this book did not disappoint.
The setting of WWII in neutral Lisbon provides a looming mysterious tone that pushes the story along and makes you want to rush to the end to discover the fate of the two women. The delicate state of the city crawling with Nazi sympathizers disguised as Allies added delicious tension as Selene and Bea discern who they can and can’t trust, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time.
Possibly my favorite aspect of this novel was the romance, as it gave the reader slow builds and then rewarding releases. Selene and Bea’s love interests were smooth and sexy, enhancing the level of intrigue as they complicated and compromised the women’s positions as spies. With fake relationships and enemies to lovers tropes, this book will impress the romantics.
I devoured this book and strongly suggest you do as well! You will not regret it!

[Sarah]

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get invested into this story so I DNF’ed it. The history was interesting and the premise of the story was promising, but it felt flat to me, which is sad because I love historical fiction books, especially those based on WWII. I’m really bummed about it, but perhaps I will come back to it when it is published and see if my views are still the same. On to better books!

Thanks to the publishers for the free ARC via NetGalley. All opinions and statements are my own.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slow Harlequin romance trying to be a historical novel. Save yourself the slog: read the author's note at the back to get the premise (it's a good one) and meet the people on whom some of the characters are based. In a more skillful author's hands this could have been a better book.

[Célia Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião no meu blogue, em https://wwwescrevinhados-cantarinha.b...

[Emma Tranavitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading The Librarians of Lisbon. The story following Bea and Selene during WWII working as spies in Lisbon was both fast-paced and suspenseful. The chapters rotated between their perspectives which portrayed their own experiences and missions which intertwined as the story went on. The epilogue at the end did a nice job of tying up loose ends that the story could have ended on.

The author's note at the end dives into the historical events and figures that inspired the book along with further readings to learn more which I am excited to read in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Kelly O'Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

March book club!!! The best part of this book was the Author’s Note at the end that gave details on the real people and events that inspired this story. Really struggled with how romance was woven into this - it felt pretty random and overwhelming.

[Sam (Sassyowlreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and can't wait to read it!

[Donna Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, hard to follow, uninteresting characters

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent. Read!
I loved reading how librarians scoured Lisbon for books and articles and then had them sent to the US for safe keeping.
I loved the setting of Portugal because its role in WWII hadn’t really been explored before and this novel opened my eyes to all that occurred there.
I had never heard of wolfram and its importance to both sides during the war.
My favorite character was Bea because of razor sharp mind and her ability to unscramble codes, something I could never accomplish.
Thanks to NetGalley and Zando for the early copy.

[Becca Loritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read set in Lisbon in WW2. I'm not sure I've read a book set directly in Lisbon during this time period, I learned a lot about their neutrality and what that could have looked like for the people involved. It makes you think about if neutrality can really exist in situations like that and the consequences of our actions. The female characters were strong to me, and I'm a sucker for a good love interest in the midst of any historical fiction. Sometimes the intimate scenes were a little graphic for my opinion. I enjoyed this read and would read another book by this author.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

[Cheryl Sokoloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was meticulously researched. For me, I found the story a bit too “romancey”, but I really appreciate the detail.

Checkout the author’s Instagram page for videos from Portugal! Very cool. Thank you Suzanne Nelson.

I did get a copy of The Librarians of Lisbon from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than I expected. Even though it was about WWII, it wasn’t as heavy as I thought it was going to be. I also never realized Portugal’s role in the war, so it was interesting to learn about it and all the spy work that was happening. Also, it was pretty cool to read about the places in Portugal that I have visited. I could picture the city and how the characters were placed.

[Riley Gerwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly loved reading this book! It was interesting being set in Lisbon during WWII. It gave a different perspective from books I normally read set in this time period. The two main characters were strong and endured a lot and I really loved them. Would highly recommend this book when it comes out next month!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!!

[joan wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read about American librarians going to neutral Portugal to mine newspapers, periodicals, magazines, maps and manuals for information that might be helpful to the Allies. I didn’t know anything about this service so it was an eye opener to me. Even though Portugal was neutral they were the world leader in the mining of wolframite used in manufacturing munitions and armor due to its high tungsten content. As a result both Allies and Axis operatives were vying for as much as they could get in the legal and black markets.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Librarians of Lisbon is a historical fiction novel set in Lisbon, Portugal during World War II. The main characters are Boston librarians who are trained by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (precursor to CIA) and assigned to work in Lisbon. The librarians have day jobs, but are also assigned missions for which they are sworn to secrecy—unable to reveal even to each other. Nobody in Lisbon is who they seem to be. Will the women find fulfillment in their work and in romance?

I expected to LOVE this book as I enjoy the genre, setting, and subject. I enjoyed the development of the strong female characters as they accepted challenges, took risks, and experienced personal transformation and growth. However, I rated it four stars instead of five because I was about 70% through the book before it became “un-put-downable”. There were a few scenes of physical intimacy that while not gratuitous, didn’t particularly add to the story. They were detailed enough that some readers might want to be forewarned or prefer to skim through those parts. I REALLY enjoyed the historical information provided in the epilogue.

I appreciated the opportunity to read this ARC thanks to NetGalley.

[Nicky Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! I learned so much about Portugal during WWII and the story was excellent. I love when authors weave in real people into their historical fiction characters. Great twist at the end too!

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a good book. There are far better books, both fiction and nonfiction, about the female spies of World War II. It was cheesy and corny and predictable. It reduced these potentially powerful spies to just silly girls in love. And the narrator’s voice was so breathless and annoying.

[Megan Gorvin Short · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t typically like dual narrative novels because I usually end up liking one storyline better than the other and this book was no different. Bea’s narrative was so much more interesting, her mission more intriguing, and her ending more surprising than anything in Selene’s story.

I think Selene was set up to be the more interesting spy, a beautiful woman running from her past and going undercover in glamorous places to uncover a Nazi informant. But from the beginning, she was essentially told the informant was one of three women and it still took her the whole book to figure out which one. And anything worth finding out was just handed to her: she needs to know about Luca’s past so she asks Jacques and he tells her; she goes to a refugee shelter on a whim and is immediately told about La Pastora who she then immediately decides must be the informant even though she’s told La Pastora helps refugees escape. It was all too coincidental to be believable and didn’t leave much room for mystery or intrigue. Also, Selene herself just felt too dumb to be a spy. She overheard La Pastora and a Nazi talking at the party but instead of following them to actually see who La Pastora is, she just walks away. And then Selene’s whole mission is wrapped up neatly when La Pastora kills herself in front of Selene; Selene didn’t even need to do anything to bring “her” mission to a close. And she never put it together that Bea was working on her own mission and as a result kept almost interfering with what Bea was doing and risked sabotaging Bea’s work. And this was after they trained together in the US. How was Selene still thinking Bea was “just a librarian” at the end? It turns out her past wasn’t that interesting either: for vague reasons that never made much sense, her rich family disowned her and she decided she didn’t like her boyfriend so left him. And then her mom gets sick and eventually dies and Selene is inexplicably upset for like three minutes before getting excited to escape with Luca and forgetting her mom again. It all felt arbitrary and didn’t help explain Selene’s character or motivations in any way.

I think this would have worked much better if it focused only on Bea and Gable’s story and explored their work/missions more as this part was actually interesting and unique. If the Selene storyline had been taken out, it would have allowed for a lot more room to further explore Bea’s talent at code reading, her mission with wolfram exports, Gable’s past in the Spanish civil war and his current work as a double agent, Bea and Gable’s relationship, etc. It all would have been much more interesting than the Selene storyline.

[Kate Zielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING!!! If you like WW2, historical fiction, sex, murder, espionage, spies, will they/won't they, should they/shouldn't they then you will love this book too. If I had more time in the last few weeks I would have read this in less than a week. It was a book I literally couldn't wait to come home and read. I will say it was nice having just been in Lisbon and on all these tours to get to know the history and culture of the area as the book makes a lot of reference to places, Portuguese words and phrases (which we learned while there), people that visited there or made a difference in politics, etc. So it did help to have a little knowledge beforehand of what they were referring to. It actually made it more fun to read! Highly recommend for a wonderful historical fiction novel!

[Ana Luísa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei bastante deste livro. Um universo de espiões, segredos e amantes num país "neutro" da guerra durante o governo de Salazar. Gostei como usou palavras portuguesas (try um pão de deus) foi algo único de ser ler....
Fez referência a ruas e lugares com histórica por onde passaram a Bea e Selena como café Nicola, ainda hoje aberto. Claramente houve muita pesquisa para realizar este livro. Os meus parabéns pelas notas finais, muitas personagens foram baseadas em pessoas reais que trabalhavam nas sombras para acabar com a guerra, , que infelizmente ainda hoje não tem o reconhecimento merecido. Adorava ver este livro traduzido para português.

[Faith Lavezoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a really long time to feel any sort of connection to the characters, so for the first half of the book I didn’t really care about anything that was going on. This also made the romances felt very rushed. I thought the idea of having two different spy characters with different, but intertwined stories was pretty neat. I wasn’t a big fan of how it ended though.

I listened to the audiobook of this more than I read the physical book. I think if I read more instead of listened I would have been more invested in the story.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, my historical fiction reads are around the WWII timeline, are super depressing, and are full of death and depression, so this was a bit of a different style for me. The spies in Lisbon during this time were absolutely insane - that alone was worth reading about. But throw in some romance with a hint of spice? I'm sold.

The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful and the characters were all SO good - I was left confused as to where everyone's loyalties really lay until literally the last page, and I'm usually really good at guessing twists and turns.

If you're looking for a good historical fiction read with a love story that will draw you in and (probably) make you cry, this is it.