Book Review: A Portrait of Loyalty|HonestlySpeakingOnBooks

 Book Review: A Portrait of Loyalty

                            by Roseanna M. White

There isn’t much of a backstory as to how I ended up reading this novel. 

It was the last book in the The Codebreakers series and I had to read it because that’s what series do to you. The cover is amazing but of course, that’s a given from White. 

I hadn’t any real expectations for this book. I did have a confidence that it would as perfect as the previous ones in the series but I wasn’t overly excited about it and yet, it was excellent! I was easily able to relate with characters, especially since the heroine is an artist (in photography, of course).

This book did not disappoint and my respect for White continues to grow!

This is my review on A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White.

On The Back:

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, who 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:

The story takes place in the same environment as its predecessors and I was so excited to be able to be with the protagonists of the previous novels!

Unlike the others, we are shown a different perspective. We are given the ability to see things through the eyes of a Russian cryptographer who was vaguely introduced in On Wings of Devotion (still my favorite book of the series). 

Although I personally prefer English heroes, Zivon captured my heart completely.

After a desperate escape to England in order to flee from the growing power of the Bolsheviks, he offers his skill in cryptography to the Admiralty, hoping to somehow help his country even if he’s deemed a traitor because of it.

When Captain Blackwell invites him to dinner, he meets Lily, the daughter of said captain.

Lily thrives in the world of photography and spends every minute of her time taking photographs, that is, when she isn’t developing and editing them for the intelligence division. Her mother strongly believes that art should never be used to deceive while her father sits behind a desk with the sole purpose of propaganda. Without her mother’s knowledge but with her father’s approval, her job as an unknown photographer continues.

She is strangely drawn to the Russian invited to dinner one evening. At first she attributes her interest to his very serious face and uncanny reflexes, but slowly she begins to question whether or not she might perhaps have very different feelings for him. Wary of trusting him, lest he turn out to be untrue, she carefully guards her heart and her secrets.

I loved this story. And I adored Lily and Zivon both! But most of all, I loved Ivy, Lily’s sister. 

But anyway, the characters were as enchanting as always! I felt all of their emotions as if I myself were there with them! The plot of the story will make you smile, grit your teeth, laugh and cry as it did me. There are a few very tragic events throughout the story which, although I did hate, made the story so much more feeling and life.

Anyway, I learned a lot about Russia and the October Revolution as well as the ideals of the Bolsheviks. But I wasn’t able to pity the antagonists like I could in the other novels and I think that was simply my own fault. They did get their happily ever after but I didn’t feel much compassion for them.

Another thing I was able to learn was the extent of the photography development during the Great War. I was surprised that there was so much that they could do with photographs even at that time! And the artistic perspective made it quite interesting for me (as an artist, myself).

As for the romance, it was clean and beautiful and oh so sweet. There was a lot of tension between certain characters but it made the trust stronger in the end. And I can relate to Lily’s feelings about herself compared to her sister and that understanding helped me love even more!

Now, saving the best for last. Of course, White was flawless in bringing faith and trust (in the Lord) into the storyline and romance. I have great appreciation for that ability and I feel that it helps me to bring my faith into my own daily life. And now I even find it hard to read a secular romance without feeling like there’s something missing and that something is obviously God. I’m glad that I feel that way and I think I partly owe that to White.

All in all, it was magnificent and I have yet to find other historical romances that transport me as well as the books in this series did! Will most definitely recommend 100 million %. 

                                                    

                                                        Sarah E