The London Restoration was an okay read. I found it a little difficult to get into and the time jumps were at sometimes confusing. I liked the characters, mostly, and their romance. It was interesting that they were already married and loved each other, but had to get back that closer connection.

All in all, this was not a favorite read, mainly because I struggled with all the details and had a difficult time following along. Also certain things with the characters slightly bugged me.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

A beautifully written story about not only the restoration of London but restoring lives as well. I am not always a fan of WW II novels, but the author did a great job of blending suspense and romance to the story as well. The narrator was fantastic.

I would recommend this book to lovers of romantic historical fiction. Along the same lines as Jennifer Robson. A good story set during and after World War II.

I loved the book and the audio just added to the experience of listening to Brent and Diana fall in love all over again.

"The London Restoration" takes place during World War 2 and focuses on Diana and Brent, a husband and wife separated by the war. Their reunion is strained by war, secrets, PTSD and their time apart. This is my first book by Rachel McMillan, audiobook or physical. It was definitely a bit predictable to me and I found I didn't enjoy listening to the narrator that much. The overall plot was just okay for me.

I've read other books by Rachel McMillan. She is a talented writer. The story weaves some original with some history to make the perfect blend of historical fiction. Some excitement. Some romance. There's espionage along with the admiration of London's architecture. I highly recommend grabbing this for a summer read with some read and biscuits. Well done on the narrator's part as well.

I read and listen to many books. This one however, was disappointing due to the delivery. The reader's voice wasn't unpleasant, but I kept loosing track of what was going on partly because of dosing off or my mind wandering to other things. I tried listening to it while on a trip and fell asleep quickly. Good thing I was not the driver!

The subject definitely appealed to me as did the cover. I think this is one that I need to read in an ebook or other format (print). I finally gave up after the second chapter.

I also keep encountering issues with the NetGalley player/app. It will just stop. The only way to get it going again is to quit the program and start up again. Frustrating.

The rating is for the narration, I didn't get far enough to really rate the author.

Great narrator. Good storyline. I listened to a chapter every night and I would have to say the storyline and the writing was good.
Good book to read.

This is a wonderful book with a great plot. It was nice to be able to listen to the story instead of having to read it. This enables the reader to read wherever and whenever they like. Great historical fiction

The synopsis of this book appealed to me. The base storyline of tracking down Eternity is well done. There exists several twists that, while predictable, were written with intrigue. McMillan allows her research of Wren churches to shine through without being forced which was enjoyable. Brent's postwar PTSD is portrayed vividly and provides one of the underlying themes. In my opinion, the relationship between Brent and Diana seemed too much. While I enjoyed McMillan's writing I thought that the amount of the book dedicated to that portion of the plot slowed the pace of the book down immensely.

I truly enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The London Restoration narrated by Hannah Curtis. I really liked that McMillan added her notes to the beginning of her book and not at the end. She provides a review her research; what is fiction, what is not and where they blend together in her story.


The London Restoration is a well-researched story, it is as rich in history as it is in romance. Set in post-World War II London, Rachel McMillan’s passion for historic cities and churches shine through every page. The descriptions especially around the Christopher Wren churches of London, help you visualize every detail that feel like you are there.


Thank you #netgalley & MacMillanaudo for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my audiobook copy of The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan, narrated by Hannah Curtis. It published August 18, 2020.
I found this book to be so refreshing in a sea of a lot of dark books that have been released recently. Even though this book covers some very tough subjects, it does it respectfully and in a way that does dwell on and glorify them, but works through them in a very human way.
I found the introduction by the author and talking about her grandparents to be fascinating, and it is worth the time to read for some context and to understand why this topic is so important to the author. I had never given an second thought to Churches in London being bombed and what a impact that would have on the communities that belonged to the churches, and were surrounded by them.
I thought the way that war, post-war, and PTSD was portrayed was realistic, and respectful. I found it heartbreaking and believable, but it was never taken too far, which I appreciate for sensitive readers like myself.
The narration was done very well, and I found it very listenable at 1.75x speed. I would definitely listen to more narrated by Hannah Curtis.
If you are looking for a historical fiction set post WW2 England, historical buildings and landmarks, that has closed-door romance, isn't too gruesome, but is honest about war and PTSD, you would enjoy this!

This book I have both read and listened to as an audiobook. I think I enjoyed it more as an audiobook. The narrator was good and well paced.
The characters in this book were in love at the time of WW2 and as many did during that time, married quickly. Then separated for years because of war and jobs they come back to each other, but each with their own secrets. The question is can their marriage be saved or are the secrets too big?

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I love WW II historical fiction but this book moved at such a snails pace that I could not stay in the story.
There is an audience for this story but I am not it.

London 1945. With the war finally over, Diana Somerville longs to restore the connection and intimacy she once shared with her husband Brent. However, having signed the Official Secrets Act means that revealing anything about her wartime efforts would be treason. Furthermore, her time as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her expertise in the field of London churches make her an invaluable asset in MI6’s hunt for a Russian agent known as Eternity.

Theology professor, Brent Sommerville agrees to aid his wife with her church consultations, hoping to understand what led to her disappearance when he needed her most. But he, too, conceals wartime experiences and the traumatic memories of his time as a stretcher bearer on the front. With the growing number of secrets expanding the gap between them, the Sommervilles begin to wonder whether their love and marriage will become one more casualty of war.

Mark Twain said, “There is no such thing as a new idea.” Long before him, Solomon said something to the same effect, yet London Restoration comes very close. Weaving post-World War II elements with espionage and a fresh take on romance, Rachel McMillan crafts a story that breaks the molds delivering a tale I can’t quite compare to anything else I’ve read.

Let’s start with the love story. It isn’t your typical boy-meets-girl, but an already married couple rediscovering themselves and each other after the war as they navigate all the challenges that entails. We meet the protagonists in the fall of 1945 with events of their pasts interspersed throughout the novel. Even if dates hadn’t been included to reflect a jump in the timeline, McMillan brilliantly captures the nuances of their voices so that the reader recognizes pre-war hero/heroine from post-war hero/heroine. As with everyone, their experiences have changed them. The author’s capacity to unobtrusively convey this reveal a deep understanding not just of human nature but her characters as well. It reflects countless hours of work and study, and it doesn’t stop there.

Brent and Diana approach God and faith differently, and yet, his passion for theology and hers for old churches — particularly Wren Churches — offers them a common ground. By the time I finished reading, I possessed a deeper understanding of them through their interests and had learned about previously new-to-me topics. I confess I knew nothing of Wren Churches prior to The London Restoration.
Playing off the biblical themes, when it comes to the men in her life, Diana exercises the patience of Job. A lesser woman would have lost her cool sooner. Brent with his self-imposed martyrdom and Simon (one of her closest friends during the war) with his pushy demands, I often found myself wanting to give them a piece of my mind.

In addition to the Kindle version, I was able to listen to the audiobook narrated by Hannah Curtis. Narrators have the power to make or break a story, and Curtis definitely did not do the latter. Despite the tricky nature of a novel with a timeline that jumps back and forth, I had no trouble following the progression. I found Curtis’ reading style enjoyable.

Whether you’re a fan of post-war novels, Wren Churches, or uniquely woven stories, London Restoration is for you.

I’m not a big audiobook listener, but NetGalley has recently started making audiobooks available so I thought I’d give The London Restoration a go as an audiobook.

Long story short, I’m still not a fan of audiobooks.

The London Restoration is romantic suspense with a twist—Diana and Brent are already married when we meet them a few weeks after the end of World War II. But they’ve been separated by war for years, and it’s almost as though they are strangers. And there’s the matter of what Diana did during the war. Brent thinks she was a translator, but she actually worked at Bletchley Park.

As such, I should have loved this story. It’s got London and churches and spies and codes—all things I love in fiction. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it, and I think that’s mostly because of the audiobook experience.

The narrator had an English accent, which was a plus (although there were a handful of words I don’t know if she pronounced correctly i.e. in London English). She also did a great job using her voice to show the difference between the two viewpoint characters, and between the multiple speaking characters (although I didn’t work out until the very end that Fisher and Carne were the same person—I thought Fisher was a surname, not a first name. Oops).

Yes, the audiobook had the problems I always have with audiobooks. It felt slow, because it takes longer to listen than to read, even at 1.75 speed. Yes, I’m a fast reader. Listening is much more stop-and-start than a novel, because I tend to listen while I’m driving, and my commute is 15 to 25 minutes. It therefore takes a couple of weeks to listen to an 11-hour audiobook. It was interesting enough to keep me listening, but not so gripping that I wanted to listen at other times.

The writing was excellent. But that was also a problem: you can’t highlight favourite quotes in an audiobook. I couldn’t even write them down, as I was listening while driving. So while I could appreciate the writing, I can’t share it with you. I do recall a couple of oddities—they ate a lot of eggs, considering the ration was one per week (or less).

The descriptions of wartime London were excellent, and I could feel Diana’s passion for the Wren churches (the churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren following The Great Fire of London in 1666). I lived in London for ten years, and felt the city coming to life as I listened. It reminded me of friends and family telling me about their experiences in wartime London, and got me wondering what lies behind the stories they didn’t tell. It was obvious Rachel McMillan has a real passion for her story, and that she’s done her research.

There were a lot of flashbacks. The flashbacks were to before and during the war—to when Diana and Brent met and married, and to some of Diana’s experiences during the war. That made the story harder to follow, as it wasn’t always clear where a flashback fit in the overall timeline. And that’s my overall problem. I pay more attention when I’m reading than when I’m listening, and I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I’d read it.

Fans of Roseanna M White and Carrie Turansky will enjoy The London Restoration. But I wish I’d read it rather than listening to it.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free audiobook for review.

With painstakingly researched detail, The London Restoration spins a story of romance and reconciliation. A twofold love story is exquisitely told, initially through smartly placed flashback sequences and an ongoing one as Brent and Diana confront the changes a world war has wrought in the architecture of their relationship. This is a romance of two imperfect people whose roles in the war efforts have left scars both mental and physical, whose friendships have flourished and complicated the present with new loyalties, and whose amplified insecurities and secrets propel them to work toward restoration with patience and trust. Also, tea. Lots of tea.

I love how Brent and Diana both choose to make selfless sacrifices for one another while still not fully understanding the depth of each other’s time during the war. The secrets Diana keeps, under obligation to both friendship and government order, are for the betterment of the nation, yet are driven by her love for Brent and his well being. Brent, too, makes choices out of his motivation to protect Diana, but he steals the heart of the reader when he goes a step further and acknowledges Diana’s own strength and assertiveness. I think I really fell for him as a reader in the flashback scene when he ships off to war and has a delightful conversation with Di, showing how he truly knows her and wants her to feel comfortable in her own skin. Even as they try to restore their relationship in the present, this knowing and connection is threaded through their new maturity and colors their hesitant connection.

Author Rachel McMillan’s forte is historical romance! Her signature wit and authentic character development are ever present, as are her penchant for portraying deep friendships and a love for classical music. The romance sparks with both physical and intellectual attraction, and the London setting comes to life with its winding streets, WWII aftermath, and historical architecture. Readers will turn the final page with poignant satisfaction, a new love for London (and its churches), and a special place in their hearts for two wonderfully imperfect new (fictional) friends, the Somervilles.

After reading The London Restoration and making a TON of highlights and notes, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version for a “reread” (Thanks, NetGalley!). I liked the accents and pronunciations the narrator employed, as well as her easy to listen to voice. Sometimes, though, the sentence structure came across as a little hesitant. This is a narration issue, not reflective of the smart dialogue and cadence of the writing. I would recommend reading a print or ebook version first, then listening to the audio for a more immersive “English” experience.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Set just after WW2, the book has many strands: a husband & wife who have to get to know each other again after separation during the war, the devastation caused by the blitz, friendships that have been tested, Bletchley Park codebreaking, secrets that can’t be shared due to the legal binds of the Official Secrets Act and the early stirrings of the Cold War.
Diana is a historian with a passion and in-depth knowledge of the London churches built by Christopher Wren and when the churches are linked to an espionage network, her passion and her experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park come together and she is asked to assist MI6’s pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wishes she could tell her husband Brent what’s going on but she signed the Official Secrets Act and knows that she can’t tell him exactly what she was doing in the war, or now. Brent is a professor of theology and shares his wife’s interest in churches. He hopes that tagging along on her “consultations”, he might start to understand her more. Alongside this, Brent is struggling with his own mental & physical wounds from his wartime service.
The book isn’t a romance but there is romance in it, along with a good mystery, a variety of secrets and bucketfulls of well researched history that made me want to go & look up the churches such as St Magnus-the-Martyr, St Stephen Wallbrook, St James Garlickhythe and Great St Barts! It may be a bit too detailed for some people as the churches do dominate the story
The narrator suited Diana’s character but I found her a bit too “proper” and a little monotoned – there are many other voices that would have brought more depth & dimension to the storyline. In hindsight, I would have preferred to read this book than listen to it. I found it needed a lot of concentration to keep up with the time jumps and the entwined storylines and I found myself having to stop & rewind a minute or two on many occasions to double check that I was still in the right time/place.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook free from the publisher via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.

#TheLondonRestoration #NetGalley

Lovely audio file of this book. I am a new reader of Rachel McMillan and happily enjoyed this tale and the narrator. I'm semi obsessed with historical fiction recently and this book was another great to add to my list. The characters had depth and kept me fully interested. I did struggled a bit getting into the book and listened to the first couple chapters multiple times until I felt.like I was understanding the sequence of events. And I'm glad I did. Mcmillan's writing style is beautiful and picturesque and listening I felt fully immersed in the streets and churches the characters were moving through. I have already recommended this book as written and audio to multiple people and will continue to do just that.

With thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my advanced audiobook any opinions expressed here are my own.

I was happy to receive and early copy of this audiobook as the description sounded like something I would love. Unfortunately I found the story and the narrator rather dull. Sadly the book ended up falling flat for me with a two star rating.