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Summary
Summary
An Entertainment Weekly TOP 10 ROMANCE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A Bookpage TOP PICK
A Kirkus BEST BOOKS OF 2017
A Vulture TOP 10 ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2017
A Publishers Weekly BEST BOOKS OF 2017
A Booklist TOP 10 ROMANCE FICTION 2017
"Richly detailed setting, heart-stopping plot, and unforgettable characters."
--Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author
The first of award-winning author Alyssa Cole's highly-acclaimed Loyal League series! As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past . . .
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.
Two undercover agents who share a common cause--and an undeniable attraction--Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy's favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost--even if it means losing each other . . .
Praise for the novels of Alyssa Cole:
"Rich in atmospheric details and rife with unexpected dangers."
-- RT Book Reviews
"Sweet, sensual, and suspenseful . . . rousing and entertaining."
-- Publishers Weekly
Author Notes
Alyssa Cole is a science editor and romance junkie who lives in the Caribbean. She founded the Jefferson Market Library Romance Book Club and has contributed romance-related articles to publications including RT Book Reviews, Heroes and Heartbreakers, Romance at Random, and The Toast.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Opening a series set in the Civil War era, Cole (Mixed Signals) hits all the right notes in this smartly written espionage romance brimming with vivid characterization, heartfelt dialogue, and sensual sweetness. Ellen "Elle" Burns, a sassy freedwoman, and Malcolm McCall, a charming immigrant from Scotland, are both spies committed to using their skills to defeat the Confederacy. Their collaboration is complicated by the sizzling chemistry between them. Elle has given up her freedom to pose as a mute slave in an influential Confederate household, as her photographic memory lets her retain confidential information after just a glance. In the same household, Malcolm claims to be a Confederate soldier, hoping to endear himself to Confederate officials. Their closeness leads to genuine mutual understanding of their private selves and a satisfying intimate relationship. But Elle knows the perils of an interracial romance, and she struggles to trust a man who lies so glibly. Despite their ability to work seamlessly together and their growing belief in a shared future, a risky plan to secure vital information goes awry, threatening the success of the mission-and their lives. Cole's sparkling gem of a romance portrays love at its most practical and sublime; she writes with lyricism, intelligence, and historical accuracy. This fascinating novel is a most welcome addition to the historical romance genre. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A spy posing as a slave in Civil War Virginia risks her own life and the outcome of the war by falling in love with a fellow spy of another race.After being freed from slavery as a child, Ellen "Elle" Burns has one purpose. She is "going to help destroy the Confederacy." But to do that, she has to do something she never imagined possiblepose as an enslaved woman on loan to a family of spoiled whites. Her "masters" are living the high life in spite of a punishing Union blockade that's causing widespread suffering and starvation in Richmond, Virginia. Elle's photographic memory makes her extremely valuable to the Loyal League, a network of black spies working to undermine the Confederacy. But her careful work is thrown into disarray by the arrival of Malcolm McCall, a detective in the Pinkerton network who is posing as a Confederate soldier paying social visits to the household where Elle works. Malcolm is a skilled spy and a good person, but Elle has a hard time bringing herself to trust a glib and charming white man whose job requires him to be a gifted liar. Little by little Malcolm wins her over, but the painful racial dynamics around them threaten to poison their relationship. Malcolm must treat Elle as less than human in front of others while convincing her in private that he values her as highly as any white woman. The first installment in Cole's (Mixed Signals, 2015, etc.) 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. A masterful tale that bodes well for future work from Cole. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In the first installment in what should be a spectacular new series, Cole opens her adventurous historical romance at the beginning of the American Civil War. Elle Burns is not what she seems, which suits her just fine since she needs to conceal her true identity by staying out of sight and out of mind. Luckily for her, no one suspects that a mute slave girl on a Southern estate is really a spy working for the Loyalty League, a secret society of freed blacks and slaves funneling information to the Union. Her disguise was working perfectly until a handsome Confederate soldier with a Scottish brogue nearly ruins everything. Malcolm McCall looks like a Rebel Hero, but he's really a roguish Pinkerton detective who uses charm to disarm senators and Southern belles alike. As spy encounters spy, the two must decide if they can trust each other and if working together is in their best interests, or if their desire to win the war is greater than their growing desire for one another. Fans of Beverly Jenkins will be thrilled with Cole's fearless, steamy, and moving multicultural take on forbidden love in a time of slavery and war.--Giovanni, Kristina Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
With her eidetic memory and quick wit, Elle Burns, a Northern freedwoman and part of the Loyal League, is the perfect spy for the Union Army. Now a mute "slave" in the home of an influential Southern senator, Elle is shocked when her latest contact turns out to be the handsome Confederate soldier pretending to pay court to the senator's spoiled daughter. But Malcolm McCall is no Johnny Reb; he's a Scot by birth and a Pinkerton detective on a mission for the Union. When he and Elle learn of plans to break the Union blockade, they join forces in a perilous race against time to see the plot foiled. Based in part on historical characters and events, this carefully composed tale envisages aspects of the Civil War often overlooked. -VERDICT Courageous, passionate protagonists fight for justice, freedom, and the right to love in an exceptional story that both educates and entertains and beautifully launches a unique series. Cole (Mixed Signals) lives in the Caribbean. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.