A Hope Divided

by Alyssa Cole Narrated by Karen Chilton

Overview

The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor - but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together.

For three years of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her - until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause.

Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible. When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love - and freedom - before they ever cross state lines.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Exceptional Praise for The Loyal League Series

“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, Top 10 Romances of 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, Top Pick, 10 Best Romance Novels of 2017 on An Extraordinary Union

“Cole’s characters are complex and passionate. Readers will share the couple’s rage and admire their determination” —Library Journal, Editor’s Fall Picks for A Hope Divided
 
“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.” —Booklist STARRED REVIEW for 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
 
“[Alyssa Cole’s] 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 Reviews, STARRED REVIEW for 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 Divide

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-10-04
A self-taught scientist spying for the North rescues a Union soldier in the Confederate state of North Carolina.Marlie Lynch is the free-born daughter of a formerly enslaved medicine woman and a mysterious white father. Even though her connection to the landowning white Lynch family is not openly acknowledged, Marlie lives in their house and dines with the family. This nominal protection allows her to take risks for her cause. On the surface, she's collecting the herbs and roots that go into her medicinal decoctions. But she's also helping those less fortunate get to safety through the Underground Railroad and carrying books, food, and information in and out of the local prison camp. There, she meets the imprisoned soldier Ewan McCall. But Ewan is more than just another redheaded white boy fighting for the Union. He's a skilled interrogator and is tormented by the things he's done to extract information from captured Rebels. When Ewan seizes an opportunity to escape the prison, Marlie shelters him at the Lynch estate. But before long, the hatred and racism that surround Marlie's home invade her very family, and she flees with Ewan through the Carolina woods. 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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171314521
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	12/15/2017
Series:	Loyal League Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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