An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
The Loyal League Book 1
Paperback
Guuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh
So this should have taken me a day or two to read, but I started it, then somehow lost it. And by lost it, I mean, I put it in my literal To-Be-Read pile near my bed, not in the literal Currently-Reading pile on the nightstand and then didn’t find it until almost a month later. It took no time to dive back in to the story, though.
Elle is a free black woman, but in service to the Union, she goes undercover as a mute slave in the South. She is angry – angry that she should be living free, but can’t until she does her part to free others. She’s angry that she’s treated poorly by a spoiled Southern Belle who has never had to work a day in her life. She’s angry that, as part of her disguise, she can’t speak up, but lacks the power to really speak her mind thanks to her station. But anger isn’t all she is. She’s strong and hopeful and clever and armed with an eidetic memory to serve the Union. I love her.
Malcolm wears a Confederate uniform and blends in easily, but he, too, is a Union spy. Elle is fearful of him at first and suspicious of his intentions. I was pretty suspicious, too, but he won us both over completely.
Y’all, I love forbidden romance. And this one
It’s the kind of forbidden romance that shouldn’t work. An interracial couple in the South during the Civil War. They can’t be seen together, their marriage wouldn’t be legally recognized for a century – is it really worth all the trouble? YES YES IT IS because their love is so sweet and tender and dreamy.
Love this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT4yQ54F80E/?taken-by=hollishter
Plus, Gomez has loved to snuggle up with it since I got it.
Historically Ever After 