Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was such a heart warming book with interesting characters and a romance side story that touched my heart in so many ways. I haven't read the author's books before but I will definitely read some in the future.

Very grateful for my review copy

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I loved this authors previous book, The Aviatrix, and this is just as good. Probably gets a little bogged down with mechanical jargon on occasion but the story of Rose and Sinclair makes up for it.

Lovely book, really enjoyed the characters and the writing style, my first by this author, I will be looking at previous books

This book was very good and had romance and of course mystery.

Rose has not had a good life growing up she was more or less ignored. She was an ambulance driver in the War which is not long ended and she was helping a dying soldier who told her about spies on Orkney. She ends up in Orkney trying to find the spy and feels she cannot trust anyone. She meets Thorfinn Sinclair who seems to be the spokesperson of the island. She starts to investigate the mystery surrounding the island.

I enjoyed the characters thought they were strong people. The description of the island and the surrounding area was good.

I would recommend this book.

I loved Rose, and the fact that she wants to make a difference. Thorfinn is also such a wonderful character. He’s Rose’s Viking thanks to his large stature and his obvious strength. I liked the prologue, and it was fascinating to see what some women volunteered to do during WWI. I LOVE historical novels. This book is definitely enjoyable and I highly recommend picking this one up. (Thank you NetGalley for the book)

Almost everything about this book makes for an enjoyable read. The characters, the setting and the way things come together as the story unfolds are well done. Some of the second half drags a little, but it was still good. I really liked Rose and Myrtle.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

I kind of sat here just thinking about how to rate this one. I toggled between 3 and 4 stars. I think it probably sits in the middle between the two at a good 3 1/2 stars for me. There is something so cozy about the way this historical mystery and romance was written. It reminded me of curling up and reading Nancy Drew as a child and I mean that as a compliment. Nancy Drew is always a compliment in my book. I think where the mixed feelings come in is when I think about the narrative. There a lot more telling here than showing, and that made what would be a compelling story less so. It is still a good read overall though.

My favorite aspect of this was the romance and the dichotomy between the two characters. The author explains in these characters are role reversals of traditional roles during the time period they exist in, and I love that. Thorfinn is such a precious, gentle soul and Rose is fierce. I thought they were compelling together. I think if you are fan of this time period and historical romance, this will be a fantastic read because of what these characters bring to the table.

Like I said, I just did not love the way it was written necessarily. The plot felt bogged down by repetitive character introspection. It got to a point I could predict the inward monologue of a character because they often thought the same thing over and over. Yet I must also say I enjoyed this read overall so I am not too mad at its faults. I liked it and think if you enjoy books in this genre, you will like it too.

American socialite Rose Van Etten likes to live life at a fast pace, she races cars and she wants to use her ability to drive to help her country. She becomes an ambulance driver in WW I, and when Tin Lizzie's staffed by a German plane she knows she’s in big trouble. She’s transporting a seriously injured British officer, with last breath he whispers that he want's tell someone he's sorry and gives Rose a key.

Rose returns home to Florida, to recuperate from being gassed and catching the Spanish flu and she’s also suffering from flashback from the war. In 1919, Rose is well enough to travel to the Northern Isle of Scotland to the Orkney’s, her friend Myrtle Morningstar is accompanying her, and she thinks the mysterious British officer is from here?

Rose sees the natural beauty in Frest and the crumbling mansion Muckle Skaill, she buys it from it's unscrupulous owner and want's to renovate the property. She employees Thorfinn Sinclair to be her land agent, he’s a local and he knows the area and the people who live the crofts. While the men were away fighting in the war, Sinclair kept the community going, and he’s the perfect person for the job. The islanders main source of income’s from sheep, they sell the meat and hides to the navy, spin the wool and knit beautiful jumpers. Rose is aware of the natural beauty in the remote area, she doesn't want to change the local’s way of life, she want's to promote their cottage industries and increase their incomes.

Of course, Rose has another reason for going to Scotland, that’s to pass on the dying man’s message, he gave her a key, and who can she trust with her secret. Nearby, the old German imperial fleet is being guarded by the English Navy and Rose and Myrtle start doing some after hours surveillance.

I loved reading about the Scottish customs and traditions, and especially celebrating the Ceilidh and Rose's relationship with the Flett children. Violet Marsh has written a story that honors the brave women who served in WW I, the price they paid and the strength they needed to adjust to living in civilian life afterwards and many suffered from shell shock and Rose’s characters one of these women.

I received a copy of Velocity of a Secret from NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review, my mum’s Scottish, and I love reading Historical Fiction set in her home country and about the The Great War. I highly recommend reading this wonderful book, due to be released on the 8th of February and five stars from me.

2.5 rounded to 3.

I had high hopes for this romance since I absolutely loved the Aviatrix, but sadly I couldn't get into it and felt a little slow for me. The writing is beautiful, Violet Marsh is definitely a talented and heartfelt author but this book unfortunately wasn't for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I discovered Violet Marsh last year, and was excited to find an author writing 20th century historical romance. Velocity of a Secret follows in a similar vein, looking at the aftermath of World War I.
Rose caught my attention almost instantly. She really stands out among the heroines I’ve read about, due to the depiction of the impact of war on her. She deals with PTSD as a result of her experiences, but also remains dedicated to her cause, this time determined to root out a spy ring. I also love that she’s aware of her privilege due to her being born an heiress, and tries to work hard to help others.
Thorfinn also drew my attention as a hero. I found kinship with him, as like me, he also only has one good eye. In spite of his insecurities about this and not being able to serve in the war, I appreciate that he still had a sense of duty and kept his head up for the most part. And while he has a grumpy exterior, he has a genuine love for his siblings, and upon meeting Rose, she further helps to erode his façade.
Plotting wise, it is pretty engaging throughout. There were inconsistencies in pacing, where some bits felt slower, while others felt a bit too rushed and lacking development.
This book is mostly enjoyable, and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. If you’re looking for slightly different historical romance or a new take on World War I-era romantic historical fiction, I recommend picking this up.

There are many people who won't like this book. There will be many people who will love this book. I fall about in the center.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book. It was well researched and thought out. I liked the prologue and it was fascinating to see what some women volunteered to do during WWI. When we get to the body of the book, there were times when it just seemed to drag. Sometimes the dialogue seemed to go much too slowly and sometimes it seemed that there were things that needed more of an explanation but were glossed over.

Having said that...I enjoyed Velocity Of A Secret and loved the last 25% of the book. It just flowed. There was love, danger, espionage, fast pace, and a satisfying conclusion. The characters finally seemed to come into their own.

I LOVED the Historical Note supplied at the back of the book. How interesting to see where the author got some of the background for her novelization of post WWI living for an heiress.. Not that any heiress did any of the things in the book, but just the expectation of how to live. The wide divide between the upper crust and the commoners.

This is the first book I've read by Ms. Marsh, and although there were a few issues with this book for me, I loved the historical accuracy and will continue to read her books.

Don't read this as an espionage story, read it as a romance between Rose an American heiress, Thorfinn, a Scot, and the Scottish Islands. While I appreciate the idea that Rose is trying to find the spy ring an injured British officer whispered to her about it's highly unrealistic that she would be able to find it and then what is she going to do, And I liked Thorfinn more than Rose. I'm usually a fan of WWI stories but this one had too many plot holes for me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

I am absolutely obsessed with the way Violet Marsh tells her story. When I read The Aviatrix last year, I was totally sold on the idea of a different kind of historical romance that featured women who went above and beyond what was expected of them in that time period. Like the women in that book, Rose Van Etten and Myrtle Morningstar blew me away with their strong personalities, their devil may care attitude and their desire to constantly push boundaries to achieve what they set out to do. The story is definitely about Rose, but it would be remiss not to talk about Myrtle or the Flett sisters and cousin, because every single female character in this book carries the story like the bada** characters they are.

Rose Van Etten is an American socialite who signed up for the war without knowing what she was getting herself into. After risking her life constantly as an ambulance driver, she’s back in her home in Daytona, Florida. Except, she’s come back with a severe case of PTSD (they refer to it as ‘shell shock’) and a mission to uncover a spy ring thanks to the ramblings of a dying Englishman in her ambulance. Rose does her research and the hunting to find the connections and ends up on two islands called Hamarray and Frest, looking for more clues. Thorfinn Sinclair didn’t serve in the war like other able-bodied men of his age. For one, he’s got only one eye and the other, he had to stay to look after his young siblings and aging stepfather. But for Thorfinn, not being able to serve has been something of a point of contention for him. He’s served the people of Frest by helping them and guiding them, which he doesn’t think of as a big deal, but little does he know that everything he’s done has been for something good. And when Miss Van Etten appears on his islands and completely upends everything he’s worked towards, Thorfinn is completely caught off guard and drawn to her all at the same time.

I loved Rose. I loved that she’s a heiress, totally cavalier with her wealth and does whatever she pleases. We need more heroines who accept their flaws and roll with it. But Rose isn’t just self-serving, she cares about people around her. She wants to make a difference and she wants to do something that will benefit the greater good. It might not be evident at first, but Rose has a purpose. Sure, she’s got blinders on and she’s very focused on uncovering this spy ring, but there’s so much more to Rose than meets the eye. She’s smart, cunning, fearless and passionate—all things necessary to face off men who believe women are weaker than them and all things one needs to be taken seriously. The effect she has on the people of the islands isn’t immediate either, mostly because Rose herself is trying to understand who she is in the grand scheme of things. Her effect on Thorfinn might be my favourite thing, because she doesn’t even realise the impact she has on him just by existing in his orbit and she’s not shy to ask for what she wants. I truly loved how they went from being unknown to leaning on each other and falling in love, because it felt so natural.

Thorfinn is also such a wonderful character. He’s Rose’s Viking thanks to his large stature and his obvious strength. He’s so much more than just a grumpy local and the way in which his siblings and Rose whittle away at his surface and reveal the man Thorfinn really is did it for me. There’s so much pain in Thorfinn’s life and the fact that he stands tall, holds his head up and does what needs to be done says everything about the character. And Thorfinn’s relationship with Rose is so beautiful. I loved the slow burn and build up, the cautious way in which they let each other in. They’re both keeping secrets, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants, right?

Velocity of a Secret is a historical romance with a twist of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Violet Marsh’s writing will also soothe you into spending an entire morning forgetting responsibilities to focus on only this book. The characters all bring something so special to the story and I hope we get to see more of them in future books.

I loved this book discription and was really looking forward to read it sadly it did not live up to expectations, iam sure others will love it just not for me. dnf

When I read the blurb of this book, I thought I was going to love it. I enjoy historical romance, I’m Scottish and love books set in Scotland, and I love intrigue. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all. This was my first read of 2022 and I would have DNF’d the book otherwise, I just felt it was better to start the year with a low rating as opposed to a DNF.
The prologue was intriguing. I was interested to find out where the story went from there but by chapter 2 my interest was lost.
The storyline was predictable and the spies were very obvious. I had hoped that the book would take a twist and I was so excited for a twist that never came.
Rose, as a main character, was so unlikeable. She was entitled, arrogant, reckless and rather thoughtless. She bought an island without any consideration for the people who actually lived on the island. I enjoyed Sinclair at the start of the book but then he just became less a character and more an accessory to Rose.
Every conversation she had seemed to involve her thinking that person must be a spy. Her constant ‘that’s what a spy would say’ got old, very quickly.
I don’t need to love the characters in order to enjoy a book so long as the story grips me but I wasn’t gripped by the story or the characters.
The romance went straight from 0 to ‘we’re in love’. I enjoy a romance to have at least a bit of a build up.
I think that there are people who will love this book. I know people who will love this book. Unfortunately I am not one of those people and I didn’t enjoy this book at all.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

The story
Rose is an American heiress, she loves fast cars, parties and rebellion. It’s WW1 and she is driving an ambulance in the thick of the war fields when a dying Englishman whispers to her about a spy ring he has discovered. After the war ends, Rose travels to the islands in Orkney where the Viscount lived. Her “Viking” is Thorfinn, the illegitimate son of the owner of the islands, whose mother was mistreated by him. He has stayed home in the war, due to his disability and cared for his half-siblings. Can Rose and Thorfinn trust each other to find the missing pieces of the story?

My thoughts
I enjoyed this easy to read historical story. Rose is a strong female character who does as she pleases and is (mostly) fearless, backed by her wealth and standing. It opens doors for her but also creates the sense for her that she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. When she finds purpose helping the people on the island, she opens herself to new possibilities and people that love her for herself and not what she represents. When I was reading, I got a feeling that this was an adult interpretation of an Enid Blyton story. Rugged coastline, spies and adventure. But the author’s telling about her inspiration made the story more believable. A lovely read!

3.5 / 5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Velocity of a Secret had a description that drew me in.

A book set in the aftermath of World War I? Check.
A strong, independent female protagonist that isn’t afraid of danger and risk-taking? Check.
A secret spy ring, threatening the peace? Check.
Toss in a gruff male protagonist with a secret heart of gold, and I was in.

I wanted to absolutely love this book, and there were some aspects that I really enjoyed. Rose was a lovely female protagonist, equally comfortable at a high-end social function as she is racing cars and doing labor. I loved the glimpses of her time as an ambulance driver in the war and the way that propelled the mystery of the spy ring forward. Thorfinn and his siblings were some of my other favorites from the book; I just loved so many scenes with his younger siblings and the one-on-one scenes with Thorfinn and Rose. The friendship between Rose and her best friend was another highlight for me.

My biggest issue was the pacing. There were parts of the book that felt super rushed, and there were others that seemed to drag on for much longer than they needed to. The writing sometimes pulled me out of the narrative, and I found myself able to set this book aside when I was reading easier than I’d hoped.

Warning: This book discusses some sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers including death, war, physical trauma, violence, and attempted murder.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I think this will be a great book for readers who love this genre. It has a lot of intrigue and action from the get-go and characters who had a lot of promise. However, this wasn't my cup of tea. I found the characters difficult to differentiate for a good portion of this, and the relationships between them was confusing. The pacing felt off for such a long book, and it felt like we jumped from action to action without much development in between. I would recommend it for readers who really, really like Scottish-set World War and World War-adjacent fiction.

This book was absolutely fantastic! A strong female protagonist, a charming Scottish background, and the mystery of espionage just after Word War One made this book absolutely addicting.

Rose Van Etten is a strong and likable main character who is smart, strong-willed and defies the societal norms that women in 1919 are expected to follow. The banter between Rose and the islander, Thorfinn, is endearing and entertaining. The espionage plot added to the thrill although the ending to this plot did feel a bit rushed.

Violet Marsh did an excellent job in this novel, and although I personally feel the ending was a bit rushed, this book is an excellent read and hard to put down. Historical Fiction lovers interested in a strong female lead will be thrilled to add this to their reading list.