Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network–field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the … the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough.
Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy who just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?
Amid biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together.
more
As those who have been following me for any length of time know, I absolutely adore Roseanna M. White books and own many of them. With the exception of mildly cringe titles, at times, they are, as a whole, basically perfection. The Number of Love is one of my favorites of White’s books (yes, I will most likely also say this about WOD, but it is true) and re-reading it was an absolute treat, a lovely accompaniment to my hot coffee.
The Number of Love is set during WWI, in the city of London, and revolves around the Old Admiralty Building of White Hall. Room 40 is a fascinating place, I can’t help but love the necessary mystery surrounding it, and serves as a wonderful connecting point for the three books of the Codebreakers trilogy.
The characters are the true source of my love for this book, beginning with Margot de Wilde. We first met Margot in A Song Unheard as a fourteen year old, four years later The Number of Love begins. Margot’s unique way of seeing the world makes her instantly fascinating. The idea of seeing the world as a collection of numbers and equations is somehow both calmingly logical and slightly overwhelming. A central piece of Margot’s story is her faith in God, who is, in her words, the one who she knows is smarter than her. Margot’s faith is tested repeatedly and although she wrestles with it, she finds herself closer to God than ever before, by the end of the story.
Margot is undoubtedly a strong, smart and unusual female character, but she in no way falls into the typical “not-like-the-other-girls” category. She is simply herself, brilliant with numbers and slightly socially awkward and full of plans for her future. As Margot grows throughout the course of The Number of Love she has an important realization, dreams can change or simply be adjusted slightly to allow for new dreams.
Drake Elton is another lovely character, decidedly different from Margot. Drake’s piece of this story is always interesting to read. Drake undergoes quite a bit of character growth as he realizes that his view of women is rather narrow, based solely on his mother and sister. He comes to realize, thanks to Margot and her family, that not all women desire a protector, and truly want a partner to walk alongside them through life. Drake’s letters are wonderfully sweet, and his patient love for Margot is admirable.
Although Margot and Drake both occupy a place on my favorite character list and have for more than a year, it was not until my re-reading that I realized how much I love Dot Elton, Drake’s sister. Dot’s story arc is inspiring, her quiet strength is beautiful and slightly heartbreaking. Dot’s anxiety is incredibly relatable to all readers, including myself, who struggle with anxiety and her determination to push through her fear is incredible. Margot and Dot’s friendship is special and lovely to read about.
Several character’s from White’s other books make appearance in The Number of Love. This unsurprisingly includes Willa and Lukas, but more remarkably includes the lovely Duchess Brook of Stafford, known for her energy and outbursts in Monegasque. I absolutely loved seeing Brook in all of her glory befriend Margot, a bit of redemption for her from the way that her character was left at the end of the Ladies of the Manor trilogy.
Although I could continue to ramble about this story and it’s wonderful characters, I will complete this character-centric review, by saying that I recommend this wonder WWI story to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
“Unconventional may be just what this world needs to recover from the tragedy that has beset it. And dreams . . . dreams are only worth pursuing when we have the right person by our side, sí? And the right person is the one who encourages. Who chases the dream along with you.” – Roseanna M. White
I was first introduced to the heroine in this story through one of Roseanna White’s previous books. I found Margot de Wilde to be such a unique and compelling character, and it was refreshing to see the world through her perspective. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at equations or numbers the same way again.
Drake Elton is our male protagonist and I loved his good humoured, determined personality. I wanted to dive a little deeper into his character, but there are only so many pages in a book. I appreciated how he both admired and challenged Margot as he pursued her.
Although Christian fiction can get annoyingly preachy sometimes, one of my favorite aspects of this book was seeing how Margot related to God. Numbers are such a neat way to emphasize the truth and power of our Heavenly Father. Well done Roseanna!
Also, can’t get enough of that cover
My favorite book of 2019, “The Number of Love” by Roseanna M. White features one of the most unique and multifaceted heroines I’ve ever read. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, you NEED to read this book! Your imagination will be swept away by the beautiful prose, strong characters, and well-crafted historical setting. Highly recommend!
I would gladly have spent more time with these characters. Margo is one of the most unique heroines I’ve had opportunity to view the world through. I will never think of the number 18 the same again.
I love a book that is so full of words and intriguing thoughts you just have to read it slowly. But it is SO good you don’t want to stop reading. But as the end gets closer I just didn’t want the story to end.
Margot De Wilde is an unconventional woman, more predisposed to view life through the filter of numbers than feelings. Working as a code breaker during The Great War, Margot meets Drake, whom she prayed for and saw as associated with “number 18”, even before they met.
Not the Navy man his sister, Dot, thinks he is, Drake operates as a spy. His encounter with the enemy leaves him wounded. While he recovers he meets Margot, who brushes off his attempts at flirting. But Drake soon realizes that Margot captures his attention like no other woman has.
Although she eventually comes to appreciate Drake, Margot has a hard time letting Drake get close to her. When Drake speaks her language of numbers, her feelings grow. In addition Margot must learn to keep functioning after a recent tragedy in her life makes her ask some hard questions about her faith and of God.
Dot and Margot become friends driving Drake and Margot together into tighter circles. They eventually end up working together to uncover some secrets and find someone they both hold dear. But will they find what they need in time? Will the language of love be understood between Margot and Drake, or will they be divided, ever ending in disparity.
Readers of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this wartime, spy novel of intrigue and unconventional romance.
I enjoyed it, but gave it four stars instead of five. My reasons:
I had significant trouble relating to the main character, Margot. Her thinking process is polar opposite of mine. About 3/4 of the way through the book that became a little easier.
The “bad guy” had a perspective in the book, but I would liked to have known more about him. He jumps in about half-way through the book. I would have either left out his viewpoint or written more about him.
All in all, a good book. I’ll definitely read more by Rosanna White.
This is book that I ended up loving more than I expected to! The prose is beautiful, the plot (though not fast-paced) is well-tensioned, and the descriptions detailed without being boring. Most of all I loved these characters in all their brilliant quirkiness, and the romance developed in a way that seemed unusually realistic to me. All this is then topped off with a lovely spiritual thread about dealing with the silence of God, which struck a deep chord with me personally. Highly recommended!
EFFIN AMAZING. TOO GREAT FOR WORDS, AND I’M AN AUTHOR TOO.
I LOVE historical fiction and this is an OUTSTANDING book. The characters were unique and interesting and they are in England during WWI when Room 40 was the place for people to decode the German messages they intercepted. I find that I keep talking about it and the war to others and I have a desire to learn more about this time in history. Can’t recommend this highly enough. This is my first book to read by this author and I will definitely be looking for more of her books to read. I’m a new fan, for sure!!!!
This is a fantastic start to a new series, as well as a delightful follow-on to Shadows Over England. It was fun to see several of those characters pop into the story, yet the author did well in bringing them in so readers won’t have to read the other series first.
The history in this is fantastic and delivered in a way natural to the storyline. The cast of characters is fun–and Margo and Dot! What a friendship! I loved their first conversation, and how they accepted each other’s quirks without judgment. The romances were sweet and helped slow the pace, but the action and intrigue kept things flowing and me reading. I know my next book will be the second book in this series!
A good historical fiction romance! She’s not your average girl
I am a huge fan of historical fiction so this book immediately peaked my interest. So glad I read it! I learned a lot about the time period, and was very intrigued with the workings of “Room 40”. The characters became near and dear to my heart, and I miss them now that the book is over.
Codebreaker from another era. A solid example how women are just as capable as men – something so often discovered during war time.
Terrific story! Great insight for the war effort.
Unique characters, well-researched and written.
The Number Of Love by Roseanna M White is a marvellous, thrilling historical Christian novel set in London in 1917. It is the first book in The Codebreakers series and what a fabulous series this promises to be.
The world is at war. The novel concerns Room 40 where the codebreakers work. The novel is grounded in fact. The reader enters the world of espionage and agents. It takes skill and cunning. Codes are sought by both sides as they may hasten the end of the war. There are no victors in war. On both sides mothers lose sons and all nations mourn loved ones.
Grief consumes and may drag us down and cause us to lose sight of God – where was He? Why did He not stop our loved ones from dying? “He’s [God] still there, unchanged, even when we can’t feel Him. When grief’s too loud to let us hear His voice.” Grief may pause us in time but we need to learn to live again. “It [death] doesn’t heal… We learn to go on with the pieces missing.”
Prayer is important. “Never neglect your prayers. They are what root you to the Lord.” Prayer is our lifeline. We must remember not just to talk but to listen. “She waited for God to speak… and she listened, because God was smarter than she was.” Sometimes God interrupts our lives to get us to pray now. We must be obedient as the lives of others may just depend on our prayers.
Within the story we meet a grandfather. “There was a place inside always prepared for those he loved.” This reminds the reader of God who has a place prepared for each and every one of us.
The reader is reunited with some of the characters from the series Shadows Over England. It was good to meet up with familiar faces.
All the characters created by Roseanna White are unique, well drawn, likable and easy to empathise with. We see the able bodied and those disabled by war but still with a part to play in society. After World War I many injured veterans were ignored and ended up on the streets. They had done their part for king and country but now were invisible. There was no welfare state. Roseanna White addresses this and the invisible become visible once more.
The heroine in the novel is a modern woman ahead of her times. She works in a man’s world and has dreams that are greater than just marriage and children. She thinks in terms of mathematics and has a huge heart.
I absolutely loved The Number Of Love. I always love Roseanna White’s novels. I am very much looking forward to book two.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
What a fascinating story the Number of Love is. Rosanna White researches her stories and background so thoroughly. She interweaves the history and intrigue of suspense, mystery and romance in to all of her books. I loved the characters of Margot and Drake. Their unique banter with deciphering code was so fun. It was so nice that he could see her beauty, but truly love her for her intellect and strengths. The history of the codebreakers was also very interesting. I enjoyed the way the author explained her research at the end of the book. This book also has ties to A Unheard Song of the Shadows over England series. 5 stars from me!
I loved getting to know Margot better. She sees the world in numbers. She relates everything to numbers. God even had her praying for an agent eighteen! At the time she had no idea who it was. When she found out she was surprised and pretty angry. There were many surprises in the book.
I loved it! Sure can’t wait for the next two in the series to come out!
I’m intrigued when the main character has an unusual process of thinking and the author successfully draws me into their mind. Two of my favorite examples are Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt and The Unlikely Master Genius by Carla Kelly. The Number of Love is now added to that list! Margot’s mathematical intellect bleeds into her spirituality and emotions, and I was fascinated by the idea that she received her personal revelations and inspiration through the types of numbers that run through her head. She’s pragmatic, but also caring and compassionate. I enjoyed the variety of facets to her personality and the way she developed with her new relationships with her friend Dot and romantic interest Drake. I appreciated Drake’s realization that he needed to court Margot in a way that she would be open to receiving, and his creativity and gentle determination in reaching out to her and waking up her responses. Propelling the pace of the story is the wartime setting, the codebreaking, the secret agent activities, and the danger on the homefront. I was captivated throughout the entire book and felt it had a good balance of suspense, personal reflection, and relationships. I can’t wait for the next book!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
When I read a Roseanna M. White book I know I will learn history. This was a great source of learning about code breakers during the great war in a fictional setting. I enjoyed the characters and the love story. I highly recommend it and look forward to the next story in the series!