I was really excited about this book. Historical fiction with romance and mystery! Yes please.

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I will give this book 3.5/5. I liked it, but I didn’t love it like I wanted to.

This story follows Mary and Jim during 1941 right before the US joined WWII. Jim is in the Navy and Mary works at the Boston Navy Yard. There are some suspicious events that occur that point to sabotage, and the story follows the mystery and a love story that unfolds between the two. Amidst the mystery and romance, you read about the anxiety that was abound before we joined the war efforts.

I will be honest that the first fourth of the book, I thought was really slow. I had a hard time investing in it. But about half way through I was hooked and read the last half in just a couple bedtimes. The chapters are pretty short, so it was a pretty quick read anyway.

Sundin changes perspectives every chapter, so you get to see Mary and Jim’s thoughts throughout the story. I like this style a lot because I think you get to see the full picture. I found myself screaming (in my head) at each of the characters when they obviously weren’t seeing signs of love that the other was holding back.

There was a Nancy Drew feel to the mystery aspect. Mary used intuition to find clues and keep tabs on the happenings of the Navy Yard. As she discussed what she found with Jim, they developed a connection before he went off to the sea. It’s a pretty light-hearted story with some dramatic flair thrown in.

The other part I enjoyed is the focus on scriptures and prayer. You don’t see a lot of books that do this, so it was refreshing to read fiction that really focused on following God’s plan and remembering to pray for strength.

Also I think if I was to be born in the correct era, it would have been the 40s. The style is just impeccable, so generally I love most fiction about this era.

This was a fun quick read, that I enjoyed. It is the first in a series, and I may pick up the next to see how it fairs for me. You know I love them series!

There is a giveaway going on for this book promotion right now. You could win the book and some other cool things.

I did receive this book complimentary from Litfuse Publicity Group for my review. These thoughts are my own.