Secrets Well Kept

By: Lynn Ames

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

It's March, 1943. World War II rages across the globe, and 25-year-old Nora Lindstrom is about to take a huge leap of faith. One of the few women in the male-dominated field of physics, she travels to an undisclosed destination to undertake a vital, top-secret project that the government insists could help the Allies win the war.

At 18, Mary Trask is ready to put high school and the boy who wants to marry her in her rear-view mirror. But what alternative could the future hold for the dyslexic daughter of a train conductor? When a cousin in Tennessee provides Mary with a cryptic job opportunity, she jumps at the chance to rewrite her life.

Nora and Mary are drawn together under impossible circumstances. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they find solace in their love for each other. But in a place where secrecy is paramount, their relationship is forever changed by the consequences of secrets well kept.

In this new historical fiction novel, award-winning author Lynn Ames returns us to a time where the contribution of women was often overlooked and the casualties of war were not always limited to the battlefield.

©2019 Lynn Ames (P)2019 Lynn Ames

Spectacular eye opening book

Nice even pacing. Eye opening details. All of the sapphic love I need and emotional connections that ring true. Great read for anyone interested in history, the time period, and sapphic storylines.

WWII romance

This was a sweet fade to black WWII war effort romance. No spice, fade to black. I felt the facts about the war were accurate. I liked the depth the author went with the struggles lesbians faced to hide their relationships during that time. The narrator wasn’t my favorite. It’s a great book with low angst.

Lesbian love story, the Manhattan Project work.

I have enjoyed the book. However, there were some historical inaccuracies. It was "Warm Springs" Ga where FDR died. Not Hot Springs. Also Mary's father would not be "flown" home after being wound. He would go by Hospital ship. Kleenex did not exist until the 1950's. However, I enjoyed the plot and characters. Mary's obvious dyslexia which she struggles with, before it had a name. Nora's shyness. Mary says "I love you" very soon in the relationship; but despite this. Their relationship grows in the secrecy of the Manhattan Project. All in all, I had to give five stars all around, especially for the narration which was excellent!

It's so hard to keep love a secret.

I liked Mary learning to stand up to her mother. It's still hard sometimes for a woman to lead a dept when people are expecting a man. This was a lovely story and I'd love to see another book about the next chapter of Nora and Mary's lives.

The Rest of the Story

Lynn Ames offers a pointed look at a period of American History from the perspective of two women who fall in love when the stakes were incredibly high if discovered. America is involved in a World War and the efforts of the nation are concentrated solely on achieving military superiority and victory over Japan. It was also a time period when being discovered in a relationship with someone of the same sex meant you could be fired at will, even imprisoned. We know the ending of Nora and Mary's story from Lynn's book, Chain Reactions. What we don't know, is how the love developed between the formidable Dr. Lindstrom nor how they managed to have a relationship at such great peril to themselves while enveloped in a secret world at Oakridge. Ames answers the questions that burned in my mind when I finished Chain Reactions and gave me an incredible history lesson while doing it. She is a master at creating fiction based in fact. She never disappoints. Emily Beresford's narration is, as always, masterful. She brings out the innocence of Mary's character and Nora's constant worry for them both. Extremely well done.