If you follow my blog, you've likely noticed that I don't read much historical romance. At the same time, if you follow my blog, you know I really enjoy Alyssa Cole's writing. So it was only a matter of time before I started reading her historical romance. This book takes place during the Civil War, and is the story of Elle Burns who is a former slave and is now a spy for the Loyalty League. Yes, this is fiction, but there were people who were freed people who went back into slavery to spy for the Union. The bravery is astounding.
Here is a bit about the book from the back cover:
"Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South--to spy for the Union Army.
Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he's facing his deadliest mission yet--risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia."
The stakes in this forbidden romance are so high, every time they are in the same room, they are at risk of being exposed as spies, then you add in their unavoidable attraction to each other- dangerous passion! In addition to the spying and the fear of being caught, what kept me reading long past my bedtime was wanting to know how Alyssa Cole was going to give this couple a happy ending. Interracial marriages were not even legal during far too much of our American History.
Speaking of history, Alyssa Cole includes a selected biography of resources she used when writing this book. One of the books, A Secret Society History of the Civil War by Mark A. Lause, has piqued my interest and is now on my library hold list.
5 Stars for An Extraordinary Union!
