Windswept

A world at war isn't kind to a well-meaning aristocrat in this debut historical romance. Lady Virginia Whitman, aka Ginger, is a red-haired combat nurse treating the wounded during the British Gaza campaign in May 1917, her contribution to the war effort. Ginger's life changes when she discovers a badly injured Turkish soldier. Ahmed Bayrak claims to be a Jewish spy for the British who has been uncovered. He tells her there is a traitor in British intelligence and gives her information that she should only hand over to his contact, Lt. Thevshi. Ginger recruits her best friend, nurse Beatrice, and her fiance, surgeon James Clark, to help treat Ahmed while she tracks down Thevshi and tries to identify the mole. The traitor candidates include Ginger's brother, Henry, who attacks Ahmed; fellow aristocrat Stephen Fisher, whom she rejected in favor of James; and Noah Benson, a mystery man whom she falls hard for. So Ginger must decide whom she can trust, with her head and her heart often battling. Throughout her investigation, the abilities of Ginger, who comprehends World War I's geopolitics, are denigrated by all the men in her circle. The na�ve but tenacious nurse frequently ends up in peril as she seeks to determine which figure crucial to the Entente Powers' war effort is being targeted by a terrorist called "the Maslukha." McCormack builds her engaging tale around a clever protagonist who tends to do the right thing even when having to choose among her family, lover, and friends. Still, Ginger understandably ends up conflicted about the Byzantine world of espionage. That said, this being a romance novel, Ginger spends too much time dithering about finding Mr. Right, unnecessarily adding length to a hefty volume. In addition, the most loathsome character is obviously the villain, leaving only the identities of his co-conspirators in doubt. Nevertheless, this is a well-researched book, and McCormack deftly captures the exhausting feel of emergency medicine at the front. Throughout the narrative, the author makes the right choices while leaving loose ends for a potential sequel. A neophyte nurse becomes an accidental but effective spy in this gripping adventure.

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