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hsumanityreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
A difficult read because of the setting, the humiliation of enslaved folks, and the violence to the FMC and MMC. But Cole has really done a thing here and done it well. She has inserted an unlikely but beautiful love story into a plot of turmoil (the MCs are spies for the union, but acting like a rebel soldier/enslaved woman, respectively). You expect that it won’t turn out well, and it almost doesn’t, but it also paves the way for another story to come after it.
It makes sense that lovers of HR are reaching for this to diversify the genre, and I’m glad it’s a popular pick for how well-done it is.
It makes sense that lovers of HR are reaching for this to diversify the genre, and I’m glad it’s a popular pick for how well-done it is.
littlepepperguy's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the plot a lot but this romance was definitely a victim of smut at inappropriate times. Like girl why are y'all tryna fuck in the woods when you were just stopped by confederate soldiers?? Why on gods green earth are they fucking while she has a brain injury and an open wound on her skull?? Explain it to me like I'm stupid pls.
Also that ending damn near pissed me off. Had a dues ex machina moment that fixed it right at the end there but shit I was about to rage quit with like 5 pages left lol.
Also that ending damn near pissed me off. Had a dues ex machina moment that fixed it right at the end there but shit I was about to rage quit with like 5 pages left lol.
thelilbookwitch's review against another edition
4.0
Full review [here].
Set during the Civl War, Elle Burns is on a mission to collect important information by trading in her freedom to work as a slave in a Confederate Senator’s estate. Her photographic memory and keen detective skills have set her apart and made her work invaluable, but she is unprepared for Malcolm McCall. Another spy infiltrating the manor, his easy manner and disarming charms win him the affections of the senator’s daughter easily, if only a certain Elle Burns wasn’t on his mind all the time… As their attraction for each grows, so does the threat of violence against the Union as plans are put into motion that could tear apart the nation. Malcolm and Elle must make dangerous decisions that risk everything, even losing each other, to preserve the Union at any cost.
-----------
It’s not a coincidence that I've picked another romance novel written by Alyssa Cole.
I’ve tried reading other romance authors, and while I loved Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test and (next on my list) The Kiss Quotient, there’s just not enough material from her yet to satisfy the needy bits of my heart. Christina Lauren fell flat for me in the sex department of Romance in The Unhoneymooners,so I’m hesitant to try them again. I have a few other authors on my Kindle I’m going to try, and I’ll probably review them at some point, but back to Alyssa Cole!
Honestly, I was not prepared for this book. I’ve gotten used to the gentle escapism that’s in her Reluctant Royals series, which if you haven’t read A Princess in Theory yet, go do the thing.
An Extraordinary Union feels like a masterclass in romance.
In such a short time I cared so much about these characters, and Cole’s plot pacing had my heart racing. She did an excellent job balancing the spying portions of the novel with the romantic, and I found myself-while excited- not wanting to skip ahead to rid myself of the tension during suspenseful passages. The stakes were so much higher in this book when compared to her others, and I even found myself getting emotional towards the end. Not that other parts of the book didn’t illicit reactions from me either (see my full review for my Kindle notes and reactions), especially since this is set in the south during the Civil War.
Honestly, Susie Caffrey gets my vote for being The Worst in the entire book (her father a close second), but seldom few -if any- white people get a pass. Even Malcolm grows and isn’t a shining pillar of woke-ness. At times he feels a little White Knight-ish, but honestly?? I’ll take it because his introspection and multiple reckonings and realizations of the inherent power dynamics at play in their relationship show him willingly perform emotional labor, and that's its own kind of sexy.
Elle often functions as a vessel for viewing and critiquing slavery and its manifest psychological impacts that go deeper than what the superficial attempts of the American education system tries to explain. The relationships, dark and twisted as they are, between master and slave, as well as the varying degrees of a master’s “kindness” are laid bare and questioned in this book, even if internally, by Elle.
The smuttiness of the book didn’t leave me wanting, and I think there were more intimate scenes in this novel than in her latest contemporary ones. The drawback of that being with more scenes there was less build up to get to them, and the build up is so important. This didn't come off as too contrived though, but only just barely which is what knocked it down to 4 stars.
Overall, if you like historical romance and are looking for unique characters and a compelling plot, not to mention quality smut, try An Extraordinary Union. I took my time with it, but it could easily be read in a day.
Important notes:
1) I initially held off reading this book was because I was worried, by having it set in the Civil War with a black female protagonist, I’d also have to read sexual abuse. And while it’s mentioned, because Cole doesn’t try to rewrite history only write historical fiction (a key difference), I was pleasantly surprised and relieved I didn’t have to go through with reading about it in detail. So if you can stomach rape-y insinuations, you should be fine to read this book.
2) While the race of the characters is factor, just like in her other books featuring paramours of differing backgrounds, she doesn’t fetishize them for it. So if that’s the kind of smut you’re looking for, this isn’t the book for you.
Set during the Civl War, Elle Burns is on a mission to collect important information by trading in her freedom to work as a slave in a Confederate Senator’s estate. Her photographic memory and keen detective skills have set her apart and made her work invaluable, but she is unprepared for Malcolm McCall. Another spy infiltrating the manor, his easy manner and disarming charms win him the affections of the senator’s daughter easily, if only a certain Elle Burns wasn’t on his mind all the time… As their attraction for each grows, so does the threat of violence against the Union as plans are put into motion that could tear apart the nation. Malcolm and Elle must make dangerous decisions that risk everything, even losing each other, to preserve the Union at any cost.
-----------
It’s not a coincidence that I've picked another romance novel written by Alyssa Cole.
I’ve tried reading other romance authors, and while I loved Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test and (next on my list) The Kiss Quotient, there’s just not enough material from her yet to satisfy the needy bits of my heart. Christina Lauren fell flat for me in the sex department of Romance in The Unhoneymooners,so I’m hesitant to try them again. I have a few other authors on my Kindle I’m going to try, and I’ll probably review them at some point, but back to Alyssa Cole!
Honestly, I was not prepared for this book. I’ve gotten used to the gentle escapism that’s in her Reluctant Royals series, which if you haven’t read A Princess in Theory yet, go do the thing.
An Extraordinary Union feels like a masterclass in romance.
In such a short time I cared so much about these characters, and Cole’s plot pacing had my heart racing. She did an excellent job balancing the spying portions of the novel with the romantic, and I found myself-while excited- not wanting to skip ahead to rid myself of the tension during suspenseful passages. The stakes were so much higher in this book when compared to her others, and I even found myself getting emotional towards the end. Not that other parts of the book didn’t illicit reactions from me either (see my full review for my Kindle notes and reactions), especially since this is set in the south during the Civil War.
Honestly, Susie Caffrey gets my vote for being The Worst in the entire book (her father a close second), but seldom few -if any- white people get a pass. Even Malcolm grows and isn’t a shining pillar of woke-ness. At times he feels a little White Knight-ish, but honestly?? I’ll take it because his introspection and multiple reckonings and realizations of the inherent power dynamics at play in their relationship show him willingly perform emotional labor, and that's its own kind of sexy.
Elle often functions as a vessel for viewing and critiquing slavery and its manifest psychological impacts that go deeper than what the superficial attempts of the American education system tries to explain. The relationships, dark and twisted as they are, between master and slave, as well as the varying degrees of a master’s “kindness” are laid bare and questioned in this book, even if internally, by Elle.
The smuttiness of the book didn’t leave me wanting, and I think there were more intimate scenes in this novel than in her latest contemporary ones. The drawback of that being with more scenes there was less build up to get to them, and the build up is so important. This didn't come off as too contrived though, but only just barely which is what knocked it down to 4 stars.
Overall, if you like historical romance and are looking for unique characters and a compelling plot, not to mention quality smut, try An Extraordinary Union. I took my time with it, but it could easily be read in a day.
Important notes:
1) I initially held off reading this book was because I was worried, by having it set in the Civil War with a black female protagonist, I’d also have to read sexual abuse. And while it’s mentioned, because Cole doesn’t try to rewrite history only write historical fiction (a key difference), I was pleasantly surprised and relieved I didn’t have to go through with reading about it in detail. So if you can stomach rape-y insinuations, you should be fine to read this book.
2) While the race of the characters is factor, just like in her other books featuring paramours of differing backgrounds, she doesn’t fetishize them for it. So if that’s the kind of smut you’re looking for, this isn’t the book for you.
emilyrosereads6's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
3.75/5 star read for me. I read it quickly and really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the story line. I loved how it was so real and wasn't sugar coated. I truly felt like I was actually there during that time period. The reason my rating is lower is because the spicy scenes were very poorly written and just not at good/believable times. I felt like that could have been removed because it seemed to be taking away from the actual story. But it was still a good book! On the fence if I would recommend or not. I will be reading the rest of the series.
dakotahgummauthor's review against another edition
5.0
I was looking for a romance for people who don't read romance, and I found it! I was entranced. At the beginning, the multitude of similes took me out of the story a bit, but I was completely entranced a couple chapters in. The characters' hopes and desires in the face of a cruel reality capture the heart, and the twists at the end had me on the edge of my seat. I could hardly hold back tears when I finished it - a few short hours after I got it. Vivid, engaging, and realistic. I felt like I was with Elle the whole time.
allireadsmke's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I'm glad I went back to this after temporarily DNF'ing (due to subject matter, not book quality). If I had never come back, I would have missed the roller coaster of emotions this book took me on. This book was not comfortable. But I couldn't put it down and I couldn't look away. I will continue thinking and sitting with my feelings about this one. I cried. Wept, actually.
This was sexy, scary, devastating, and exciting. I will forever be impressed by the genre and it ability to tackle very serious, difficult, tragic topics in a way that still centers love, joy, and a happy ending. Although I love a fluffy, plotless romance as well, there is something that hits so deep about characters like this finding love in the most dire of circumstances.
This was sexy, scary, devastating, and exciting. I will forever be impressed by the genre and it ability to tackle very serious, difficult, tragic topics in a way that still centers love, joy, and a happy ending. Although I love a fluffy, plotless romance as well, there is something that hits so deep about characters like this finding love in the most dire of circumstances.
jillian_elizabeth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I struggled a bit with this book, because it’s challenging to write a romance about the Civil War era with a Black FMC who is pretending to be enslaved and a white MMC. The power dynamics between them aren’t equal in that historical context, as the author notes. I wanted to fall in love with the story, but I struggled. I did enjoy listening to the story and enjoyed the main characters.
phitney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0