About the Book
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 who just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?
Amid 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 themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.
Excerpt
Duty done, Margot spun away.
And nearly collided with Lieutenant Elton, who was, inexplicably, right behind her rather than where he’d been a moment before, two steps to the left. She sucked in a breath and sidestepped him. “Excuse me.”
He slid in front of her again. “Belgian?”
She lifted her brows. Her accent was scarcely noticeable anymore, she’d thought. Not nearly so pronounced as Lukas’s or Maman’s. Her English was as fluent as her French had ever been. She even dreamed it in, most of the time.
And what business was it of his? “Antarctican.” She prepared herself to stalk away . . . but there was something about the grin he gave her. Something that said he appreciated her answer.
Margot sighed. She’d always been drawn to anyone who actually enjoyed her sense of umor. She supposed she could stand to be friendly. For a minute, before her exhuastion fully caught up with her.
He held out a hand. “I’m Drake Elton. Have you a name?”
She blinked. It was a question stupid enough that it should have made her itchy. But he’d smiled at her Antarctica quip, so she’d keep playing along. “No, my parents forgot to give me one. It’s a great tragedy. I’ve been answering to ‘you, girl’ all my life.” She extended her hand too, but not with a limp wrist, as women usually did. She held it out to shake.
He breathed a laugh and shook her hand. “All right, You Girl. I’ll simply astound you with my powers of deduction.” He made a show of concentration—pursed lips, narrowed eyes, and fingers pressed to his temples. “Given that lovely hint of an accent, I would guess Wallonia or Brussels.”
Apparently Drake Elton wasn’t a complete idiot. A corner of her mouth pulled up. “And, actually. Not or.“
“Two homes, or did you move?”
She tilted her head to the side. A clever question. The answer would tell him quite a bit about her family’s station. “Two.”
Elton leaned against the wall, exaggerated concentration fading into an easy smile. “Which one did you prefer?”
Not the question she would have expected, exactly. But an easy one to answer. “The one in Louvain.”
Being not-an-idiot, he would be familiar with the name Louvain—the place that had become synonymous with the German army’s brutality. The place that was now more pile of rubble than actual town.
But his face didn’t settle into lines of horror. Acknowledgement flickered through his eyes, and his smile lost a single degree of its ease, but he held it in place. “What do you miss most about it?”
She drew up straighter. Occasionally people asked her about her former home—what it had been like, how they escaped the destruction, whether the German occupation had been as cruel as the papers reported. But no one had ever asked her that, and she didn’t have a ready answer—a strange state, for her.
Review
I loved Margot when we met her in A Song Unheard, so I was super excited to learn she was going to get her own novel. I was even more excited to know the series was going to be based on Room 40 and the codebreakers. And what a great start to the series this is. The historical setting is well-realised and authentic, as it always is with Roseanna White’s novels, and the plot is compelling both in terms of the war effort and the characters’ personal lives. But for me, the standout factor in this novel was Margot. Margot as a character, and the way Drake set about courting her.
I love unique characters, and Margot is certainly that. She’s a brilliant mathematician—genius level brilliant—which can be quite a challenge to portray convincingly, because it’s not just about being a brilliant mathematician when mathematics is called for. A brilliant mathematician sees the world in a different way, and it’s capturing that unique outlook that really brings characters like this to life. And Roseanna White totally nailed it. Not just Margot’s mathematical way of processing life, but the logical and analytical personality that often accompanies it. And her wit and sense of humour were a perfect match for her personality.
And then there was Drake—the perfect match for her. Margot was very clear about her intention not to marry, but Drake took the time to understand why and discover what was important to her, then set about winning her heart accordingly. Now that’s true romance! And through all this, the tension mounts over who Das Gespenst really is and whether he will succeed in his mission, and Margot struggles to come to terms with certain events that have unfolded and how they affect her relationship with God. Oh, and Phillip Camden…I can’t wait for his story!
Seriously, if you enjoy engaging and intelligent characters, an authentic WWI setting, and a plot that sucks you in, Roseanna M. White should be on your “must read” list.
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.
For the month of June, you can buy the eBook of A Song Unheard, where we first meet Margot, for just $1.99!
About the Author
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
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Excellent review, Katie!
Thank you 😊
Great review! I cannot wait to read this one!!!
You’ll love it, Nicole!
As always, a stellar review, Katie 🙂 I must get to this book soon!
Thank you! ❤️ The hero for the next in the series will definitely spark your interest. 🙂
Nice review, Katie! I can’t wait to read Phillip Camden’s story either.
It promises to be a good one, doesn’t it?