Reviews

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

emilyrosereads6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

3.75/5 star read for me. I read it quickly and really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the story line. I loved how it was so real and wasn't sugar coated. I truly felt like I was actually there during that time period. The reason my rating is lower is because the spicy scenes were very poorly written and just not at good/believable times. I felt like that could have been removed because it seemed to be taking away from the actual story. But it was still a good book! On the fence if I would recommend or not. I will be reading the rest of the series.

dakotahgummauthor's review against another edition

5.0

I was looking for a romance for people who don't read romance, and I found it! I was entranced. At the beginning, the multitude of similes took me out of the story a bit, but I was completely entranced a couple chapters in. The characters' hopes and desires in the face of a cruel reality capture the heart, and the twists at the end had me on the edge of my seat. I could hardly hold back tears when I finished it - a few short hours after I got it. Vivid, engaging, and realistic. I felt like I was with Elle the whole time.

allireadsmke's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I'm glad I went back to this after temporarily DNF'ing (due to subject matter, not book quality). If I had never come back, I would have missed the roller coaster of emotions this book took me on. This book was not comfortable. But I couldn't put it down and I couldn't look away. I will continue thinking and sitting with my feelings about this one. I cried. Wept, actually. 

This was sexy, scary, devastating, and exciting. I will forever be impressed by the genre and it ability to tackle very serious, difficult, tragic topics in a way that still centers love, joy, and a happy ending. Although I love a fluffy, plotless romance as well, there is something that hits so deep about characters like this finding love in the most dire of circumstances. 

jillian_elizabeth's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

I struggled a bit with this book, because it’s challenging to write a romance about the Civil War era with a Black FMC who is pretending to be enslaved and a white MMC. The power dynamics between them aren’t equal in that historical context, as the author notes. I wanted to fall in love with the story, but I struggled. I did enjoy listening to the story and enjoyed the main characters. 

phitney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

theplantsalivesed's review against another edition

4.0

Really good historical romance.

torrie_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Thoughts 

Sooo, Alyssa Cole GAVE me this book at Steamy Lit hehe. Therefore, when a Queen gives you one of her books you read it ASAP. 

This story is set during the civil war and is a romance and a spy story as the FMC is working as a spy and pretending to be an enslaved woman to help and the MMC is pretending to be on the side of the south but is actually a spy for the north. 

So there is a lot of tension and not only from the brewing romamce but from the setting. I really enjoyed it. I finished it in a day. Cole is made for historicals because if you've read her thrillers you know she can build tension! 

I think this is a series so I am looking forward to continuing with it to see what happens. 

ceciliatan's review against another edition

5.0

I finally had time to finish this on a plane recently! Not the book's fault--mine for being too busy--the book moves briskly and is actually pretty short for a historical. Not a word is wasted, though, and it's very intense. It's historical romance set during the U.S. Civil War, in which a young black woman goes undercover posing as a slave in a Southern household. There she meets a brash but magnetic "reb" who turns out to also be a spy for the North. It's sexy and suspenseful and doesn't turn a blind eye to the social issues of the day at all (obviously). If you're a fan of Hamilton and historical romance, this book is a match made in heaven for you.

jnesbitt1989's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Overall, I liked it. It did start off slow to me though. I felt like not much happened until over halfway through the book. The narrator of the audiobook was awesome. Her voice was so soothing. The summary of the next book looks interesting too.

goldenprose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0