A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White

 

Back Cover: 

He sees patterns in what she deems chaos.

She sees beauty in a world he thought destroyed.

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, whom 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.

Review: I have so much to say about this book, but most of it can be focused on the raw brilliance of the two main characters. Their differences are too many to count. She is from England. He is from Russia. She is fighting for her country. He is fighting for a country not his own. She has her beloved family around her every day. He has viciously lost everyone dear to him. She sees beauty where he sees patterns. The list is endless...and yet... I dare say two characters have never complemented each other as perfectly as these two. 

Somehow, seeing Zivon and Lily together is like watching poetry in motion. They are so opposite yet they fit into each other effortless. I have a feeling that the characters in this book largely 'wrote themselves'...it feels so natural. 

The setting is nail biting - this novel throws you directly into the fires of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the seething turmoil of the world wars. It was an era of spies, evolving weaponry, tactics, and a mad race for information and position. This is the world Lily and Zivon are trapped in, and the chaos makes their story all the more riveting. 

Needless to say, I loved this novel and found the characters (obviously) utterly enchanting and the plot enticing. I had a hard time putting this book down. If you haven't read A Portrait of Loyalty, I highly recommend that you do. 

Thank-you to Graf Martin and to Baker Publishing House for a complimentary copy of this novel.