| Zivon Marin was one of Russia’s top cryptographers until the October Revolution tore apart his world. Forced to flee to England after speaking out against Lenin, Zivon is driven by a growing anger and determined to offer his services to the Brits. But never far from his mind is his brother, whom Zivon fears died in the train crash that separated them. Lily Blackwell sees the world best through the lens of a camera and possesses unsurpassed skill when it comes to retouching and re-creating photographs. With her father’s connections in propaganda, she’s recruited to the intelligence division, even though her mother would disapprove if she ever found out. After Captain Blackwell invites Zivon to dinner one evening, a friendship blooms between him and Lily that soon takes over their hearts. But both have secrets they’re unwilling to share, and neither is entirely sure they can trust the other. When Zivon’s loyalties are called into question, proving him honest is about more than one couple’s future dreams–it becomes a matter of ending the war. |
I’m not sure how Roseanna M. White’s books keep getting better, but they do! A Portrait of Loyalty was my favorite in the Codebreakers series. While each book features strong characters and female leads breaking gender barriers of the day, something struck me about Lily in this particular one.
Lily is a photographer who does artistic work involving photos for the war effort. Not only is she gifted at her craft, but she excels at finding the best in any situation – both visually and literally. As we live in this global pandemic that has changed everything about our lives, I appreciate the spiritual lessons that parallel this gift more than ever. White these lessons seamlessly into the story, making them both important and relevant.
We’re not the only ones enduring a pandemic, either. The Flu Epidemic of 1918 takes a starring role in this story and greatly influences the second half of the story. If anyone else has been stressed about our current sickness, you may find this element as fascinating as I do. While that period was certainly scary, reading about how people handled their fear was encouraging to me.
Zivon’s character amazed me. He faces intense persecution and betrayal in this this story, yet the way that he handles the hard feelings that accompany these is inspiring. I appreciate the way that White includes these difficult lessons in her story. She doesn’t shy away from hard events or intense emotions, even though they must be difficult to write, and that creates emotional, moving scenes for the reader. We can also learn from Zivon’s experiences just as he does, and while we hope never to endure those same things, they do provide examples that we can follow.
A Portrait of Loyalty is the perfect ending for The Codebreakers series. I mean, I don’t want it to end, but if it has to, then White has certainly ended it on a high note. If you like exciting historical fiction, then this must be on your TBR list.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.
Check out my reviews from the other books in The Codebreakers series!
