This is the first book that I have read or listened to by this author and I enjoyed it. The narrator did a good job and I could hear slight variations between certain characters’ voices as she read, which helped me follow along. The narrator also had a very pretty British accent, which set the stage nicely for this novel.

The story is a slow build and jumps back and forth through time. Sometimes the story is post war, which is definitely the main story line. In this time line, the reader follows along as Brent and Diana attempt to rebuild their lives as a married couple again after the war. To complicate matters, Diana is involved in some pretty dangerous activities and there are many secrets, which leads to frustration for Brent. And Brent brings his own complications to the marriage, as he is dealing with the aftermath of wartime trauma and injuries. Both Brent and Diana work throughout the novel to find a new normal. I really liked Brent and Diana and hoped for the best for them. It was clear that they truly loved each other, even though both had changed because of their experiences.

In the pre-war scenes, the reader gets to see the original courtship between Diana and Brent, which was sweet. And there were a few scenes that took place during the war years, where the reader learns what life was like for both Brent and Diana when they were apart for so many years.

I really enjoyed each scenario and the pace of this novel felt very much like watching the television series, Foyle’s War. Not that the plots are the same, they aren’t, but I am referring to the tone of mystery and uncertainty in the midst of war and rebuilding.

I received a complimentary copy of this audio book. All opinions are my own.

The London Restoration was one of the hardest audiobooks I've ever gotten through. I can see that there are a lot of positive reviews about this novel, but, unfortunately, this book and I did not connect. The combination of having the historical note at the beginning, seemingly giving away the entire storyline, and the difficulty deciphering between the two points of view due to having one narrative, made it very difficult to enjoy. In my opinion, the storyline focused more on the events that happened during the war rather than the restoration of London, which was utterly disappointing. I wanted to learn about what happened to the churches after the war, not hear this "romance" story of a husband and wife who were separated by the war. I understand that hearing their backstory helped set up the present, but the flashbacks were so sporadic that I spent most of the chapters figuring out if I were listening to the past or present. I really wanted to like this book, maybe I would have enjoyed it more as an ebook rather than audio, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audio for me to review. All the thoughts are my own.*

I am not sure how to classify this book. Historical fiction, romance, women's fiction (whatever that means), maybe all, regardless, the book is an elegant, well researched story of the immediate post-WWII London. It is also a story of deep love between two people separated by the war trying to rebuild their lives once the war is over. Moreover, it is a thriller, and a mystery setting the stage for the Cold War. The details and descriptions of the churches come alive throughout the book. I liked when the story goes back from 1945 to the years during the war. Unfortunately, there is something missing in the flashbacks. I wish more information was provided. However, it does not take away from the story, where architecture, math, Christopher Wren churches, Mozart's music, religion classes, and spying intermingle to create a complex plot. The pace of the book is slow at times, which is perhaps the main negative. It is not a a five star book, but I feel it is worthy a very strong four stars. Audiobook courtesy of Thomas Nelson through NetGalley.

I’ll make this short since as you can see, I did not enjoy this book. The unfortunate part of this book that stood out me within the first quarter of the book was the sexism that occurred between the two main characters who are married. I realize this is a historical fiction, but I’ve read historical fictions where the woman can be strong and independent and not need to prove herself to her significant other.  I honestly wanted Diana to leave her husband the entire book. Such an unhealthy relationship. My only other issue with this book was the fact you have to know about the church in order to understand 40% of this book. Much of the book was spent talking about parts of the architecture of a church and so forth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this title to listen to and review. 

I loved that this book took place after the end of World War 2, with some flashback to the war. The main characters, Diana and Brent, were relatable for the most part. I did find they kept rehashing the same conversation often without actually changing anything and that was a bit frustrating. The story was pretty good and made me go off on a research tangent for Wren churches. What I like the most was how the author moved these people from the war but showed how they changed. I find a lot of WW2 fiction ends at the war and this was a unique perspective to see what happens next. 

As an audio book it was nice to listen to. The narrator was pleasant and easy to listen to.

Almost all of the WWII fiction I've read focuses on women during the war, and this was the first that focused on *after* the war. McMilian does a fantastic job of showing that while the war was over, it wasn't truly over, and that there was no going back. Never is. 
For Diana, this was even more complicated as she married just before starting a job where she had to sign the Official Secrets Act, and cannot share with her new husband one of the most formative experiences of her life. However messy that might be, it is compounded by his PTSD, and the intersection of their love of churches with post-war espionage and competing ideologies. The presumptive love-triangle is also fun ;)

I loved the unique take on a post-war spy novel.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan 4 stars
Narrated by Hannah Curtis

This is my first audiobook from netgalley. I really enjoyed the narrator. I can feel the tension and the emotions of the characters. I love #historicalfiction but so far this is different from what I have read before. This happened after WWII and to a married couple trying to save their marriage. 

Brent and Diana are in love but the war has changed them. They have seen and experienced horrible things. It makes me think back of all the families after all the wars in history. It was hard for everyone. Food was scarce and they had to make do with what they had. Make a new normal.

I like that Brent and Diana have their own POV. It’s amazing that their love never faded and that they both want to work on their marriage. It’s cute as they reminisce about their first encounter. I like the church architectural references, music, conspiracy theory, code breaking and thrill that this book has to offer. It’s a book worth reading, interesting, educational and a clean read.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasnelson for the free copy in exchange for an honest review,.

The London Restoration
By Rachel McMillan

Diana Somerville's war didn't end when the British troops returned home. She wants nothing more than to restart the life she had just started with her husband Brent Somerville before the war took him to the continent. Her work during the war has her bound to keep secrets from her husband - he thought she spent her days translating messages but it was so much more than that. She is bound to not speak about her true work due to her signing of the Official Secrets Act. And secrets are now between them.

Brent wanted nothing more than to come home to his wife and his professorship at King's College. But something is off with his marriage - first, when he came home Diana wasn't in London, in fact, she wasn't even in England. And then he knows she is keeping secrets from him - a favor for a friend is all the reason she gives for her absence. And then there are his secrets. He is determined to protect her from his wartime memories, to keep his wounds hidden from sight, to keep her from witnessing his nightmares night after night. 

With a growing list of things to keep them apart only their love seems to be tying them together. But love, that, like London, has had its walls damaged is in a precarious position. Is the foundation upon which it built strong enough to handle the rebuilding needed? As Diana studies the churches of London that she has so come love, she works on plans to help in their rebuilding and restoration. With Brent at her side as she works on a project near to her heart, she can only hope that this will bridge the divide that the war has created.

The London Restoration is more than a world rebuilding after the devastation of war, it is a world on the brink of another war. A war of ideology and manipulation - a cold war. But can a war be one fought only in the shadows and dark corners? When Diana and Brent discover a priceless religious artifact among the rubble they are drawn further into this secret war. But a war of ideology is no safer than the one just fought for those who find themselves on the frontline. This is something for which Diana was never trained and one in which she and Brent could very easily find themselves victim to.

The London Restoration is a multi-faceted story that is both personal and historical. Rachel McMillan does an excellent job capturing the reader's attention, I for one read the book over a weekend and was reluctant to put it down when other matters demanded my attention. The story is set in 1938 - 1946 with the story told in a nonlinear fashion but each time change is clearly marked at the beginning of that chapter. I personally like having the story unfold so that key moments in the backstory are slowly revealed adding greater depth to the story as it progresses. 

I have to admit I fell in love with this cover.  That red hat, London in the golden glow of sunlight - it is a perfect attention grabber all but begging me to pick it up and peek inside. And I am not sorry for a single moment spent between the covers getting to know these characters. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations other than that I offer my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

** I have also obtained the audio version of this book and it is narrated by Hannah Curtis. It is an excellent presentation if you prefer to listen to your book rather than read it. At 11 hours and 47 minutes, it is a length that is perfect for housework, commutes, or just a quiet afternoon to relax with.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Rachel McMillan for my copy (audiobook) of The London Restoration. I also want to praise Hannah Curtis for her narration of the novel!

I enjoyed The London Restoration, but mostly because of the well-researched history and architecture. Being interested in both, I did like this book, but I’m not sure if people who don’t share this interest will. The story itself was a bit slow (the plot was fine, but because it unfolded so slowly, it became a bit boring), and though I liked the characters from the start, they lacked development. Still, 3,5 stars!

I was so excited when I was approved for my first NetGalley Audiobook. The description of this book sounded amazing and the cover is simply stunning. I THOUGHT I would LOVE this book. London is my all-time favourite city to visit. I love everything about it....but it was not to be.

I so dislike rating books low but I have to give my honest opinion. The story was promising. I couldn't wait to hear Brent and Diana's story. They met before the war and married. Brent was sent off to war and Diana was recruited at Bletchley Park. They are reunited after the war and the story goes back and forth plus there is some mysterious espionage happenings. 

I feel this was more of a character analysis of a marriage/relationship than a mystery. I just quite simply found it dull as not much happened. It was a very slow moving story and very descriptive. I do however feel that for some people this book would be a 4 star rating. The writing is good and very detailed especially around the Christopher Wren churches of London. It is just not my kind of story. I pushed myself to the 50% point but could not go on any longer.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson with granting me access to this Advanced Audiobook.

*4,5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of the audiobook.
I had to take a few days after finishing this to process my thoughts because this was quite a journey.
This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I love books with a WWII setting, however, this one takes place in the post-WWII setting, when we're watching the "restoration".
I really enjoyed the narrator of this book, and how I was compelled to keep reading this book, which may have been related to the story itself. It all worked perfectly for me.
I highly recommend this book!

I found this one to be just ok.  It wasn't something I just couldn't stop listening to but it was entertaining.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy to follow along with.

*received audiobook for free from netgalley for honest review*
 Much, much, much better than i thought! asked for the book bc i like historical fictions and i loved the cover, started listening to it and i was scared it was going to be just romance but it was really good!

As McMillan writes in the informative Q&A section on Amazon for her book, she wanted to 'focus on three things: the Communist agenda and threat and the rise of the Cold War, daily life at Bletchley Park where Diana spends her war years and, of course, the rich architectural legacy of Christopher Wren.'  The London Restoration would be perfect for architecture, WWII, or espionage buffs. I listened to it and it did seem to jump around in the timeline quite a bit and was not as easy to follow in audio format.

Beautifully written and read.  This well researched novel is full of romance and intrigue.  I loved it!

The London Restoration by Rachel McMillan was a good read. I enjoyed this historical fiction romance. It is not one to be missed. Hannah Curtis did a great job bringing this story to life. I give it four stars.

I can truly appreciate the amount of research that went into this book. The details are beautifully descriptive, and, at times, I almost felt like I was walking the streets of London. I truly did love the idea of Brent and Diana’s characters. I wanted to love their love story. That being said, I felt the characters really lacked development, and that the book was more focused on the scenery (which really was great!). Much of their relationship in the story focused on the past or the strain and the process to healing seemed much too fast. Certain plot points didn’t seem believable or rational, so the movement of the story felt stilted and disjointed at times. About 40% in I did start to like it a lot better and thought we’d finally hit our stride, but it stalled out again near the end. I felt like this book was trying to be too many things and you got lost in the weeds versus just enjoying the story for what it was. It was if the author forced the characters instead of letting them “write themselves”. This was my first book by Rachel McMillan, but based on her following, I would be willing to try another. I’ve only heard great things about her books. I thought this was so close to a stellar read, but it just missed the mark for me. 
I listened to this book on audio. While I love a good British accent when you have a story based in Britain, I didn’t think this narrator was quite expressive enough. She captured some of the characters, but not all, and that didn’t help the flat pace of the plot.

The London Restoration is a masterful historical fiction novel, exploring post-WWII London. Architectural historian Diana Somerville’s knowledge of London churches and experience as a codebreaker intersect when she is asked to engage in one more post-war mission to find a Russian agent. Her husband, Brent, is a professor at King’s College who returns to his wife from the war a different man. As he fights the traumas from the front line that haunt him, he tries to rebuild his life and love with the woman he left behind who now feels, in some ways, like a stranger in his bed. Brent senses that Diana’s explanations of her wartime activities and whereabouts are fabrications, if not flat out lies. There is an undercurrent between them – a yearning for the time before the war and a yearning to make a new love after it. But the war haunts them, and they must face whether too much has changed, whether the secrets they carry will be their demise. 

The physical destruction of London and Europe by the war is materialized further in the marriage of Diana and Brent. The ravages of secret missions, horrific scenes witnessed, and physical intimacy colored by emotional distance. While the buildings of a city can be rebuilt, removing indications of devastation, the lives of our characters are not so easily fixed. Externally, things look familiar, aside from Brent’s physical injuries, but their emotional turmoil remains a tarnish on their marriage that persists. 

This novel is expertly researched with well-developed characters who are complex, intriguing, and heartbreaking. There are moments where it’s as if Diana and Brent are hugging through a wall. There is warmth and yearning, but they just can’t seem to know each other fully. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, exploration of PTSD and trauma, women in war, and architecture.