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 German telegrams for hints of the enemy’s plans. 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 quick and brainy Margot, but soon the dangers of the war draw ever closer. Margot and Drake will have to team up to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.
Roseanna M. White really knows how to bring history to life! The Number of Love, the first book in the new Codebreakers series, hones in on Room 40, a group of people tasked with decoding German messages during World War 1. White gives readers a look at the people who were working to this end and the impact that their work had on the war effort.
This isn’t a non-fiction history book, though you’ll learn nearly as much as reading one. With covert spies, counter spies, bombs biological warfare, and more, you won’t be able to put this book down.
I loved the character quirks that White built into the story. Margot isn’t your typical female lead, but that’s one of the things that makes her so great. She’s not just a strong female for her time, but her relationship with numbers and the way that she communicates with both God and the people around her is fascinating. I loved reading her story. Even more, though, I loved seeing how she worked through the moral and faith dilemmas that she encountered. For a super brainiac, White created a really neat character, far from the stereotypes and a woman I’d like to meet.
I half expected there to be lots of codes in the story that would require my decoding skills, like many middle-grade books I’ve read lately. White didn’t do that, though – she referenced codes throughout the story that Margot has cracked and talked about ways to do so, but you won’t need your pen and paper to read this book; since my skills definitely don’t rival Margot’s, I enjoyed reading about the codes without the stress of trying to solve them myself.
I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of World War I history is lacking; it’s not a time period I’ve studied much, but I really enjoyed the tidbits and stories that White used in The Number of Love. It’s clear that she really knows her stuff, and she nailed the setting. I felt as if I was walking the streets of London and pushing to stay awake in Room 40 right along with Margot – and I found myself wondering where I could find a copy of the German board game that she loves.
That’s when I know that a book is a real winner for me: when I read it, and put it down, and find myself still thinking about it days later, wishing that I could give a character a call to find out what she’s doing now. The Number of Love did that for me.
You won’t want to miss this fast-paced, dramatic spy story. It’s a winner!
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. She and her family make their home in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
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Want to know more? You can find The Number of Love at the following places – and you can purchase your own copy, too, because you’ll want to start reading right away.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book | More
Want to know more about White’s other books? Read my review of A Name Unknown here!
I received a copy of this story from the author. All opinions are my own.
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