About the Book
In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life–a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.
Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel’s half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel’s diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.
When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.
Excerpt
Head bent to the task, Colin worked through his lunch. By the time his shift was about to end, he was hungry and his shoulders ached.
He was decrypting his last message of the day marked FORWARD TO LONDON when the telephone rang in his office. Relieved at the diversion, he reached for the receiver. “Lieutenant Mabry here.”
“Colin, how are things in Hastings?”
He straightened at the sound of the tinny male voice. “Lord Walenford.”
“Enough of that. Either Jack or Benningham will do. We’re going to be brothers, after all.” Jack Benningham’s voice warmed. “Speaking of which . . . I thought you might join me for dinner this evening. My man can meet you at Victoria Station and bring you around to the house.”
The town house? Colin still hadn’t gotten used to the idea his sister was about to marry a viscount and the future Earl of Stonebooke. A man who also happened to be Colin’s boss.
Which meant, despite his reluctance to travel into London tonight, he could hardly refuse his employer and brother-to-be. “I can take the train from Hastings if that is acceptable.”
“Splendid. I’ll expect you at eight. Mrs. Riley is making her ration stew.”
Colin stared blindly at the unfinished work on his desk, still surprised at the invitation. “Very well, Lord . . . uh, Jack. I look forward to it.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you tonight. We’ll have dinner in my study, and you can bring any dispatches for the Admiralty directly here.”
“Of course . . .” Colin’s hand groped to replace the receiver as his gaze fell to the last message he’d been working on, noticing for the first time the letters he’d already deciphered. LT. C . . . O . . . L . . . I . . .
He continued breaking down the other cryptic numbers, his pulse hammering as more words began to form:Lt. Colin Mabry, British Army, c/o Swan’s Tea Room, London:
Urgent you remember your promise of love. Meet me Cafè de la Paix, Paris. 10 April, 1500 hours. You’re my last hope.—J. R.J. R . . . Colin’s shock overrode his rapid pulse. Jewel Reyer . . . alive.
He’d thought of her often over the past year: her beautiful face, her laughter. Like her namesake, Jewel had glowing skin, lustrous golden hair, and soft blue eyes that sparkled when she sang. She’d also kissed him. . . .
Another explosion rumbled across the channel, and Colin flinched, staring at the note. Jewel was alive. In Paris.
Sweat broke out along his forehead while his heart stirred with emotions from the past, including another memory.
He had given her his promise to return.
Review
Readers who enjoy a good dose of espionage with their historical fiction will definitely want to get their hands on this story. And good luck working out the truth of who’s who and what’s what, because it kept me suspicious and unsure who to trust until the very end. In fact, the mystery kept me glued to the pages even more firmly than the romance, sweet though that was.
The hero in this story will be familiar to those who have read this author’s previous novel Not By Sight, and although that book doesn’t need to be read prior to reading this one, it does contain a little of the backstory to Colin’s injury—including why heading back to France is just about the last thing he wants to do. But in Lieutenant Mabry, Breslin has created a hero who is prepared to fulfil his promises no matter the personal cost, and while he wasn’t the most charismatic hero I’ve met, he’s one you can’t help but enjoy spending time with.
If Colin Mabry has quiet determination, then Johanna Reyer has quiet spunk! According to Colin: “Johanna Reyer was the most outrageous woman he’d ever met. She carried pigeons in her purse, wore men’s clothes, and revered Britain’s old nemesis, Bonaparte. Now she planned to tell the American Secret Service how to run their operation.” If that doesn’t make you want to meet Johanna, then nothing will!
Although the quest to track down Jewel was what kept me most invested in this story, there was also a lovely mending of brokenness that happened along the way for both Colin and Johanna—Colin, in working through the emotions associated with his injury and the experience that caused it, and Johanna in finding resolution in relation to her family situation. If I say any more than that, it would be giving too much away.
In short, there’s plenty here to satisfy historical fiction lovers. And I’m hoping that there might be a story featuring Marcus coming our way in the future…
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing’s 2015 Best Award for First Time Author and her debut novel, For Such A Time, was shortlisted for both the Christy and RITA awards and received the American Christian Fiction Writer’s 2015 Carol Award for Debut Novel.
When she’s not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington’s beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas.
Connect with Kate: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Sounds like a good book. Great review! 🙂
Wow…(No offense to the author) when I saw the cover I was like, “Nope, not something I’d be interested in.” Then I read your review and definitely changed my mind. Sounds really interesting. Great job on the review!
Thank you! Music to a reviewer’s ears 😊