Book description from Amazon:
“Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.
Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence, but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.
As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge–and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger–and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape.”
My review:
I love Roseanna M. White’s “Shadows Over England” series. Each book has a captivating storyline and characters that wrap themselves around your heart. This story features Barclay, the “big brother” of the orphaned children who have banded together as a family. Barclay’s devotion to watching over and providing for his family has been his main goal in life. He’s always done his best to do that, even if everything he did was not always legal. When he falls in love with Evelina, he extends that protection to her family. As the shadows of war swirl around them, their way becomes perilous. It’s up to Barclay to protect those he loves, but still answer England’s call to prevent the enemy from obtaining a new technology that could give them an advantage in the war.
This story could be summed up in two words: “Amazing grace”. Barclay is a man redeemed by God’s grace. He is committed to living his new life as a Christian according to what he reads in the Bible. However, his skills as a thief are also the same skills that are enabling him to serve his country during a time of war. As the story progresses, we watch Barclay as he evaluates every situation to make sure he is pleasing God. The former thief has become a man of faith, and his influence has an impact on those he loves most, including Evelina.
This storyline is at different times humorous, intriguing, suspenseful, and romantic. There’s no foul language or embarrassing scenes to mar the story. Roseanna M. White has given us another wonderful story to reread again and again.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.