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gwenj's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? No
4.5
kazen's review
3.0
I love the history covered - how often do we hear about the role of slaves in the Revolutionary War? - but as a love story I wanted something longer and more fleshed out. Short novellas can be perfect for part of a romance, such as friends to lovers, or meet cute to 'let's date seriously'. First meeting to you're the only one for me? Not so much.
jessicaetrudeau's review
4.0
What a lovely novella. Despite the short length, Elijah and Kate really jumped off the page as fully-realized characters.
endemictoearth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Another gem from Alyssa Cole.
beautifullybookishbethany's review against another edition
4.0
Alyssa Cole has the ability to bring substantive themes to her romance and this novella is no different. Be Not Afraid is set during the American Revolutionary war and explores the complicated state of Black people during that time. Elijah Sutton is fighting as a Patriot in hopes of gaining his freedom while Kate is working for the British soldiers in exchange for her freedom, wanting nothing to do with the country that facilitated her abuse. But when Elijah meets Kate and is captured by the British, their love might break down walls.
This was definitely not a light story, but it was a beautiful one, proving that love can prevail even through the darkest of circumstances. If you need trigger/content warnings, you should check out the list below because there are a number of them. That said, I thought this love story was beautiful and appreciate the education you get along the way.
CW include slavery, discussions of beatings of slaves, racism, violent loss of a child, a scene of attempted sexual assault (not the hero) and discussions of past sexual abuse by a slave master, death, mistreatment of prisoners, wartime violence.
This was definitely not a light story, but it was a beautiful one, proving that love can prevail even through the darkest of circumstances. If you need trigger/content warnings, you should check out the list below because there are a number of them. That said, I thought this love story was beautiful and appreciate the education you get along the way.
CW include slavery, discussions of beatings of slaves, racism, violent loss of a child, a scene of attempted sexual assault (not the hero) and discussions of past sexual abuse by a slave master, death, mistreatment of prisoners, wartime violence.
qace90's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like this would’ve worked better as a novel, giving the characters more time to develop emotional intimacy, but I still enjoyed the hope and love in this short story.