#QueerLitLoft

I’m always pleasantly caught off guard by E.V. Bancroft’s Women in War history stories; tales of history are not something I ever though I’d find myself enjoying.

Yet here I am.

Bancroft’s latest venture, Encrypted Hearts, takes readers to Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire – the home of allied code breaking during the Second World War. From there we get to meet Cam Langley and Gloria Edwards, both as different as they come. Cam is highly intelligent yet reserved, and her work is her life. She doesn’t shy away from who she is, openly dressing in a masculine attire despite the judgements and unwanted attention it garners. Gloria on the other hand, is a Yorkshire girl through and through. With a broad Northern accent and a small-minded father, Gloria is willing to tread any path which takes her away from home and closer to a “proper” contribution to the war effort.

I like that Cam and Gloria are very different characters – they bring out aspects of each other that otherwise would remain hidden. Yet their differences also complement each other, particularly Gloria’s ability to draw Cam out of her shell somewhat, without ever forcing her, nor belittling who Cam is. Watching Cam and Gloria navigate their fledgling feelings, and rising passions, at a time when mistrust of anything other, or out of the ordinary would have held intense repercussions, is anything but boring. Bancroft does a terrific job at interjecting life into both the risks Cam and Gloria faced in their personal endeavours, and the pressures of the code breaking job they were there to do. The ever-present threat of failure, of missing a key coded message, was a guillotine ready to drop at all times.

I loved getting to learn about an aspect of my nation’s history that didn’t become widely known until the 1970’s, it added a little kick of closeness to the tale.

I felt like I got to know Gloria’s background and her story in detail, and whilst I adored Cam’s Aunty Florrie and the touching relationship they shared, I didn’t come away feeling like I knew Cam on the same level. I found myself wanting to know so much more about her and how she viewed the world (she reads as neurodiverse but this is not explicit), as she’s such an engrossing character on the page.

I adored the epilogue, such a special way to tie the story together and in the perfect setting for the time period. I equally loved that Bancroft weaves some of her past characters into Encrypted Hearts as it’s always fun to catch up with old friends again!

I urge any reader who wouldn’t usually contemplate picking up Sapphic historical fiction to re-consider. Grab one of Bancroft’s Women in War stories and you might just surprise yourself.