Book Review
Jun. 28th, 2022 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariAn Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
This historical romance is set during the Civil War and concerns two spies falling in love in dangerous circumstances. Elle Burns is posing as a mute enslaved woman in a Confederate Senator's household, while Malcolm McCall is posing as a Confederate soldier and has become friendly with the Senator and his family. Elle and Malcolm are both there to gather information and send it back to the Union. They must work together to uncover a plot regarding naval actions, while dealing with their attraction to each other and its dangers.
I enjoyed this novel a lot. Cole's writing is terrific and she balances the spying and romance perfectly. She also does a great job of honestly portraying the horrors of slavery and addressing racism within the context of a romance. Elle and Malcolm are great characters. Elle has an eidetic memory, is very intelligent, resourceful, and tough. I also loved her sharp tongue. Malcolm is adept at using charm and guile to draw information to people, although his strong principles and abhorrence of slavery make taking on a Confederate role very much a challenge. I very much enjoyed the development of their feelings for each other, and the way they have to work out the difficulties of an interracial relationship in Civil War era America. Their happy ending feels very realistic and very earned.
by Alyssa Cole
This historical romance is set during the Civil War and concerns two spies falling in love in dangerous circumstances. Elle Burns is posing as a mute enslaved woman in a Confederate Senator's household, while Malcolm McCall is posing as a Confederate soldier and has become friendly with the Senator and his family. Elle and Malcolm are both there to gather information and send it back to the Union. They must work together to uncover a plot regarding naval actions, while dealing with their attraction to each other and its dangers.
I enjoyed this novel a lot. Cole's writing is terrific and she balances the spying and romance perfectly. She also does a great job of honestly portraying the horrors of slavery and addressing racism within the context of a romance. Elle and Malcolm are great characters. Elle has an eidetic memory, is very intelligent, resourceful, and tough. I also loved her sharp tongue. Malcolm is adept at using charm and guile to draw information to people, although his strong principles and abhorrence of slavery make taking on a Confederate role very much a challenge. I very much enjoyed the development of their feelings for each other, and the way they have to work out the difficulties of an interracial relationship in Civil War era America. Their happy ending feels very realistic and very earned.
