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Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club
The newest heartfelt, engrossing World War Two saga from bestselling historical fiction author Molly pre-order now so you don't miss it! The Ladies' Club survived the Blitz — but can it survive betrayal?
September 1944. Deirdre Rowan is a spirited Irish receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club in London. When new manager Maxwell Forster arrives, Deirdre is immediately attracted to him. But Max has a he is a German officer concealing his real name, fleeing his country’s oppressive regime.
When it is believed that a group of British Union Fascists may be active in the Club, Deirdre is enlisted by DCI Jonathan Rudge to report anything suspicious to him. The enigmatic Max cannot escape her scrutiny, even though Deidre is in danger of falling in love with him…
Surrounded by lies and conflicting loyalties, Deirdre must try to uncover the secrets hidden around her, hoping they might answer the dreaded could Max be a traitor to her country – and her heart?
Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club is the moving new novel from bestselling-author Molly Green, illuminating the resilience of the human spirit, and the sacrifices made in the name of freedom and love.
September 1944. Deirdre Rowan is a spirited Irish receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club in London. When new manager Maxwell Forster arrives, Deirdre is immediately attracted to him. But Max has a he is a German officer concealing his real name, fleeing his country’s oppressive regime.
When it is believed that a group of British Union Fascists may be active in the Club, Deirdre is enlisted by DCI Jonathan Rudge to report anything suspicious to him. The enigmatic Max cannot escape her scrutiny, even though Deidre is in danger of falling in love with him…
Surrounded by lies and conflicting loyalties, Deirdre must try to uncover the secrets hidden around her, hoping they might answer the dreaded could Max be a traitor to her country – and her heart?
Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club is the moving new novel from bestselling-author Molly Green, illuminating the resilience of the human spirit, and the sacrifices made in the name of freedom and love.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
Audible Audio
Published June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have read books by Molly Green before and they are always well researched and well written - and this was no exception.
Based in WW2 Mayfair - Deirdre Rowan was able to leave her life in Ireland and go to London to live with an Aunt and work in the Mayfair Ladies Club - but this didn’t work out and she ended up working and living at the Club.
There we meet a disparate group of ladies, some bombastic, some bullying and some downright deceitful. And some with secrets - Lady Rosemary being the main one.
Of course being wartime there are tragedies and great descriptions of the effects of the V-1 and V-2 bombs sent by Hitler. Deirdre had wanted to ‘do her bit’ and had become an air raid warden. There she met Inspector Rudge from the Metropolitan Police.
She also has he sights on Max Forster - the manager of the club - also with his own apparent secrets.
I found it very clever how Molly Green wove real characters and events into her narrative. Who would have expected a young Margaret Thatcher to appear? (Not a spoiler as it’s mentioned in the authors notes).
I could say more - Deirdre had a complex relationship with her parents which unfolded in a side story to the main one which actually was more about how the BUF had kept their presence in the UK and traitorously sent secrets to Germany.
My only complaint? I found Deirdre’s feckless regard to becoming engaged and marriage very hard to deal with. She was engaged at the beginning of the book - her second time - and had 2 further proposals which she accepted - before the end. Maybe it’s me? I did have a friend who had a collection of engagement rings before she finally married.
But all in all a great read. Very interesting and informative and a side of war history I had not encountered before - and I read and enjoy a lot of WW2 historical fiction.
Based in WW2 Mayfair - Deirdre Rowan was able to leave her life in Ireland and go to London to live with an Aunt and work in the Mayfair Ladies Club - but this didn’t work out and she ended up working and living at the Club.
There we meet a disparate group of ladies, some bombastic, some bullying and some downright deceitful. And some with secrets - Lady Rosemary being the main one.
Of course being wartime there are tragedies and great descriptions of the effects of the V-1 and V-2 bombs sent by Hitler. Deirdre had wanted to ‘do her bit’ and had become an air raid warden. There she met Inspector Rudge from the Metropolitan Police.
She also has he sights on Max Forster - the manager of the club - also with his own apparent secrets.
I found it very clever how Molly Green wove real characters and events into her narrative. Who would have expected a young Margaret Thatcher to appear? (Not a spoiler as it’s mentioned in the authors notes).
I could say more - Deirdre had a complex relationship with her parents which unfolded in a side story to the main one which actually was more about how the BUF had kept their presence in the UK and traitorously sent secrets to Germany.
My only complaint? I found Deirdre’s feckless regard to becoming engaged and marriage very hard to deal with. She was engaged at the beginning of the book - her second time - and had 2 further proposals which she accepted - before the end. Maybe it’s me? I did have a friend who had a collection of engagement rings before she finally married.
But all in all a great read. Very interesting and informative and a side of war history I had not encountered before - and I read and enjoy a lot of WW2 historical fiction.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club is a World War Two historical fiction that reminds me that the stories within the genre are mainly fiction. For me it was a bonus allowing me to go down one rabbit hole after another researching the war and the BUF (British Union of Fascists). LIke so many organizations, once exposed they go underground.
Many of the rich and powerful women in Great Britain used the Mayfair Club as a means to an end, that end being Hitler taking over Great Britain. They had control of the club. They held secret meetings right under the noses of the residents. They used club funds to support their actions. They inflitrated the government and then shared what they learned within the walls of the club. It was a brilliant scheme that went of for years.
Watching it crumble down was very entertaining. Diedre worked as a receptionist at the Mayfair Club and an ARP warden in London. She suspected something. She witnessed more. Following her story, her life, her relationships would lead to great revelations. The drama had me flipping pages. The excitement of was yet to come had me reading with speed to see what would happen next. To gain understanding of what did happen or could have happened left me speechless.
How do you win a war when there are so many against you on either side? Who do you trust when all hope is lost? Thank you Molly Green for making me thing, for making me want to know more.
Many of the rich and powerful women in Great Britain used the Mayfair Club as a means to an end, that end being Hitler taking over Great Britain. They had control of the club. They held secret meetings right under the noses of the residents. They used club funds to support their actions. They inflitrated the government and then shared what they learned within the walls of the club. It was a brilliant scheme that went of for years.
Watching it crumble down was very entertaining. Diedre worked as a receptionist at the Mayfair Club and an ARP warden in London. She suspected something. She witnessed more. Following her story, her life, her relationships would lead to great revelations. The drama had me flipping pages. The excitement of was yet to come had me reading with speed to see what would happen next. To gain understanding of what did happen or could have happened left me speechless.
How do you win a war when there are so many against you on either side? Who do you trust when all hope is lost? Thank you Molly Green for making me thing, for making me want to know more.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Deidre Rowan, away from her home in Ireland, is working in war-ravaged England. She’s head receptionist at the Mayfair Club, a kind of upscale boarding house for women by membership.
While the war usually doesn’t intrude the doors of the club, Deidre begins to notice things going on that are unusual. She’s also a volunteer ARP member, a group tasked with ensuring the citizens are adhering to blackout rules and also as help during bombings. It’s probably this work that helps her view things from a different perspective.
Two men come into her life, one is the new club manager (and what else?); the other is a police detective investigating the situation at the club. Deidre, soon after her engagement ends, winds up involved with these men, though at different times and reasons, all the while becoming more enmeshed in the scandals at the club.
I liked this story, felt Deidre was a good person who didn’t always make the best decisions. The intriguing events kept my interest. I would look for future books by this author.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
While the war usually doesn’t intrude the doors of the club, Deidre begins to notice things going on that are unusual. She’s also a volunteer ARP member, a group tasked with ensuring the citizens are adhering to blackout rules and also as help during bombings. It’s probably this work that helps her view things from a different perspective.
Two men come into her life, one is the new club manager (and what else?); the other is a police detective investigating the situation at the club. Deidre, soon after her engagement ends, winds up involved with these men, though at different times and reasons, all the while becoming more enmeshed in the scandals at the club.
I liked this story, felt Deidre was a good person who didn’t always make the best decisions. The intriguing events kept my interest. I would look for future books by this author.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Once again author Molly Green takes a piece of history and makes it come alive as only an excellent fiction writer can. In her latest book, Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club, main character Deirdre Rowan escapes a tense homelife in Ireland to take a job as head receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club in London. She also volunteers to patrol the streets of her area in the evenings. Both positions give the reader intimate, first hand accounts of life during the bombings of London in September 1944.
Add not one but two men vying for her attentions, spies, and traitors, and this book has something for everyone. It is intriguing, romantic, fast-paced, mysterious, and superbly tells another wartime tale. If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you for the invitation to read the ARC of #WartimeSecretsattheMayfairClub to #AvonBooks and #NetGalley.
Add not one but two men vying for her attentions, spies, and traitors, and this book has something for everyone. It is intriguing, romantic, fast-paced, mysterious, and superbly tells another wartime tale. If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you for the invitation to read the ARC of #WartimeSecretsattheMayfairClub to #AvonBooks and #NetGalley.
Review of advance copy
I couldn't put this book down. The espionage and MI5 involvement with an exclusive ladies club had me turning the pages. The romance that Deirdre had between two men whilst still being engaged to another and also breaking off a further engagement felt a bit farfetched, and almost had me thinking, "as if", what woman has that complicated life, but then I just got over that and enjoyed the story with the mysterious contacts of the British Union of Facists (Blackshirts) and the course of WW2 in its later days. She finally makes her choice and accepts another proposal. A thoroughly good read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2026
Not as expected
I usually go for police drama books and thought i would have a change and try a spy thriller, well it was a spy story thrilling!!! well i wasn't overwhelmed in fact i thought it was a bit boring not as bad as murder before evensong but still very slow. I wasn't expecting James Bond but it was a bit dreary and slow. Three stars because there is a sort of story there but i dont think I will be looking for this author again, sorry.
I usually go for police drama books and thought i would have a change and try a spy thriller, well it was a spy story thrilling!!! well i wasn't overwhelmed in fact i thought it was a bit boring not as bad as murder before evensong but still very slow. I wasn't expecting James Bond but it was a bit dreary and slow. Three stars because there is a sort of story there but i dont think I will be looking for this author again, sorry.
June 25, 2026
Another great wartime based book by Molly Green. Some really good characters in this one and a storyline that kept you captivated but not complicated either.
My only criticism is I thought the ending was a bit rushed, it was like oh I've only X pages left, how do I fill them, which is why it gets the 4* rating rather than the 5, but don't let that detract you from a great book.
My only criticism is I thought the ending was a bit rushed, it was like oh I've only X pages left, how do I fill them, which is why it gets the 4* rating rather than the 5, but don't let that detract you from a great book.
August 20, 2026
Great New Series
I really enjoy books set at the homefront during WWII. Learning how the British coped with all the bombings, fires, shortages and possible spies has certainly given me a new perspective. This was a time when my parents were teenagers in Texas. Totally different.
I loved the characters and all the situations. Looking forward to reading the next book.
I really enjoy books set at the homefront during WWII. Learning how the British coped with all the bombings, fires, shortages and possible spies has certainly given me a new perspective. This was a time when my parents were teenagers in Texas. Totally different.
I loved the characters and all the situations. Looking forward to reading the next book.
July 22, 2026
Lovely novel based in wartime London. Stumbled upon this book during my summer break in Malta. It read as a breath of fresh air and simply couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more of Molly Green's novels.
August 1, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only issue was how sudden the ending was. It would have been nice even to have a chapter after the war.
August 2, 2026
Really enjoyed the way this book was written
August 16, 2026
I absolutely love reading stories set in Britain during the Second World War, and Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club was another enjoyable addition to my reading list.
June 14, 2026
Thanks to @AvonBooks and @NetGalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Molly Green is not an author I have read before. In this book, Green takes an unknown piece of history - at least to me - and brings it to life.
In Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club, the heroine, Deirdre Rowan escapes a tumultuous homelife in Ireland, moves to London with her aunt and takes a job as head receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club. Here, she joins a cast of characters as staff and members bring drama, passion and deceit to life through their daily interactions at the club. Deidre also volunteers as a warden, patrolling the streets of her area in the evenings. Both situations bring about dramatic accounts of 1944 London during the war and bombings by the German army.
While all of that sounds intriguing, I found the plot slow to develop and had a difficult time staying in the story. Sections of the books felt slow, and it took me much longer to finish this book than my normal pace.
#WartimeSecretsattheMayfairClub #AvonBooks #NetGalley #WWII #Britishhistory #womeninhistory
Molly Green is not an author I have read before. In this book, Green takes an unknown piece of history - at least to me - and brings it to life.
In Wartime Secrets at the Mayfair Club, the heroine, Deirdre Rowan escapes a tumultuous homelife in Ireland, moves to London with her aunt and takes a job as head receptionist at the exclusive Mayfair Ladies’ Club. Here, she joins a cast of characters as staff and members bring drama, passion and deceit to life through their daily interactions at the club. Deidre also volunteers as a warden, patrolling the streets of her area in the evenings. Both situations bring about dramatic accounts of 1944 London during the war and bombings by the German army.
While all of that sounds intriguing, I found the plot slow to develop and had a difficult time staying in the story. Sections of the books felt slow, and it took me much longer to finish this book than my normal pace.
#WartimeSecretsattheMayfairClub #AvonBooks #NetGalley #WWII #Britishhistory #womeninhistory
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews