ReviewsByErin

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This story gets off to an explosive start when a young gentlewoman is ambushed, shot, and left for dead. Thankfully, the private investigator she was meeting with, who is none other than Lord Yates Fairfax of the Imposters, is there to rescue Lady Alethia and take on the case to find her missing nanny. Who would want to silence Lady Alethia's quest to the point of attempting murder?

The Imposters are back in the third and final novel of this captivating series. Although the group's numbers have stayed small out of necessity to their identity a secret, some things are going to require letting others in. Lady Lavinia Hemming, longtime neighbor of the Fairfaxes with haunting secrets of her own, takes to private investigative work like a duck to water and quickly becomes a valuable member of the team.

While I appreciated the quick start to the novel, the middle lagged a bit until the pieces fell into place. Once the team grasps the full consequences of where Lady Altheia's missing nanny might be, it is then full steam ahead until the dramatic conclusion.

Although done with careful language and extreme grace, this story takes on what we would call today trafficking and grooming. As I said, it is handled very well, but this might be an issue some readers should be aware of.

It was great joy to reenter the world of the Imposters and catch up with these characters who have become friends. The love triangle trope is not my favorite, but I must say it's done quite intriguingly and I kept waffling in deciphering if Yates would choose Lady Alethia or Lady Lavinia. It worked out exactly as it was supposed to in the end.

If you're a fan of Roseanna's other series, you'll enjoy seeing familiar characters who make cameo appearances in this book. Overall, I would recommend this for all who enjoy historical romance with a side of suspense.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.


Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling, 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.

I read some really great books this year! Here are my ten favorites, separated by genre. Click any cover to visit the book's Amazon page.



"Positively, Penelope" by Pepper Basham

Penelope ventures across the ocean to help restore a 100-year-old family-owned theater. Along the way, the pure joy of her personality proves infectious, even in the face of difficulties.



"Memory Lane" by Becky Wade

Remy rescues a man suffering from amnesia. As she helps him find his memories, she fights to keep her own at bay.



"The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass" by Katie Powner

Garbage truck driver Pete sees a side of people that most do not—and I'm not just talking about their trash. He sees beauty and value in others that may be overlooked by those not paying attention.



"Dear Henry, Love Edith" by Becca Kinzer

A mix-up leads Henry and Edith to share a house without ever having met. He thinks she's an elderly widow, and she thinks he's a nice little old man. Such a fun story!



"Wedding at Sea" by Melissa Tagg

Can two decades-old mysteries be solved? Can two people who have never gotten along plan a wedding for someone very dear to them?



"The Sound of Light" by Sarah Sundin

The Danish resistance during WWII takes center stage. A baron and a physicist must both decide what they will do to protect their country and save their friends.



"An Elegant Facade" by Kristi Ann Hunter

Lady Georgina has a closely-held secret. Colin is a businessman in a world of gentlemen who look down on honest work. Can they see past their dislikes of the other to find true depth of character?



"A Beautiful Disguise" by Roseanna M. White

Lady Marigold and her brother use the talents gained from their unusual upbringing to run a secret spy ring among highbrow society in Edwardian London.



"Kiss Me on Christmas" by Sarah Monzon

A single mom and her neurodivergent son travel for the holidays to help with a family wedding, and on the way they meet the boy’s favorite YouTuber, who happens to be the best man at the same wedding.



"This and Every Christmas" by Jaycee Weaver

One family's December 23rd tradition plays a pivotal role in their daughter's romance. Visit this one special day through the years to see the story unfold.

Find more Top Ten Tuesday posts at That Artsy Reader Girl.

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I've never visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but Roseanna White has made them come alive here in her first dual timeline novel. Be ready to immerse yourself in both WWI and WWII and their effects on a small island on the American coastline.

When Evie Farrows finds a man washed ashore, she knows immediately that he's more than he seems. Who is he and why was he on a boat near their shore? 

Louisa Adair's beauty has always drawn attention, but Remington Culbreth seems to be captivated by her spirit as well as her appearance. As friendship grows, are they willing to break social norms and challenge centuries of tradition to be together?

This book captured my attention right away. I enjoyed all four point of view characters and felt invested in them. The setting is beautiful and makes me want to visit Ocracoke and the rest of the Outer Banks. Because there were overlying people and places in both timelines, it did get a little confusing at times, and I felt some plot points got a little convoluted, as it would have helped me as a reader to have things cleared up earlier. I loved the cameo appearances by characters from some of White's other series, and always smiled when they were on the page. 

I would recommend this book for fans of romantic split time historical fiction. Be ready to cheer for Evie, Sterling, Louisa, and Remington!

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.


Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words 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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Come along for the tale of a mafia family—where everything, including love, is more than it seems. When the man Sabina loves turns out to be an undercover Prohibition agent charged with bringing down her father, her heart nearly shatters under another loss. She's forced to turn to the one man she'd rather not ask for help—her fiancé.

This story is full of twists and turns, wounds and mendings. Lorenzo is determined to leave the tradition of his family and forge a new, honest life for himself, but can Sabina really leave the mafia lifestyle behind? If she found love in the arms of another man, why would she agree to continue their engagement and fulfill the future they once dreamed of together?

Roseanna wrote this story a dozen years ago, and I think the youth of it shows. I didn't agree with the way physical love was portrayed, and in the same vein did not appreciate that one character visits a prostitute multiple times for her services. I just felt like those things could have been handled differently. I also wish the setting was more vibrant. I've visited Chicago several times, and I understand it looks different now than it did in the 1920s, but I wish there had been more references to historical landmarks or even Lake Michigan.

There were many things the novel did well, and my favorite aspect involved family. Both Sabina and Lorenzo love their families very much, but their families (like most families!) have issues. Fortunately, not all of our families are in the mob! However, learning to leave behind any toxic or unhealthy family traits is something I feel many readers will identify with. Are we brave enough to embrace healthier approaches to life, or will we be stuck in what we've always known?

If you're interested in reading a book about a mafia family during the Prohibition Era, make sure to add Shadowed Loyalty to your To Be Read stack.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.


Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words 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.


Sabina Mancari never questioned her life as the daughter of Chicago's leading mob boss until bullets tear apart her world and the man she thought she loved turns out to be an undercover Prohibition agent. Ambushes, bribes, murder, prostitution—all her life, her father sheltered her from his crimes, but now she can no longer turn away from the truth. Maybe Lorenzo, the fiancé who barely paid her any attention in the last two years, has the right idea by planning to escape their world. But can she truly turn her back on her family?

All his life, Lorenzo's family assumed he would become a priest, but he has different ideas—marrying Sabina and pursuing a career in the law. Despite his morals, he knows at the core he isn't so unlike his mafiosi father and brothers. Has he, in trying to protect Sabina, forced her into the arms of the Prohibition agent bent on tearing her family apart? How can they rebuild what has so long been neglected and do it in the shadow of the dark empire of the Mafia?

Shadowed Loyalty, set amid the glitz and scandal of the Roaring Twenties, examines what love really means and how we draw lines between family and our own convictions, especially when following one could mean losing the other.

 
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Lady Elizabeth Sinclair takes refuge on the Isles of Scilly to escape the marriage prospects her brother is cooking up for her. At least that's what Libby thinks. The Isles of Scilly were recommended by her maid Mabena, and off they went to get away from Bram's machinations.

However, Mabena had another reason in mind for the trip. Her dearest friend has disappeared, and Mabena wants to track Beth's last movements and see if she can figure out what happened to her.

While Libby sketches local flora and makes friends among the islanders, Mabena begins a clandestine investigation. But when Libby is mistaken for Beth on multiple occasions, including receiving mysterious packages for the missing woman, Mabena has to confess the real reason she suggested they come to the islands. Libby and Mabena are drawn deeper into a web of age-old lore and secrets as they continue to search for Beth, and meanwhile local men seek to win the hearts of the visiting women.

This was such a fun story! So many great layers and absolutely wonderful characters. Who doesn't want a whimsically wise grandmother like Mamm-wynn? Or an utterly enchanted setting like the Isles of Scilly, complete with pirate and ghost stories? I also really loved the character development and the uniqueness of each person. I'd recommend this for all fans of historical romance, especially if you enjoy a good mystery along the way.


Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words 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.


1906
Lady Elizabeth "Libby" Sinclair, with her love of microscopes and nature, isn't favored in society. She feels to the beautiful Isles of Scilly for the summer and stumbles into the dangerous secrets left behind by her holiday cottage's former occupant, also named Elizabeth, who mysteriously vanished.

Oliver Tremayne—gentleman and cleryman—is determined to discover what happened to his sister, and he's happy to accept the help of the girl now living in what should have been Beth's summer cottage ... especially when he realizes it's the curious young lady he met briefly two years ago, who shares his love of botany and biology. But the hunt for his sister involves far more than nature walks, and he can't quite believe all the secrets Beth had been keeping from him.

As Libby and Oliver work together, they find ancient legends, pirate wrecks, betrayal, and the most mysterious phenomenon of all: love.

The Codebreakers series wraps up here, after following Margot the math whiz in The Number of Love and Philip the disgraced pilot in On Wings of Devotion. Now our heroine is Lily, a young photography expert helping alter shots to leak to the enemy. Her father also works at the Old Admiralty Building, but Lily's mother has strict views against propaganda, so Lily has kept her official work a secret, covered up by her volunteer nursing shifts at Charing Cross Hospital.

Zivon Marin escaped war-torn Russia after losing his family and fiancee. A train wreck has separated him from his brother, his last living relative, and he wonders if he'll ever see Evgeni alive again. Despite their differing political beliefs, he longs for the love and connection they'd always shared. He has no regrets defecting to help the British, not after everything the Bolsheviks have taken from him.

Lily likes the new man around the office, but she sees the pain and scars he keeps buried deep inside. Can she help him see the beauty in life once more?

The final days of WWI play out across the pages, including the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. I hadn't expected that to be part of the story, so it was quite a surprise, especially given all that has happened in our world here in 2020. We all understand about that a little more now than we would have if this book had released last year.

Overall, another fantastic novel from Roseanna M. White! I would recommend this for all fans of historical fiction.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White with JustRead Publicity Tours! Follow along with the tour for a special inside peek at how The Number of Love is connected to the author's previous book from another series, A Song Unheard. Scroll down for a fun giveaway!

Margot De Wilde has been given an amazing gift with numbers. They're how she thinks, how she prays, how she feels her emotions. With The Great War in full force, Margot's talents are being put to use as a codebreaker in Room 40 - the central hub of British intelligence.

Out in the field, agent Drake Elton is on mission to patrol neutral Spain and keep the Germans from using these peaceful cities and ports for their own gain. He can't get the girl with stunning dark eyes out of his mind, the one he met on his last trip home and who has now befriended his sister. 

Through much danger and intrigue, Margot and Drake work with their respective abilities to help in the war effort. A colorful cast of side characters - including some actual historical figures - help this tale sing as it churns from one exciting event to another.

One thing that bothered me was there was a lot of cursing in this book. Nothing spelled out, but "he cursed" or something along the lines of "he used words her mother would never have wanted her to hear." I understand this is a war novel with a high-stakes plot, but it's my personal opinion that including these bits does not add anything to Christian fiction. Other than that, I found this to be an exciting read which easily kept me glued to the pages. The spiritual threads are strong and well-done.

I'd recommend this book for all who enjoy Roseanna M. White's stories or historical suspense in general. Although there are plenty of callbacks to Margot's introduction in A Song Unheard, this book works as a standalone and is the beginning of a separate series. I can't wait for Book 2, On Wings Of Devotion, to arrive early next year!

I received my copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours. All opinions in this review are my own.

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 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.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | ChristianBook

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which make her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I—to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales.

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won—until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is in meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't—that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | ChristianBook

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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.

CONNECT WITH ROSEANNA: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

 Historical fiction is my favorite genre, so which books claimed favorite of the favorite status?



A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden

In 1908 there are not many female biochemists, and none are catching more attention than Dr. Rosalind Werner as she seeks to prove that chlorine is safe for water treatment. You'll never read a more suspenseful or romantic book on eradicating waterborne diseases!




More Than Meets The Eye by Karen Witemeyer

Logan Fowler is bent on getting revenge, until he meets gentle Evangeline Hamilton, whose mismatched eyes have made her a social outcast. How could he destroy her brother when he wants to protect this sweet young woman?




An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White

Barclay Pearce is a fiercely loyal older brother and a reformed thief now working to help the British government during World War I. He's not going to let anything stop him from doing what he thinks is right... even if the woman he loves walks away from him.

 


Willa Forsythe plays the violin by ear - but only to her friends and family. That's partially because her family is a collection of London orphans who have banded together to form a group of highy experienced thieves, and therefore secrecy is highly desirable. After her sister Rosemary's success in providing information for mysterious government contact Mr. V, the family is all set to lay aside petty thievery and focus on tasks that actually help Britain in The Great War. When Mr. V contacts Willa and asks her to retrieve a cypher key from famous violinist Lukas De Wilde, Willa can hardly believe it. She's admired Mr. De Wilde's work for so long and has even heard him play before! Now with both British and German agents seeking his deceased father's famous cypher, Willa is under scrutiny to find it and report back to Mr. V as quickly as she can without arousing suspicion.

After barely suriviving the German attack on his home, Lukas De Wilde finds himself in Wales with other Belgian refugees. Worried sick about his mother and sister, Lukas is determined to make it back and find them as soon as he is able. Meanwhile he must play with the refugee orchestra and raise funds to help those still in their war-torn country. 

When Lukas and Willa meet, he is captivated from the moment he allows her to play his Stradivarius. He can't believe someone with her talent has never had lessons and taught herself to read music. He would do anything to help her further her abilities, even though he knows that she will eclipse him if her proficiency becomes known. He's never met anyone more fascinating, or more guarded, or more determined to not to let their relationship develop a romantic side. 

While Willa cannot believe Lukas De Wilde has actually taken notice of her, she works hard to fulfill her job for Mr. V - and doubly hard to make sure her heart does not become entangled. She can't fall in love with Lukas, because romantic love has only caused people to abandon her. But she does care for him, and when it becomes clear that his life is in danger because of the secrets he carries with him, she's willing to risk her life to save his.

This is a wonderful story that will have readers racing through the pages. I thought the faith aspect was well done, showing both the power of redemption and the realistic reasons that Willa would hold God at arm's length. The adventure is exciting, and the history thoroughly researched. Another Roseanna M. White novel that I recommend for all history fans!

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

 


Winter Reeves wants to do something for the cause during the Revolutionary War. Her friend Robbie Townsend is a part of George Washington's spy network, known as the Culper Ring, and Winter keeps her ear to the ground as she is courted by a British officer. She pretends to be a feather-brained socialite to appease her grandparents and throw off all suspicion that she could be involved in the Patriot cause.

New to the city of New York, Bennet Lane has arrived with the express purpose of finding members of the Culper Ring. When his path crosses with that of Winter, he can tell that there is more to the lovely young woman than what meets the eye. While others laugh at him for paying court to someone known for her simple mind, he is willing to wait for the real Winter to reveal herself.

Not only does Winter face danger if it is discovered that she is involved in espionage, her grandparents are harsh and unrelenting in wanting her to secure the best marriage possible. They are pushing her towards Mr. Lane, but even though Winter enjoys his company, she fears he sees too much and that his Loyalist ties might prevent any true happiness from arising between them.

I enjoyed this quite a bit! There are shades of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and the historical accuracy is strong and interesting. There are a fair number of real historical characters scattered throughout, including Winter's friend Robbie Townsend. I look forward to reading more in this series!