Happy Labor Day, Friends!
I hope you’re having a great bookish 3-day weekend and relaxing with a book. If you’re looking for recommendations, look no further. You definitely need to add Roseanna White’s A Portrait of Loyalty to your list. It’s the last book in the Codebreakers series and releases tomorrow.
About the Book
Zivon Marin was one of Russia’s top cryptographers, until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee after speaking out against Lenin and separated from his brother along the way, he arrives in England driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits.
Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera–and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and recreating photographs. With her father’s connections in propaganda, she’s recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove.
After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily. He sees patterns in what she deems chaos; she sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed. But both have secrets they’re unwilling to share. When her photographs reveal that someone has been following Zivon, his loyalties are called into question–and his enemies are discovered to be far closer than he’d feared.
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My Thoughts
I’m a big fan of Ms. White’s books and an even bigger fan of The Codebreakers series. I was eager to read this book for a few reasons. First, I was practically guaranteed a glimpse of the people from books one and two (and I was so happy to see them happy). Second, I wanted to fall in love with a new story. Third, it’s Roseanna M. White. 🙂
Although I knew I’d enjoy this book, I wasn’t exactly sure what about it would capture my attention. I mean, a new book brings expectations but I always feel it’s a blank slate as to what will impress me. And let’s just say the character depth of Zivon and Lilly is what impressed me.
I loved how Lily saw the world with a photographer’s eye and inspired those around her to do the same. I loved how cool and calm Zivon was (outwardly) but his mind was going a hundred miles a minute. I found myself looking for these little details and trying to guess what would happen in each of their scenes.
I also thought the romance between them was beautiful. It made me smile and the letters! (Eek, is that a spoiler?) Okay, moving on. Their romance was full of all the sighs and all the feels and all the smiles.
And seeing the characters from books one and two made me squeal (more so in my head than out loud) and produce more sighs. All in all, book 3 was a nice way to end the series. Now for me to wait for her next release.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.
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.
Toni Shiloh 