Wise Gals: the Spies who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage by Nathalia Holt

HerKentucky Whiskey Glass Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃

Publisher’s synopsis: In the wake of World War II, four agents were critical in helping build a new organization that we now know as the CIA. Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier, called the “wise gals” by their male colleagues because of their sharp sense of humor and even quicker intelligence, were not the stereotypical femme fatale of spy novels. They were smart, courageous, and groundbreaking agents at the top of their class, instrumental in both developing innovative tools for intelligence gathering—and insisting (in their own unique ways) that they receive the credit and pay their expertise deserved.

Throughout the Cold War era, each woman had a vital role to play on the international stage. Adelaide rose through the ranks, developing new cryptosystems that advanced how spies communicate with each other. Mary worked overseas in Europe and Asia, building partnerships and allegiances that would last decades. Elizabeth would risk her life in the Middle East in order to gain intelligence on deadly Soviet weaponry. Eloise would wield influence on scientific and technical operations worldwide, ultimately exposing global terrorism threats. Through their friendship and shared sense of purpose, they rose to positions of power and were able to make real change in a traditionally “male, pale, and Yale” organization—but not without some tragic losses and real heartache along the way.

Meticulously researched and beautifully told, Holt uses firsthand interviews with past and present officials and declassified government documents to uncover the stories of these four inspirational women. Wise Gals sheds a light on the untold history of the women whose daring foreign intrigues, domestic persistence, and fighting spirit have been and continue to be instrumental to our country’s security.

HerKentucky Review: Wise Gals is a fascinating and painstakingly researched history of the women of the OSS and, later, the CIA. Ms. Holt details the stories of these agents’ lives of espionage and service while detailing their struggle for equality within the agency. It’s a fascinating look at how a core group of female agents impacted the future of the CIA and, ultimately, the history of our nation.

Wise Gals is impressive in its scope, spanning from the 1930s to the 1980s, and telling the stories of four groundbreaking women. Due to the nature of these women’s work, it is necessary to quickly recap major world events. At times, the narrative becomes lost in details of complex situations like the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Iraqi Revolution. At times, the author tends to refer to players who are never again referenced or to end a paragraph with a thread of foreshadowing that seems a little too neatly tied. In all, this was a very enjoyable and informative work that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys 20th century history, stories of boot-on-the-ground second wave feminists, or stories of espionage.

Purchase Wise Gals on Amazon or Bookshop.org.

Please note that I received an Advanced Review Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this work. This review contains affiliate links; I will receive a small commission for purchases made through the links in this post. This commission does not impact the purchase price of the item.

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

HerKentucky Whiskey Glass Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

Publisher’s Synopsis: Fresh off a bad breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a second act. When she’s named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a once Gilded Age gem turned abandoned eyesore, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can win the favor of their new London billionaire owner, Xavier Darling, as well as that of Shelly Carpenter, the wildly popular Instagram tastemaker who can help put them back on the map. And while the Hotel Nantucket appears to be a blissful paradise, complete with a celebrity chef-run restaurant and an idyllic wellness center, there’s a lot of drama behind closed doors. The staff (and guests) have complicated pasts, and the hotel can’t seem to overcome the bad reputation it earned in 1922 when a tragic fire killed nineteen-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley. With Grace gleefully haunting the halls, a staff harboring all kinds of secrets, and Lizbet’s own romantic uncertainty, is the Hotel Nantucket destined for success or doom?  

Filled with the emotional depth and multiple points of view that characterize Hilderbrand’s novels (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added dash of Roaring Twenties history, The Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this compelling summer drama. 

HerKentucky Review: Beach Read queen Elin Hilderbrand is back with her 27th novel of impossibly beautiful and wealthy people leading wildly messy lives. The Hotel Nantucket, as its title suggests, is set in a luxury hotel on Nantucket. The titular hotel is a Gilded Age property that has been recently renovated after decades of neglect. Mysterious billionaire Xavier Darling purchased the hotel with the goal of attaining the elusive 5 Key review from mysterious hotel review influencer Shelly Carpenter. Hotel Manager Lizbet Keaton, seeking a fresh start after ending a longterm relationship, assembles a team of employees — many of whom harbor dramatic secrets of their own — to bring 5 Key service to the hotel guests. We learn that many of the hotel’s top employees are seeking fresh starts after past mistakes, we meet the hotel’s resident ghost — a beautiful young maid who was killed in a 1920s fire, and we cheer Lizbet on as she embarks on a new romance. It’s the perfect escapist summer read.

The Hotel Nantucket is the quintessential Elin Hilderbrand novel, as refreshing and decadent as a lobster roll and a glass of Sancerre. The callbacks to characters like realtor Fast Eddie Pancik from The Rumor or Mack Peterson from The Beach Club feel logical and organic, and the storylines tie together for a charming tale of second chances and new beginnings. Previous knowledge of Ms. Hilderbrand’s works isn’t necessary to enjoy the book, but I highly recommend reading The Blue Bistro before this one for some background information.

Please note that I received an Advanced Review Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this work. This review contains affiliate links; I will receive a small commission for purchases made through the links in this post. This commission does not impact the purchase price of the item.

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

HerKentucky Whiskey Glass Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

I absolutely love Fiona Davis’s work. Her meticulously researched historical fiction centers around some of New York City’s most iconic buildings. The Magnolia Palace, a January Book of the Month selection and New York Times Best Seller, centers around a Gilded Age mansion — the Henry Clay Frick house —later preserved as a museum, the Frick Collection.

Now, let’s go ahead and get the frame story issue out of the way. Many historical fiction novels rely on a frame story to set up the core story. And, all too often, the frame stories are laughably bad. One of the reasons I adore Ms. Davis’s novels is that she creates framework stories that are compelling and relevant, weaving together two compelling and well-written stories. The frame story of The Magnolia Palace finds 1960s model Veronica at a photoshoot gone awry, locked in the Frick Collection with museum intern Joshua during a blizzard. The earlier parallel story unfolds as Lillian Carter, seeking to leave behind her past as infamous artists’ model Angelica, takes a job as private secretary to Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick. Ms. Davis presents a fascinating story of deceit, stolen jewels, and the curation of a legendary art collection through these timelines.

The Magnolia Palace is a must-read for lovers of Gilded Age art and architecture. I received an ARC via NetGalley and read on my Kindle in about a day. I couldn’t put this one down — Ms. Davis’s prose was beautiful and lush to just the right degree. This one gets five of five whiskey glasses from me.

Order The Magnolia Palace on Amazon or Bookshop.org.

Please note that I received an Advanced Review Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this work. This review contains affiliate links; I will receive a small commission for purchases made through the links in this post. This commission does not impact the purchase price of the item.