BLOG TOUR REVIEW: The Codebreaker’s Secret – by Sara Ackerman #blogtour

Hello and welcome to my stop of the The Codebreaker’s Secret Harlequin Trade Publishing’s Summer 2022 blog tour! A huge thanks to Justine Sha for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I always have an interest in WWII historical fiction and I was intrigued by the sound of the dual timeline. And I definitely liked what I found! Want to know why? Please join me while I share my thoughts…

Title: The Codebreaker’s Secret
Author: Sara Ackerman
Genre: Historical Fiction
First published: August 2nd 2022
Publisher: MIRA
Finished reading: July 16th 2022
Pages: 384

“Sometimes we have to leave a place to understand how much it means to us.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I can never seem to resist a WWII historical fiction story, and especially when it promises a refreshing angle. I liked the sound of the Pearl Harbor setting and female codebreaker character The Codebreaker’s Secret offered, and the post-war storyline showed a lot of promise with the disappearance of a high-profile guest and an exposed war secret. And I have to say that this story definitely delivered for me! It turned out to be a well written, intriguing and engaging piece of historical fiction and it has made me want to try more of this author.

The Codebreaker’s Secret uses a dual timeline structure; one set in 1943 and one in 1965. Each timeline has its own POV, switching between female codebreaker Isabel Cooper during the war and female journalist Lu Freitas in 1965. The two timelines are completely separate initially, and you wonder how the two will combine apart from the Hawaii setting… But it will all make sense in the end, and I really enjoyed seeing the two timelines slowly revealing more connections between them. There were a few developments I most definitely didn’t see coming! The two timelines complemented each other perfectly and the result was a very well balanced story with two characters that will speak to you. I usually tend to much prefer one timeline over the other, but in this case both were equally strong.

It really shows that the story is well researched and I enjoyed learning more about female codebreakers in the US during the war. The Pearl Harbor setting added a little something extra too, and the descriptions of what it was like working there were thorough. I also loved the descriptions of the setting itself, and it really made Hawaii come alive for me. The 1965 timeline was likewise intriguing and the missing guest added a lot of suspense to the plot. Lu herself wasn’t as strong as a character as Isabel, but between the mysterious disappearance and her partnership with Russi while they investigate what happened things ended up balancing out.

I’m keeping this review short because I want to avoid spoilers: the coming together of the two timelines and the reveals of the different plot twists are so much more effective if you go in blind. What I can say is that The Codebreaker’s Secret is a well researched, well written and captivating WWII historical fiction story that offers you mystery, secrets, dept as well as romance. The two timelines come together beautifully and you will love how everything is wrapped up in the end. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys the genre!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Ackerman is a USA TODAY bestselling author who writes books about love and life, and all of their messy and beautiful imperfections. She believes that the light is just as important as the dark, and that the world is in need of uplifting stories. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and later earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories. Find out more about Sara and her books at http://www.ackermanbooks.com and follow her on Instagram @saraackermanbooks and on FB @ackermanbooks.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Author Website: https://www.ackermanbooks.com/ // Facebook: @ackermanbooks //

Twitter: @AckermanBooks // Instagram: @saraackermanbooks

BUY LINKS

BookShop.org // Harlequin // Barnes & Noble // Amazon // Books-A-Million // Powell’s