Review ~ A Name Unknown by Roseanna White

Paperback, 428 pages

Published July 4th 2017 by Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family's history, their very name?

Peter Holstein, given his family's German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.

But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his neighbors' scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he's more than his name?

My Review

5 STARS!!!

I was gifted this book last year but life happened and it stayed in my TBR far too long. This definitely deserved to be a Top Reads of 2017! Roseanna White has an incredibly distinctive voice and that makes it is easy to hear the passion for whatever topic she is writing about, whether it is a Word of the Week blog post or a novel about a thief looking to steal a man’s name. Her enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious.

A Name Unknown pulled me into a world I know nothing about (cannot even fathom what it is like to have to steal in order to survive) and moved my heart to compassion for this band of orphans turned-into-a-family who feel they have no other recourse. Rosemary, a thief and oldest “sibling” is hired by Peter, a recluse, to organize his disheveled and haphazard library in the hopes of finding some extremely important but misplaced documents in order to prove his loyalty to England.

The story takes place over many, many, months which I enjoyed immensely. The characters had time to formulate deep and meaningful relationships. But oh, the questions that beg to be answered! Who exactly is Peter—a German sympathizer or a loyal Englishman? Rosemary cannot figure him out. Their scenes are some of the best Roseanna has written. Then there is the mysterious Mr V. His identity is a humdinger! I loved the entire plot filled with twists and turns and faith and family layers that kept me glued to my seat until the last page turned. I smiled in satisfaction and then realized I have the next book in the series so I can just keep right on going into Willa’s adventure. I am one happy reader! J

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation has been received.

~Happy Reading, Y’all~