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"Her prose is flawless. Her historical research is absorbing, and her characters are achingly human. This book is fantastic." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A Library Journal Editors' Pick
Buzzfeed's The Ultimate Buzzfeed Books Gift Guide Bookish "Autumn 2017's Most Swoon-Worthy Romance Books" List
For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her—until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations.
Unbeknownst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible.
When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love—and freedom—before they ever cross state lines.
"The intriguing romance you can't miss." —PopSugar
"Successfully navigating the challenges of writing an interracial romance set during the Civil War is difficult enough to do once, but to pull it off twice is truly impressive. And yet Cole has managed to do just that with her second book in the series." —S
"Her prose is flawless. Her historical research is absorbing, and her characters are achingly human. This book is fantastic." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A Library Journal Editors' Pick
Buzzfeed's The Ultimate Buzzfeed Books Gift Guide Bookish "Autumn 2017's Most Swoon-Worthy Romance Books" List
For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her—until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations.
Unbeknownst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible.
When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love—and freedom—before they ever cross state lines.
"The intriguing romance you can't miss." —PopSugar
"Successfully navigating the challenges of writing an interracial romance set during the Civil War is difficult enough to do once, but to pull it off twice is truly impressive. And yet Cole has managed to do just that with her second book in the series." —S
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
About the Author-
Alyssa Cole is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary romance, and SFF romance. She's contributed to publications including Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she's not working, she can often be found watching anime with her husband or wrangling their menagerie of animals. Visit her at www.alyssacole.com.
Reviews-
December 1, 2017
Trained at her mother's knee in herbal medicinal arts, freedwoman Marlie Lynch is taken in by her white father's family at Lynchwood. She spends her time crafting new remedies and secretly helping the Union cause, which includes hiding escaped prisoner Ewan McCall in her lab. Her uneasy peace is shattered when a vicious in-law invites the arrogant Commander Cahill and his ruthless Confederate Home Guard to move into the house. Before long, Marlie and Ewan are fleeing for their lives on the Underground Railroad, with peril close behind. A quietly courageous healer and a Union officer battle hatred, intolerance, and cruelty in a compelling story of the Civil War told from an often neglected point of view. VERDICT Exceptional historical detail and abundant literary and philosophical references guarantee this well-written story will appeal to both romance and historical fiction fans. Cole (An Extraordinary Union) lives in New York City. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/17, p. 34.]
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from October 15, 2017 Marlie Lynch is more privileged than most, but her free papers and her family's protection offer little comfort when Confederate soldiers arrive and threaten her already-limited liberty. But in the quiet of her rooms, she is free to experiment and tinker with her herbs and medicinal concoctions, which help heal the wounds of soldiers, neighbors, and slaves alike. She is well respected in her small community for her work and for her name, and that is why no one suspects that she may be harboring a fugitive in the attic. Ewan McCall is used to silence and solitude. As a Union officer who has spent several years in Confederate prisons, he has acclimated to being alone with a book or just his thoughts. Yet while hidden in Marlie's secret room, all his thoughts are fixated on the beautiful and brilliant woman on the other side of the door. The intimacy of their seclusion is tantalizing, and the sexual tension sizzles as they dare to close that social divide. Thoughtfully portrayed characters with deep minds and passionate hearts make this second novel in Cole's Loyal League series, following An Extraordinary Union (2017), sparkle. Highly recommended for lovers of historical romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
Starred review from October 15, 2017 A self-taught scientist spying for the North rescues a Union soldier in the Confederate state of North Carolina. Marlie Lynch is the free-born daughter of a formerly enslaved medicine woman and a mysterious white father. Even though her connection to the landowning white Lynch family is not openly acknowledged, Marlie lives in their house and dines with the family. This nominal protection allows her to take risks for her cause. On the surface, she's collecting the herbs and roots that go into her medicinal decoctions. But she's also helping those less fortunate get to safety through the Underground Railroad and carrying books, food, and information in and out of the local prison camp. There, she meets the imprisoned soldier Ewan McCall. But Ewan is more than just another redheaded white boy fighting for the Union. He's a skilled interrogator and is tormented by the things he's done to extract information from captured Rebels. When Ewan seizes an opportunity to escape the prison, Marlie shelters him at the Lynch estate. But before long, the hatred and racism that surround Marlie's home invade her very family, and she flees with Ewan through the Carolina woods. The second book in Cole's Loyal League series (An Extraordinary Union, 2017) follows much the same pattern as the first. Again, Cole's heroine is gorgeously portrayed and powerful enough that readers will worship at her feet just as Ewan does. But if this book shows that Cole is settling into a pattern, readers won't want her to break the mold on book No. 3. Her prose is flawless. Her historical research is absorbing, and her characters are achingly human. This book is fantastic. As the war closes in around them, the line blurs between who is the rescuer and who is the rescued.
COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Entertainment Weekly on A Hope DividedExceptional Praise for The Loyal League Series "It's gratifying to read a novel that deals so frankly with such issues and takes an unflinching view of the realities of life during the Civil War rather than reiterating the dangerous Lost Cause rhetoric that often colors romance narratives of this era."
Entertainment Weekly on An Extraordinary Union, Top 10 Romances of 2017
"Cole does the seemingly impossible, using the Civil War as a backdrop for a realistic, gripping interracial romance that interrogates slavery, systemic racism, and more, while still remaining utterly swoon-worthy."
Vulture.com on An Extraordinary Union
"Cole deftly interweaves the fraught realities of American history with romance and adventure - this is a spy story, after all - and it is elegantly told."
Kirkus starred review on An Extraordinary Union
"The first installment in Cole's Loyal League series defies genre stereotypes at every turn. It's both a romance and a spy novel, with a healthy dose of adventure thrown in, and it offers a nuanced portrayal of Civil War-era racial politics. Any reader who thinks romance novels are pure fluff will be schooled by Cole's richly drawn characters, who must overcome generations of trauma in order to let themselves love each other."
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