Orphans of St Agnes: Book 3
Publication Date: March 11, 2026
The officer’s cold eyes glide over me, and I clench my fists to hide my shaking hands. He doesn’t recognise me – my disguise has worked. But if he finds out who I really am, everyone I love will be in terrible danger…
Paris, 1944. Stepping under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Jewish orphan Josette tightens her coat and adjusts her leather satchel. The German soldiers who patrol the streets see neat plaits and shined shoes, but she is no schoolgirl. For months she has been slipping unnoticed past the enemy carrying important messages for the Resistance inside hollowed-out textbooks.
Shouts echo down the twisty cobbled streets, but she takes a deep breath and checks her disguise. The man she loves is waiting for her, desperate for the secret documents she’s carrying – she cannot let him down. Her heart skips as she thinks of Paul. The passion and devotion with which he leads their resistance group. The warmth in his voice when he talks about his beloved little sister Suzanne. The look in his brown eyes when he holds Josette close under starry skies each night and tells her he loves her…
But everything changes when Josette hears the terrible news. Suzanne has been captured by the Nazis, accused of treason. Fear gripping her, Josette knows that if she and Paul can find a way into the prison by morning, they might be able to save her, but it may cost them everything.
Can Josette and Paul rescue Suzanne before it’s too late?Or will they have to sacrifice everything to force their enemies to set her free?
An utterly heartbreaking novel about incredible courage and finding hope in the darkest places. Perfect for fans of Roberta Kagan, Kristin Hannah and Kelly Rimmer.
With the Germans occupying France, a young woman puts herself in harm’s way as the war continues.
Author Jenna Ness delivers the conclusion of the Orphans of St Agnes series with The War Orphan’s Courage. All three of the main characters reappear in this installment, although the main focus is on Josie’s adventures.
Josie, Lucie, and Margot have managed to survive the war so far, but a Nazi officer is determined to destroy them. The young women experience a number of challenges filled with love and loss.
With Josie delivering secret documents vital to the resistance effort, she’s no stranger to subterfuge. However, she and her boyfriend must race against time to free his sister from the Nazis.
The War Orphan’s Courage serves up the final adventure, highlighting how hope can thrive in unlikely places.
Jenna Ness’s debut historical novel, to be published by Bookouture in June 2025, is the first in a World War II-set trilogy about orphan girls faced with a heartbreaking choice: will they surrender to the anguish of war, or courageously fight for themselves and those they love? Under the name Jennie Lucas, Jenna has sold four million romance novels in twenty different languages and is a USA Today-bestselling author.
She lives in Idaho with her family and two dogs who follow her like ducklings from her desk to the fridge – Cosmo, a badly behaved Black Lab, and Scootie, a twenty-pound Chihuahua.
