Spies, lies & allies are what Midnight on the Scottish Shore, a rollicking ride into German espionage and British Counter Intelligence, is all about.

Cilla van der Zee had not expected her mission to be so hard. As the sister of a Dutch Nazi, it should have been easy to gather information on the group for the resistance. She was not prepared for how nauseating she would find the Brown Shirts’ meetings nor how difficult it would be to keep up the pretense of interest and investment to the cause she needed to show in order to avoid suspicion. When she watches them attack a group of Jewish men and kill someone who had resisted, she knows she has to get out. However, leaving – to live with an aunt in England – will bring ramifications for both her and her family, and besides, the Nazis are hardly likely to let her waltz out of the country. Ironically, however, they may end up sending her themselves. The Germans need people fluent in English, and familiar with that nation to spy for them. Cilla, who went to a prestigious British boarding school and has family there, is a perfect candidate. Not only is she fluent in the language and familiar with the English way of life, she’s lovely and vivacious. Young servicemen will race for the chance to spend time with her and hopefully spill all their secrets as she romances them.That’s the Reich’s plan; Cilla’s is a bit simpler. Once in Britain, she will fake her death, go to her aunt, and hopefully put all the Nazi nastiness behind her.

Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie is a by-the-book officer. He has always been stalwart, faithful and honorable, but thanks to his brother, Neil, there are numerous black marks on his record. Not only was Lachlan unable to prove his innocence against a fraudulent plagiarism charge but Neil’s activities as part of Free Caledonia (a group determined to free Scotland from English rule) means Lachlan is watched as a potential traitor. And yet, Neil is partly responsible for the break that just may restore Lachlan’s image. Anxious to get away from his brother’s presence at a family gathering, Lachlan heads out for a late night stroll along the Scottish shoreline. There is just enough moonlight to reveal a young woman desperately at work on the beach, trying to bury something. Initially, Lachlan assumes he’s found a Selkie of legend because the lass is so lovely. A closer look reveals he’s caught a spy. He marches her straight to the authorities, where procedure dictates she will be interrogated and executed.

MI5 has other uses for her, however. That unit has been quietly gathering up German agents and, when possible, turning them. Cilla is initially shocked when no one believes her story that she was only faking being a Nazi spy (eyeroll) but is happy to serve as a double agent. She is provided with two Wren (Women’s Royal Navy Service) handlers, an MI5 contact and a job at a lighthouse near Scapa Flow, a Naval base close to the remote Scottish shoreline where she had landed. Counter Intelligence has her submit carefully curated information to the Germans that she allegedly obtains from a naval officer she’s managed to seduce.

As luck would have it, the man picked to play the part of her boyfriend is none other than the handsome redhead who turned her in. Lt. Mackenzie has a harsh and cold demeanor, rarely laughs and doesn’t have any grasp of small talk (or maybe he just doesn’t like Nazi agents? But I digress). Cilla, lonely and hurt by the fact no one trusts her (seriously?) determines to win him over. Neither of them is in a position to make the slightest mistake. Their reputations and possibly even their lives will be forfeit if anything goes wrong. Will they be able to stay on the straight and narrow, or will they wind up sacrificing everything for love?

It’s a romance novel so I think we all know the answer to that question. With these books, it’s all about the journey, and how much you enjoy the ride in this case is going to depend on how much you like your books with a slapsticky taste of old-time Hollywood. Ms. Sundin’s early novels all held a touch of late forties/early fifties war films buffoonery which showed heroic men and women facing literally impossible odds and rising above them in brave, daring and ridiculous manners. Those movies were charming, cheesy propaganda that were a lot fun and when Sundin gets the formula right, her books are, too.

Cilla fits into that formula well, as an engaging young woman who loves frivolity but is forced to adopt a more serious demeanor due to the war. She’s impetuous and compassionate, and I think I would have loved her had she been working on the American home front. She’s a lot less believable as someone working in espionage and I often found myself struggling with the choices she makes. Part of the reason for this is that in order for Cilla to shine, the Germans have to be incompetent to the point of idiocy. I’ve read too much history to buy into that.

The author applies greater skill to showing us who Cilla is emotionally. She’s had struggles with her family stemming both from her own lackadaisical faith in the face of the greater devotion of others and in her relationship with her sister, who has hurt the people around her for most of her lives. As someone who loves to be in company and who enjoys laughing, flirting, teasing and playing around, Cilla has struggled to connect with the darkness in her sibling, much less do anything to aid her.

Lachlan can relate to that. He grew up as the respected eldest son of a prosperous family and excelled at school until Neil created a series of events which derailed Lachlan’s academic and military careers. While Cilla longs to do something to pull her sister back from the darkness she’s fallen into, Lachlan longs to push Neil out of his and his parent’s lives, and his devoted faith has not helped him to forgive the things his brother has done. As Lachlan warms up to Cilla, seeing the good in her despite her (alleged) Nazi connections, he begins to realize that people have layers and are perhaps less all good or all bad than we would like. As a couple, Lachlan and Cilla are able to bring out the best in each other and grow in their faith along the way.

On that level, the story really works, but as stated before, Midnight on the Scottish Shore throws a lot of adrenaline-fueled derring-do into the mix which can at times feel at odds with the deeper story the author is trying to tell. If you enjoy WWII novels and like action/adventure oriented romance, or if you’re a fan of the author’s early novels, I think this will work for you. If you prefer more serious, character driven pieces, this might not be your cuppa.