To Love a Traitor by J.L. Merrow
Review by Lauren
Source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: Wounds of the heart take the longest to heal.When solicitor’s clerk
George Johnson moves into a rented London room in the winter of 1920,
it’s with a secret goal: to find out if his fellow lodger, Matthew
Connaught, is the wartime traitor who cost George’s adored older brother
his life.Yet as he gets to know Matthew—an irrepressibly cheerful ad
man whose missing arm hasn’t dimmed his smile—George begins to lose
sight of his mission.As Matthew’s advances become ever harder to resist,
George tries to convince himself his brother’s death was just the luck
of the draw, and to forget he’s hiding a secret of his own.His true
identity—and an act of conscience that shamed his family.But as their
mutual attraction grows, so does George’s desperation to know the
truthabout what happened that day in Ypres. If only to prove Matthew
innocent—even if it means losing the man he’s come to love.
Review: I don’t read a lot of historical fiction so it’s nice to come across titles that I think I will enjoy. To Love a Traitor is one such title. George lost his brother in WW1 and he believes that someone betrayed their troop, which lead to his brother’s death. This hunch brings him to a man named Matthew Connaught who may or may not be the traitor.
Moving into the boarding house where Matthew lives under an assumed name, George grows close to him, trying to figure out if this is the man who led his brother to his death. It is difficult to see Matthew as a traitor. He’s a kind, cheerful man. He lost one of his arms in the war but this doesn’t seem to bring him down much. George finds himself falling for Matthew as the book goes on, making his “mission” more and more difficult. He doesn’t want Matthew to be the traitor who helped kill his brother and other members of his troop, but he also wants answers.
I don’t want to say too much. This is a book better explored without knowing too much. The m/m romance is obviously more difficult to explore in a historical novel, as it is not accepted by most. Not to mention the fact that one of them men might be a traitor to England! It leads to a suspenseful romance, and overall novel, and I think Merrow did a good job with the topics. I would definitely read more by this author!
I think the premise sounds fantastic. A budding romance between two men in the midst of constant terror, war, and bloodshed… holy shit, I may or may not have pissed my pants in glee 😉 Would definitely consider checking this out when I'm inthe M/M mood!
Faye at The Social Potato
It's great to see you tried something different and liked it! I didn't know about this one but I liked the topic.
Great premise and what sounds like some great characters. I'm a fan of historical fiction as you know so will be sure to keep a look out for this.
I used to be wild about historical fiction, but fell away from it once I graduated from high school. This one sounds intriguing.
Off topic: are you a Twilight fan? Have you seen the new reimagining, Life and Death? Are you going to read it?
xx
I do love it when trying something different pays off! Great review!
Ooh, a bit of guy on guy espionage, I can totally get down with that. I'm not generally a big fan of historical unless they're set within a time of conflict and this sounds like a really great read Lauren. Thanks so much for sharing and wonderful review as always <3
I always enjoy books set during WWI and WWII, I am curious to see how the romance plays out.
I've read a few historical fiction m/m romances. The time period certainly adds to the conflict.
Karen @For What It's Worth
Woah, this sounds fantastic! I'm not usually much for historical, but I would gladly pick this up.
Wow, a M/M historical, it certainly sounds interesting, considering that he may be a traitor! Great review!
Naomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace
Sounds good, may have to add it to my Goodreads!
I love historical fiction. thanks for telling us about this one.
This sounds mighty interesting. Great review.
This sounds really good, but I would never expect it to be historical! Still, that premise is intriguing. 🙂
Oh boy, I love do historical fiction ― that and dystopia of course 😉
To Love a Traitor does sound intriguing in light of the m/m romance. It seems odd that such a relationship would exist in a setting such as the early 1900's. Granted I don't doubt that this type of romance existed, but it just wasn't as common as it is today to say the least;) Even so, great review Lauren!
Love the time period,and this has me curious. So glad you enjoyed it Lauren!