Malcolm’s tongue is as smooth as silk, but Ewan is more introspective and introverted.

Our hero’s brother, Ewan, is the hero in A Hope Divided.Įwan is much different from Malcolm. She’s a free black woman he’s a white émigré from Scotland. An Extraordinary Union tells the story of an undercover agent (Elle) who falls in love with a fellow agent (Malcolm, a Pinkerton detective) while working on an assignment. The Loyal League is a group of Union sympathizers/activists/former slaves/you name it fighting to help turn the tide of the war in favor of the Northerners, which isn’t always easy. So…maybe I should (loosely) explain the plot of the books. Some of our most talented pundits and scholars have repeatedly tried to beat us over the head with a boulder of truth, but it takes a truly gifted artist to break down a wall with a feather. Yes, history repeats itself and yes, people need to pay some damn attention to the parallels and the warning signs and the terrifying feeling of déjà vu that seems to have a hold on a good number of people who have lived through fascist regimes. The intertwining of past and present social themes is sheer brilliance. The characterization, the prose, the subtle jabs at the current state of affairs…honestly, if you don’t come away from reading these books profoundly affected in some way, I doubt there’s anything that will spur you to rail against injustice. More importantly, Cole holds nothing back when it comes to the Loyal League. Romance Twitter never disappoints and these novels are no exception. Both books exceeded my already high expectations and are certainly near the top of my personal all-time favorites (not just 2017). We’re talking about two books that have made ‘best of’ lists for the past two years, respectively. Which meant there was even more pressure. I had to read An Extraordinary Union (AND SERIOUSLY IT IS ON SALE RIGHT, NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR EVEN) first.

What if my expectations were too high? What if it wasn’t a life-altering reading experience? And why the hell aren’t there more Civil War #OwnVoices romances anyway?īut I had to do it right. So when I was able to pick up an ARC of A Hope Divided, I knew I was in for it. It’s nowhere near as intense as my fear of clowns (which is a totally legitimate thing and if you make fun of it, I will never share my cookies with you, thank you very much), but it certainly doesn’t help when the author is also a Twitter buddy of yours, whom you happen to align with politically. I have an irrational fear of reading books that receive a lot of praise.

Historical Romance published by Kensington 28 Nov 17 Cecilia‘s review of A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole