Book Summary (Amazon): In spring 1918, Lieutenant Colin Mabry, a British soldier working with MI8 after suffering injuries on the front, receives a message by carrier pigeon. It is from Jewel Reyer, the woman he once loved and who saved his life--a woman he believed to be dead. Traveling to France to answer her urgent summons, he desperately hopes this mission will ease his guilt and restore the courage he lost on the battlefield.
Colin is stunned, however, to discover the message came from Jewel's half sister, Johanna. Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence, found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Colin is skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust begins to grow between them.
When their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot, danger and deception turn their search for answers into a battle for their lives.
My thoughts... In most novels, I tend to gravitate towards relating most to the heroine. In this novel, however, I was most drawn to the hero, Colin, and his story. His journey from being a wounded war hero with PTSD, anxiety, and no desire to do anything beyond a quiet routine to someone who is willing to reengage and take risks for love was beautifully written. The vulnerability he had is something that always appeals to me in a hero, but he also had courage to overcome. Maybe it's just me, but Johanna's character was kind of hard for me to connect to. I guess I couldn't completely figure her out. Was she the savvy tough girl who likes to wear men's clothes that was raised by an Irish militant or was she the feminine French young lady who wears fashionable clothes and is so stubborn that she makes some unwise choices in order to get her way? She's Irish, but lives in France and her hero is Napoleon. In my mind I was trying to imagine her accent as she spoke, but just couldn't. There was just a lot going on there for me. Maybe she's supposed to be mysterious and I missed it.
Other than my connection issues with the characters, the novel had the same kind of plot twists and exciting moments that previous Breslin novels have. I really started getting that fun jittery feeling about mid-way through the book. I thought the romantic tension was nice as the characters had obstacles to overcome. Overall I believe most Christian fiction readers will find this book quite enjoyable, but Kate Breslin's "For Such a Time" still holds the top spot for me.
**I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to give an honest review, which I did.**
No comments:
Post a Comment