Devi Nair
🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Rill Askey ⏱ Duration: 4 hours 57 minutes 🏷️ Publisher: Touchwood Editions (October 28, 2025)
I came into this book with a genuinely good reason to be excited about. A WWII era historical cozy with a sharp female lead being underestimated by every man in a uniform is my catnip at the moment. And with everything that I've been reading lately in the nonfiction space about how systematically women were sidelined from the very wars they were quietly winning, Lane Winslow's story felt like it was made for this particular reading season. The setup is genuinely compelling. Here's a woman who's handed a dangerous mission not because anyone believes in her, but because she's convenience. And of course, Lane quietly proves them wrong, and that scratched a very specific feminist itch for me.
However, at around 60%, my attention wandered and never fully came back. The mission beats are solid on paper, yet they started to blend together in snow, trains and coded conversations, without quite enough emotional anchor to keep me invested. Audiobooks are an interesting litmus test for pacing. When you zone out during a drive, and realize you've missed twenty minutes, that's the book telling you something. For me, this one had that moment. Rill Askey's narration was pleasant, and well suited to the period tone, but even a good narrator can only do so much when your attention has quietly slipped off.
I want to be fair here. This is absolutely a series I can see working for a lot of readers. If you are already a Lane Winslow fan, this prequel will feel like a gift, with a cozy origin story wrapped in wartime snow and Scottish atmosphere. For me, as an entry point, it just didn't quite hold on tight enough.
Would you recommend it? For me, A Season for Spies lands in the “glad I sampled, but not compelled to continue” category. If you already love Lane Winslow or you’re chasing a soft-focus WWII spy story with cozy Christmas notes, this is worth trying, especially if you love Maisie Dobbs, Phryne Fisher, or Louise Penny's atmospheric style. Start from Book 1 of the series. This prequel is a lovely companion for existing fans.
🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Rill Askey ⏱ Duration: 4 hours 57 minutes 🏷️ Publisher: Touchwood Editions (October 28, 2025)
I came into this book with a genuinely good reason to be excited about. A WWII era historical cozy with a sharp female lead being underestimated by every man in a uniform is my catnip at the moment. And with everything that I've been reading lately in the nonfiction space about how systematically women were sidelined from the very wars they were quietly winning, Lane Winslow's story felt like it was made for this particular reading season. The setup is genuinely compelling. Here's a woman who's handed a dangerous mission not because anyone believes in her, but because she's convenience. And of course, Lane quietly proves them wrong, and that scratched a very specific feminist itch for me.
However, at around 60%, my attention wandered and never fully came back. The mission beats are solid on paper, yet they started to blend together in snow, trains and coded conversations, without quite enough emotional anchor to keep me invested. Audiobooks are an interesting litmus test for pacing. When you zone out during a drive, and realize you've missed twenty minutes, that's the book telling you something. For me, this one had that moment. Rill Askey's narration was pleasant, and well suited to the period tone, but even a good narrator can only do so much when your attention has quietly slipped off.
I want to be fair here. This is absolutely a series I can see working for a lot of readers. If you are already a Lane Winslow fan, this prequel will feel like a gift, with a cozy origin story wrapped in wartime snow and Scottish atmosphere. For me, as an entry point, it just didn't quite hold on tight enough.
Would you recommend it? For me, A Season for Spies lands in the “glad I sampled, but not compelled to continue” category. If you already love Lane Winslow or you’re chasing a soft-focus WWII spy story with cozy Christmas notes, this is worth trying, especially if you love Maisie Dobbs, Phryne Fisher, or Louise Penny's atmospheric style. Start from Book 1 of the series. This prequel is a lovely companion for existing fans.