"The Number of Love" by Roseanna M White - The Codebreakers, book 1

Margot De Wilde thrives working in Room 40, deciphering encoded transmissions and intercepted messages, but an unexpected loss sends her reeling. Drake Elton, wounded in the course of duty, is sent home to recuperate, where he gets to know the highly intellectual yet emotionally-disconnected Margot. Amidst biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save them all from the very secrets that brought them together.

I loved learning about Room 40 and the WWI British codebreakers. Spying and cryptography are both fascinating, so it was exciting to discover both in the story--our hero being the spy, and heroine the cryptographer.

Margot wasn't the easiest heroine for me to connect with, but her vulnerabilities make her human and her wit likable. Having married into a family that loves taking things literally, I could appreciate her humor. Drake is all sweetness and charm, and he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously--he was easy to like. I think it would be very difficult for an ordinary man to love Margot in a way that speaks to her, so I was glad that Drake comes from a family with challenges; theirs aren't the same, but it's enough that he can figure out how to relate to someone as different as Margot.

I really liked Dot, her fears and all. Though fragile in big ways, she truly is a brave person in spite of it. I loved that her and Margot's friendship was such an important part of the story--it didn't feel secondary to the romance, as friendship so often ends up in books. It's just as important.

It was fun to have so many cameos from the author's previous two series, but I'm really excited to learn more about the belligerent Phillip Camden in the next book!

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.

The Codebreakers (third chronologically)
1. The Number of Love
2. On Wings of Devotion
3. A Portrait of Loyalty

Relates series:

Ladies of the Manor (first chronologically)
1. The Lost Heiress
2. The Reluctant Duchess
3. A Lady Unrivaled

Shadows Over England (second chronologically)
1. A Name Unknown
2. A Song Unheard
3. An Hour Unspent

Codebreakers comes third chronologically