A Name Unknown Book Review

Shadows Over England Series

 Book One

SUMMARY:  She's out to steal his name.  Will he steal her heart instead?

     Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins who helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they are no longer pickpockets - instead they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary is beginning to question whether she can continue in this life when she's offered the challenge of a lifetime - determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany.  After all how does one steal a family's history, their very name?

     As Europe moves ever closer to World War I, rumors swirl around Peter Holstein.  Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence.  But Peter can't help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the Crown - so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels.  When Rosemary arrives on his doorstep pretending to be a well-credentialed historian, Peter believes she's the right person to help him dig through his family's past.

     When danger and suspicion continue to mount, both realize they're in a race against time to discover the truth - about Peter's past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

REVIEW: The summary of this book drew my attention.  There were so many questions floating around  - how does someone prove they are a loyal citizen?  How does someone steal a name? Why did Peter keep his office locked up and why was no one allowed entry without his permission, not even his loyal housekeeper?  What did he do with the typewriter on his desk all day?  Where did Peter's father and grandfather put all the important paperwork about their immigration to England from Germany?  How was the Holstein family connected to the British royal family so that the men were advisors to the present and past rulers of England?  As I read, little by little these questions were answered, albeit, some quite slowly.  I liked the mysterious air attached to this story with the secretive Mr. V and the details Rosemary slowly discovers about the Holstein family.  Sometimes it was hard to keep the information together because each piece of the puzzle was very slowly revealed.  As I read, I wondered what Rosemary would do with the information she was gathering for Mr. V and about how was behind the attacks on Peter's house.  I like how the book ended because it was not what I expected and the way it sets up for another book in the series.
     This book was different from others I read in that it was slower in revealing the details need to absolve the problems Peter was facing but, not everything is answered quickly in real life either.  This is a good book and recommend it to someone wanting a little mystery.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House 

for review without any compensation.

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her.  When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself.  Roseanna is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her series set in Britain.  She makes her home in the breathtaking mountains of West Virginia.  You can learn more about her and her stories at www.roseannawhite.com.