A Portrait Of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White // Launch Team Book Review

 

He sees patterns in what she deems chaos.
She sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed.

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.

 

 

My Review

I think one of the things I like most about Roseanna's books is how they all feel like one story. Each has little ties back to others and it feels like staying in touch with a friend's life. We just check back in once in a while and see what everyone is up to.

I'm a photographer, so it was really fun for me to have that aspect in the book. When I think about early photography, I am filled with so much admiration for the people who did it. I certainly have it easier now in the digital age :) Besides connecting with Lily over photography, I felt for her struggle over whether what she was doing was helpful or hurtful. 

Zivon was a very deep, interesting character. I felt bad for him and all he was going through. Ivy was a joy and I loved her relationship with Lily.

Of all the books by Roseanna that I've read, I think this was the most intense and bittersweet. I'm assuming that most of this book was finished before all the stuff going on this year but I found myself really relating to some of Zivon and Evgeni's questions and thoughts and there were a lot of deep lessons that our characters went through. The shocking plot twist I did not see coming and the ending felt a little bittersweet. I still really liked it though and I'm so glad to have been a part of the journey that was this series. 

There was less code breaking in this book than the previous two, but it was still there and that world is just fascinating to me. Margot, Arabelle, and Camden all make appearances, Brook is mentioned once or twice, and Drake ducks in just briefly. Barclay Pearce is in this one quite a lot. So good to "see" old "friends".

 

I received a complimentary copy of A Portrait of Loyalty from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

 

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.

 

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