On Wings of Devotion

It's intimidating to write a review for a book you love so well...I had super high expectations for this book and it blasted through them all in the best way possible. The layering of the story elements is masterful and reminds me of some of my favorite vintage writers. I don't know how she does it, but the characters are rounded and polished and hop right off the page. The way Ara meets the Black Heart is just so interesting and sparks off a very unusual alliance between the two when Ara's fiancé becomes their common antagonist.

The chemistry with this romantic pair is so thick you can cut it with a knife but of course neither of them see that at first. They in fact never dream of romance to begin with, and I loved that about them. Phillip is a haunted man and doesn't think he's really worthy to live. Someone's threatening him and he couldn't care less because he thinks the same things about himself.

Then a counter-spy plot pops up and both Ara and Phillip have to work together to save their country from the threat. This is when things really tick up and I seriously couldn't put the book down.

Phillip's mother is a spice box and one of my favorite characters...I love it when even the side characters hop off the page! Ara's also friends with the ladies from the previous Ladies of the Manor series and I got super excited when Barclay from the Shadows Over England series made a couple of appearances.

Overall, it's already going on my favorites list, so great job to Roseanna White. I can't wait for the next in the series!

Thanks to the publisher and author for a free reading copy.