A Song Unheard

Author: Roseanna M. White
Genre: Historical Romance

Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a crucial task at the outset of World War I--to steal a cypher from a famous violinist currently in Wales. 

Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won--until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and 

sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only light he finds is meeting the intriguing Willa Forsythe.

But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't--that she must betray him and find that cypher, or her own family will pay the price as surely as his has.

Reviewer: Mindy Houng

"They could be two melodies, existing in the same world but never mixing. Counterpoint, each line unique. Or they could be a harmony, blending together and making something new."

How does Roseanna White do this?  Book after book, she crafts beautifully written novels with wonderfully and deeply layered characters who lodge themselves in my heart.  Even the title has layers of meaning underneath and makes itself memorable long after the book is finished.  The author  puts twists and turns and a healthy dose of intrigue to keep the pages turning faster and faster.  She creates realistic and delicious backgrounds to each novel with her thorough historical research and has me bouncing in my reading chair for the next book to be written and released..... like yesterday.  

This book, A Song Unheard, is all of this and so much more.  Set during the beginnings of WWI, the author paints the brutality of war and sin against the bigger and more beautiful backdrop of God's love, grace and forgiveness.  The premise of the book, in which Willa must steal the key to a cypher to help the war effort, is fascinating, dangerous, and intriguing.  There is quite a bit of suspense and intrigue in the plot, which keeps the story moving effortlessly.  

And then there are the characters.  And the romance.
 
Willa is an orphan, adopted into a large family of orphans, and feels responsible for the well-being of the younger ones in their "family".  She is determined, tough, loyal and so so broken in feeling inadequate and unlovable.  She starts out her next job feeling slightly betrayed by her "sister" Rosie, the heroine of the first novel A Name Unknown.  She is a violin prodigy, untaught but naturally gifted.  She is sent to find the key to a cypher, believed to be on the person of Lukas, a world-renowned Belgian violinist.  Willa's faith journey is painful, desperate, yet so real and honest.
 
Lukas is a physically and emotionally violinist but still talented, handsome, charming, fiercely loyal to his family and so incredibly tender.  Talk about a swoon-worthy hero! The dialogue between Willa and Lukas is funny, intelligent, yet sweet at the same time.  Lukas' faith journey is less traumatic than Willa's but nonetheless powerful, even in its quiet way.

And the music.....yes, music is one of the unforgettable themes of the book.  It is truly incredible how God gifts certain individuals a way to speak into the souls of men through music.  And the author's writing is so lyrical that I could actually hear the music as I was reading the book.  Indeed, "for the sake of the music."

I cannot wait for the next book in the series - An Hour Unspent!  Rosie and Willa's "older brother" Barclay will meet his match!

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher via Celebrate Lit Tour.  I was not required to write a favorable review.  All comments and opinions are solely my own.

---

---

Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

"For the sake of the music. - Lucas De Wilde."

Lucas De Wilde, a world renowned violinist, finds himself recovering from a gunshot wound and virtually exiled in Wales, forced to flee his Belgium home at the onset of the World War I invasion by the Germans. His now deceased father, was a brilliant cryptologist, making Lucas and his remaining family members a much sought-after German commodity. When Lucas becomes strategically acquainted with Willa Forsythe, he has no reason to believe that she is anyone other than who she purports herself to be; a captivating young woman with a prodigious musical talent.

"He is just a mark." Accomplished thief Willa Forsythe has a job to do; meet Lucas De Wilde, pilfer his father's cypher key, and get out of Wales. If only life were so simple; no flirting, no international spies, no breaking of hearts, . . . . . . . apparently Willa is not the only one in Wales following Lucas De Wilde, and in essence, following her. "With greater risk, comes greater reward", yes . . . but at what cost to those she loves? The music in her head is sounding all wrong. 

This beautifully composed story deserves to be savored; reading every word, listening to every conversation, appreciating characters who come to life on the page, absorbing every note of the song unheard. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated are entirely my own.

---