The Number of Love by Roseanna M. White: Review & Giveaway!

About the Book

The Toughest Puzzle She’ll Have to Solve

Might be the Wishes of Her Own Heart

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, she discovers for the first time in her life that 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 soon the dangers of the war draw ever closer. Margot and Drake will have to work together to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.

Click here to purchase your copy. 

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.

More from Roseanna

When I told my best friend and critique partner what book I was pitching next to my publisher, her response was something along the lines of, “That sounds awesome. Also, you’re crazy, and I do not envy you writing that one.”

I laughed…and knew exactly what she meant. Because I was setting out to write a heroine who was a mathematician—which I am definitely not. A heroine who was utterly indifferent to love and marriage—which makes for a difficult story when one writes romance. A character who had an unshakeable faith—which has to be shaken at least a bit in order to make for growth throughout the story. And more, a character who has “issues,” let’s call it, that those familiar with such things will recognize…and which those who aren’t will probably think are quirks.

I was setting out to write a story that would be challenging for me, every step of the way. And the result is a book I’m incredibly in love with and so happy to share with the world.

The Number of Love is all about Margot, who thinks and even prays in numbers. Born and raised in Belgium, she and her family fled to England in 1914 when the Germans invaded her homeland. Thanks to her remarkable abilities with numbers and patterns, she’s now employed at Room 40, the Admiralty’s secret codebreaking branch. But as I was contemplating what sort of man could ever win Margot’s heart, I knew he had to be very different… someone active where she’s still. Someone outgoing where she turns inward. Someone who sees in her what she never can, and who believes she can grasp the dreams that society tells her are unbefitting a woman. This is how Drake was born—a field agent employed by Room 40.

I can honestly say this is the only book I’ve ever written that required me to borrow my daughter’s algebra book while I was writing it, LOL. And though every single scene was a challenge, it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you’ll join me on the journey that Margot and Drake are on, which answer the question my husband cheekily asked more than once as I was writing it: what is the number of love?

My Summary

The Number of Love by Roseanna M.White is the first novel in The Codebreakers series.  Margot De Wilde works as a cryptographer in Room 40 in the Old Admiralty Building in London where she concentrates on breaking the enemy’s codes so they can decipher their intercepted communications.  The Great War has been raging in Europe for the last three years and England has an extensive intelligence network working to gather information to thwart the enemy.  Lt. Drake Elton encounters Margot when his sister applies for a secretarial position.  He likes her unique humor, but he is departing for Spain where he will be working undercover.  Margot loses someone close to her and the grief causes the numbers that run through her head to become quiet.  Drake returns to England after he is injured, and a deadly enemy follows him.  He spends time with Margot who has become his sister’s best friend.  But Margot has plans for after the war and they do not involve love.  Drake needs to convince Margot that sometimes it is good to follow one’s heart and not one’s mind.  Can love blossom amid espionage, encrypted correspondence, biological warfare, and a deadly enemy intent on revenge? 

 

My Thoughts

The Number of Love is powerful historical novel.  Roseanna M. White produced a well-crafted and thoughtful novel with strong, complex characters.  Margot De Wilde is a brilliant mathematician whose education was interrupted by the war.  She utilizes her talents by breaking the enemy’s codes.  Numbers are constantly running through her head and some of them are vitally important.  She relies on facts instead of emotions and pours herself into her work. Drake Elton is a naval lieutenant whose background makes him a perfect field agent for the intelligence services.  Drake has a big heart and Margot is never far from his thoughts since the moment they met.  Drake has an enemy following him who performs missions, but he also has his own agenda.  The author did her research for this book.  I like how she incorporated the historical information from the Great War along with Room 40 with the codebreakers and the work of the field agents.  Faith was an integral part of the story and our character’s lives.  I appreciated that Barclay, Willa, Lukas and other characters from Shadows Over England series were included in the story.  The vivid and detailed descriptions allowed me to visualize the characters and scenes.  I would have liked a little more action which would have added a little more spark to the story.  The Number ofLove is an intriguing and captivating historical novel with suspense, romance, friendship, mystery, faith and family.   

To celebrate her tour, Roseanna is giving away a grand prize of winner’s choice of TWO signed books, Fruit and Floral Flavors Sugar Shapes, and some Roseanna M. White swag.  Be sure to comment on the blog stops (see below) for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter.   The next novel in The Codebreakers series is On Wings of Devotion which comes out January 7, 2020. Thank you for stopping by today.  I will share my review of Lost and Found by Danielle Steel next time.  I hope you have a blessed day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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