At the height of World War I, two sweethearts face impossible odds in this powerful tale of courage, duty, and heartbreak.
In the summer of 1918, Captain Marcus Weatherford arrives in Russia on a secret mission, with a beautiful ballerina posing as his fiancée. He’s there to find the Romanov tsarina and her son and glean information about a plot to assassinate Lenin. As the danger intensifies, Marcus’s sense of duty battles with his desire to return home to Clare, the woman he truly loves, before it’s too late.
Military hospital orderly Clare Danner still suffers from Marcus’s betrayal after learning he’s engaged to another woman. Clare also fears losing her daughter, Daisy, to the heartless family who took her away once before. Only Marcus can provide the critical proof needed to save Daisy, but when an injury leaves him powerless to help, Clare’s fate–and the fate of the top-secret mission–hangs in the balance. [back cover copy]
The title of IN LOVE’S TIME declares it’s a romance. What it doesn’t tell you is that it’s also packed with mystery, intrigue, heroes and villains. And like any good detective story, it’s loaded with surprises and twists throughout. (In fact, one of the biggest caught me totally off guard just pages from the end.) I thoroughly enjoyed searching for clues and guessing which were real and which were misdirection.
But let’s return to the beginning. The book opens amidst a dangerous search for not only the Russian tsarina and her son but also information about a plot to assassinate Lenin. The high stakes story is always engaging and keeps you turning pages. It’s well-balanced ~action never overpowers the romance, and the love story, filled with its own complications, never eclipses the war-time drama.
Breslin draws her characters thoroughly. They stand out clearly as unique people with deeply-held opinions and feelings, and I cared about what they cared about. When it seems they’re about to lose something important, Breslin deftly weaves in another plot twist.
The settings and historical detail are well done, always fresh, clear, and well-balanced. They drew me into the place and time, and I enjoyed the visit.
I’ve read most of Breslin’s novels and they’re all complex, engaging tales with surprises aplenty. I’ve come to expect intrigue, danger, suspense, romance, twists and turns. But she still astonishes me! Laura Frantz says IN LOVE’S TIME is “riveting.” I couldn’t agree more. (As does my husband who is currently reading it!) I heartily recommend IN LOVE’S TIME to readers who enjoy historical drama, intrigue, and romance.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own.
At times, writing a book review is difficult because a so-so story or cliché characters don’t inspire. But writing a review for this one is difficult because the story is so good that my words fall so very short of conveying the beauty, the power…the light & joy the author has infused into it. I heartily recommend Yours is the Night for a stellar read (and re-read). Join the journey through fear and fog of war, yearning for life and love and peace, and most of all discovery. Who knows? You may, like me, even want to begin carrying a box of matches with you.
As World War I breaks out, Claire Meacham struggles to carve out a place in the male-dominated world of journalism. She struggles to hang on to hope while war tears her world apart. When she meets Oswald and Biddy Chambers, she adds another challenge—how to live out the teaching of Scripture. As the war grinds on, her new-found faith is tested and stretched.
Ule has done an amazing job of braiding together stories that could each be a book unto itself: history, biography, romance, and an interesting coming-of-age tale. She weaves the various elements with sparks of beauty, wit, and wisdom.