‘On Wings of Devotion’ — book review

(...No spoilers here!)

  I’m thoroughly pleased with every book from @RosannaMWhite I read.  This second installment in The Codebreakers series, ‘On Wings of Devotion’, is no different!

  I love all the mystery/code breaking/espionage aspects that strongly tie these books together, and the clear, distinct settings and situations and characters that populate them against the backdrop of wartime England.

  Ara and Camden, “Blinker” Hall, many interesting side characters, and a slew of cameo characters we’ve met before are delightful and intriguing to read about in all their quirky, honest, complex, page-turning glory.  I loved that Margot and Drake made solid appearances, and always enjoy seeing Brooke and Stafford pop up all over the place!

  The way Roseanna thoughtfully peppers very real, but neither hype nor stained-glass faith through the pages and her characters’ lives is another aspect I’m particularly thankful for in her books.  She doesn’t force writing in the sky to impress the reader when a still, small Voice and an honest reply is all that’s really needed, or avoid difficult questions or moments, as if God might not be able to handle them.  Many Christian authors seem to swing one way or the other, and miss some powerful opportunities for real impact — but Roseanna and authors like her capture those beautifully. 

  One other aspect I particularly love from The Codebreakers, and the Ladies of The Manor series, is Roseanna’s commitment to and consistency with the era and the setting.  I don’t need or even expect historical /fiction/ to be perfectly accurate or read like a history book, but I do love getting a better feel for what life was possibly like for people at the time and place a book is set in.

  It’s the most frustrating thing to read a novel in which you could easily change the cover, the date given before that first chapter, and a few descriptions and have it fit whatever random setting you throw at it.  People did actually live and think in /different/ ways than we do now throughout history, and I appreciate when authors respect the setting of their novels enough to do their research, to credit those who came before us, and to stick to the time, place, and mindset of the era, and not impose contemporary attitudes or mannerisms or whatever in these places they do not belong.

  Roseanna is particularly skilled at this commitment to her setting; and combined with always keeping her novels clean in content, and her knack for unexpected delightful moments of tasteful comedy, plus all her other qualities mentioned previously, I don’t hesitate to pick up anything she publishes. (Or even just puts out on her blog!)

  Get ahold of ‘On Wings of Devotion’, then go back and read ‘The Number of Love’ to catch up on the fascinating glimpse they give into world of WWII codebreaking.  And make sure your library orders them if they don’t have them already!

——I received a complimentary copy of On Wings of Devotion from the publishers.  I was not required to provide a positive review.  All opinions expressed are mine alone.——

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  About the Book

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.

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#OnWingsofDevotion  #TheCodebreakers