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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
Jo Havens is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Once in Berlin is her second book, and she tackles historical fiction with the same aplomb as her wildly addictive sci-fi debut, The Blood We Spill.
Complex characters and a compelling plot turn one of the most fraught times in history into a page-turning romantic thriller that is sexy, smart, and dripping with intrigue.
Pre-war Berlin unfolds in a lush cascade of jazz clubs and parties. High society wraps itself in decadence and denial, while the insidious evil of the Third Reich looms menacingly over all.
The two main characters—brilliant, disillusioned, rakish Mila Nessian, who lives and breathes mathematics; and broken-hearted, directionless, socialite Cissie Balfour, who is sent by MI6 to lure Mila to London and away from the Nazi rocket program—are brought to life in striking detail.
I applaud the research the author put into this novel. I’m no genius mathematician, but I believed I was reading about one. Havens creates characters you won’t soon forget, and Mila is no exception. Behind her ever-present smirk is a woman searching for a kindred spirit who will see through her cavalier façade and love her for herself. She finds this in Cissie, and soon, the two women are drawn to each other in ways neither expected. The cat and mouse spy game keeps the heat and the tension high, while the looming war adds urgency to their plight.
If you like clever women, spies and intrigue, passionate sapphic love, exquisite roadsters, myopic scientists, zeppelins, stargazing, and life or death races against time, Once in Berlin is the book for you.
Another outstanding novel from Jo Havens. I can’t wait to see where she goes next.
Complex characters and a compelling plot turn one of the most fraught times in history into a page-turning romantic thriller that is sexy, smart, and dripping with intrigue.
Pre-war Berlin unfolds in a lush cascade of jazz clubs and parties. High society wraps itself in decadence and denial, while the insidious evil of the Third Reich looms menacingly over all.
The two main characters—brilliant, disillusioned, rakish Mila Nessian, who lives and breathes mathematics; and broken-hearted, directionless, socialite Cissie Balfour, who is sent by MI6 to lure Mila to London and away from the Nazi rocket program—are brought to life in striking detail.
I applaud the research the author put into this novel. I’m no genius mathematician, but I believed I was reading about one. Havens creates characters you won’t soon forget, and Mila is no exception. Behind her ever-present smirk is a woman searching for a kindred spirit who will see through her cavalier façade and love her for herself. She finds this in Cissie, and soon, the two women are drawn to each other in ways neither expected. The cat and mouse spy game keeps the heat and the tension high, while the looming war adds urgency to their plight.
If you like clever women, spies and intrigue, passionate sapphic love, exquisite roadsters, myopic scientists, zeppelins, stargazing, and life or death races against time, Once in Berlin is the book for you.
Another outstanding novel from Jo Havens. I can’t wait to see where she goes next.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adored this book, truly. I loved the characters and find Mila to be highly relatable. The science and math? To die for. Lovely. Really. Great book, something I need to own!
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes