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A review by lanidacey
Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances by Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole, Rose Lerner
4.0
This was a cute anthology of romances, inspired by the life (and musical!) of Alexander Hamilton. The framing device features a widowed Eliza Hamilton collecting stories from soldiers and others who served with her late husband during the Revolutionary War.
I have this love-hate for romance anthologies. I love them, because they tend to bring some much needed diversity into mainstream romance (this collection features love stories about a Jewish couple, an interracial gay couple and a black lesbian couple). One thing I hate about them, though, is how not every story in an anthology is guaranteed to be a hit. I have one or two collections I've never finished because I got stuck on a snooze of a romance.
That wasn't a problem with this collection; since all three of the stories in the anthology were all of the same quality (that being good quality), I was able to read and enjoy the entire thing without feeling like I was forcing myself to do so. Each one had good conflict, well-rounded characters and flirty banter. (That's all I really want from my romances!)
The only downside — and this is my usual complaint — they all felt a bit short. (And, yes, I know that's a common complaint with novellas; it's still valid.)
A breakdown of each story:
Promised Land: 4 stars. This is my first read by Rose Lerner. Second-chance romance isn't really a trope I like, it worked here. Mainly because the second chance was needed because our heroine left her husband to run off and join the Continental Army. I really liked the drive Rachel had at wanting to prove herself as both a Jewish person and an American. I think it's a conflict that any minority in American could relate to. Nathan was also a sweetheart. This story had the most history out of the three, with detailed descriptions of the battles, the politics and even the culture and communities that the soldiers came from.
The Pursuit Of: 4 stars. I knocked of a half a star because of the cheese. I hate cheese, and the cheese plays a big role in the development of the relationship between John and Henry. On a serious note, though, I feel like this story suffered the most as a novella. Things spark between the two leads during the bulk of the story, and they later come together following a brief epistolary chapter. I know shortcuts are required for novellas, but I still kind of feel cheated. Courtney Milan is one of my favorite romance authors; I just really wanted to see how she'd write something so out of her comfort zone. (In the author's notes of one of her other novels, which featured a gay character, Milan said she didn't think she could write a gay romance, as she feels her strength as a writer lies in writing women.) It was still a good read, but I just wish more of the emotional connection had been built up in the action of the story.
That Could Be Enough: 3.5 stars. I love nearly everything I read from Alyssa Cole. Her prose and her writing are just so good. Mercy and Andromeda are fun, and I like that both women have wants and desires beyond the central romance. I knocked a few points off since this story does contain the "dumb misunderstanding that wouldn't be a big deal if the main characters just spoke to each other like adults." It's not dragged out for long (it can't; this story's only 12 chapters), but it still felt weak.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and recommend to anyone looking for more diversity in their romances, historical romance buffs and Hamilton fans.
I have this love-hate for romance anthologies. I love them, because they tend to bring some much needed diversity into mainstream romance (this collection features love stories about a Jewish couple, an interracial gay couple and a black lesbian couple). One thing I hate about them, though, is how not every story in an anthology is guaranteed to be a hit. I have one or two collections I've never finished because I got stuck on a snooze of a romance.
That wasn't a problem with this collection; since all three of the stories in the anthology were all of the same quality (that being good quality), I was able to read and enjoy the entire thing without feeling like I was forcing myself to do so. Each one had good conflict, well-rounded characters and flirty banter. (That's all I really want from my romances!)
The only downside — and this is my usual complaint — they all felt a bit short. (And, yes, I know that's a common complaint with novellas; it's still valid.)
A breakdown of each story:
Promised Land: 4 stars. This is my first read by Rose Lerner. Second-chance romance isn't really a trope I like, it worked here. Mainly because the second chance was needed because our heroine left her husband to run off and join the Continental Army. I really liked the drive Rachel had at wanting to prove herself as both a Jewish person and an American. I think it's a conflict that any minority in American could relate to. Nathan was also a sweetheart. This story had the most history out of the three, with detailed descriptions of the battles, the politics and even the culture and communities that the soldiers came from.
The Pursuit Of: 4 stars. I knocked of a half a star because of the cheese. I hate cheese, and the cheese plays a big role in the development of the relationship between John and Henry. On a serious note, though, I feel like this story suffered the most as a novella. Things spark between the two leads during the bulk of the story, and they later come together following a brief epistolary chapter. I know shortcuts are required for novellas, but I still kind of feel cheated. Courtney Milan is one of my favorite romance authors; I just really wanted to see how she'd write something so out of her comfort zone. (In the author's notes of one of her other novels, which featured a gay character, Milan said she didn't think she could write a gay romance, as she feels her strength as a writer lies in writing women.) It was still a good read, but I just wish more of the emotional connection had been built up in the action of the story.
That Could Be Enough: 3.5 stars. I love nearly everything I read from Alyssa Cole. Her prose and her writing are just so good. Mercy and Andromeda are fun, and I like that both women have wants and desires beyond the central romance. I knocked a few points off since this story does contain the "dumb misunderstanding that wouldn't be a big deal if the main characters just spoke to each other like adults." It's not dragged out for long (it can't; this story's only 12 chapters), but it still felt weak.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and recommend to anyone looking for more diversity in their romances, historical romance buffs and Hamilton fans.