Reviews tagging 'War'

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

10 reviews

kerrythefire's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I love books with two strong, secure-in-themselves MCs who fall in love and find safety and vulnerability and softness in each other. That was Elle and Malcolm.

This wasn't a complex book. But Alyssa Cole did a great job weaving together an engaging story set during a really brutal time and setting, and giving enough honor and authenticity to that reality without burdening the story with graphic scenes. She reminds us of the inhumanity of slavery and racism in it's multiple forms, but does not portray it in graphic ways that make this story about slavery instead of the characters and their journey (as spies and to love).

It gave flickers of Kindred (which is a fantastic book, imo), but wasn't nearly as heavy. Which I absolutely wouldn't have wanted it to be.

Yes, the speed at which Elle (and Malcolm, to an extent) came around to the idea of being together was maybe a little faster than would be historically accurate or likely, but that's ok... I was always rooting for them and was happy to be along for the ride. His "proposal" was also endearing af, ha.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Rape and War

heather667's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Death of parent

emmylux7's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

alyssa cole was able to strike a good balance between the characters/plot. I adored Elle as a main character. we love a snarky, take no shit queen! Malcolm is the definition of a golden retriever. although some of his dialogue had me rolling my eyes. his character was a bit of fresh air. he could've very easily been the broody type. which as we all know are a dime a dozen in romance. their romance did come off a bit too insta-lovey for my taste. but it wasn't the most egregious offense compared to others I've read. in all this was a good book to start the year off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Gore

yourbookishbff's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

It's hard to capture how remarkable this is, both as a stand-alone and as a series start, and for historical romance readers who have read *any* Civil-War-era romance by white authors, this is a must-read series that reflects authentic people and stories (Alyssa Cole truly lights a match to the lost cause narrative that underlies the majority of books in this corner of historical romance). This installment centers the story of Union operative Elle Burns (inspired by the real-life spy story of Mary Bowser). Elle is a free Black woman working undercover as an enslaved woman in a Confederate officer's home. She meets Malcom McCall, a white Union operative, while he is working undercover as a Confederate officer visiting the region. The progression of their relationship centers honest communication around the stark power imbalance between them, and Cole deftly used open-door scenes to further deepen their communication. I would consider this a blend of historical romance and romantic suspense, with clear and historically accurate world building that is driven by Cole's obvious commitment to thorough research. Moreover, the writing is beautiful. I highly recommend this book and this series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

traceyanderson's review

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

imds's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War

viwilliams's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery and War

Minor: Gun violence, Rape, and Blood

bergamot_breeze's review

adventurous challenging dark inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Really enjoyed this! I LOVED Elle and I was so invested in her day to day life. If this had just been about her I think this would have been a new fave. Despite going into it knowing it was a romance, the romance became my least favorite part. It felt as if it detracted from the rest of the story. Overall, though this was very good and I’ll keep reading the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence

mandi4886's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

My Hissy RoNo era continues, this time with one set in America during the Civil War. This is not usually a historical setting I seek out, for many reasons, not the least of which being the potential for the “Lost Cause” narrative and attempts by white authors to romanticize human trafficking and chattel slavery (looking at you, Margaret Mitchell). In short: the potential for extremely problematic storylines is HIGH. 

IF I was going to read a Civil War romance, it was absolutely going to be one written by a Black woman and one written within the past decade. Enter Alyssa Cole’s An Extraordinary Union.

Allllll that said: I loved this! Both MCs are Union spies based on actual people. Elle’s character is based on Mary Bowser, a Union spy and free Black woman who posed as an enslaved person in Jefferson Davis’s house for years - shuttling untold secrets to the Union while evading detection. Malcolm is based on Timothy Webster, a top Pinkerton detective. If you read this, read the author’s note! Alyssa provided great details on the inspiration for her characters and how she came to write this story.

Malcolm is a white man and Elle is a Black woman and so much of the conflict in their relationship is driven by Elle reconciling her feelings for Malcolm the person with her fear and distrust of white men. Additionally, Malcolm wrestles with the power imbalance and works hard to help Elle feel safe with him. The nuances of the relationship and the depth of feelings between the two of them move quickly but sparkle on page.

Beyond their relationship…well, there’s a war and they are spies. So there is A LOT of plot in this along with some excellent portrayals of the Southern Belle archetype and the Southern “gent.” This book is an example of why books can outstrip movies specifically when you need to be in a character’s head. Thoughts and internal monologue bring depth to each interaction that would be impossible on screen.

👍🏻Recommended! If you are looking for an exciting Hissy RoNo set in America with a diverse cast, this is for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail