The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan

The London Restoration

by Rachel McMillan

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.

Reviewed by phyllish on

4 of 5 stars

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Will their secrets keep them apart?

My rating is 3.5 stars

As Brent and Diana reunited after four long years of separation, life didn't simply return to normal. Too many secrets hold them apart and prevent the return to the intimacy they just started to build as a newly married couple.

The imagery of a London blasted by Hitler's blitz was vividly depicted in The London Restoration. As Diana revisited the skeletons of the churches of the city seeking the traitor in the beginning of the Cold War, I was given a new sense of the devastation brought about by those raids. Somehow, I've pictured the bombing but never considered living in the aftermath and the amount of determination and effort it took to rebuild and restore this city.

Diana was very intelligent in a quirky manner. Her propensity to sing rhymes, off-key, when she was uncertain or afraid was fun! She was fascinated with the churches of London, especially Christopher Wren's churches, having been introduced to them by her father. They were a link to the past, both of her city and her dad and as they were destroyed, it was like reliving her father's death.

Brent was my favorite character. Scarred from his years of serving in the war, he suffered from nightmares and struggled to trust Diana. Yet his love for her was strong and allowed him to keep his insecurities at bay. I especially loved the fact that her ineptitude in the kitchen and housework in general, while slightly annoying to him, were worth enduring because he loved her so much.

Brent and Diana's relationship is the primary focus of The London Restoration, though codebreaking, spies, and the Cold War figured in as well. The third-person narrative jumps back and forth between various time periods - this did get a little confusing at places with the way it was done.

The story started very slowly and dragged for a bit. There was a lot of "telling" the story and not "showing" what was happening. At one point, I stopped reading on one page and began to examine the sentences to see what it was that was bothering me about them. On that page, every sentence started with "she" or "Diana"! Rich descriptions filled the pages and yet it felt a little flat.

Overall the story was good. It was not my favorite style of writing but if you enjoy romantic stories that include intrigue, this is one to consider.

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 August, 2020: Finished reading
  • 20 August, 2020: Reviewed