A cute story about a young woman who wishes to fight in the American Revolution.

This book is rooted in a charming concept, a lovely young lady who wants to be a solider in the continental army. This might be a fun read for the younger end of the YA demographic, especially those with a fondness for the Revolution or those looking to learn more about it.

For an older audience, it’s a bit shopworn (a young women wishing to see combat in a setting that doesn’t allow it is nothing new). Which is fine, if the story is either an original spin on the concept or just exceptionally well done. This isn’t really either of those things, though it’s satisfactorily executed.

The writing is a bit wooden, as is the dialogue, and it feels a bit childish for the target audience, more like what a lot of YA used to be before authors and publishers realized that teens are actually a lot sharper and more thoughtful than they believed them to be.

The setting and sense of place is quite good though, evocative in its action scenes as well as those that take place in a drawing room.

Thank you for the advance reader copy of this novel. I tried several times at different points over several months to get into this hook and could not engage.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 2star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This review won't be very long, because I'm sorry to say, I had to dnf this book at around 50% mark. It was just not for me.
It was too boring, didn't captivate me at all. Everytime I had to force myself to pick it and after few pages I felt like falling asleep. It took me over a month to reach 50% and I just can't anymore.
The characters were bland copy of Jane Austen characters, I didn't enjoy reading about any of them and I couldn't care less about what will happen to them.
The plot was comfusing and all over the place.

I do not recommend this book.

I'm not usually interested in historical fiction set around the American Revolution, but seeing other reviews of the book intrigued me and thought I'd give it a chance. This book honestly surprised me! It got me hooked from the first few pages and I enjoyed the setting and the characters. I also think that this was a very well researched book and the author definitely was more inclusive and diverse compared to other writers centering around this period. The only note I have would be that the pacing wasn't something I meshed with well. Sometimes it was just too fast that it was like you blinked and then everything was done and another thing happens without barely recovering from the first one? Anyway, I still enjoyed this book and would love to read more of the author's work.

**I was given a copy of this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Muskets and Minuets was the months-long detour I had no intention of taking from my reading. Getting through this book was hard work. I often push myself to finish every book I start and usually by the end I've found something that I enjoyed about it that was worth the time it took. That didn't happen here.

Muskets and Minuets cannot decide if it wants to be literary fiction or historical romance but fails in its attempt to be either. I cannot stress enough how overwritten this entire thing is. The plot often gets lost in the atmospheric minutia and period descriptions. If you feel nothing else, the author needs you to know how well-researched this piece is. To be honest, it feels like a TBS mini-series so maybe don't bank on those academic expectations. The author also loves her colonial slang. Characters "quit the room" every other minute, the sexual euphemisms are embarrassing, and the scenes are wholly inappropriate for the Young Adult category this is marketed for.

The transitions between scenes are as jarring and disjointed as the actions of the main character. The book dragged, the objectives of the plot were confused, and everything seemed to be scrapped at the end for a bad Pride and Prejudice fanfic ending. Complete with our love interest loving the leading lady 'most ardently'.

It wasn't for me, but reviews suggest I'm in the minority, so if it sounds like something you would be into, give it a go.

Trigger Warnings for Sexual Assault, Miscarriage, and Attempted Abortion

Amidst mounting tensions between the British crown and the American colonists of Boston, Annalisa Howlett struggles with her identity and purpose as a woman. Rather than concern herself with proper womanly duties, like learning to dance a minuet or chasing after the eligible and charming Jack Perkins, Annalisa prefers the company of her brother, George, and her beloved musket, Bixby. She intends to join the rebellion, but as complications in her personal life intensify, and the colonies inch closer to war with England, everything Annalisa thought about her world and womanhood are transformed forever.

Muskets and Minuets follows Annalisa Howlett who chafes against the expectations facing women in 18th colonial America while war looms on the horizon. A great piece of historical fiction which may interest fans of Outlander who are waiting for the newest season and want to brush up on their American history.

The Plot in Brief: Set before and during the early days of the American Revolution, Annalisa Howlett is a young Massachusetts woman who chafes at the limits, expectations and social restrictions placed on the female of the species. Taught to shoot a musket by her brother, she longs to serve her country and joins the local militia disguised as a man. Yet, despite her anti-marriage stance, Annalisa is drawn to her brother's cousin, Jack Perkins, even as he pursues her lovely sister, Jane.

The Characters: There are three main characters, Annalisa, her brother George and Jack. The narrative focuses on their lives, with most of the story centered on Annalisa. Annalisa is the quintessential tomboy. When the story opens she is a 'teenager' rebelling against her parent's wishes that she comport herself as a young woman from a prosperous family. They want her to marry 'well'. George, her loving, indulgent brother, enables his sister to a degree but eventually draws the line. Annalisa has a tug-of-war relationship with her brother's handsome cousin Jack and the author throws all manner of obstacles in their way. The trio evolve into patriotic adults who learn when to push and when to accept the boundaries placed on their lives.

The History: The American Colonial Period is one of my favorite historical times and it was this that drew me to the story. Fera does an excellent job of capturing the time leading up to the revolution. I liked the way she created conflict in her character's families by have some oppose the growing clamor against England. She includes quite a few prominent events; the Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the opening stages of the war.

The Writing: Zounds! At times I felt like I was reading a dictionary of 18th century insults, sexual innuendos and naughty language. At other times, the stiff formal dialogue stilted the narrative. The pace of the story slowed somewhat in the middle and I admit I got a bit impatient at times. There were also times when I was not quite sure who was speaking or doing some action, but this was a minor issue.

Overall: I really enjoyed Muskets and Minuets. It's got a lot of great history both social and political without reading like a dry history tome. Annalisa is a sympathetic heroine with a good story and a satisfying ending. I'm not really up on the YA market but I would definitely recommend this book to others, both readers of adult fiction and YA fiction, especially those that enjoy historical fiction.

I am a huge sucker for historical fiction highlighting women in otherwise male dominated history. This was SUCH a good example of that, and I found myself falling in love with our main character Annalisa and her passion for rebellion and feminism. This book honestly shocked me as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much without knowing much about it, but I would absolutely recommend it to readers interested in history and feminism.

Muskets and Minuets is a story about three people and their contribution towards the independence of our country. The novel spans from the year 1769 through 1775, which is the period before the Revolutionary war. Historical fiction is my preferred genre and the common subject matter is WWII,, it was refreshing to read a novel that takes place during the 18th century. The novel is light on romance and heavy on history, which felt well researched, but not to the point of being confused for nonfiction.
I have a tendency to not remember the characters shortly after finishing the novel. This has not been an issue with this novel, I found the characters to be refreshing and memorable. Lindsey Fera tells an entertaining story through the well fleshed out characters.
Annalisa is the main character, she is called Annie by her family and the novel opens when she is thirteen years old, during which she is being taught to be "a proper wife". Annalisa is expected to marry well; however, she is more interested in how she would protect her family and learning to handle a rifle, which is called Bixby. Annalisa calls herself Benjamin Cacendish and her goal is to be able to handle the rifle and to eventual to join the miltia. She is what we would consider a tomboy and would love to discord her gowns for britches., I enjoyed this character and her preferance for drinking cider and hanging out in the pub. Although her half brother George taught Annalisa to shoot, he disapproves of the pub and cider drinking.
Jack is the eldest son of of Lord and Lady Perkins, he is a Havard graduate and a law apprentices for John Adams. In the opening chapters, he courts Jane, who would be a good match for Jack. Yet the heart feels differently, and he is attracted to Annalisa. after they share a kiss.
.Jane is the sister to George and Annalisa, she is the polar opposite of her sister and is aware of the requirnment to marry well. Oliver is the second son and Jack's brother, he is quite handsome and is described as having, "a fine and sculpted chin and nose".
The novel is a Young Adult, I would recommend the novel to both YA and adult readers. I enjoyed the novel and award the book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I wish to thank NetGalley, Lindsey Fera, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Typical feminist story but historical. Enjoyed every bit.

The book is a story of Annalise, who does not accept her womanly chores and instead learns archery from her brother. Later joins training for army.

Recommended for historical fans!!

I liked this book. The phase started well and hooked me up from the start till the end. The characters were okayish I mean, I didn't feel attached to them so-

Overall, this Is one hell of a mook.

A great historical fiction read with a compelling plot and intriguing characters. Recommended for readers looking to start into historical fiction. I truly admire the author’s decision to write about a period in history much looked over in the historical fiction genre. This will surely intrigue readers to pick up a copy!

When one reviewer on Goodreads mentioned this was like an American Georgette Heyer novel, I. Was. Hooked. I love books about this time period and always feel like there aren't enough. I highly recommend this for adventure lovers and feminists alike!

I was really looking for a book set during this time period and it did not disappoint! I like how it gave us its own characters to follow with locations and mentions of characters that are in our history books. I thought this was a fresh take on the revolutionary war, I have always enjoyed reading books that set within a specific time period and through the eyes of the youth at that time, this was no different! I will definitely be recommending this book.

TW: Sexual assault and miscarriage

So I almost DNF this because I was a bit confused with all the events and characters and the switching of POVs in the beginning of the book. There are a lot of historical events that happen and this book covers the POV of three people: Jack, Annalisa, and George. This book also spans a long time period of many years. I ended up really enjoying that because you got to see Annalisa and Jack’s relationship grow at a decent pace. I’m really glad I didn’t DNF this because as soon as I read about 50 pages, I was hooked. I loved reading about Annalisa and Jack’s relationship and Annalisa’s adventures in the army. I also didn’t know much about this historical time period so it was nice to learn something new. I also really liked the language Fera uses in her writing because it felt very authentic to the time period and helped immerse me in the story. There’s a glossary at the end of the book which will be very useful to the reader. I didn’t realize it was there until I finished the book, but I understood most of the vocab by context and Google. One character is sexually assaulted in the book and her attacker is still in the picture for the whole book. To add to that, a close friend tells about her assault to someone else. Also when she ends up telling someone close to her about her assault, they don’t believe her and react in a terrible and hurtful way. In regards to character development, I wasn’t a huge fan of Annalisa’s change in perspective when she ends up with Jack because she goes from being a strong, independent woman who wants to fight in the army to being like “I want to have 15 of Jack’s babies, I love him so much I’ll give up the army.” Regardless, the book ended in a very satisfying way with no cliffhangers and everyone’s storylines neatly tied up. Poor George though 😅 But overall, a very good book and I highly recommend it.

In the midst of mounting tensions between the British crown and American colonists of Boston, Annalisa Howlett struggles with her identity and purpose as a woman. Much more interested in joining the rebellion, than to learn how to dance a minuet, Annalisa is faced with tough choices that will forever change the way she sees the world and herself.

In this novel, we mainly follow Annalisa Howlett. However some chapters were also dedicated to two other characters, Annalisa’s brother,George, and one of George’s friends, Jack Perkins. Each of these character represents a different experience of life during the American Revolutionary War.

Although all of the characters, and their relationships with each other, are extremely interesting to follow, I have to say that I definitely enjoyed Annalisa, and her storyline above all others.
The story of this novel spans over a period of 5 or 6 years, which allows for great character development. Annalisa is through and through a brave young women, who challenges the social constraints of the 18th century womanly roles.

Overall, this is a good, entertaining historical read. For me, this novel was definitely a page-turner! Plus, there is a very sweet romance between two characters (that’s all I’m going to say ☺️)

Thank you to @netgalley and @genz_publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Muskets and Minuets is a fantastic historical fiction book about a girl named Annalisa Howlett and her time during the American Revolution.. Instead of taking on the traditional womanly roles of the time, she opts for learning how to shoot a musket from her brother George. She then poses as a boy and trains to join the rebellion. This amidst growing up and personal struggles, makes for a fantastic story. I really loved it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I thought this was going to be more of a romance. Maybe the cover? Either way I was wrong, which is fine. Some of my favorite books ended up being nothing of what I expected. Unfortunately, I just found this a bit boring. I'm still giving it a 3-star as it was well written, I just didn't connect with the story.