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Stella Bled #3
One Child in Berlin
It’s been a year since Stella Bled Lawrence and her husband, Nicky, escaped Italy by the skin of their teeth and a lot has changed. Nicky joined the Royal Air Force and Stella spent the year training as a spy for His Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service. She has the languages and the tradecraft down pat, but she still has a way to go when the Earl of Bickford pulls her from her training early.
The earl uses his influence to make her a courier, a job well below her skills, but it’s not as simple as it seems. The new head of the service isn’t convinced of her worth and Stella has to use the opportunity to show him that she and other women can deliver for Britain or she’s out on her ear.
That would be enough to make any newly-minted spy nervous, but the earl isn’t done. He has a favor to ask and the request sends Stella to a place that will haunt her forever. (from Amazon)
The earl uses his influence to make her a courier, a job well below her skills, but it’s not as simple as it seems. The new head of the service isn’t convinced of her worth and Stella has to use the opportunity to show him that she and other women can deliver for Britain or she’s out on her ear.
That would be enough to make any newly-minted spy nervous, but the earl isn’t done. He has a favor to ask and the request sends Stella to a place that will haunt her forever. (from Amazon)
- GenresHistorical Fiction
545 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2020
277 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
A.W. Hartoin
47 books228 followersUSA Today bestselling author A.W. Hartoin grew up in rural Missouri, but her grandmother lived in the Central West End area of St. Louis. The CWE fascinated her with its enormous houses, every one unique. She was sure there was a story behind each ornate door. Going to Grandma’s house was a treat and an adventure. As the only grandchild around for many years, A.W. spent her visits exploring the many rooms with their many secrets. That’s how Mercy Watts and the fairies of Whipplethorn came to be.
As an adult, A.W. Hartoin decided she needed a whole lot more life experience if she was going to write good characters so she joined the Air Force. It was the best education she could’ve hoped for. She met her husband and traveled the world, living in Alaska, Italy, and Germany before settling in Colorado for nearly eleven years. Now A.W. has returned to Germany and lives in picturesque Waldenbuch with her family and two spoiled cats, who absolutely believe they should be allowed to escape and roam the village freely.
As an adult, A.W. Hartoin decided she needed a whole lot more life experience if she was going to write good characters so she joined the Air Force. It was the best education she could’ve hoped for. She met her husband and traveled the world, living in Alaska, Italy, and Germany before settling in Colorado for nearly eleven years. Now A.W. has returned to Germany and lives in picturesque Waldenbuch with her family and two spoiled cats, who absolutely believe they should be allowed to escape and roam the village freely.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 3, 2021
I am really coming to appreciate Hartoin’s writing. I was so wrapped up in the story one night I jumped and my heart started pounding when the cat jumped on my bed. Always new twists right to the very end. I am looking forward to the final book in the series. The writing is fun and clean. With minimal swearing. So I gave it a 5⭐️
August 31, 2020
I LOVE this series!!!! It drew me into another time and place!
November 22, 2021
This is the third book in a WWII spy series. Naturally, I enjoy them or I'd not be on number three! A little different as WWII stories go--plenty of danger, drama, and nastiness we expect from that time period, but the character is unique and the pace kept me turning pages. This time, Stella Bled goes undercover in Berlin, looking for a child. She ends up in a club catering to Nazi SS men and other German leaders and befriending people she knows to be the enemy, gathering intelligence--and looking for this child.
PG-13 for adult stuff like an attempted suicide and nasty Nazi kisses. But otherwise clean.
PG-13 for adult stuff like an attempted suicide and nasty Nazi kisses. But otherwise clean.
March 14, 2021
Stella Bled does not disappoint - a page turner as we travel with her from the onset of WWII through each of her missions.
October 4, 2022
Oh wow I really enjoyed this book, it is so different from the normal type of book I read or listen to but I like the authors Mercy Watts series so thought I would give this series ago go to. So glad I did because it has captured my imagination and it is like stepping back into the past and visiting a whole new world I know very little about. This series is very different to the Mercy Watts series which is a funny light hearted series and this series is like the older more serious big sister (i like the fact that this book follows the story of the elderly aunts -from Mercy's, relative Stella, so is sort of a cross over book). It continues from where the previous book left off and I think I enjoyed this book a lot more than the last. The cast of characters are very easy to imagine because they and the situations they find themselves in are very well described and I like them a lot, especially the main character Stella. She would give any modem day detective a run for there money. I can't wait to find out what is in store for Stella and her friends next.
Stella has completed her training to become a spy and she gets her very first mission to travel to Berlin and hand over a suitcase of money and then get out, simple, a job even she a woman should be able to handle. Wrong, the Earl asks her to do him a favour and find out what happened to his god child, a little girl called Anna. It should be a simple In and out but Stella after a very productive meeting with the Prime ministers wife requests a week to carry it out. Now she just has to prove herself capable of a much harder assignments. Upon arrival she finds herself in a boarding house for young ladies who have very special jobs, catering to the German elite. Rather than work in a factory while there, Stella despite being to small tries out to become one of the waitresses and it is a good job she does because something goes wrong with the hand off and Stella finds she will need the whole week just to figure out what to do. Working all night and hunting for one missing child by day takes its toll on Stella and that is even before her housemates start to become suspicious of her. Can Stella pull it off by getting some good intell to take back and find one missing child in a city full of missing children? Right under the enemies nose?
I would recommend this book even if you aren't a fan of history stories.
I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review
Stella has completed her training to become a spy and she gets her very first mission to travel to Berlin and hand over a suitcase of money and then get out, simple, a job even she a woman should be able to handle. Wrong, the Earl asks her to do him a favour and find out what happened to his god child, a little girl called Anna. It should be a simple In and out but Stella after a very productive meeting with the Prime ministers wife requests a week to carry it out. Now she just has to prove herself capable of a much harder assignments. Upon arrival she finds herself in a boarding house for young ladies who have very special jobs, catering to the German elite. Rather than work in a factory while there, Stella despite being to small tries out to become one of the waitresses and it is a good job she does because something goes wrong with the hand off and Stella finds she will need the whole week just to figure out what to do. Working all night and hunting for one missing child by day takes its toll on Stella and that is even before her housemates start to become suspicious of her. Can Stella pull it off by getting some good intell to take back and find one missing child in a city full of missing children? Right under the enemies nose?
I would recommend this book even if you aren't a fan of history stories.
I was given this free review copy book at my request and have voluntarily left this review
June 5, 2020
The riveting and thrilling saga of the Bleds continues. Stella has gone from a sheltered girl to a truly strong woman on the path to become a hero. Faced with true evil, she is determined to fight it at every chance, overcoming the prejudices on her own side to prove her worth. This is a thinking person’s thriller. Stella faces the hard decisions incumbent on a spy with strength and honesty, not bravado. Her choices are not easy, but she is an honorable and determined woman.
The feeling of being in the cold German winter and the day-to-day life as Stella blends in with the people around her was very well done. The history was well handled and spot on.
I find myself thinking about these stories even after I’ve finished them. Please read these books. I highly recommend them, and the Mercy Watts books as well. I can’t wait to see how the stories end up braided together. I received an ARC for an honest review, and like always, I bought the published version, too.
The feeling of being in the cold German winter and the day-to-day life as Stella blends in with the people around her was very well done. The history was well handled and spot on.
I find myself thinking about these stories even after I’ve finished them. Please read these books. I highly recommend them, and the Mercy Watts books as well. I can’t wait to see how the stories end up braided together. I received an ARC for an honest review, and like always, I bought the published version, too.
April 11, 2021
Stella is not quite done with her training when she is sent to Berlin as a courier. The earl has asked her for a favor and that is One Child in Berlin. Stella ends up working in a club in Berlin that caters to high ranking nazis and business men that court them. But she continues to search for the child. A.W. Hartoin introduces a horror that the nazis carried out. Experimenting on children with deformities taking them from their parents and saying they would be cared for with new treatments. Stella tries to help others as well. Can she be successful in her mission and get this little girl out of Germany or will she be caught in the process. Nicky isn't even with her he's back in England training with the RAF
August 12, 2021
Intense and full of scary situations
This book sends Nicky and Stella off to war before America even joins the fight. On her own in Berlin she manipulates and outsmarts everyone in the small, dangerous circle that she moves through. Being her compassionate, attractive self draws friends and enemies alike like moths to a flame. Unfortunately the horrors of Hitler’s war, though well-known now, present Stella fresh terror and unbelieving shock at each opportune challenge to gather critical information for her British handlers. When taking matters in her own hands, Stella’s shines at her extemporaneous best with retorts, ad libs and personality adjustments that dazzle and deceive. On to book 4!
This book sends Nicky and Stella off to war before America even joins the fight. On her own in Berlin she manipulates and outsmarts everyone in the small, dangerous circle that she moves through. Being her compassionate, attractive self draws friends and enemies alike like moths to a flame. Unfortunately the horrors of Hitler’s war, though well-known now, present Stella fresh terror and unbelieving shock at each opportune challenge to gather critical information for her British handlers. When taking matters in her own hands, Stella’s shines at her extemporaneous best with retorts, ad libs and personality adjustments that dazzle and deceive. On to book 4!
July 3, 2020
I definitely hope A.W. Hartoin continues to write about Stella and Nicky ~ wow! Even though they're apart, Stella doesn't sit around and mope ~ she utilizes her spy training to go above and beyond the assigned task ~ would we expect LESS of Stella?!?!?! She discovers the truth of what she had suspected: 'as a woman, you need to do twice and much, and perfectly, to get half the recognition'. So she does *three* times as much as she was instructed!!! But Nicky is not entirely pleased . . . . how will this play out? Can't wait for more!
July 23, 2020
All three books in the Stella Bled series kept me riveted every moment with the constant action and intrigue. Stella and Nicky make an interesting pampered newly wed couple caught up in clashes with the Nazis while trying to help a friend. I would have liked to know what happened to Abel and to Nicky as Stella becomes involved in her own mission. Also one of the ten women in the Vykerie call Stella by her given name when they should have used her cover name. However, I read one book after another because they were so intense I could not stop. A. W. Heroin is an excellent writer!
November 6, 2020
Stella Bled Lawrence is moving into her role as spy, using her remarkable and unusual talent for languages to get inside the daily life of Berliners during the run up to WWII. This story has Stella placed into a small group of women who brush against men trying to guide Germany onto the Nazi path to history. Each of the women give insight into how humans can react in times of intense political and social pressure. I am a fan of A.W. Hartoin. Her characters are well developed and the stories intriguing.
August 6, 2025
The series is getting better with each book. I like the authors writing style which is uncomplicated and you're saved from having to be trying to figure out who is who.
Thoroughly enjoyed this totally believable story line which has Stella in Berlin having to befriend Nazis and Nazi sympathizers and double agents while she completes her mission of a courier drop. As you might expect, she goes rouge and searches for a child with the intention of getting it out of Germany.
The last third of the book is very intense with a couple of unexpected twists.
Thoroughly enjoyed this totally believable story line which has Stella in Berlin having to befriend Nazis and Nazi sympathizers and double agents while she completes her mission of a courier drop. As you might expect, she goes rouge and searches for a child with the intention of getting it out of Germany.
The last third of the book is very intense with a couple of unexpected twists.
May 18, 2020
Whilst not my favourite in the series I still really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were engaging and you cared what happened to most of them. Maybe not as high thrill as the other books but still kept me going and guessing until the end. if you enjoyed the rest of the series you will not be disappointed in this book,
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
September 15, 2022
Gripping saga
Fascinating read in the Stella Bled series. Stella is determined, plucky, thinks outside the box. She will not leave the child she was sent to find behind in Berlin. Lots of challenges and close calls along the way. It took a lot of courage for men and women to be spies and go on clandestine missions during the war! Stella is a fun character. I only have this book four stars because I missed her relationship with her husband Nicky, off to fight in other arenas.
Fascinating read in the Stella Bled series. Stella is determined, plucky, thinks outside the box. She will not leave the child she was sent to find behind in Berlin. Lots of challenges and close calls along the way. It took a lot of courage for men and women to be spies and go on clandestine missions during the war! Stella is a fun character. I only have this book four stars because I missed her relationship with her husband Nicky, off to fight in other arenas.
May 11, 2021
The writing and story were good. My complaint is that this is book 3 in a series, and while previous characters, events etc. were mentioned (and part of of the plot), not enough time was spent on refreshing my memory as to who/what they were in prior books. Maybe it was deliberate as I’m now reading book 4 so what happened in book 3 is fresh in my mind.
August 8, 2021
Action packed!
Love, love, love these stories! Suspense and mystery abound! The emotions of fear, anxiety, caring, friendships are tangible. Traveling through Nazi Germany during WW2 prior to America entering the war was unbelievably dangerous and beyond exciting to read! Can’t wait to start #4!
Love, love, love these stories! Suspense and mystery abound! The emotions of fear, anxiety, caring, friendships are tangible. Traveling through Nazi Germany during WW2 prior to America entering the war was unbelievably dangerous and beyond exciting to read! Can’t wait to start #4!
October 7, 2021
In this third book, Stella Bled Lawrence is back. After a year of training for His Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service, Stella is send to a place which will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Will she be able to accomplish her mission and make it out alive?
~Nancy Huber, author of Days of Fire, and Homeschooling Against All Odds
Will she be able to accomplish her mission and make it out alive?
~Nancy Huber, author of Days of Fire, and Homeschooling Against All Odds
October 25, 2022
I loved this book . It kept me company while moving from one state to another.
This book was had to put down. Just when I figured out what Stella would do next; she did something else.
Several scenes created close to tears time . All in all it’s a great suspenseful read.
Highly recommend this series.
This book was had to put down. Just when I figured out what Stella would do next; she did something else.
Several scenes created close to tears time . All in all it’s a great suspenseful read.
Highly recommend this series.
August 12, 2023
The Escape
In more ways than one this is the perfect escape. The ingenuity of the writing will prevail upon you creating an urgency to be in the chase. You'll be swept up in the saga of the Bled Lawrence Families and the darkness etched in a period of time...willing the light to break through.
In more ways than one this is the perfect escape. The ingenuity of the writing will prevail upon you creating an urgency to be in the chase. You'll be swept up in the saga of the Bled Lawrence Families and the darkness etched in a period of time...willing the light to break through.
February 9, 2024
Hartoin gave us another suspenseful story to add to Stella's repertoire. This time she is proving her worth to Mrs. Churchill and making a stand for the ability of women to "do the job." The things she had to do to find one small child in the middle of WWII. I really enjoyed this book. I continue to look forward to more Stella's adventures.
June 12, 2024
A.W. Hartoin your in my head and in my heart
I can't begin to tell you how much I love this series. I could not put these books down I just read one after the other and I cried . Absolutely amazing the writing wonderful the descriptions made me feel like I was running the the streets of Vienna and Venice.
I can't begin to tell you how much I love this series. I could not put these books down I just read one after the other and I cried . Absolutely amazing the writing wonderful the descriptions made me feel like I was running the the streets of Vienna and Venice.
October 31, 2024
Why haven’t I given this series so far, more than 3 stars. I’m obviously enjoying them, since this is the third book in the series. I think at times, things are just too far fetched. I didn’t find this book as silly as the other two, and it kept more of a serious timeline. I will continue reading the series, but I am going to take a little break.
June 15, 2020
Outrageously Good
A. W. Bargain is an incredible writer. You might think that Stella was created from the "Maggie Hope" Serious but you are Seriously mistaken. Stella and Nicky's characters and adventures no no bounds.
A. W. Bargain is an incredible writer. You might think that Stella was created from the "Maggie Hope" Serious but you are Seriously mistaken. Stella and Nicky's characters and adventures no no bounds.
September 22, 2021
Stella Bled 3
Enjoyed the story line and the characters. Stella was much more controlled and didn’t seem to get into as many difficult situations which makes the book a little more realistic. On to book 4
Enjoyed the story line and the characters. Stella was much more controlled and didn’t seem to get into as many difficult situations which makes the book a little more realistic. On to book 4
June 13, 2020
Wonderful read
I loved this story about Stella going to Germany, searching for a nanny and the baby she cared for, set in WW2.
I loved this story about Stella going to Germany, searching for a nanny and the baby she cared for, set in WW2.
July 26, 2020
Excellent story, excellent historical novel. I want to hear more about Stella Bled Lawrence, and the rest of the War.
August 18, 2020
Fascinating read!
This is the last of the Stella Bled Lawrence books and it’s a nail biter! I hope more are written!
This is the last of the Stella Bled Lawrence books and it’s a nail biter! I hope more are written!
September 10, 2020
Great Series
Loved all three. Will there be a fourth? Want to read more about them during the war. More about Ruth too.
Loved all three. Will there be a fourth? Want to read more about them during the war. More about Ruth too.
October 9, 2020
WWII drama
This book had me tense with the action and fear that was prevalent in WWII Germany. Very interesting. Highly recommend it.
This book had me tense with the action and fear that was prevalent in WWII Germany. Very interesting. Highly recommend it.
December 25, 2020
i enjoyed the whole series but this 3rd is definitely my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews