... scrupulously captures both the minute and panoramic elements of the early Cold War ... In Rosalind, Fields has created an anxious yet gutsy heroine who carries her Shakespearian name with aplomb...Inspired by such female scientists as physicist Leona Woods and the author’s own mother, Atomic Love is as much about undercover work as it is about women’s passions.
Fields’s immersive love story is thoroughly engaging. Fans of Beatriz Williams or Paula McLean will take great pleasure in the rich historical detail, suspenseful intrigue, and the emotionally charged romance.
From minor characters to her protagonist, Fields creates authentic female characters teetering on the verge of the women’s movement, struggling to claim their place in the world. Inspired by history, Fields’ fifth novel is a love story filled with passion, betrayal, mystery, and liberation.
The character of Roz is inconsistent. She wavers between a strong, independent woman as a female physicist and a typical woman of the 1950s, ready to bend and please her man while falling into his arms when she meets danger. This book is equal parts romance and spy novel. The romance overshadows the more important issue of Rosalind’s struggle with her role in the building of the atomic bomb and the gray areas of right or wrong in using it to end the war, but the spy narrative keeps the pages turning.
... mostly predictable ... A secondary story about Roz's older sister underscores women's frustrations with traditionally female roles in American society, though it does little to advance the plot. Romance fans will delight in the smoldering affection between Roz and Charlie, but the Cold War espionage thread involving Weaver fizzles. Still, as escapist fare, Fields's steamy adventure gets the job done.
