Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.

RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna’s factory is likely next. Fearing for his family’s safety, he’s also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family–until Alex receives orders to surveil her.

Rose squirms beneath Alex’s scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers’ respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future.

My second Kate Breslin book, this was an interesting and compelling read. I love learning bit of history I never knew before (though I do realize some of it is always tweaked to fit the story). While primarily historical romance, this book also had a bit of suspense as well.

A few things I really enjoyed about this book: the Scottish setting and accent, as well as the enemies-to-lovers trope (I’m a sucker). For me, it did slow down a bit with some of the interesting (but not necessarily relevant) history and with the extra point-of-view characters. I would have preferred to stick with just Rose and Alex, but it was still a fun and interesting story.

If you enjoy WWI historical romance and/or historical suspense with an emphasis on the history, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Rated PG. Get your copy here!

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