"You'll either be a hero or a villain, Phil. Try to pick the right one, will you?"
Description:
Against Every Warning, She’s Drawn Ever Closer to the Man Known as “Black Heart”
All of England thinks Major Phillip Camden a monster–a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But he would have preferred to die that day with his men rather than be recruited to the Admiralty’s codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved.
As nurse Arabelle Denler observes the so-dubbed “Black Heart,” she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their families and paths twist together unexpectedly, she realizes she has a role to play in his healing–and some of her own to do as well.
With Camden’s court-martial looming, an old acquaintance shows up, intent on using him in a plot that sends the codebreakers of Room 40 into a frenzy. With their fragile hopes for the future in the cross hairs, Arabelle and Camden must hold on to hope–and to each other–if they want to survive.
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. My Thoughts:
This is the second book in The Codebreakers series and I’ve been anxiously awaiting it! As soon as I learned Major Phillip “Black Heart” Camden was to have the starring role, I just couldn’t resist! I met him in the first book, The Number of Love, and was curious to see where the author would take this sourpuss of a character. And I can happily say that this book will definitely be going on my favorites shelf, as soon as I make space for it!
As always, I loved Ms. White’s writing! I’ve yet to read a book of hers that I didn’t enjoy, and this one is certainly not the exception. I’m not even sure where to start . . . She has such a beautiful way of bringing the characters and time period to life. I could almost hear the clipped English accents, feel the chill in the air, and the stress of war looming so close to home. I enjoyed the cameos from characters from some previous books and how she’s tying the various series together. Though this book is able to stand alone quite well, I immensely enjoyed the first book as well, and would highly recommend it.
"He does not ask everyone to give all they have.
But if He does, are we willing? Truly willing? . . .
Whatever He asks of us, whether it be a fortune or a pittance
or our time or our devotion, we can be sure it will be painful.
Cutting out what stands between us and God always is.
But we can also trust that in the giving, we'll gain something far more precious."
Frankly, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of Arabelle Denler, at first. She seemed almost too kind to be true. But I soon learned her flaws and couldn’t help but love her character, too. She was someone I easily connected with and could see being a friend, were she real. And she was perfect for Phillip! I didn’t know how the story with them could possibly play out, but the author did an excellent job of making their relationship believable. I laughed out loud more than once at their banter, making my husband glance over and just shake his head, and I’m sure I was found smiling into my book on multiple occasions. I also enjoyed the banter amongst the crew of Room 40 and how the author wove the code breaking element into this story, as well. It wasn’t as front and center as it was in the first, but still played a role, staying with the theme of the series.
I will also say, it’s not often that someone can create a “villain” that I both hate what they’re doing and sympathize with their decisions. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I do want to note that I thought Ms. White did an excellent job of finding the balance with that character.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book! From the time period, to the suspense that kept me rushing to turn the next page, to the romance that made me smile, I would have read it in one sitting, given the opportunity.
*My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book! I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
As always, thanks for stopping by! I'm sorry if this review seems choppier than usual - I loaned my laptop to my sister, so this was done half on an old dinosaur of a laptop (it's 11 years old!) and half on my tablet, when the old geezer decided to rebel and froze up on me. So hopefully it makes sense! As always, purchase links are below!
I'm going to go, before old lappy decides it's officially done with working.
Have a lovely day!
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