The Mapmaker's Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan Review

 

Wow, The Mapmaker’s Secret by Jennifer Mistmorgan is a wonderful WWII historical romance novel. I was pulled right into this story about Grace and Jack that takes place in England during the last couple of years of WWII.

Lieutenant Jack Marsden is actually an American who is being sent in to spy on WAAF Corporal Grace Deroy because there is the belief that she has been leaking secrets to the Nazis. The military has taken over her family’s estate, as they did with multiple homes during the war, and they are suspicious as to why she would insist on being stationed there.

So, Jack’s job is to get close to Grace to ferret out the truth of the situation.

We see both Grace and Jack’s point of view, so we know she is hiding something, but it’s almost clear from the beginning that she is not the one guilty of leaking the secrets.

Jack himself doesn’t feel like she’s the traitor, but is he thinking clearly, seeing as he has become infatuated with her?

Jack’s superiors are adamant that Jack get to the bottom of what’s going on. They insist he needs to get closer to her, no matter how he feels.

What exactly is the secret (or secrets) that Grace is keeping hidden? Are her secrets in any way connected to the leak?

She really doesn’t want something to come out, yet there is someone who is going to great lengths to make sure her secret is brought to light, but why?

I loved all the intrigue and the mystery, the inclusion of faith with forgiveness and redemption through Christ, and the love story that was brewing. But will the love be able to survive the fact that Jack and Grace’s relationship began with a huge deception?

I also loved learning more details about things that went on behind the scenes during WWII, with the mapmaking to help with the accuracy of the Allies’ bombing.

This was my first book by this author and I loved it. I do wish I had had a chance to read Heart in the Clouds first. Though The Mapmaker’s Secret can work as a stand alone story, it is obvious from reading it that there are a bunch of characters that are first introduced in Heart in the Clouds. I know some people don’t mind reading series out of order, but if there is anything that is going to be spoilerish when it comes to how relationships turn out or such, I would much prefer to read in order. That said, I have every intention of reading book one as soon as possible. I am sure it will be as good as this second book, which is a book I highly recommend, especially for fans of WWII romances. The author brought these characters to life and I sort of pictured what was going on in their lives in relation to other books I have read, wishing they could all meet up, even though the stories are written by different authors.

I received an ARC of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.