The London Restoration

Rachel McMillan

Aug 2020 · Thomas Nelson · Narrated by Hannah Curtis

About this audiobook

The secrets that might save a nation could shatter a marriage.

Madly in love, Diana Foyle and Brent Somerville married in London as the bombs of World War II dropped on their beloved city. Without time for a honeymoon, the couple spent the next four years apart. Diana, an architectural historian, took a top-secret intelligence post at Bletchley Park. Brent, a professor of theology at King’s College, believed his wife was working for the Foreign Office as a translator when he was injured in an attack on the European front.

Now that the war is over, the Somervilles’ long-anticipated reunion is strained by everything they cannot speak of. Diana’s extensive knowledge of London’s churches could help bring down a Russian agent named Eternity. She’s eager to help MI6 thwart Communist efforts to start a new war, but because of the Official Secrets Act, Diana can’t tell Brent the truth about her work.

Determined to save their marriage and rebuild the city they call home, Diana and Brent’s love is put to the ultimate test as they navigate the rubble of war and the ruins of broken trust.

Ratings and reviews

This is the first book that I have read or listened to by this author and I enjoyed it. The narrator did a good job and I could hear slight variations between certain characters' voices as she read, which helped me follow along. The narrator also had a very pretty British accent, which set the stage nicely for this novel. The story is a slow build and jumps back and forth through time. Sometimes the story is post war, which is definitely the main story line. In this time line, the reader follows along as Brent and Diana attempt to rebuild their lives as a married couple again after the war. To complicate matters, Diana is involved in some pretty dangerous activities and there are many secrets, which leads to frustration for Brent. And Brent brings his own complications to the marriage, as he is dealing with the aftermath of wartime trauma and injuries. Both Brent and Diana work throughout the novel to find a new normal. I really liked Brent and Diana and hoped for the best for them. It was clear that they truly loved each other, even though both had changed because of their experiences. In the pre-war scenes, the reader gets to see the original courtship between Diana and Brent, which was sweet. And there were a few scenes that took place during the war years, where the reader learns what life was like for both Brent and Diana when they were apart for so many years. I really enjoyed each scenario and the pace of this novel felt very much like watching the television series, Foyle's War. Not that the plots are the same, they aren't, but I am referring to the tone of mystery and uncertainty in the midst of war and rebuilding. I received a complimentary copy of this audio book. All opinions are my own.

About the author

Rachel McMillan is the author of The London Restoration, The Mozart Code, the Herringford and Watts mysteries, the Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries, and the Three Quarter Time series of contemporary Viennese romances. She is also the author of Dream, Plan, Go: A Travel Guide to Inspire Independent Adventure. Rachel lives in Toronto, Canada. Visit her online at rachelmcmillan.net; Instagram: @rachkmc; Facebook: @rachkmc1; Twitter: @rachkmc; Pinterest: @rachkmc.