A Song Unheard Review and Blog Tour

Who was the girl laying on her bed reading this afternoon instead of doing the cleaning and sorting she really should have been working on in preparation for moving in a couple weeks?

Me. Unashamedly, me. Because, “I only had eight chapters left…” and please don’t mention the fact that I wasn’t even to the three-quarter mark yet!

Ahem. Yup. I didn’t even take time to move my planner from my nightstand to my desk, like I always do every morning. Turns out, I spent most of my day thinking about the story and wishing I could get back to it instead of reading—which, of necessity, meant I didn’t get much else done either.

But that’s okay, in this case, because I needed to get it read and reviewed and the review scheduled so I didn’t have to think about it later. It was one of my goals for this week. Promise.

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Oh, this book. I expected to enjoy it, but also to get annoyed with it (both of which were true about the previous book in this series, A Name Unknown). While A Song Unheard didn’t quite hit the five-star mark for me—I’m trying to only use that for the books that completely blow me away!—I still loved it immensely. And one day, I hope I can sit down and re-read the entire series. Just because they’re lovely books, with sweet stories set in an intriguing historical time period.

About the book:

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.

My thoughts:

Historically speaking, A Song Unheard dragged me in and wouldn’t let go. White did an incredible job building her story in such a way that you almost feel like you’re there, and I didn’t find anything that took me out of the setting, once in it, either. I loved getting to see another side of World War I through this story, too—as the author pointed out near the end of the book, there are few stories set in this time period, so that made it more intriguing. And definitely lovable.

I loved all the characters—even the villains!—each was very well developed. Margot probably won the most laughs from me, though. Her almost too-smart attitude, combined with her knowledge and the fact that she had a hard time controlling her tongue were all endearing and humorous to observe. My most favorite quote probably came from her, too:

“How old are you, anyway? Thirteen? Fourteen?” [he asked.]

“Two hundred and thirty. I look young for my age.” (She was fourteen!)

The romance ended up quite sweet and loveable, and I didn’t gag like I thought I might. That, too, was nice.

In the end, I really enjoyed the chance to read A Song Unheard. The writing style was poetic, and the suspense and mystery were just perfect—not too much to be too concerning, but enough to make me keep turning pages in the hope that maybe I’d get it figured out in the next chapter! The Christian element, too, was there, and very well done. One statement one character made (or implied) confused me a little—that of the Methodists and Catholics being on similar ground. From a historical standpoint, that did make me question the opinion a little (although my idea of what Methodism looked like in the early 1900s may be skewed as well). Otherwise, this seems to be a well-researched book, so if you’re looking for a cozy historical fiction with a splash of romance, this might just be down your alley!

I received this book for free from the publishers, and chose to share my opinions of the book.

Buy your copy here.

About the author:

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Roseanna is giving away a Grand Prize Package of a signed copy of the book as well as a lovely album of soothing songs based on the Scriptures called Hidden in My Heart (winner’s choice of CD or digital download)!

Click here to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

Other blog stops:

Fiction Aficionado, January 11
History, Mystery & Faith, January 11
Genesis 5020, January 11
Bookworm Mama, January 11
A Simply Enchanted Life, January 11
Avid Reader Book Reviews, January 12
Reflections From My Bookshelves, January 12
Blogging With Carol, January 12
Multifarious, January 12
proud to be an autism mom, January 12
Faithfully Bookish, January 13
Christian Bookaholic, January 13
Karen Sue Hadley, January 13
Mary Hake, January 13
A Greater Yes, January 13
Remembrancy, January 14
Blossoms and Blessings, January 14
Just the Write Escape, January 14
Connie’s History Classroom, January 14
Texas Book-aholic, January 14
A Reader’s Brain, January 15
Rachel’s Back Talk, January 15
Smiling Book Reviews, January 15
Cordially Barbara, January 15
Pursuing Stacie, January 15
The Fizzy Pop Collection, January 16
Kat’s Corner Books, January 16
The Artist Librarian, January 16
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, January 16
Bigreadersite, January 16
Mommynificent, January 17
Seasons of Opportunities, January 17
Moments Dipped in Ink, January 17
Baker Kella, January 17
Black ‘n’ Gold Girl’s Book Spot, January 17
God’s Little Bookworm, January 18
allofakindmom, January 18
The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate, January 18
Inklings and notions, January 18
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 18
Pause for Tales, January 19
Have A Wonderful Day, January 19
Just Commonly, January 19
Bibliophile Reviews , January 19
Janices book reviews, January 19
Radiant Light, January 20
The Power of Words , January 20
Book by Book, January 20
CAC Devourer, January 20
Jeanette’s Thoughts, January 20
Splashes of Joy, January 21
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, January 21
Neverending Stories, January 21
Faery Tales Are Real, January 21
A Baker’s Perspective, January 21
margaret kazmierczak, January 22
The PhD Mamma, January 22
Cafinated Reads, January 22
Daysong Reflections, January 22
Romances of the Cross, January 23
Purposeful Learning, January 23
Rachel Scott McDaniel, January 23
Carpe Diem, January 23
Simple Harvest Reads, January 23
Kaylee’s Kind Of Writes, January 24
Henry Happens, January 24
Joy of Reading, January 24
Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 24
Raining Butterfly Kisses, January 24

Let’s discuss: What’s one historical fiction that you’ve really enjoyed recently? What is the most unusual historical setting you’ve read about before (as in a time period there aren’t many books about, etc.)?