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Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won—until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is in meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.
But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't—that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.
(416 pages)
This is the second book in the Shadows Over England series, following A Name Unknown which is about Willa's older sister-thief Rosemary. I really loved A Name Unknown. In fact, this is a direct quote from my review of it:
Perhaps it's because I don't have a good ear for music (I have to admit it all kind of sounds the same to me), so I have a harder time relating to the bond Willa and Lukas form over their music which made it feel rather forced. Perhaps it's because I'm growing rather sick of genius characters who magically have all these super, one-of-a-kind code-breaking skills that are basically one big deus ex machina.
I think my favorite storyline was actually Lukas's sister's, because she had to grapple with the moral nuances of war as she grew to know the enemy soldier, practically old enough to be her father, who seemed to grow to care for her and her mother, but was also a part of the forces which had torn their city apart. These are the sorts of ethical complexities I like to see in all war books.
I enjoyed A Song Unheard well enough that, even if it were the first book in a series, I would still be interested in reading the followups. Since it's following A Name Unknown, I am definitely hoping to read the next books in the series. These books are on the long side, but they are well-written and engaging, and even this slightly weaker entry is still much better than much of the competition.
What other historical romance books would you recommend for some light summer reading?
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Shadows Over England series, following A Name Unknown which is about Willa's older sister-thief Rosemary. I really loved A Name Unknown. In fact, this is a direct quote from my review of it:
I believe I can unequivocally say that A Name Unknown is not only the best Christian fiction novel I've read in a very long time, but it's also straight-up one of the best romances I've read in a while.That's why I jumped at the chance to read A Song Unheard. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as enamored with it. The writing is still quite good, and the historical setting (the beginning of WWI) is a fascinating one, but I just didn't connect quite as well with the characters.
Perhaps it's because I don't have a good ear for music (I have to admit it all kind of sounds the same to me), so I have a harder time relating to the bond Willa and Lukas form over their music which made it feel rather forced. Perhaps it's because I'm growing rather sick of genius characters who magically have all these super, one-of-a-kind code-breaking skills that are basically one big deus ex machina.
I think my favorite storyline was actually Lukas's sister's, because she had to grapple with the moral nuances of war as she grew to know the enemy soldier, practically old enough to be her father, who seemed to grow to care for her and her mother, but was also a part of the forces which had torn their city apart. These are the sorts of ethical complexities I like to see in all war books.
I enjoyed A Song Unheard well enough that, even if it were the first book in a series, I would still be interested in reading the followups. Since it's following A Name Unknown, I am definitely hoping to read the next books in the series. These books are on the long side, but they are well-written and engaging, and even this slightly weaker entry is still much better than much of the competition.
What other historical romance books would you recommend for some light summer reading?
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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