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 Dividedfeatures 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 onAn 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
★ 2018-12-11
The third book in Cole's (A Duke by Default, 2018, etc.) Civil War-era Loyal League series pairs a broken man bent on retribution with an inexperienced but courageous double agent.
Daniel Cumberland was born free in Massachusetts, but his education and professional status did not protect him from being kidnapped and sold into slavery, an experience that destroyed his faith in God, country, and himself even after he's rescued. At night, memories of his time in captivity haunt him, but by day he is a detective with the Loyal League, one of the North's most important spy rings. Daniel is ruthless and heartless, motivated by an all-consuming thirst for vengeance that sets him apart even from his fellow spies, with their naïve optimism that the war can bring about a better life for people of all races. Janeta Sanchez had lived a pampered and privileged life as the daughter of a Cuban plantation owner who had settled in Florida. But when Yankee soldiers imprison her father and quarter themselves in her home, she agrees to travel to Ohio to infiltrate the Loyal League and spy for the Confederate cause. In unfamiliar terrain, where others' perceptions clash with her self-image, Janeta "was coming to understand both her place in this country and her own inner geography better; she was recharting the map of herself." Cole conveys the ways Janeta's and Daniel's layered identities pose challenges while affording them strengths of insight and character. Cole weaves a tense and gripping plot into a tapestry of fascinating and authentic historical detail, told from the distinct perspectives of people of color, without skimping on the growing feelings and strong desires that bring two lovers together.
Forbidden attraction and the threat of betrayal are the initial hooks for what turns out to be a sumptuously written and meticulously researched tale of a country at war with itself and two damaged people who find themselves in each other's arms.
