A Hope Divided, the second book from The Loyal League series, is a good read and I liked it. 3 1/2 stars.

Earlier this year I read and fell in love with An Extraordinary Union. Its story introduced me to an aspect of the Civil War that I was unfamiliar with - that of the men and women, including the freed slaves who risked their lives and freedom to serve as spies during the war. A Hope Divided follows in that vein with Malcolm's brother, Ewan who as a spy has been pretending to be a prisoner of war so that he can deliver secrets to the Loyal League. It's at prison that he makes Marlie's acquaintance. Marlie is unique in that she's half black and half white and has been recognized by her white family, to a certain extent. She has grown up with privileges that no slave could ever dream of but she has never forgotten who she is. With the advantages that she has, she covertly works for the Loyal League using her reputation as a healer to protect her. When Ewan's dramatic escape from prison is botched, Marlie offers to hide him away in the safest place possible: her home. Specifically a hidden room within her bedroom. It's a temporary solution that puts them both in danger but that's what they have to do until Ewan is healthy enough to make another escape


A Hope Divided is striking in that it presents a series of ironies that only highlight the the evils of bigotry. For example, Ewan is a white man trapped in a room, forced to hide from the Confederate soldiers. Marlie, is a free Black woman who can roam around town yet will forever be trapped by the colour of her skin. The book also looks at the complicated dynamics of a family that includes a person of colour -- how they address each other or refer to one another in the company of others, how they convey their feelings and ultimately, how they really see each other while never acknowledging their connection out loud, not even in the privacy of their own home. I thought that was an enlightening aspect of Marlie's story. When the Confederate Home Guard decides to make her house homebase, Marlie's security in her own home is upended. She's no longer as free has she has been. It also put her and Ewan in harm's way and they have no choice but to escape. And here we see Marlie as the healer that she is, someone who is always looking out for others even if it means putting herself in danger. Ewan, who's more philosopher than fighter, now has the resolve to truly fight for everything important to him.


My favourite part of the story is the connection that Ewan and Marlie Have. Both find intellectual stimulation in each other's company, engaging in lively philosophical conversations and debates. There is, of course, the physical attraction as well. My least favourite part is the language and abuse hurled at Marlie and other slaves. It's an unfortunate part of the story and history but it's unsettling to read nonetheless. I can't even begin to fathom treating someone that way and thinking a person inferior because of their colour.


I enjoyed the suspense in A Hope Divided and that both Ewan and Marlie eagerly aspire to live up to their cause despite the odds against them. This series has been a great way for me to gain insight and learn more about the time period. Definitely worth the read!


~ Bel

I thought this book was wonderful, and a worthy sequel to #1. I enjoyed An Extraordinary Union with its fantastic alpha, overachieving couple. This one had a much different feel. The hero, instead of being a swashbuckling, daring soldier, is endearingly awkward, a little off, and emotionally unavailable (and not in the typical brooding alpha male way, but in a different way that makes sense given his background). He is a totally atypical hero, which I loved. The heroine is interesting. She is intelligent and likeable, simultaneously empowered (as a capable healer and scientist) and disenfranchised at the same time. I didn't understand how those two things could co-exist like that until I read this book.

Prior to these two books from Alyssa Cole, I had never read 1) books with an African-American protagonist or 2) books about the Civil War (apart from Gone with the Wind). I found myself challenged by the writing and the insights that I had never stopped to consider. I thought this book provided a great social commentary but didn't feel preachy. Instead, in keeping with the hero's introverted, introspective character, it made sense for the heroine's challenging insights to propel him to navel-gaze into the ugliness of the Civil War and the U.S.'s roots in racism. I actually highlighted a few passages in the book so that I could go back and re-read and think about them again.

Did I think the romance was a little lacking? Yes, certainly. I thought the plot was a little slow at time as well. But in the end, I considered this to be a historical novel with a little bit of a love story added in, and I loved it. I can't wait for the next one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Alyssa Cole is one of the most talented and most important voices in romance right now. With A HOPE DIVIDED, she delivers another poignant, emotional story about an interracial couple during the American Civil War.

As a member of the prominent and wealthy Lynch family, Marlie is wealthy, educated, and sheltered. But her heritage (her Black mother and White father) means that Marlie has never truly it in with her family nor has she truly fit in with the staff who work at her family’s home. When Marlie meets Ewan, a Northern POW in a local prison, she doesn’t think it’s possible to find such a keen understanding with him. But the tortured soldier’s hyper-logical mind strikes a chord with Marlie, who is herself a scientist. As they slowly reveal themselves to one another through letters (one of my favourite tropes), you can’t help but feel the earnest connection and searing passion between them.

A HOPE DIVIDED tore my heart out, y’all. Marlie’s slowly developing sense of her own privileged position as a woman from a wealthy family is combined with the realization that no amount of wealth can protect a Black woman in the South to devastating effect. The pervasive racism of the period (that continues even today) is handled really well – it permeates every aspect of Marlie’s life and the lives of other Black characters, but it isn’t the entire story. Marlie and Ewan’s romance is heart-stopping, and their journey will capture your heart. Highly recommended!

If all historical fiction was as excellent as Alyssa Cole's The Loyal League series is, I would read much more historical fiction. Discovering her writing this year has been an absolute gift and I was delighted her latest novel exceeded my expectations.

A Hope Divided introduces us to Marlie, a freed biracial woman, and Ewan, an escaped prisoner of the Confederate and also Malcolm's brother. (An Extraordinary Union is Malcolm's story but you don't need to read it first. Although you should totally still read it.)

Marlie was raised by her formerly enslaved mother, a root worker, and learned how to make herbal remedies, along with the superstitions. When she goes to live with her white family at the Lynch plantation, she's introduced to science and more modern beliefs about medicine. Whether Marlie was preparing plants to make a poultice or diagnosing someone's malady, I loved every part of the story that dealt with her abilities as a healer. 

Marlie was fiercely intelligent and compassionate. She's torn between the ways of her mother and the ways of the white world she now finds herself in. She doesn't fully belong in either place and I think this is why she throws herself so fully into her studies and improving how she makes her remedies. She's also lonely. She may have the Lynch name but she doesn't have the same freedoms as her white sister. 

Marlie's sister Sarah is an abolitionist and the women are a part of the Underground Railroad. Marlie is also a part of the Loyal League, passing along information to the Union Army. Marlie regularly visits the prison to aid the sick and bring what's essentially a lending library. This is how she meets Ewan. They have a meeting of the minds, scribbling thoughts and opinions into the pages of books they pass back and forth. Let me tell you: their banter was on fire!

Ewan is a tortured soul and I found him to be intelligent and kind. However, he believes himself to be a sociopath because of what he did on behalf of the Union Army. He has powerful skills of observation and ways of making people talk. I wondered if he might be high functioning on the Autism scale because of how his mind seemed to work. Ewan is lonely too and the connection he forms with Marlie is powerful, even if neither can act on it.

When Ewan escapes prison, he ends up hiding in Marlie's house...while it's being occupied by the Home Guard. My heart was in my throat once this happened because of the extremely high tension. I worried for Marlie and Ewan and what would happen if they were caught. And at the same time, this afforded them the opportunity to get to know each other better and deepen their connection.  

Cole weaves in such fascinating historical facts. Not everyone in the South fought for the Confederacy. Besides abolitionists, Quakers and poor people wanted to stay out of the fight. Abolitionists had their own prejudices, which we see in Marlie's sister Sarah. Her characters are complex and she gives them room to wrestle with their doubts and insecurities, even in the face of dangerous circumstances. It makes for a book that's hard to put down!

This is a slow burn romance and I greatly appreciated how Cole developed the romance around the events. They never lost sight of the stakes, nor their need to stay alive, no matter how great their chemistry was. When they finally declared their feelings, I wanted to swoon and cheer! This was such an incredibly satisfying book and I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series.

This is the second book in the series and it's very different in tone than the first book despite the outward similarities. This is the story of Ewan, Malcolm's brother (who is a soldier and interrogator for the Union) falling for Marlie, a free mixed race woman (spy for the Union and healer woman).

It's a very character focused story where the suspense elements are less prominent than in the first book. For me it read like an exploration of the human soul with its darkest, scariest corners but there was also light and hope there too.

Marlie comes from tradition of healers but she also believes in science and she pracitces a mixture of hoodoo beliefs and scientific approach to healing. She leads a sort of privilege, sheltered life, while still helping the Union in her own small way. Then her world gets turned upside down and she finds herself questioning her own identity, her place and role in life. She goes through a lot of change in order to come to accept and understand the past, to find room for dreams and hopes for the future.

Ewan is just as complex, his world is actually in turmoil though outwardly he appears calm and in control of his life. It's only towards the end we see more of his inner struggles when he truly opens to Marlie. I admit I was taken aback by the whole torture aspect and his ability to rationalise and justify it. I much more subscribe to her view of violence/torture as hurting you as much as it hurts the other person. I remain ambivalent toward the hero, all the violence he did and the way it comes so easy/naturally to him makes me hesitant to fully stand by him.

As far as the romance is concerned, I really wanted more of it. They meet under difficult circumstance and most of their time together they are on the run, hiding, which is not perfect situation for a romantic affair to bloom, yet my issues with it were different. Marlie and Ewan feel strong physical attraction to each other and find pleasure and comfort in each other's company but also they are keeping a lot of secrets, never really admitting it all, never truly opening up to each other until the very end. Add to this the fact that they have massively different views (which they both change in the course of the story) and I feel they didn't truly connect for most of the book. Their intimate connection is only forged after they share their worst secrets, and there are some ugly and scary things that the war has brought to the fore.

That said, I loved the details of the world he author (re)created, the complexity and multilayered-ness of the society both in the South and in the North. This story strays far away from the familiar stereotypical stories about the Civil War. It shows a less idealised, more real picture of all ordinary people who lived through it and how it affected from the very their very physical corporeal existence to shaking and fully destroying their souls.

There is a minor detail having to do with fertility problems which really bothered me and I just can't let it go. It's personal thing and most readers wouldn't notice/pay attention to it but for it was big deal and affected my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, I liked the story, the focus on the issues of identity and what makes us who we are, how free/not-free everybody is wase interesting to read. The romance didn't quite work for me and I felt its resolution was rather rushed, it left me wanting more redemption of the hero and more independence for the heroine.

I remain pretty invested in this series as a whole and I'm looking forward towards the next installment, An Unconditional Freedom, coming out in 2018.

A Union counter-intelligence officer and a member of the Loyal league meet in a Confederate prison and then must work hard against a sadistic evil man who uses his position as leader of the Home Guard to destroy other people. A war fought behind the lines and a personal war fought inside their hearts led to me being riveted once again by the latest Loyal League story.
Review

A Hope Divided is book two of the series. It features the brother to the hero in book one and late in the story brings another character from book one into the mixed, but for the most part, it can be read standalone or out of order.

This book like book one, An Extraordinary Union, told a fantastic historical romantic suspense story set against the backdrop of America’s Civil War. But it was so much more than that. The author dug deep into lesser known historical events and produced a war story set behind Confederate lines and showed how much divisiveness there was in the South beyond their war with the North. She had a big picture and a smaller picture set inside it with the individual stories of her characters. Details were authentic in feel and the plot was well balanced between character and action driven plot.

The war was tearing people apart because of their greatly differing beliefs and forcing smaller fights between Southern abolitionists and anti-war Quakers and militant state sanctioned forces like the Home Guard. And it wasn’t just the south, the Union’s people were just as divided about the war- several were not fighting against slavery and were as bigoted about the blacks as some in the South.

The story is broad in scope, but the focus stays on Marlie and Ewan. She’s a free half-black living with her white relations in comparative comfort and had/has opportunities to an education and career field in studying botany and natural medicine. She’s caught between two worlds and it all comes crashing down on her as she is exposed to the cruelties around her and a deep family secret. Ewan is darker with the work he does in counter-intelligence and self-loathing. He’s brilliant, but tortured. They didn’t label autism back then, but the way the author wrote his character, I felt he might have been on the spectrum.

They were fantastic characters and I loved seeing their tentative friendship and secret longings grow into love and need. Both must struggle with how their pasts shape their thinking and how their present situation will likely push them apart, particularly since they are attempting to bridge the gap between black and white.

I have to say that the author can write some vile, loathsome villains. The leader of the Home Guard and Marlie’s relation by her brother’s marriage, Melanie turned my stomach. I so wanted them both to come to a bad end.

This was another fabulous story in the series and I can’t recommend the Loyal League series enough. The author can see perspective and gets right into the minds of the people of the day while writing a riveting storyline. I’m left with a good story, curiosity about history, and a thought provoking issue that is still true today.

Alyssa Cole does it again! Book 2 in the Loyal League series is even more amazing that book 1 and i've found another book boyfriend in Ewan McCall :D I really missed reading historical romance and it's even better reading a story with a black heroine, written by a black author.

Marlie and Ewan are both such complex characters, both trying to figure out their place in this world. They both have their own internal and external conflicts going on! I like that Marlie challenges Ewan every step of the way. She never lets him get away with anything. And the fact that Marlie's skill with her plants and healing concoctions had Ewan all *heart eyes* had meee all *heart eyes* because there's nothing more i enjoy than a hero who recognizes the skills the heroine possesses. It's the best thing ever!

I was enthralled the entire time i was reading, and a ball of emotions. Infuriated by Melody's treatment of Marlie and also Sarah's cluelessness, and hurt right along with Marlie when the woman she thought of as her sister just didnt get it. But how could she? This white woman could never understand Marlie's reality. Melody's (bleh, i hated her!) arrival acts as a catalyst for Marlie to question her place in the Lynch home and man i wanted someone to trip that woman down a flight of stairs seriously!

This book is filled with so muuuch tension and i don't just mean between Marlie and Ewan. Every moment i was like OH NO THEY'RE GONNA GET CAUGHT! whew, talk about being on edge.

Ooooh and i see book three will be Daniel's book and i am so ready for it!

This is the second book in Cole's Loyal League Series. I always like books about the Civil War, and this one did not disappoint. The characters were very well written and there was plenty of action along the way. I hope the author continues to write more books in this series.

The second book in the Loyal League series is, I would argue, better than the first. This story follows Marlie, a freed black healer and Ewan, a counterintelligence officer for the Union, as they escape from the South during the Civil War. Once again, Cole highlights a little known history of the Civil War- the resistance of Southerners against the Confederacy, and tells a great story at the same time.

~~Reviewed by Monique~~

Marlie Lynch was born free to a white man, and a former slave, Vivienne. When she was thirteen, Vivienne sent Marlie to live with her white relatives, Marlie’s half-sister Sarah and half-brother Stephen, thinking she would be safer. Ten years later, the Civil War rages on in North Carolina, and Marlie and Sarah have made Lynchwood, the family estate, an Underground Railroad station. Ewan McCall had enlisted in the Union army and had been vegetating in Randolph Prison until the opportunity to escape presents itself. Ewan and Marlie had met while he was in prison; Marlie was bringing books to the convicts, and she and Ewan had exchanged ideas on books and philosophy. Ewan thought Marlie the loveliest woman he had ever met, regardless of her skin colour. After Ewan’s break out, it turns out that his hiding place is Lynchwood, where he will have to stay for a while, in the same home as Marlie, until the fateful day when his mortal enemy, Captain Cahill, requisitions Lynchwood for the Confederates.

A HOPE DIVIDED is much more than a romance, as it is also quite educational. Ms. Cole’s research pays off as the War Between the States comes alive on the page, as it touched the lives of ordinary people. The author has also done her homework on herbal medicine, and she also obviously knows her philosophy. The only hiccup consisted of the few sentences written in atrocious French, which I hope will be corrected in the final version of the book. In view of the political situation – and race relations – the romance between Ewan and Marlie goes surprisingly smoothly, the hurdles consisting mostly of the parts they both play in the game, as both Marlie and Ewan work against the Confederacy, as well as being out of the public eye for the most part and their interacting mainly with escaped slaves and Freemen.

The events leading to Ewan and Marlie fleeing Lynchwood are pretty terrifying and give another outlook on the Civil War, and this is really the moment when their budding romance is challenged. I wonder if their romance will continue in subsequent instalments, because as far as their love story goes, A HOPE DIVIDED covers merely the beginning, in my opinion, as their love as a mixed race couple will surely be tested. I felt the romance progressed realistically, the doubts they experienced were logical even though Marlie was stubborn at times, although it was understandable. A HOPE DIVIDED is beautifully written, flows very well, and although it is the second book in the series, can easily be read as a standalone, as I didn’t feel I had missed anything of import. A HOPE DIVIDED presents a lovely and unusual romance in what feels like an accurate portrait of a difficult era in American history.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Marlie Lynch uses her knowledge of medicine and science from her former enslaved mother to help the soldiers in the war. She has grown up more privileged than most due to her living with her white relatives but that doesn’t stop her from fighting the battle of slavery. She strikes a deep friendship with Ewan McCall that changes her life forever.

Ewan just escaped a prison camp and finds refugee at Marlie’s medicine room in her house. Under normal circumstances this would be suitable but Marlie’s other relatives arrives and they challenged Marlie’s position in the house. As tension arise, Marlie and Ewan decides to make a run to ensure their safety and freedom.

I had such high hopes for this one. To be fair, I started off comparing it to the first book in the series, An Extraordinary Union. I realized my mistake immediately as I started to delve further into the book. This book is completely different in the emotional aspect of storytelling.

The writing is still superb. I must admit that Ms. Cole has a true talent for historical fiction. She incorporates perfect imagery of the south at a time when it was truly rough for a woman like Marlie to display her independence. I love reading about our nation’s history. The work is well researched. However, the lack of romance left me wanting more. Marlie and Ewan didn’t hold the same chemistry in my opinion as Malcolm and Elle.

The relationship Marlie has with her family became somewhat of a focal point for me. Marlie goes to live with her half siblings at the tender age of ten. Her mother felt it would give her more than what she could ever give her. Despite the fact that Marlie grew up with her half brother and sister, she was still struggling with her place in the family and her traditions and herbal knowledge from her birth mother. There is an argument in the book amongst the family members when Marlie realizes just how everyone views her. It was the catalyst for to make peace with running off with Ewan.

I’m still invested in this series and I look forward to the next book. Overall, this addition might be more tailored towards fans of historical fiction.

~ Samantha

Full review forthcoming on our podcast next month. I will update with links when available. I loved this historical tale and found both the hero and heroine to be compelling characters who really came to life.

Marlie and Ewan ‘s story was an emotional thought provoking read about two individuals who are thrust into dire situations beyond their control. By chance they meet and a friendship is born that in time they realize is just the beginning of something so much more and gives the strength to fight to survive the toughest battles of their lives. Marlie and Ewan learned that in the worst times that they are stronger than they thought and found a bond that makes them want to fight anyone or anything that stands in the way of them being together.

The lives of Ewan McCall, a Union soldier and Marlie Lynch, a biracial woman intersect during the Civil War. Marlie lends a helping hand with her knowledge of healing by using root medicine on wounded soldiers. She forms a friendly relationship with Ewan as his informal lending librarian and they bond over books and philosophy. These tasks serve a dual purpose so she can report back to the Loyal League. They reunite weeks later after Ewan escapes from prison and ends up (with some unexpected help) at Marlie's family home. A home where eventually Marlie is held prisoner because of the hatred one family member holds for her.

As a temporary and necessary solution, Ewan is forced to hide in Marlie's room. Though a bit scandalous, it's mostly innocent as they work and dine together, discuss books, life and family. They find that sometimes getting to know someone is NOT in the agreement of things, but in the disagreement of things. Marlie finds cracks in who she believes Ewan to be underneath the surface and there are things she doesn't like or fully understand. Ewan discovers Marlie can be a bit blinded by her own beliefs and how she sees the people around her.

With her half-brother's wife on a rampage to further her agenda of hatred, the tension in the Lynch Household begins to escalate and then explodes. Marlie is taught a lesson in cruelty and after nearly being discovered, Ewan is forced to flee and he convinces Marlie to come with him. Marlie's medicinal gifts assures them of some comforts, such as food and overnight lodging as they plan to make their way to Tennessee and then go their separate ways.

Ewan wants a life with Marlie, but Marlie refuses to give into her heart's desire because of her recent discovery of her mother's past. At this point in the story Marlie becomes a bit of brat blaming the Lynch Family for not exposing their secrets. The blame actually lies with her Maman who took the secret -- a secret Marlie deserved to know -- in spoken form to her grave.

This story placed me in the middle of the action and I felt their fear and anxiety of an unknown future. The fate of an enemy did not satisfy my own particular thirst for revenge. I enjoyed this story and I learned something, which is always a plus. I hope this series continues because I'm interested in reading Daniel's Story.

I have always been drawn to Civil War fiction, John Jakes' North and South being an early favorite of mine. I have been interested in trying Alyssa Cole's Loyal League series, and when I saw A Hope Divided available on Netgalley I jumped at the chance, and luckily was approved!

I enjoyed the characters, Marlie is in a difficult position of being considered Negro, yet protected by her family name, and Ewan is not at all your conventional romance hero, often unsure of himself and confused by Marlie's reactions, being relatively inexperienced with the opposite sex. He's very detail oriented and inventive, in this story someone who constantly tries to keep his mind occupied by reading, and fixing and thinking things through logically. Marlie is a good match for him, and is constantly challenging the philosophical ideas he has held as guiding precepts in his life. They are both firmly scientific, but Marlie's healing skills, though carefully derived and precise, originate from a background in arts a little more mystical from her mother, that she struggles with, on the one hand wanting to reject them as unrealistic, but on the other, sometimes they seem to prove out in unexpected ways.

There are plenty of heart stopping moments as Marlie's home is invaded by the Confederate Home Guard hunting down deserters and resisters, and her life quickly changes and even becomes endangered, her family name no longer a protection compared to the color of her skin. Overall this was an interesting story that gives a good representation of the fear and complications of being a Union sympathizer in the South during the Civil War, and I recommend it if you enjoy stories set in this time period.

I absolutely adored this novel!

Alyssa Cole has a way of transporting readers and delivering a powerful, compelling journey that sticks with you long after the last page. A Hope Divided is book two in the Loyal League series, immersing us in the midst of the civil war with a healer and a Unionist soldier.

Marlie Lynch found a place of shelter within Lynchwood, but when it floods with her enemies, Marlie’s shroud of safety comes crashing down. But she also finds a friend of sorts in soldier, Ewan McCall. But with all that divides them, can they cross the chasm and build something together?

I think I held my breath through the entire book because there was so much riding against these two, but the connection... !! *swoons*

I adored Marlie. She's part of the Loyal League, delivering any intelligence she can; she's a scientist, determined to bring new methods of healing; she also starts a lending library for the local inmates at a nearby prison. It's there that she meets Ewan.

Her nickname for him? Oh, my gosh. All kinds of perfect!

Ewan won my heart just as quickly as Marlie. He’s a stickler for details, knows his inquisitive nature can be rather abrasive to some, but it's this intensity of his that captures Marlie's attention. And even though Ewan's got demons riding him hard, he just can’t look away from her either. It isn't long before fate steps in in ways neither anticipated.

How these two begin to interact…the way they build their connection…it was magic, plain and simple. Their dynamic is so compelling to watch, and I yearned with them.

This book is masterfully crafted and absolutely riveting. I lived this book—these moments—and I cherished every step of the journey. If you’re wanting a series that makes you cry, but also sweeps you up in the undeniable strands of hope and love, you can’t go wrong with the Loyal League series.

5 stars!

Born of two cultures, a mulatto, Marlie is a free Negro living with her mother (a freed Negro), healers, root women some see as witches. Till her sister, a white slave owner, comes to take her "home," to a better life. The previous night, Marlie had a disturbing dream and now her life was changing. The revelations her life was leading her to would be extensive and dangerous...
Consuming, thought-provoking civil war historical! Liked Marlie's character; felt she could have mixed the science and her heritage, healing, better. Enjoyed that the story made the time period come alive for me. Didn't read the first book in the series, but plan to. Good standalone read! 3 1/2 stars.
Voluntarily read ARC, through Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.

A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole is one of the most compelling books I’ve read this year. It provides a nuanced and engaging story of people from all backgrounds and with all motivations who are caught up in the Civil War. At the center of the story is Marlie, a biracial scientist and apothecary whose family estate in the south is appropriated by the Confederate Army. Her life and relationships provide an intimate and brutally truthful insight into race and gender—and how the two intersect—during one of the darkest times in American history. Thanks to NetGalley for this singular read.

Marlie Lynch was born as a free Black and raised by her mother, Vivienne, in eastern North Carolina for the first thirteen years of her life. Then things changed. A white woman, Sarah Lynch, came to their home, claimed Marlie as family and took her back to the Lynch's ancestral home, Lynchwood. Marlie was viewed by many as a "witch woman" simply because she was born with heterochromia or two different colored eyes, one brown and the other hazel/green. But Sarah didn't see this as anything abnormal and ensured Marlie received an education, was allowed to participate in Unionist activities (if so desired), as well as further her scientific exploration into herbalism and aromatherapy. Marlie began using the skills she learned from her mother as a natural healer and the scientific knowledge of herbalism to help neighbors, escaping slaves and Freemen, and even Union soldiers at a local prison. It is at the local prison that Marlie is able to utilize another skill as a member of the Loyal League by receiving and sending coded messages from prisoners and others. One of the prisoners that she's built up quite a rapport with is a man she refers to as Socrates or Ewan McCall. Prison life is harsh but endurable until the Confederate Home Guard takes over and the leader of the Home Guard becomes a frequent visitor then a permanent guest at Marlie's home. Then Marlie is treated with disdain and even threatened with enslavement (not just slavery but sold into prostitution). Her only option is to find refuge in her quarters. That refuge becomes all the more important when there's a prison break, Ewan is one of the few prisoners to get away, and he's hidden away in a secret space in Marlie's quarters. Then Ewan and Marlie stumble upon a secret that almost destroys Marlie. Can these two formidable former philosophical sparring partners become friends fighting a battle against a common enemy? Is it possible for Marlie's family to stand up to the Home Guard and protect her or will she need to run away? Can Ewan keep his promise and protect Marlie at all cost?

A Hope Divided is the second story in the Loyal League series by Alyssa Cole and takes place during the Civil War era. Once again, the story features a strong, educated, and independent-minded female and a strong, cocky, male. It was a fast-paced and emotionally engaging read. What makes these stories such a nice change of pace for me is that the women are often the ones to the rescue although they are periodically in need of rescuing as well. Yes, there's romance, it is an HEA, but there's also history, a strong sense of the turmoil of the time, drama, and more. I enjoy the way Ms. Cole blends the history of the time with the storyline, the Resistors, the Unionists, the inherent dangers of those involved in the Loyal League, and the way the Confederate Home Guard had little regard for its treatment of women or children, much less men be they Confederates or not. All is not happy and light in A Hope Divided even though it does end with a Happy-Ever-After. If you read An Extraordinary Union then I strongly encourage you to get a copy of A Hope Divided to read. For those of you that enjoy historical romance, especially Black historical romance, if you haven't read An Extraordinary Union, then go grab a copy, read it, then get a copy of A Hope Divided to read. I'm hoping there will be more historical romance from Ms. Cole in the future, especially in the Loyal League series as I'm hooked.