A review by vintage_b
A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole

5.0

Marlie Lynch is the daughter of the local root woman. At the age of 13, Sarah Lynch comes to bring her sister home. Marlie’s father is known to be the late Mr. Lynch a prominent member of society. The circumstances of her conception she has never dared ask. Her mother wants the best for her and feels being under the protection of the Lynch’s will give her security not many like her get. She goes with Sarah and is brought up just like any white child would be. With some limitations due to her race and the fact that they are living in the midst of the Civil War. Marlie meets Ewin McCall at the local prison and they form a kind of friendship. One day Ewin has escaped the prison as part of a planned escape, partly orchestrated by the Lynch's. He goes to Marlie for healing help and spends most of his days hidden in her Attic, as her nasty Rebel-supporting sister-in-law has come with her brother to stay at the family home. Sarah and Steven are powerless against the evil Melody. It does not take long before Ewin and Marlie are forced to flee to save their lives. Through this journey, they learn more about each other and find love in unexpected places. I really enjoyed the second book in the Loyal League series. So far it is the best book out of the 3 out so far. The sexy bits don’t hit until about 70% into the book which was just fine by me, as I am not a big fan of those parts in any genre of reading. The historical storyline and character development in this one were much more enjoyable for me. Melody, the sister-in-law really is something else and it has been a while since a character got under my skin like that. She was a representation of pure evil and hate and it really hurt my soul to realize there are people even today who still think that way. I highly recommend this novel, and you don’t need to really have read the 1st to enjoy this second installment.