It's 1950, and in Chicago, Rosalind "Roz" Porter, an ingenious scientist who worked on The Manhattan Project and who had overseen the development of the atomic bomb through its various stages, is trying to move on from the fog of war. Thomas Weaver, a coworker and an immigrant from Britain, broke her heart when the war ended and combined with the intense, pervading guilt she feels for her role in creating the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Roz is struggling to come to terms with everything. She decides it's time to leave her role as a scientist and resigns herself to a more conventional lifestyle. But then both Weaver and the FBI gets back in touch. Special Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Roz to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of passing nuclear secrets to Russia. Roz helped to develop these secrets and knows better than anyone the devastating power such knowledge holds. But can she spy on a man she still loves, despite her better instincts? At the same time, something about Charlie draws her in. He's a former prisoner of war haunted by his past, just as her past haunts her. Rosalind's final assignment launches her on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads. As Rosalind's feelings for each man deepen, so too does the danger she finds herself in.

Atomic Love is a captivating literary thriller with a love story at its heart and the exploration of forbidden love. Roz holds her own in a world dominated by men and Fields's rich descriptions of 1950s America were detailed and immersive enough that you could transport yourself there in an instant. It's both a high-octane thriller and an emotionally resonant page-turner all tied up in a pacey and absorbing package. There are a plethora of twists and turnsregarding this espionage love triangle and the feelings of each character were described in intimate detail. The cast was an engaging mix of characters, some with mixed or conflicting loyalties and some with no loyalties at all. You're never quite sure who can be trusted. This story is actually inspired by real-life female physicist Leona Woods, who helped to build the atomic bomb alongside Enrico Fermi. Everything works together to form a mighty satisfying conclusion. It is a dramatic, high-stakes story and one I recommend for those who enjoy intelligent historical fiction with a large smattering of romance. Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

1950 Chicago Rosalind Porter a scientist a highly intelligent woman has worked on the Manhattan Project whilst having a passionate love affair with another scientist Thomas Weaver. But When Thomas betrays her leaving her without her love and her career she is left full of guilt and heartbreak both for the amount of lives lost due to the atomic bomb and heartbroken for her lost love.

Charlie Szydlo an FBI agent suspects Weaver is passing nuclear secrets to Russia. He needs information fast, who better to spy on him than Rosalind? But can Roz let him back in? And can she betray the man she once loved?

I absolutely loved this book and heres why! Firstly I loved the fact that the protagonist is a female scientist. Roz is highly intelligent but like all of us is slightly vulnerable when it comes to love. She's the kind of character that you champion, she comes across very real and I felt like I was fully there with her when she faced the big dilemma at the end.

Historical fiction for me sometimes can feel a bit predictable, a little bit like most of the books set around the war years all are very similar. This book tore up the rule book and gave it such a psychological thriller element that it had me hooked! There's so many will she, won't she moments it had me on the edge of my seat many times.

Jennie Fields has done a brilliant job of packing so much into this book.The pacing never slows and it really captivated me from the first page until the last. I love books with an ending that leaves me satisfied and this defintely did that.

I would highly recommend this book, full of love, war, espionage it has something for everyone. Jennie's writing is compelling and I honestly can't wait to read more of her work.

I really enjoyed this book. The story flows well and the writing is excellent. It’s full of descriptions and back story but never feels like the story is being padded out. Likeable well written characters, I could relate to the feelings of the main character Rosalind. The book had me curious from the start and kept me reading. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley.

I feel that this is a book which will elicit 'marmite' reviews. In theory I should have loved it with the female characters, historical background, espionage etc. However I found it rather heavy going with too much description on the technical side and not enough action, especially at the start when you really need to capture the reader and draw them in.

This is out of my comfort zone but I enjoyed it.

It’s slower paced because the author takes the time to describe things in detail and this was nice as it really helped set the scene.

I enjoyed the love story and the setting and it’s nice to read about a string female character.

I’m in two minds about this book. I was looking forward to reading some historical fiction with some science woven in. However, it felt more like a romance with an occasional historical or scientific fact tacked on to make it seem more heavyweight.

The main character is Rosalind Porter who was a lone female working on the Manhattan Project which development the atom bomb. She thought that the project was going to be about self-defence and providing clean energy for the world. She’s now guilt ridden as what she helped to develop was used to kill and maim hundreds of thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While working on the Manhattan Project Rosalind fell in love with Thomas Wheeler, (known as Weaver in some reviews for reasons unknown). Six months of so after the bombs were dropped Wheeler broke up abruptly with Rosalind. Weeks later she lost her job as a result of a report that Wheeler had written saying that her mental health was poor. She is now working in the jewellery department of a Chicago store when approached by an FBI agent called Charlie Szydlo who believes that Wheeler is selling secrets to the Russians. Szydlo wants Rosalind to get back in touch with Wheeler to help provide proof of this. Despite all that Wheeler has done to her Rosalind still loves him and is now conflicted about getting back in touch with him. This conflict is the basis of most of the book, alongside a growing love for Szydlo.

There then follows a series of meetings between Rosalind and Wheeler who tells her he has something to tell her. Except he doesn’t...again... and again. I got quite bored wondering if we were ever going to find out. We did but it was all quite rushed at the end and wasn’t real worth the wait. It sadly just wasn’t for me but I’m sure many will love it.

There were a few pieces of dialogue about life in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp including a torture scene which I found disturbing. I do wish books had ratings about things like this as I wouldn't have started it if I had known this..

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise had sounded interesting with spies, nuclear scientists and romance, and I liked the author's writing style, but I just couldn't get into it or really believe in the characters.
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.

This is an espionage thriller with a difference as it is also a love story with a strong female lead character. Above all it is a book which captured my interest from page one and which I just wanted to keep reading.
Rosalind Porter is a nuclear physicist who has worked on the Manhattan project designing the atomic bomb. She has had a failed love affair with fellow scientist, Thomas Wheeler and now, after the war, she has given up science and is working on the jewellery counter of a department store in Chicago.
However she has never gotten over Wheeler, nor her love of science and when Wheeler returns to her life after many years, closely followed by FBI Agent Charlie, she has a difficult choice to make.
Rosalind begins to learn some alarming things about Wheeler who is accused of sharing his knowledge with the Russians and she has to muster all her courage to do what is right for her and inevitably, her country.
As well as being an exciting spy novel this is also a romance between two people who have been broken by the war and are just trying to get their lives back. Rosalind feels guilt about the atom bomb she helped to design but Charlie tells her that it was her bomb that saved him from further torture and death in the Japanese prison camp.
I liked Rosalind, a character striving to do the right thing, a strong and clever woman who has suffered because of her job and due to her love for a man who was not worthy of her.
The period of the early 1950s was well described, the West’s fear of Communism and the nuclear force of Russia. It is against this background that Rosalind feels she has no option but to help Charlie défend their country despite her feelings for Wheeler.
I couldn’t put this book down, it was a compelling and enjoyable read with a lot of historical detail so it’s definitely five stars from me. I shall also look out for any future books by this author as she has certainly proved herself in this excellent novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was invited to read an ARC of this book from the Publishers via Netgalley.
This book stretches along several different genres, Historical, Romance, Science and Thriller and The Cold War.
It definitely has an interesting storyline.
I liked the fact that the female protagonist had an Important Scientific Role during the Cold War, as I think that Women's roles often get overlooked.
It was a little slow to begin with, but the action soon sped up and I was eager to learn the outcome.
This book was good, but not always realistic. I found the ending to be a little unrealistic. Overall it was fairly interesting to read

A really good edge of the seat read. I loved the storyline and the characters and was totally caught up in everything that happened. I love historical fiction and this book was everything I expected it to be.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The title of this novel. “Atomic Love” could be interpreted as a statement about mankind’s preoccupation with nuclear weapons and their devastating effects, but here it translates into matters of the heart. Thankfully, the scientific aspects were detailed without becoming dull, dusty or dry.

Rosalind Porter, one of few female scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, is now acting as a jewellery representative in a large department store. She has become disturbed by the use of nuclear energy as a lethal weapon instead of being an alternative form of energy, which was her main interest, and still is.

She wears her intelligence lightly because she is largely governed by her heart. It leads her into trouble when Charlie Szydlo, a US agent sent to spy on her, requests she makes contact with her former lover, Thomas Weaver, currently suspected of being a spy who passed on information to the Russians.

Rosalind baulks at the idea but eventually capitulates. Curiosity wins over her initial resistance due to having been betrayed and unceremoniously dumped by him years ago. Complications arise as issues of trust, and smouldering feelings of love resurfacing for Weaver, cause Rosalind to be circumspect over what she shares with Szydlo at first.

Eventually, she comes to see what a guarded and broken man Weaver is by his experience in a Japanese war camp, yet how honest, caring and trustworthy he proves to be. Before long, her heart is torn between Thomas and Charlie, adding to the dramatic tension of the storyline.

Will the truth finally be told? Will it damage those involved more than it heals? Can she really trust Weaver? Secrets are slowly revealed, but not before she has fallen hard for Charlie and values the newfound openness she’s finally gained with her sister as well. Rosalind’s desire to do the right thing and make a positive difference with her training leads to some hard decision making.

It’s a pacey read and captivating page-turner. Even though the romantic scenarios are rather cliche-filled, letting down the otherwise excellent writing, they do get across how life might have been for a woman of that era trying to find herself. Grateful thanks to Michael Joseph Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter had always defied expectations in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project and in her passionate love affair with colleague, Thomas Weaver. Rosalind is now working behind a jewelry counter. Weaver had destroyed her life and ambitions when he made sure that she lost her job.

FBI Agent Charlie Szydlo is looking to trace Weaver back to the war years to see if he had been supplying the Russians with US war secrets. Charlie asks Rosalind if she can get close to Weaver and get a confession from him.

The pace flows along smoothly in this historical romance. Rosalind is feeling guilty about her part in the creation of the nuclear bomb that maimed and killed so many people. The story is told by Special Agent Charlie Szydlo and Rosalind Porters point of view. I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I also felt it was more about the love interests than anything else.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #PenguinBooksUK #MichaelJoseph and the author JennieFields for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book - a thriller and a love story all in one. Rosalind Porter was involved with the Manhattan Project but since Hiroshima and Nagasaki she has been haunted by guilt at her involvement. Her intention was never to harm, but to harness atomic power to find a source of clean energy. Add to that, her tempestuous affair with colleague Wheeler, and its sudden and heartless ending, and she is adrift in her life. Unceremoniously sacked from her position, she now works at a department store and is barely making ends meet.

Four years on, and she receives a phone call from Wheeler. He wants to see her again and explain everything. She is reluctant to let him back into her life after he completely broke her heart and her trust. But then enter Charlie, an FBI man tasked with persuading her to find out the secrets Wheeler is hiding.

As she becomes entangled with Wheeler again, she finds him changed. More humble and kind. It becomes clear that he has made decisions in the past that are catching up on him, and she tries to persuade him to turn himself in to the FBI who may just be able to protect him. But he also has another devastating bombshell to drop on her that will break her heart all over again.

As she turns to Charlie for protection and advice, she finds in him, a comfort and solace that she has never felt before. And he is also drawn to her in a way that he never thought he would be again, after suffering his own trauma and heartbreak in the past.

As the net closes in on Wheeler, Rosalind has to make a decision - can she betray the man she once loved?

With thrills a-plenty, the pace never lets up in this wonderful book, but there are also many tender and poignant moments that are breathtakingly beautiful and I adored the way Charlie and Rosalind's affection developed.

A five star read, I couldn't put this one down!

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

A new author to me - this is absolutely belting !!
Loved it
Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout
Would make a fantastic movie

Rosalind Porter a physicist worked on the Manhattan Project but she got fired after falling in love with Thomas Wheeler. Five years on she is approached with a special mission to spy on Wheeler who the FBI suspect is collaborating with Russia. Can she spy on a man she is still in love with? Why is she drawn to Charlie and his haunted past? Who can she help and what danger will she find herself in? Although not a fan of espionage the book has some great historical content. A celebration of how great women can be in a time period when this was not always recognised.

My preconception was that I would not enjoy this book with the title's emphasis on science and romance. I was so wrong. I did not just enjoy it, I loved it. It has everything to hold you - I read it in one day and then wished I had read it more slowly to make it last.
The cast is led by a strong but empathetic female protagonist, Rosalind, Tom Wheeler, the ex lover who had almost destroyed her and the FBI agent, Charlie Szydlo, whose aim was to get Rosalind's help to entrap Wheeler who was suspected of selling atomic secrets to the Russians.
Jennie Fields skilfully portrays Rosalind's heartbreak, her inner turmoil, her fear, her family loyalties. Agent Szydlo's ordeal as a P.O.W in Japan brings tears to your eyes.
I have no hesitation in recommending this stunning book.

Absolutely brilliant read! The Manhattan Project, Communists and spies, this story has it all! Former nuclear scientist, Rosalind is now working on the makeup counter of a department store when her former lover and colleague, Wheeler, makes contact, followed closely by Charlie an FBI agent. This is the beginning of a huge dilemma for her as she is asked to betray Wheeler's confidences in order to protect her country. Full of intrigue and peril, this book kept me on the edge of my seat as I followed the twists and turns of the story. A cracking read!

Atomic Love – Jennie Fields
Love. Desire. Betrayal. Her choice could save a nation.
Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations–in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project and in her passionate love affair with colleague Thomas Weaver. Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the bomb and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She desperately misses her work in the lab, yet has almost resigned herself to a more conventional life.
Then Weaver gets back in touch–and so does the FBI. Special Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Roz to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of passing nuclear secrets to Russia. Roz helped to develop these secrets and knows better than anyone the devastating power such knowledge holds. But can she spy on a man she still loves, despite her better instincts? At the same time, something about Charlie draws her in. He’s a former prisoner of war haunted by his past, just as her past haunts her.
As Rosalind’s feelings for each man deepen, so too does the danger she finds herself in. She will have to choose: the man who taught her how to love . . . or the man her love might save?

I absolutely raced through this book! I am endlessly fascinated by the Cold War and the Manhatten Project, so reading about a scientist involved in the project and how she feels after seeing the effects of her creation was fascinating. I also have a bit of a soft spot for spies and intrigue so this book did tick a lot of boxes.

I will say though that some parts of this were just a bit… Unbelievable… Like, when it came to the end, it was a bit like “and all was well” and I’m like, but she was being tailed by the FBI and the KGB… How was it all well? Shouldn’t she be in witness protection or something? I did enjoy Roz’s family dynamic, her niece reminds me so much of my niece! I also thought Charlie’s family dynamic was nicely done and I found his backstory fascinating too. Thanks go to the publisher for sending me over a copy!

Went to reading this book hoping for a very clever twist on the espionage spy thriller with a female lead being central to the action, a jilted lover and how she toys with the idea of betraying someone who betrayed her. An interesting premise, yet the most compelling character was the agent Charlie who falls in love with our leading lady and has his own demons to contend with regarding self-image and self-loathing.
A good attempt that neatly paints the era of early 1950s New York, think Guys and Dolls but told swiftly without hitting the expected heights

I liked this atmospheric noirish thriller. Rosalind has gone from the Manhattan Project to working in a department store. So many women were discarded after the war.
When the man who betrayed her comes back into her life she has a chance to make a difference again. He is a dangerous man who she has been addicted to. Will she fall for him again, or the damaged FBI agent on the trail of nuclear secrets gone missing? Does Rosalind need a man to fulfil herself?
There are shadowy figures and femme fatales and it's so much fun.