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Paperback, 368 pages
Published June 4th 2019 by Bethany House Publishers
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Three years into
the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network—field
agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to
crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the
secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages.
But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first
time in her life numbers aren’t enough.
Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy that just
won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the too-intelligent Margot, but how to
convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers
lie in the heart?
Amidst biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to
destroy not just them, but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work
together to save them all from the very secrets that brought them together.
My Review
4
STARS!!!
“Don’t be absurd. One is never
greater than twelve.”
“It is when you love the one.”
There is much to like in this first offering of
the new The Codebreakers series set in WWI England. The Number of Love is
filled with interesting characters, some I liked more than others. Drake Elton
is one I very much like. He is a protector by nature with a determined
personality, a sharp wit and is not afraid to take risks. I loved how he cared
for Dot’s wellbeing and was sensitive to her anxiety issues, always showing
kindness and patience. Some may think he was being overprotective but who knows
you better than a sibling, right? Only in this case, it took someone who doesn’t
relate to others well, thinks in numbers, and shows very little emotion to
enlighten him to the strength that was within his sister.
Margot De Wilde is like no young woman Drake has
ever met. A friend of Dot’s, she has the ability to look at people and
circumstances unencumbered by emotions. Margot was definitely a character I had
a hard time connecting with but people are worth getting to know. It takes time
and patience. Not everyone has the ability to verbalize their feelings. It’s
much harder for some but it doesn’t mean they don’t feel. You have to put aside
self and enter into their world, looking for ways to connect with them because
in the end you will find a person who very much feels things deeply and has
incredible insights on life.
White is adept at drawing detailed word pictures
and always has me believing I have been transported back in time and place. I
enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of historical fiction and especially
those who want to know more about The Codebreakers in Room 40. I especially
enjoyed the author notes at the end of the book clarifying what was actual
history. I want to know more about this time in England’s past.J
I wouldn’t normally do this but I emailed the
author to ask her why she chose to make her characters Catholic and she
graciously answered me saying that in Belgium during this time, something like 98%
of the people practiced Roman Catholicism. Margot is from Belgium and it was
easier to make the Elton’s RC as well, in order to avoid the whole “Can we get
married, belonging to different churches?” question.
I was provided a
copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
What a lovely review! Believe it or not I could definitely relate to Margot, who lived inside her head, like I do, much of the time. I share your wonder over the way Roseanna White brings her characters to life, her books are gifts to my shelves1
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to Roseanna's books. She writes deep story.
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