Wednesday, November 16, 2022

In Love's Time by Kate Breslin

In the summer of 1918, Captain Marcus Weatherford arrives in Russia on a secret mission, with a beautiful ballerina posing as his fiancée. Marcus searches for the Romanov Tsarina and her son--who both allegedly survived the murdering Bolsheviks--and the information behind an allied plot to assassinate Lenin. But Marcus's sense of duty battles his desire to return home to Clare--his actual love. Hospital orderly Clare Danner still suffers from Marcus's betrayal and now fears losing her daughter to the heartless family who took Daisy away from Clare once before, but only Marcus can provide the critical proof needed to save her daughter. Faced with danger and unexpected circumstances, can Clare trust Marcus, or will he shatter her world yet again?

This had a bit of a fairytale element to it--the old trope of the "true bride." Usually the hero promises his love to one woman, but then is ensorcelled (often with a memory-wipe) to trick him into marrying another, at which point the heroine must rescue him. 

Though I enjoyed all the author's other books, this one was a struggle for me. Clare has a big chip on her shoulder, which all the misunderstandings do nothing to diminish, and I just didn't like her all that well (she also tends to make poor decisions). It didn't help that thanks to amnesia, Marcus isn't really himself for most of the book; I was really looking forward to getting to know this super clever spy, but he's lost the last decade of his memories. Everyone is always deciding to not tell people things, which means misunderstandings grow out of proportion, and problems that could have been avoided entirely blow up instead.

I did like how Clare helps Marcus reconnect with his memories and family, and the way they essentially fall in love a second time is sweet. But I think I would have liked it better as a Jason Bourne-type story from Marcus's perspective, as he's figuring out and piecing back together his memories just in time for the end.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Related novels:

Not by Sight
High as the Heavens
Far Side of the Sea
As Dawn Breaks

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