The Number of Love is the first book in Roseanna M. White’s newest series, The Codebreakers. It follows Margot De Wilde, a young mathematician who works for England’s secretive Room 40 during World War I, and Drake Elton, a British spy who falls in love with her. With an enemy closing in, they must work together to stay alive.
Margot De Wilde is a fascinating woman, both to Drake Elton and to readers. She is highly intelligent, actually thinking in numbers, during a time when women weren’t considered smart enough to decrypt communiques. And Margot doesn’t want the typical life of a married woman; she wants to use her mind in academia and isn’t the mothering type. She hopes that is enough to deter Drake as it does every other young man who tries to flatter her, but it only draws Drake more.
When Drake is injured while tracking a shipment of anthrax, he is sent home to heal. It gives him opportunity to court Margot the way she would understand his feelings for her: through codes. But an enemy has followed him to London. How has the man slipped past his boss’ network of surveillance? Are the people Drake care about in danger or is Drake the only target? Will he let Margot help him find the answers or let her use her brilliance to bring down the enemy?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Number of Love. Margot is a fascinating individual who feels deeply though she denies it, hiding behind her incredible brain. And I loved how Drake was willing to court Margot as slowly and uniquely as she needed. While their building relationship wove through the pages, it did so amid war, loss, and espionage.
If you’re looking for a book that wraps itself around you like a London fog, check out The Number of Love. The characters will have you wanting to read their story over and over again.
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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”