Synopsis
Against Every Warning, She’s Drawn Ever Closer to the Man Known as “Black Heart”
All of England thinks Major Phillip Camden a monster–a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But he would have preferred to die that day with his men rather than be recruited to the Admiralty’s codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved.
As nurse Arabelle Denler observes the so-dubbed “Black Heart,” she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their families and paths twist together unexpectedly, she realizes she has a role to play in his healing–and some of her own to do as well.
With Camden’s court-martial looming, an old acquaintance shows up, intent on using him in a plot that sends the codebreakers of Room 40 into a frenzy. With their fragile hopes for the future in the cross hairs, Arabelle and Camden must hold on to hope–and to each other–if they want to survive.
My Review
Disclaimer: Although I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher, the words and opinions below are my own.
Short version: she’s got a low opinion of her physical attributes. He has a low opinion of his character. Both spend time trying to convince the other how wrong they are. Truthfully, however, this is more than just a romance between two people with low self-esteem. Arabelle Denler might not have a title, but she has money and plenty of it and has been advised to marry someone who has need of it. Phillip Camden has neither title nor as much money, but he has a nickname “Black Heart” after an aviation incident where he was the only survivor. He’s lived the reckless life of a gentleman officer and now it’s come back to haunt him. Meanwhile, a Swiss German woman is caught up in a plot that sees her entering England illegally. Her story is seemingly unrelated at first, but you know she must connect to Ara and Cam somehow or she wouldn’t be in the book. Their coming together creates a breathtaking finale.
The second release in Roseanna M. White’s Codebreakers series, set in England during World War 1 provides commentary on a myriad of issues. What happened to the pilots who found themselves out of place, or in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people? What happened to the families that were left behind? What about the women who had expected to be married but now found themselves single and pregnant? What was it like for the Londoners who experienced German bombing raids? On Wings of Devotion covers all these topics. Then there is the matter of class and the crossing of social barriers that, before the war, would’ve been almost impossible. Here, White brings in characters from her previous two series – young nobility and a ragtag band of former thieves and con artists – and has them interacting with each other in an appropriate and believable manner.
The middle book of a trilogy can be a hit or miss proposition. I’ve read some that read like filler; a way of getting from book one to book three. I’m happy to say this isn’t the case with On Wings of Devotion. It not only advances the lives of characters we’ve come to know and love in White’s previous novels, it can also stand by itself with no prior knowledge needed of those characters. Case in point: I don’t remember much about White’s Ladies of the Manner series – although I have read them – and I still haven’t read the final book in her Shadows Over England series. Lack of knowledge, however, didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this story.
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.
Product Details
Publisher: Bethany House (a division of Baker Publishing Group
Publication Date: 07 January 2020
McCombs on Main 