Book Summary (Amazon)...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 who just won't give up. He's smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life's answers lie in the heart?
Amid 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 themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.
My thoughts...This novel was unlike many of the historical Christian fiction that I've read lately. I particularly found the heroine to be very unique. Margot De Wilde is a highly intelligent code breaker that works practically around the clock to solve complex German messages, but number codes aren't just her job. Her whole life revolves around them. It's how she communicates love, spirituality, and how she relates to people...which can be awkward at times because most people don't communicate that way. It makes her character very complex and at times hard to relate to, but at the same time the author does a great job at inviting us into her world.
The hero in the story helps balance out Margot's character with an intensity of his own. Drake is courageous...a dedicated soldier and spy who will risk everything to defeat the enemy. He and Margot have a connection before they even realize it, and when they do finally meet they are drawn to one another. I really liked that Drake wasn't just written as a big, strong man who swoops in to win the day, but has needs, weaknesses and intelligence that makes him a good counterpart to Margot.
Overall, I was impressed with all the detail in this novel. The depth of everything from the game Margot and her mysterious rival played with one another to the descriptions of the messages Margot decoded...practically everything about this novel displayed the author's research skills and applying that research to create an intriguing novel. It could feel a bit heavy at times, as there was a lot of pieces to this story, including psychological and emotional aspects. It did enhance the story and make the characters more believable, but it wasn't always easy to read.
**I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to share my honest opinions, which I did.**