An Extraordinary Union: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War

Description

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 detectiveforPinkerton'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

Alyssa Cole is a science editor, pop culture nerd, and romance junkie who recently movedto the Caribbean and occasionally returns to her fast-paced NYC life.Her writing has been featured in publications including Vulture (New York Magazine's entertainment blog), Heroes and Heartbreakers, and The Toast. When she's not busy writing, traveling, and learning French, she can be found watching anime with her real-life romance hero or tending to her herd of pets.

Exceptional Praise for The Loyal League Series "It's gratifying to read a novel that deals so frankly with such issues and takes an unflinching view of the realities of life during the Civil War rather than reiterating the dangerous Lost Cause rhetoric that often colors romance narratives of this era." -Entertainment Weekly on A Hope Divided "Successfully navigating the challenges of writing an interracial romance set during the Civil War is difficult enough to do once, but to pull it off twice is truly impressive. And yet Cole has managed to do just that with her second book in the series." -Shondaland.com on A Hope Divided "Thoughtfully portrayed characters with deep minds and passionate hearts make this second novel in Cole's Loyal League series, following An Extraordinary Union (2017), sparkle. Highly recommended for lovers of historical romance." -Booklist, starred review for A Hope Divided "Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union was one of our favorite spring romances, and this season she returns with the sequel." -Bookish "Autumn's 2017 Most Swoon-Worthy Romance Books" list for A Hope Divided "An exceptional story that both educates and entertains and beautifully launches a unique series." -Library Journal STARRED REVIEW, Editor's Fall Picks for An Extraordinary Union "The second book in Cole's Loyal League series (An Extraordinary Union, 2017) follows much the same pattern as the first. Again, Cole's heroine is gorgeously portrayed and powerful enough that readers will worship at her feet just as Ewan does. But if this book shows that Cole is settling into a pattern, readers won't want her to break the mold on book No. 3. Her prose is flawless. Her historical research is absorbing, and her characters are achingly human. This book is fantastic. As the war closes in around them, the line blurs between who is the rescuer and who is the rescued." -Kirkus starred review for A Hope Divided "Brace yourself for another amazing installment of Cole's The Loyal League series! A Hope Divided features plenty of twists and turns that make Marlie's family secrets as surprising to the reader as they are to her." -RT Book Reviews, 5 Stars Gold for A Hope Divided "Cole's books are always timely, and yet timeless. She has a solid grounding of how to use history in her plots, and knows exactly what story she wants to tell. I could not put this down, even as some of the characterizations made me squirm in recognition (Marlie's White sister is the ancestor of a lot of white feminism. Like, a lot). I love it when the second book in a series totally exceeds the (very high) expectations of the first book." -Smart Bitches Trashy Books on A Hope Divided "Cole does the seemingly impossible, using the Civil War as a backdrop for a realistic, gripping interracial romance that interrogates slavery, systemic racism, and more, while still remaining utterly swoon-worthy." -Entertainment Weekly on An Extraordinary Union, Top 10 Romances of 2017 "Cole deftly interweaves the fraught realities of American history with romance and adventure - this is a spy story, after all - and it is elegantly told." -Vulture.com on An Extraordinary Union "The first installment in Cole's 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." -Kirkus starred review on An Extraordinary Union "Cole's sparkling gem of a romance portrays love at its most practical and sublime." -Publishers Weekly starred review, BEST BOOKS OF 2017 on An Extraordinary Union "Cole spins a tale that will pull you in from the very first page." -RT Book Reviews *five star* Top Pick review on An Extraordinary Union "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." -Booklist starred review Top 10 Romance Fiction: 2017 on An Extraordinary Union "Cole's Civil War-set romance boasts one of the most delightfully, unapologetically powerful heroines in recent memory. Elle Burns quotes The Art of War in between dodging Confederate bullets, and by the end of An Extraordinary Union, readers are just as smitten with her as her adoring love interest is." -BookPage 10 Best Romance Novels of 2017 on An Extraordinary Union "Alyssa Cole in any situation is magic, and from what I've heard from advance readers it's going to change the face of historical romance." -BookRiot Best Books of 2017 (So Far) on An Extraordinary Union "With projects like WGN America's Underground, Cole's lively novel-besides being an enjoyable romance full of adventure and extremely good lust-is therefore part of a long-overdue pushback against the way historical fiction portrays this seminal moment in American history." -Jezebel on An Extraordinary Union "A compelling and engrossing historical civil war romance between two spies, a free black woman and a Scottish immigrant that leaves you spellbound." -Huffington Post on An Extraordinary Union "With its richly detailed setting, heart-stopping plot, and unforgettable characters, An Extraordinary Union is everything you can ask from historical fiction. Alyssa Cole has taken an unforgettable hero, a uniquely resourceful heroine, and mixed them together for some truly combustible chemistry. Brava!" -Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author on An Extraordinary Union "Alyssa Cole's AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION is as extraordinary as the title suggests-riveting, romantic, and utterly remarkable." -Courtney Milan, New York Times bestselling author on An Extraordinary Union "Alyssa Cole is just a wonderful storyteller, and she's fast become one of my auto-buy authors. An Extraordinary Union is the perfect blend of history, adventure, and heart-stopping romance, with a courageous heroine you'll love and a hero you'll fall in love with. I read it in a single sitting, and my heart wants to go on living with these characters." -Susanna Kearsley, New York Times bestselling author on An Extraordinary Union "Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union is the first in what promises to be a riveting series." -Heroes and Heartbreakers on An Extraordinary Union