Review: A Hope Divided
Posted on November 27, 2017 by Dani

I’m so excited to review A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole with you! It’s one of my most anticipated books coming out this fall, and I read it in less than a day after getting my hands on it.

The publisher provided me with an advanced digital copy of A Hope Divided via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

A Hope Divided is the sequel to An Extraordinary Union, which I think might be one of my favorite romance novels I read this year. It follows the story of Ewan and Marlie, who meet when Marlie administers aid to Union soldiers imprisoned in a Confederate POW camp. But when Ewan escapes from the prison and finds himself at risk of being caught by the Home Guard, he is forced to hide away in Marlie’s laboratory where she makes tisanes and poultices to help heal people.

You definitely don’t need to read An Extraordinary Union before picking up this book. Honestly, they’re barely even set in the same world; there’s a few references to Ewan’s brother, but you don’t see Ellie and Malcolm in this book. That said, I think An Extraordinary Union is excellent, so I highly recommend reading it! But you can read these books in whatever order you want.

I have so many thoughts about A Hope Divided. Right off the bat, I really like Marlie and Ewan as characters. Marlie had such an interesting backstory with her mother’s voodoo practice, and Ewan’s struggle with his role as a counterintelligence agent made him incredibly compelling and readable. I really enjoyed watching their romance unfold, especially when they had to face perfectly awful villains like Marlie’s sister-in-law and the captain of the Home Guard.

I also really appreciated the historical aspect of this book. Cole did an amazing job again finding a little-known aspect of the Civil War and bringing it to life. I’ve read a fair amount about the Civil War, but even I didn’t really know anything about the Southerners who chose not to participate in the war for whatever reasons, so I really appreciated the level of research that went into incorporating that into the story. (Side note: Can I just say how awesome it is that Cole includes references at the back of her books?! I rarely see that in historical romance novels.)

And of course, Cole addressed a lot of key topics about race and did a great job exploring some of those issues. She had some amazing quotes in this book that really addressed racism and slavery both in the historical context and in the context of today’s world. It’s amazing how relevant this is even 150 years later.

As a romance novel, though, I was left rather disappointed. I didn’t get nearly enough of Ewan and Marlie together until the second half of the book, which was just too slow of a buildup for me. I also had a hard time understanding why she kept pushing Ewan away. It’s one thing if she doesn’t want to discuss it with Ewan, but even from her point of view, I didn’t fully understand why she was so determined that they should separate after escaping the South.

Then there’s the ending. Minor spoilers ahead, but the HEA doesn’t come until the epilogue of the story. What is that?! The epilogue is traditionally a place where you give additional scenes of the couple living their happily ever after, not where they finally get one! And I didn’t feel like Ewan and Marlie ever really talked and got that satisfying moment where they acknowledge their love for each other. Instead, their HEA felt like an afterthought.

So overall I’m at a bit of as loss as to what to think of this book. On the one hand, I felt the romance aspect of it was lacking, but on the other, I thought the historical aspect was excellent. I found myself rather disappointed when I finished this book, but I think my feelings would have been different if I hadn’t been expecting a romance novel and hadn’t had such a high bar set by An Extraordinary Union.

As much as I love historical romance novels set in England, I’m very excited to see more historical romance novels set in other locations and hope it’s something we see more of in the future. But I don’t want the romance to take a back seat to the historical setting, and I felt that happened with this book. That’s not to say what romance is there isn’t excellent, but I wanted a lot more. In this case, I think the book could have benefited from a good 50 to 100 more pages focused on Marlie and Ewan’s relationship.

Anyways, I still highly recommend An Extraordinary Union, and if you go into A Hope Divided expecting less romance and more historical fiction, I think you’ll find it an excellent sequel.

A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole is on shelves November 28.

Alyssa Cole does it again!

A Hope Divided is the second book in her Loyal League series and it is simply divine. I adored An Extraordinary Union and it set the bar so high that part of me thought I may have had too high of expectations for this novel.

A Hope Divided is a fast-paced and harrowing tale of Marlie Lynch and Ewan McCall (Malcolm’s brother from An Extraordinary Union) during The Civil War. Marlie provides healing to soldiers and aid to runaways on their passage to freedom. Union soldier and escaped prisoner Ewan is hiding out in Marlie’s home laboratory as a vicious man takes residence in Marlie’s home; a place she thought, despite everything else, that she would be safe.

Marlie was drawn to Ewan from the times she visited the prison and offered him books, that is part of the reason why she shelters this quiet man at a time where it is the most unsafe to do so.

Marlie and Ewan grow close and when family secrets are revealed and Marlie’s life is in grave danger, she has to make the decision to run away with Ewan as he makes his way back home. While these two run for their lives, they discover that the men threatening their lives isn’t the only thing to be afraid of, it’s the unexpectedly fearless love that threatens to swallow them whole. While love wasn’t necessarily in the cards for either one of them, it promises to be the best thing they’ve both ever known.

These two complimented each other well. I liked Ewan’s character. He was complex; logical and quiet but dangerous and sinister. Marlie was immensely talented and the aid she provided to help the sick went far beyond what she was even willing to comprehend at first.

While trying not to compare, I will say that the romance was less prominent in this book that in An Extraordinary Union. It seemed to take a backseat to the plot points in the book but considering all of the backstory and revelations readers were left to uncover, it was understandable. It will also be evident to all readers that this novel is incredibly well researched. Cole is unflinching of her portrayal of the Civil War era and the attention to detail and accuracy should be applauded.



Once again Cole provided everything I needed in this historical romance. It was romantic, brave, and heartbreakingly resilient.

If you haven’t picked up her Loyal League series, I suggest you do that ASAP.

This installment of the series is quite a bit different from the first book. Our intrepid heroes in this one are also spies for the North, but unlike Elle and Malcolm from the first book, Marlies and Ewan's spying isn't as overt.

Marlie is a free woman in the south living with her white half-sister who accepts her as a member of the family. Her mother was a black conjure woman and also a practitioner of hoodoo root magic. I have to pause here and say I loved the first chapter, the language of this type of medicine woman felt very familiar to me. This is a long tradition that still lives today. My 80 y.o. grandmother is a strong believer of root magic. I like how the author allowed Marlie's practice to lightly straddle the line of simple wise woman medicine work and some mystical belief. It doesn't quite cross the line into anything really paranormal... but there is a bit of an air.

Like Elle in the previous book, Marlie's status as a free woman is somewhat precarious as she later learns. Her secure life is shaken when she realizes that her acceptance as a daughter of the house can't protect her from people with power who might want to see her back into chattel slavery.

The hero in this one is Ewan, brother of Malcolm from the first book. We first meet him as he has allowed himself to be imprisoned into a southern prison to gather intelligence. He has special skills and can affect a break anytime he wants. I liked Ewan he was bookish and inward thinking and he was a woke white bae. When one of the prison guards refers to the slaves as workers, Ewan disagrees with his terminology.

<blockquote>"The slaves" Ewan corrected. "the term 'worker' implies that payment is provided to them for their services, it is not."</blockquote>

Marlie and Ewan are thrown into each others' company and at various times com to each others' rescue.

This is a nicely written book, very thoughtful and paints a good nuanced picture of two people who are living in specific space in history and letting us peek into their lives as they navigate it.

I especially appreciate the bit of writing where the author relays the dignity and humanity of the enslaved without it sounding pedantic or patronizing.

I hope this series continues.

<i>This is an honest review is based on the receipt of an ARC by the publisher</i>

In A Hope Divided, we meet Marlie Lynch - a spy for the Union living in North Carolina - and Ewan McCall, an escaped prisoner with a dark past. They’re both brilliant, strong, resilient, and willing to do whatever it takes to stop the Confederacy from winning the war. As they have to flee Marlie’s home and follow the path of the Underground Railroad in order to escape the reach of the vicious Confederate Home Guard, they begin to peel away each other’s layers and learn what it means to trust someone else in lives conditioned against it.

There are pieces of this story I want to describe and analyze in great detail, but to do so would steal much of its power. Ms. Cole layers disclosures to us as much as she layers them to Ewan and Marlie, making this book like a puzzle box. We know some things about each of them quickly - they both love to read, Marlie is a free black woman living in the Confederacy, Ewan is Scottish, they meet when Marlie delivers books to the prison camp where Ewan is being held - but we get to know them slowly as the novel progresses. Their motivations, their stories, why they make the choices they make… By the time the story really gets into motion, Ms. Cole has pulled readers so far deep into the puzzle of these people that there is no hope of putting the book down.

The basic plot outline is that Marlie, who serves as a lynchpin of resistance in her corner of the world, decodes spy intercepts, creates medicinal concoctions for Union prisoners and offers quiet but steadfast aid to escaping slaves and traveling free persons. Living on the top floor of her family home, Marlie is mixed-race and her sister, Sarah, is the manor’s white mistress. Well, she is until her brother arrives home with his shrew of a wife who is a total Confederate groupie. It is thanks to the wife that trouble surrounds Marlie and threatens to suffocate her emotionally and harm her physically. Even without addition of Ewan and his story, I would have read this book every day of the week - Marlie is in the running for my favorite story of coming into one's own this year.

As for Ewan, we met his brother as the hero of An Extraordinary Union and I was glad we got to explore more of the immigrant experience in this installment of the series. Ewan escapes from prison and we learn he was an enforcer in the army - someone who tortures people for information, who makes sure that he can disconnect from other people’s humanity in order to protect the humanity of others. This is at the core of his internal struggle, and is, I think, one of the reasons he falls so hard and so fast for Marlie. She has a quiet strength about her, an assurance of her role in the fight that Ewan himself doesn’t have.

As I said above, I could wax lyrical about this book, but I truly want you to experience it for yourselves and don’t want to give away any spoilers. If you are a fan of historical romance and have any desire to read one that doesn’t involve dukes and ballrooms, I’d ask you to give A Hope Divided a shot. Let Ms. Cole weave these people around you - they are worth your time, attention, and care.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

I thought I was prepared, as I picked this up immediately after finishing An Extraordinary Union, but this was an even more intense read. I think it would be unfair to the historical record for any book involving the Civil War to not be uncomfortable reading at times. But, oh my goodness, I loved this book. And, let me get this out of my system, that COVER! Absolutely gorgeous! While this is the second in a series, you don’t need to have read the first book to read this one – though, seriously, what are you waiting for? You’re missing out!

It’s hard not to compare this to the previous book. Marlie is a very different heroine than Elle. For one, she’s led a very sheltered life as the illegitimate daughter of a well-respected white family. Most of her life revolves around her mixing medicines in her set of rooms in the attic. While very different from Elle, Marlie shows her strength in her own ways, in her insistence on being self-sufficient. But while I loved her, it was Ewan who was the true heart of the book for me.

Oh, Ewan! From the very first, I realized that Ewan was on the autism spectrum.

“I have always been the odd boy, the strange young man. I asked too many questions, or turned the conversation to things that pleased me and bored everyone else. Easily frustrated and eternally restless.”

I’ve read a few romances with neurodivergent heroes, and Ewan is one of the best in terms of speaking to my experiences with people with autism – his reliance on a Greek philosophy book for his set of moral rules, his difficulties with emotions, his frustration at interacting with other people. Sometimes, when authors write characters who are “different,” you end up feeling like they’re overemphasizing the disability over the person. In this case, Ms. Cole did a wonderful job of presenting Ewan as he is, as a human being and not just a disability. Ewan’s confusion at his developing relationship with Marlie, and his attempt to apply logic to their relationship, brought me to tears several times.

In terms of themes, this book went further than the first in exploring social issues around the Civil War. While I felt the interracial relationship was the core of the first book, in this one, it’s more of the justifications behind the war and the reaction to it from blacks and whites, both for and against the war. It’s about learning to rely on others, about respecting family history – and family secrets. That’s not to say the book is all heavy stuff – there’s quite a bit of laugh out loud humor. What it does mean is that this is a book that’ll stick with you long after you’ve finished it.

“[C]lose your eyes and listen to your heart, which may lead you astray but will always guide you to the path you were meant to take.”

This is easily one of my top-5 books of 2017. Highly recommended!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

I just adore this series. You don't necessarily have to read the first one to enjoy this one, though the first one is also excellent, so I do recommend reading it as well. Alyssa Cole has clearly done her research! She really brings that time period to life, and gives people of color the dignity they have been denied in our history books. She really highlights that there was NOTHING - not money, not family,not intelligence - that could save a black person in that time period. If someone decided you needed to be "dealt with," no one could prevent it. It's horrifying, but something we need to face. Throughout all this, Cole weaves a great romance, without trivializing the characters' problems.

Rated 4.5 Stars

I love this author's voice. Her books always pull me in from the first word and don't let me go until the very last. That's not entirely true as hours even days later I'm still thinking about the characters and the world they inhabit.

A Hope Divided is no different, it pulled me in from word one and I have no doubt that I'll be thinking about these characters for sometime.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. It had me flipping through emotions at a rapid rate. I'd be happy, then sad, then angry, then nervous, then anxious and so on. It was thrilling. I loved it and definitely recommend it.

Absolutely terrific historical fiction with two dynamic lead characters unique to the genre. Cole has carved out a slice of history we seldom read about- mixed race free women during the Civil War. Even more, Marlie is a healer. Ewan, who she is hiding, has a difficult background, to say the least, There's a mild romance between these two which was less important in the flow of the story than you might think. While this is the second book in a series, you really don't need to have head the first one (although it's awesome) to fully appreciate this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend this for fans of historical fiction- it's well written, entirely believable, and, actually, quite emotional. Good read!

I received a copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley to read and review prior to publication. This has not impacted my thoughts or opinions about it.

3.5 stars. A Hope Divided is the story of Marlie and Ewan. Marlie, a half-black woman with heterochromia iridium, a skill for healing and botany, and a spy, ends up meeting Ewan in a prison camp. In An Extraordinary Union, you meet Malcolm; in A Hope Divided, his brother Ewan is the male lead. Together they find themselves in unexpected close quarters fighting terror and upheaval during the Civil War. Add in Marlie's complicated family relationship and a mystery father, and you have quite the historical romance.

While I enjoyed the general plot, I found Marlie to be less dynamic than Elle (the protagonist in An Extraordinary Union). Ewan was fine, though I thought his character was far more interesting towards the end when a reveal about his personal history emerges.

Overall, I'd recommend it to people who enjoy American historical romances and anyone who read and loved An Extraordinary Union.

Alyssa Cole has done it again. In her second book of “The Loyal League” series, we get the story of Marlie Lynch, the child of a former slave wise woman (medical practitioner). Claimed by her white, southern (northern sympathizing) sister at the beginning of the story, Marlie makes a place and a name for herself in the margins of that family. When escaped prisoner of war Ewan takes shelter in her rooms at the plantation and the injured enforcer of the prison is also taken in in the same house, Marlie’s sometimes perilous situation becomes even more dangerous.

I loved this story. It didn’t have (for me) quite the edge of danger that the first book in the series did, but the much slower-burn romance between the calm, practical Marlie and Ewan (who has had to learn how to read social cues and observe illogical-to-him social shibboleths) was fascinating. As always, Cole has layered in a lot of subtle history and lore that deepen and enrich the story. Highly recommended for people who loved An Extraordinary Union.

I was given an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I think Civil War romances are so few and far between that it's refreshing to read them no matter what, but then add in the Unionist/Underground Railroad/Resistance stuff and it's just ten times better. AND then to have a WOC heroine? Sigh of happiness. I'm going to keep recommending Cole's books, and I can't wait for Loyal League #3.

I cannot recommend this book enough! It is so good! It's progressive while still having the characters behave as they should in their setting. The hero is melancholy and self-loathing, but doesn't externalize that onto the heroine. The heroine is pure perfection. The villains are hateful and awful, but nothing the couple can't overcome. The prose is wonderful, and goddamn that cover is amazing. I devoured this book and loved every second, and expect other readers will as well.

I really like how this woman writes! :)

The heroine here was weaker and more protected than the one in the previous book, but I appreciated how he grown up, even if I, and I suppose nobody else, didn't like the reasons that forced her to!

She is also a mixed race free woman, but where the previous heroine was actively fight for the Union, here Marlie is not fighting but helping either with care of the prisoners of war or with hiding the escaped slaves.

Still, her help is done with the protection of the powerful family: her half sister's. So, she's somehow respected and allowed more freedom with her herbalist's experiments. She doesn't need to work inorder to maintain herself. She has a home where she's loved and all her needs are met.

The hero, on the other hand is an active fighter for the Union, even if his fight is rather horrific: she's a torturer! But he's also a prisoner in the camp where Marlie is tending and helping.

When he escapes, wonded, he's brought to Marlie for help.

Unfortunately, the half-brother comes home with a harpy of a wife who brings into their, until then peaceful home, the Confederate forces! She also hates Marlie because of the colour of her skin and because she cannot accept that her husband's half sister is allowed freedom and respect!

All that hate forces Malie to flee to save herself and she's forced to feel on her own skin the real treatment the slaves are subjected to.

Fortunately she has the hero's, Ewan's help.

Ewan is a very curious character. He's alsmot robotic in some of his behaviours. But, he starts having feelings for Marlie and is rather clumsy with her.

I liked him a lot. He was just what Marlie needed to make her best come out!

A very unusual pair and a very well written story!

I'm looking forward to more books from Ms. Cole!

As a novel about a historical time period, A Hope Divided is lively, fast paced, and thoroughly interesting. Cole has meticulously researched the American Civil War, and what it was like to be a person of any race, gender, or political leaning living during it; she depicts the American South in vivid colour. I also particularly appreciated her knowledge of medical sciences at the time. Marley's grasp on her career is inspiring, and contributes nicely to the forward motion and underlying threat that spurs the plot. I found myself turning the pages, and then going back to highlight passages that particularly resonated with me. My absolute favourite part of this book was the tension and complication that exists between Marlie and her white family. Neither all good nor all bad, the relationships were moving, and at times heartbreaking. Cole left room for so much nuance between these characters, which really added to the novel's overall reality.

As a romance novel, I felt it started a bit slowly. To be fair, it is probably a lot to ask Cole to establish such a highly fraught world while simultaneously immersing us in the romance from the get go, especially when so much of the quality of the romance comes from first establishing the heroine's independence-- something that would be so difficult to do in the world in which the novel is set. However, I did feel like this was successfully done in An Extraordinary Union, so in comparison I was a little disappointed. I feel like perhaps my disappointment is just a product of this novel being categorized as a romance, when perhaps it would have been better suited as historical fiction, because there is so much more at stake than just the romance. These things are not for me to decide. Towards the end of the novel, Ewan and Marlie become what I wanted them to be all along, and I was left wanting more. I hope they make an appearance, along with Elle and Malcolm, in The Loyal League #3.

Without comparing it to its predecessor, though, A Hope Divided stands as an good example that not all historical romances need to be set in Regency England and feature lords and ladies. At once educational, romantic, and suspenseful, Cole will leave readers wanting more-- a trait I have very much come to expect from her. I cannot wait for her next novel about Daniel's search for love.

This book is one huge intense read. I just finished racing through it, and my feels have not settled yet, so my words will be lacking. Peril, injustice, risk, secrets, spying, danger, and hope.

The Civil War is not a setting for light reading. Marlie has grown up wrapped in a cocoon of safety during a time when injustice abounded, trapped in the middle of several worlds, and not fully belonging to any. She is inherently good, takes risks, and wants to help heal people any way she can.

Ewan is an unusual hero, as he has issues communicating with people and interpreting social cues. He has a dark past, in more ways than five. They fit nicely together as a couple. There is a lot stacked against them, and taking that with the constant danger really destroyed me. When my heart stops racing, I might return to this review and expound.

Alyssa Cole is an amazing writer, and does much research to create accurate historical situations. Very Highly Recommended.

I honestly could not have loved this book more. I bought the first book ages ago and for some reason have not gotten around to reading it. That will be changing soon because this book was just perfection. Wonderful characters- the scientist daughter of a former slave and a captured Yankee spy, who are fully developed and we get to watch their relationship grow under such awful circumstances. Nothing I could write would do this book justice but it is a book I will be recommending to to every romance lover I know.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmm. I’m truly conflicted about this book. On one hand, I LOVED the first book in this series, it was full of intrigue and passion, historically rich in details, just a fantastic, emotional read. While this book also had intrigue and was historically rich in details, it lacked a little bit of the passion for me. I don’t mean to imply that it needed more love scenes or kissing - I guess I just found it lacking in chemistry between the two main leads. And it was hard to stop comparing it to the breathtaking love story in the first book. However, lets revisit the historically rich details. I learned a lot more about the nuances of our country’s history and the American Civil War through this book than I ever did in any history class I ever took. One of the most interesting things was the author’s note at the very end - a poignant way to remind us in our current climate that heroes exist and friends can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

Let’s start with the most important part of this review: A Hope Divided is fabulous. It tells the story of a Marlie, a scientist spy and a Ewan, a philosopher soldier. Both have complex backgrounds and have to come to terms with who they are over the course of the book. This books is so full of fabulousness that it’s hard to write a review. For me, the highlights were all the discussions between the characters about topics like slavery, racism, war and identity. So much of this says as much about the current era as it does about the American Civil War.
The only thing that let’s down the book a little, is the romance. It’s there, it’s believable, but it gets overshadowed by all the other themes in the book. To be honest, I didn’t really mind because I loved the rest of the book so much.
For me, this is a 5-star book, and I’m definitely going to reread it soon.

Y'all... Bless NetGalley and more importantly, bless Alyssa Cole. This book. You know that feeling when you start to feel lost and kind of hopeless? Well, this book gave me mine back. I mean, it kind of made me want to cry because the discussions in here are so incredible and they happen so organically between Marlie and Ewan. I just absolutely adore the two of them together. Neither of them are perfect. Marlie (extremely understandably) is frustrated by her circumstances/the world because well, why wouldn't she be? But she can take out the frustration against the world on Ewan, which is unfair, even if completely understandable and a thing we all do. Ewan is convinced that he's the worst because he tortured people to get information (which I could write a whole separate post on, but that's beside the point) and also he clings to logic and this awful view of himself at the expense of Marlie. The two of them are absolutely fantastic characters. They are well-balanced and just... Yes. I love their story. I am already excited for the next installment in the series, which (according to Goodreads) is arriving next year.