Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?
Peter Holstein, given his family’s German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.
But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his neighbors’ scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he’s more than his name?
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My Review
A Name Unknown takes place in England in the days just before World War I. Rosemary Gresham has had a hard life growing up on the streets on London after her parents died. She was raised with a group of street urchins that she considers her brothers and sisters. Because she is a skilled thief, she is sent on an unusual assignment: to find out if nobleman Peter Holstein is actually sympathetic to Germany. She travels to Cornwall to work in the Holstein library and to gain his trust. To both their surprise, a bond slowly forms between them and changes their lives.
This is such a lovely and unique historical novel. I am interested in Edwardian England, and found this period just on the eve of World War I to be fascinating. The Cornwall setting was especially nice.
I love that books and writing and a mysterious home library figure into this novel. There is a mystery involved, of Peter's lineage and family history, and it is really a page turner.
I did not immediately like the character of Rosemary, but I came to find her sympathetic as the novel went on. Peter is such a remarkably kind, good character, and their friendship (blossoming slowly into a romantic interest) was beautifully written.
A Name Unknown is the first in a series, Shadows Over England, and I am eager to read the upcoming novels. This is my first read by Roseanna M. White, but I plan to look for her other books.
The combination of historical details, a slow building romance with a compelling mystery, and multi-dimensional characters makes A Name Unknown an engrossing read. I recommend it highly to fans of historical fiction, Christian fiction, and anyone interested in Edwardian England.
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’s fiction ranges from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her new British series. She lives with her family in West Virginia.
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Giveaway
One lucky reader will win a copy of A Name Unknown. The giveaway is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada, and will end midnight 7/21/17. The winner will be notified by email, and needs to respond to the email within 48 hours. The winner's book will be sent directly from the author or her publicist.
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I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.
