Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Review: Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White

 

About:

He sees patterns in what she deems chaos.
She sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed.

Zivon Marin was one of Russia's top cryptographers until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee to England after speaking out against Lenin, Zivon is driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. But never far from his mind is his brother, whom Zivon fears died in the train crash that separated them.

Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and re-creating photographs. With her father's connections in propaganda, she's recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove if she ever found out.

After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily that soon takes over their hearts. But both have secrets they're unwilling to share, and neither is entirely sure they can trust the other. When Zivon's loyalties are called into question, proving him honest is about more than one couple's future dreams--it becomes a matter of ending the war.

My Thoughts:

The Codebreaker series has been one of faith, family, and love in the midst of war, ugliness, and in this one disease. Lily Blackwell is a photographer, and a really good one. So much so that she is needed in the war effort. However, her mother sees things differently. I did like the closeness that this military family showed- Lily's mother, father, and sister Ivy. 

Zivon is also a family man. He has lost his parents and he is desperately looking for his younger brother and whether he is alive or dead. He is from Russia and is a great asset for the codebreakers. I enjoyed the different ways he and Lily looked at life and situations and how that complemented both of them and made for a great match. The author gives us great visual cues in the describing of their demeanors and even the way they moved.

Author White gives us a bit of the views of Russia and what was happening as this war dragged on and some wanted changes. They no longer wanted their nobility, but the way they went about the change was very ugly. In many ways mirroring our own current culture. 

Not only was the war going on, but the Spanish influenza had come and was affecting the entire world. Sometimes it seems so much has changed and yet 100 years later, like nothing has changed.

This was a bit of a heart wrenching novel and I would suggest having tissues nearby.

I received a copy of this novel from publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.


About the Author:



Roseanna M. White (www.roseannamwhite.com) is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. She pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of numerous novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.roseannamwhite.com.







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