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bergamot_breeze's review against another edition
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery
Moderate: War, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexism
heapofhay's review against another edition
3.5
A sweet and well written story. Really liked both the Mcs. The romance was a bit of instalove tho.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Racial slurs
mandi4886's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Confinement, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Racism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racial slurs, Blood, Grief, Sexism, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Body horror, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Abandonment, Ableism, Cursing, Gore, and Gun violence
Minor: Xenophobia, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Stalking, Torture, and Vomit
unsuccessfulbookclub's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Slavery, and War
heydebigale's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
CW: racism & graphic violence
Romances where I learn history are top tier books! The book opens up the same year that *that incredibly racist popular book is set* this book is from a Black perspective & is SO good.
Elle is a spy for the union who has an impeccable memory. Malcolm is also a spy for Pinkerton but is posing as a Rebel soldier. The pie work together to uncover a confederate plot to break up the union blockade.
Elle is based off of a real Black spy named Mary Bowser who had an eidetic memory who was placed in the Jefferson Davis whitehouse who funneled information to the Union. Definitely read the authors note!
This book addresses many of the issues faced by enslaved and free Black people during the civil war. I appreciated the discussion on repatriation & Elle’s realization that America was her home.
Highly recommend this book!
Romances where I learn history are top tier books! The book opens up the same year that *that incredibly racist popular book is set* this book is from a Black perspective & is SO good.
Elle is a spy for the union who has an impeccable memory. Malcolm is also a spy for Pinkerton but is posing as a Rebel soldier. The pie work together to uncover a confederate plot to break up the union blockade.
Elle is based off of a real Black spy named Mary Bowser who had an eidetic memory who was placed in the Jefferson Davis whitehouse who funneled information to the Union. Definitely read the authors note!
This book addresses many of the issues faced by enslaved and free Black people during the civil war. I appreciated the discussion on repatriation & Elle’s realization that America was her home.
Highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, and Violence
confusedmuse's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This probably would’ve worked for me if the relationship had grown out of the leads needing to collaborate for a dangerous mission, but since the romance instantly happens, it just felt silly. Also, for supposedly being the best spies their organization has, they sure are bad at their jobs.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical content, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide
chels_ebooks's review
emotional
reflective
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
The power differential between Elle and Malcolm seems insurmountable for a relationship, but it was build on such a solid foundation of earned trust and respect that the 'unlikely romance' barrier was handily squashed in such a masterful way.
Elle is undercover as an enslaved housekeeper in the Caffrey household. She's an enormously valuable spy because of her eidetic, or photographic, memory. Despite this, she's often overlooked by her Union cohort, which is enraging and frustrating, because the work she is doing is extremely dangerous.
When Malcom first approaches Elle, she doesn't realize he's also a spy, so she takes his Confederate uniform at face value. Malcolm doesn't realize how terrifying he is to her, which is a huge oversight on his part, as he attempts to converse with her.
This is the first of many lessons Malcom gets about being an ally. You have to be careful, and you have to sacrifice your pride. As he falls deeper and deeper in love with Elle, he begins to chafe at his disguise, particular because it casts him as her oppressor.
But Elle doesn't want his guilt. She has no use for it.
Malcolm loves Elle so much that it's clear that he'll put her above everything else. She wouldn't do the same for him (the cause his too important), and he needs to be okay with that.
Elle is undercover as an enslaved housekeeper in the Caffrey household. She's an enormously valuable spy because of her eidetic, or photographic, memory. Despite this, she's often overlooked by her Union cohort, which is enraging and frustrating, because the work she is doing is extremely dangerous.
When Malcom first approaches Elle, she doesn't realize he's also a spy, so she takes his Confederate uniform at face value. Malcolm doesn't realize how terrifying he is to her, which is a huge oversight on his part, as he attempts to converse with her.
This is the first of many lessons Malcom gets about being an ally. You have to be careful, and you have to sacrifice your pride. As he falls deeper and deeper in love with Elle, he begins to chafe at his disguise, particular because it casts him as her oppressor.
But Elle doesn't want his guilt. She has no use for it.
Malcolm loves Elle so much that it's clear that he'll put her above everything else. She wouldn't do the same for him (the cause his too important), and he needs to be okay with that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
this_momma_is_booked's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really wanted to love this book. I truly did. But I just couldn't get into it. This book had so much promise but it fell flat for me.
First off, I tend to have issues with insta-love in general, but I feel like it's even more unlikely considering the circumstances in which these characters find themselves. Elle and Malcolm knew each other for, like, two weeks before they're professing their love for each other and willing to undo all the hard work they've each done to defeat the Confederacy. Also, I felt like Malcolm was a caricature of performative white allyship. Throughout the book, he keeps saying that he wants to free the slaves but he doesn't give much thought to what freedom means for slaves, how their lives would be affected once freed. He even admits this to himself when talking with Elle, thinking that he hasn't really considered how their lives are impacted by slavery and who they don't have any resources to assist them when freed. He also says that he recognizes how selfish he is being by pursuing Elle but that he doesn't care. He even goes so far as saying that it's not Elle's job to educate him on the plight of Blacks in the U.S., but he allows it anyway.
The plot was also SO SLOW. Normally this doesn't bother me too much but when there is zero character development, it's really noticeable. I was 70% of the way through the book and nothing happened yet, which means the last little chunk of the book was just a free fall. The plot twists didn't really leave any emotional impact. Overall, it was just blah.
I will say that I love the time period selected for this historical romance. I think part of my issues is that this should have been marketed as historical fiction that happens to have a romance rather than a romance outright. There are plenty of people in my book club that loved the book, though, so check it out if it sounds like your cup of tea!
First off, I tend to have issues with insta-love in general, but I feel like it's even more unlikely considering the circumstances in which these characters find themselves. Elle and Malcolm knew each other for, like, two weeks before they're professing their love for each other and willing to undo all the hard work they've each done to defeat the Confederacy. Also, I felt like Malcolm was a caricature of performative white allyship. Throughout the book, he keeps saying that he wants to free the slaves but he doesn't give much thought to what freedom means for slaves, how their lives would be affected once freed. He even admits this to himself when talking with Elle, thinking that he hasn't really considered how their lives are impacted by slavery and who they don't have any resources to assist them when freed. He also says that he recognizes how selfish he is being by pursuing Elle but that he doesn't care. He even goes so far as saying that it's not Elle's job to educate him on the plight of Blacks in the U.S., but he allows it anyway.
The plot was also SO SLOW. Normally this doesn't bother me too much but when there is zero character development, it's really noticeable. I was 70% of the way through the book and nothing happened yet, which means the last little chunk of the book was just a free fall. The plot twists didn't really leave any emotional impact. Overall, it was just blah.
I will say that I love the time period selected for this historical romance. I think part of my issues is that this should have been marketed as historical fiction that happens to have a romance rather than a romance outright. There are plenty of people in my book club that loved the book, though, so check it out if it sounds like your cup of tea!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
jmmd's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Rape
aqtbenz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Trafficking, Racism, Medical content, and Kidnapping