A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White

Book Summary

A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White has Zivon Marin, a high-ranking Russian cryptographer, fleeing Russia with his brother.  A train wreck in France separates the two brothers with Zivon finding employment in England with Admiral Hall.  Lily Blackwell uses her photography skills to alter photographs for the government intelligence division.  Lily’s father got her the position and they are careful to keep it a secret from her mother who does not approve of the propaganda.  Mr. Blackwell invites Lt. Theo Clarke and Zivon to dinner where they meet his daughters, Lily and Ivy.  Friendship develops between ZIvon and Lily, but it soon blooms into more.  Lily always has her camera with her and likes to photograph Zivon.  When she develops her photos, Lily discovers that someone is following Zivon.  Zivon wonders if the Bolsheviks have found him.  An inflammatory newspaper article calls Zivon’s loyalty to England into question.  Lily works with others to prove Zivon’s innocence and learn who is beyond the matter.  What does the future hold for Zivon?

My Thoughts

A Portrait of Loyalty Roseanna M.White is the 3^rd novel in The Codebreakers.  It can be read as a standalone, but I believe you will have a better reading experience if the series is read in order.  I thought A Portrait of Loyalty was well-written with developed characters.  Ms. White takes readers back to 1918 in London where they are diligently fighting the Germans.  The point-of-view switches between several characters including Zivon and Lily.  It was fascinating learning about the work Lily did for the war effort.  The author really brought Lily’s characters and the work she did to life.  The way they would take photos and alter them was intriguing.  Lily also took plenty of photos with the camera she carried everywhere with her.  I could tell the author did her research for this story.  The information about the Bolsheviks, espionage, breaking codes, and the Spanish flu are all included.  There was just the right amount of detail.  The author managed to walk that fine line between not enough and too much.  The pace of the story picked up near the end as well as the tension.  I was eager to see how the story would finish.  The romance was sweet and will make you smile.   A Portrait of Loyalty is an emotional story (joy, hope, grief, sadness, and despair).  I liked how Lily helped Zivon regain his trust in God.  He wondered how God can let so much violence.   Zivon needed help in renewing his faith.  I was happy to catch up with the characters from On Wings of Devotion and The Number of Love.  A Portrait of Loyalty is a charming historical novel that provided a good ending to The Codebreakers.   

A Portrait of Loyalty is available from Amazon* (it is also available through Barnes & Noble, CBD, Kobo, BAM, Waterstone's, Chapter's, and Worldcat.org).  The other two books in The Codebreakers series are The Number of Love (available through Kindle Unlimited) and On Wings of Devotion.  You can find Roseanna M. White's other novels here. Roseanna M. White's next release is Dreams of Savannah which will be out on December 22. Thank you for reading my review.  Tomorrow I am a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies by Adriana Licio.  It is first full length novel in The Homeswappers.  There will be a giveaway as well.  I hope that you have a fulfilling day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!  

Kris

The Avid Reader

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