"A Name Unknown" (Historical Fiction)

I was blessed to receive a great "Summer Read" for review this month, A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White. I know that summer is *almost* over (although technically there is still over a month left before the Autumn Equinox...), but this would be an equally marvelous book to curl up with next to a fireplace! 

I love a book that has weight, both in number of pages (426!)  and in content. Although this is a Historical Romance, which some might consider a "light" read, it is also filled with wonderful historical tidbits, and thoughtful insights into the Christian walk, all while recounting the story of the intersection of two unlikely, delightful characters~ a feisty thief who knows no boundaries, and a stuttering gentleman, who guards his solitude and true occupation. 

Here's a bit about the book from the publisher: 

About the book:

She's out to steal his name. 
Will he steal her heart instead?

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 are no longer pickpockets-now they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary's challenge of a lifetime comes when she's assigned to determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany. How does one steal a family's history, their very name?

Rumors swirl around Peter Holstein. Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence. But Peter can't help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the crown-so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels. When Rosemary arrives on his doorstop pretending to be a well-credentialed historian, Peter believes she's the right person to help him dig through his family's past.

Anger and danger continue to mount, though, and both realize they're in a race against time to discover the truth-about Peter's past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

About the author:

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 is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her British series. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to make their way into her novels . . . to offset her real life, which is blessedly boring. She passes said boring life with her husband and kids in the beautiful mountains of eastern West Virginia.

Find out more about Roseanna M. White and A Name Unknown, and read more reviews at this link.

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I really enjoyed the main characters in the story, both their personalities and their growth throughout the story, as well as the historical setting prior to the beginning of World War I. I particularly appreciated Peter, the unlikely hero, with his book-hoarding, reclusive, thoughtful, and inspirational qualities. There are many levels on which I identify with him. ;) The heroine, Rosemary, is a quick study, resourceful, and responsible in spite of the life of crime in which she finds herself stuck through no particular fault of her own. 

I don't think I've previously read any of Roseanna M. White's work before, but I am definitely interested in see her treatment of other time periods and characters, if this book is any indication of her typical writing.

Blessings~