Not by Sight

By: Kate Breslin

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

With Britain caught up in WWI, Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, has declared himself a conscientious objector. Instead, he secretly works for the Crown by tracking down German spies on British soil, his wild reputation and society status serving as a foolproof cover.

Blinded by patriotism and concern for her brother on the front lines, wealthy suffragette Grace Mabry will do whatever it takes to assist her country's cause. When she sneaks into a posh London masquerade ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice, she never imagines the chain of events she'll set off when she hands a feather to Jack.

And neither of them could anticipate the extent of the danger and betrayal that follows them - or the faith they'll need to maintain hope.

©2015 Kathryn Breslin (P)2018 Tantor

Thin storyline and a LOT of Christianity preaching

The story was mediocre and seemed written as a vehicle for preaching the Bible. The theme being if you believe and pray your prayers would be answered. Though a line in the book said that “you can’t bargain with God” yet that was the overarching message preached through the story. Pass on this one unless you like this sort of Christian storyline.

Give this one a try!

I hope romance listeners will try this story. I was skeptical, but I'm a sucker for the hero who is more than one thinks. The heroine is too quick to judge and the hero too self absorbed; however, the reasons the characters are the way they are are original or at least sincere. Ms. Breslin's talent is character depth. One can relate to what each is going through or their depth of feeling anyway. Her other talent is her ability to keep the story moving without repetitive character introspection. This is an enjoyable effortless listen that may sweep you away. And with Justine Eyre as narrator, you can't go wrong.

Welcomed Relief

I love reading historical fiction, learning something new and putting myself back in time. But most war time books leave out the lofty, yet essential concepts like truth telling, forgiveness, faith and hope. I was relieved to see these were not forgotten in Not By Sight- in fact they were the point.
The intrigue, the turn of events, and the dialogue between characters kept me interested the whole way through.
Happy reading- you won’t be disappointed by this one. It might even uplift your spirits!

Enthralling!

Loved it and could not stop listening to find out how it was going to end even though I had an inkling. It was well told and characters well developed.

Absolutely loved this book

This story was really intriguing from the start. I learned a few things that I previously was unaware of during WW1. I didn't know what a splatter mask was, and I also didn't know about the Women's Forage Corps; I had only known about Land Girls (Women's Land Army). I love a great historical fiction novel that teaches me bits of history along with a good, solid story.

The characters in this novel are well-rounded and likable people. Even the ones that you think will be hard to care about make you feel for them during their sorrows and feel delighted in their joys.

The FMC grows so much throughout this story, and her growth doesn't seem pushed, nor rushed, it is very detailed and organic as she learns to be less judgemental and offer the grace that she knows Christ offered her. Her testimony helps lead others to reflect upon their own lives and eventual spiritual journeys.

The MMC is such a wounded soul. His personal demons really are of his own making. He is almost a mystical being to the local villagers, as he is reclusive and never seen. The folklore around him is disturbing for him, causing him emotional distress, and this, alongside his emotional trauma and physical pain, just make him angry all the time. As he begins to heal, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually, I was absolutely joyful.

The audio performance is really good. Justine Eyre brought a richness and depth to the characters; her cadence and manner of narrating being very pleasant to hear.

Predictable and fluffy

Not my favorite. Too predictable and forced for the faith side of things. Like everyone will be beautiful and happy if they only believe in their faith.

Great story, Great characters.

I think I've fallen in love with Jack! The characters are very well written and felt like actual real people. I loved the storyline. Great job, Kate Breslin.

Walk by faith

Great story about war and love Faith in God is what guides us in making the right chided!

Good book if you struggle with short-term memory

The narrator had a great voice, but the plot was so simplistic, at times I thought it must have been AI generated text, or written for someone who has a hard time remembering what they just read a few minutes or chapters ago. The narrator’s voice was quite pleasant, but the author kept repeating and re-repeating the details of the story over and over again so much that it was quite boring. The character portrayals were like something I would have read in a women's magazine story during the 1950s. The plot was simplistic and predictable. Not great literature, but more like a radio broadcast story or soap opera .

A Religious Novel

Usually I do not like religious novels. With most it seems like the God message is being slammed down your throat. This novel is balanced between the religious message and the story itself … at least until the very end. During the ending there is much mention of prayer but it is an ok time to ask for blessings. The story itself was superb. Quite a few plot twists, great character development, a mystery and spies during a war. What more could you ask for. Even Ms Eyre, the narrator did a good job. I usually keep away from a book if she is narrating because she has done so poorly in the past but she did rather well this time. There were only a few places that I would critique. I still set the speed at 1.5.