I did not end up getting around to this book but am trying to clear out my NetGalley account. I am auto-approved by this publisher and took more books than I could actually read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this title, but my reading interests have changed. I will not be finishing this book, but look forward to others in the future.

I received an advance copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the romance between a poor Irish immigrant and an enslaved woman in antebellum Virginia. I tend to try and avoid stories centering romance between people who do not have similar power. However, the difficult power dynamic was handled very sensitively, Henry's tendency to draw a false equivalence between his experience as a member of a work gang in Ireland and Sarah's situation as LITERAL PROPERTY gets squashed pretty abruptly, and the resolution of the main conflict of the novel is neat and tidy. I would have said it was too tidy to be believable, but then read the author's note about being inspired by her own great-grandparents' romance and you know what they say. The truth is stranger than fiction.

I think I might have liked the story a little better if it focused more on Sarah and Henry navigating the challenges of their relationship together, rather than the various plans they attempted in order to free her from her enslavement. The social stigma (not to mention actual laws) against a white man marrying a black woman, even a free black woman, could have set the stage for a much different romance. However, the high tension of Sarah's quest for freedom and Henry's role in it, along with the heartfelt portrayal of various other characters in the story, made for a compelling novel.

I would recommend A More Perfect Union to fans of historical fiction, love overcoming immense social odds stacked against it, and those who want a glimmer of hope at the end of an emotionally tense story.

This is an excellent story, and I love that it is based on the author's own family history. Henry's experiences during the Irish Famine are horrific, but upon his arrival in the South., he begins to realize that life for slaves is infinitely worse. He falls for Sarah on the plantation where he begins working as a blacksmith and they develop plans to help her escape so they can run away and live together. It's a compelling read, and the endless barriers that Sarah and Henry face as a mixed-race couple are truly heartbreaking.

I do feel the writing could be stronger in a few areas. The passion between the couple isn't entirely believable, given all the barriers that try to keep them apart. I can't help but feel that in order to pursue a relationship in the face of such adversity, there would need to be a real emotional fire spurring them on. And despite her heartbreaking situation, Maple is portrayed as petty and completely unlikable. I don't believe that her role as the antagonist requires her to come across as quite so unsympathetic to the reader.

Overall, however, I recommend this book. I found myself invested in Henry and Sarah and wanted to know how things would turn out. A sequel to continue their story would be lovely to see!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Tammye Huf for the ARC!

Henry O’Toole flees the famine in Ireland that kills his family. When he arrives to America, he’s surprised at the anti-Irish prejudice he encounters in NYC. Changing his last name to Taylor, Henry heads south to Virginia as a traveling blacksmith. While at Jubilee Plantation he meets Sarah, an enslaved woman who had just been sold to the plantation. Henry and Sarah form a romance that risks everything. Soon, he promises her freedom…but at what cost?

While dealing with the traumas of their own pasts, and the hardships of their present, Henry and Sarah’s chemistry was undeniable. It was easy to root for them but there were times where I thought Henry was not trustworthy. But as the story moved along you can tell how much he cared and wanted to protect her. Sarah’s character development was amazing. For someone who appeared scared and timid, she ended up growing to sticking up for herself, not taking nonsense from Maple and other slaves, and begins fighting for what she really wants.

Then there was Maple. Her attitude toward Sarah, Henry, and sometimes others was nasty. Maple had every ounce of bitterness in her and I wondered if she was a necessary character. But she was. Maple’s attitude was a response of being scared for her family and feeling helpless. It was sadness and frustration built up inside of her. You end up sympathizing for her. Then once your done sympathizing for her, you still want to slap the **** out of her. So in the end her character balanced out the narrative pretty well.

From start to finish, this book was amazing and I could hardly put it down. This was a compelling story that’s part history, part romance, and part biography. You’re left wanting to know more, wishing to know more about the lives of these three characters. Although this was not your typical slave narrative, it never sugarcoated the harsh realities and the history of slavery.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

I downloaded this bc i thought it was romance, but it's really not. So that was a disappointment and I just hope that publishers are being fair to authors by making sure they are correctly organized for the market.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf was fantastic! It’s hard to find outstanding historical fiction set in the deep south, on a plantation, but this is one you don’t want to miss. I was actually sad when the book was over. From the first page, I was totally hooked and when the book was over, I immediately went to find other novels by this author and sadly this is her first and only novel (so far!).

This book is actually inspired by true events which made it all the more meaningful. I’m not the only person who devoured this book then raved about it to everyone; the reviews on Goodreads are all four and five stars!

Henry O’Toole sails to America in 1848 to escape poverty and famine in Ireland, only to find prejudice awaiting him. Determined never to starve again, he changes his surname to Taylor and heads south to Virginia, seeking work as a traveling blacksmith on the prosperous plantations.

Maple is enslaved on Jubilee Plantation. Given to her half-sister as a wedding present by their father, she longs to return to her daughter and husband. She sees the arrival of another enslaved woman, Sarah, as her one chance to be reunited with her family.

Sarah, torn from her own family, has to learn to navigate the hierarchy of her fellow enslaved people, as well as the power system of her new white masters, and now the mysterious blacksmith who is promising her the world—and her freedom too.

This is out now so get it and read it immediately!

This is the debut book by author Tammye Huf. This historical work of art is memorial and poignant.
Once I started reading it I simply could not put it down. The disrespect and injustice done to slaves is just unimaginable. The story is based on family history of what happened to her great great grandparents. He was a white Irish man that came to American to avoid starvation she is a slave at The Jubilee Plantation. Love sees no color, it just knows the emotions of wanting to be with someone and give them all the love you have but at this time in history this love is forbidden.
You will feel an array of emotions as you read through this. This love story endures love and pain at the same time. Highly recommended!


Published January 11th 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I didn’t expect this book to become a must finish, can’t put down read, however, that is what it was. The book is told in three POVs: Henry, a poor Irish immigrant, Maple, a house slave who was given to her half sister as a wedding present, and Sarah, a recently acquired house slave. These three all end of on the same plantation where Henry and Sarah fall in love-and Maple through hurt and jealousy tries to undermine and get rid of Sarah at any cost.

What I appreciate most about this book-what the authors note at the end. Huf, a descendant of a slave and Irishman, tells the fictional account of her own family’s story and their journey of love and freedom. This was beautifully written and the voice of each character was well done.

I think this is a beautiful love story, among other things.Henry, a white man, comes from a life of starvation, he is bound to never starve again when he leaves Ireland, and heads to America. Henry is working as a blacksmith when he meets Sarah, a black slave girl, he is smitten with her at once, he ends up working at the Plantation where she is one of the house slaves, along with Maple, the half sister to the wife of the Plantation Master, Maple is full of resentment, because she was given to her half sister, as a slave, by their father, as a wedding gift. When Sarah and Henry start to have feeling for each other, Maple will do whatever she can to try and replace Sarah with her own Daughter Rose, who is being mistreated by another Plantation owner. The Master being a good Christian man, treats his slaves very good, but he will not tolerate any sin on his Plantation, at that time, the mid 1800s, no white man was allowed to marry a black girl, the only way for Henry and Sarah to have a life together, would be to escape from Jubalee, the Plantation. This book shows us the heartache that these slaves had to go through just to have a normal life, even with a good Master life was hard. I love the Character of Henry, he just wanted to live a happy live, willing to do whatever it takes. I received this book from Net Galley, I agreed to give my honest opinion in return, this is my opinion.

This was a beautiful, heart-wrenching story. It is inspired by the author’s real life great-great grandparents. Henry is an Irish immigrant from County Cork who heads to America to escape the destitute and starving conditions during the potato famine. Sarah is an enslaved woman who he meets by chance and quickly falls for. The story is also narrated by Maple, a "white-passing" enslaved woman whose lens offers yet another perspective on the twisted reality of slavery.

As a white man who is also an outsider to this country, Henry’s perspective on slavery is incredibly insightful and really amplifies the way white America justified (& often retroactively continues to justify) the practice of slavery and the superiority of whites over Blacks. Though I often find stories about the realities of slavery disturbing (because it is) for these reasons, I appreciated the many layers of this story and the interactions of the characters offered so much depth of understanding into the complexities of the times and the way we look at it historically.

I loved and appreciated so much about the way the author told this story. It reminded me often of Kindred, by Octavia Butler, and I loved the way she wove in Henry’s lived experiences as an Irish immigrant and his own hardships back in Ireland. “America is a lie.” In many ways, yes. And for many, it continues to be so.

“A More Perfect Union” is a beautiful book and I would definitely recommend it.

This book was... frustrating. And it's completely my fault. I have this habit of grabbing books that look good, that fall into genres I like, get a gist of what happens in the book and request it. More and more, lately, that's starting to bite me in the butt because I'm not paying close attention, I am picky about what I read, and blurbs are increasingly evasive about giving the reader an idea of what the book is about.
So, I caught that this was a historical fiction novel set on a plantation which normally doesn't bother me. I missed that there is a ribbon of interracial romance between an enslaved woman and an irish blacksmith hired to work at the plantation.
These two.... *sigh* I just... fail to come up with the appropriate words to convey my frustration with them, with their romance, with the people around them- both enslaved and free. At one point, they concocted this stupid plan that I could see from ten paces out was not going to work, and one wonders how they were so hopeful that it would.
At around 50%, I had to decide if I was going to dump it or keep going. I will say the romance between these two characters are but one thread of drama throughout the book. They do have at least one person plotting against them- Maple runs her mouth incessantly and can't stand to see someone else happy. She's kind of deliciously bitter toward Sarah.
The plantation owner is, also... interesting. Super petty but also a bible thumper so he believes he's being righteous and a 'good man' by not allowing his property to be mistreated. Let's throw him a parade.
Anyhoo, I am going to settle at 3 stars. It is not TERRIBLE- the writing is fine, is engaging. Sarah and Henry were infuriating to me and dragged down the book for me.

DNF. The premise sounded good and I’m sure the author has good intentions. But I was somewhat leery, if cautiously optimistic, about the book since some Black reviewers pointed out some sketchy stuff about the book…this is why cancelling requests is a necessary feature on NG!
But Henry is just…I can’t even with him. I understand that Irish people also dealt with hardship and faced prejudice upon their arrival to America, but one scene where he discusses this with Sarah put me off so much. He talks about having “shackles” due to being poor, and why he needs to work to better himself. But here’s Sarah, who has has worn literal shackles, not to mention not being given the option to work or not, much less make money. It put a bad taste in my mouth, and given what the blurb promised, I wasn’t sure if I could continue.

This was a such wonderful read, and I love that it’s based on the author’s great-great-grandparents.

Henry and Sarah were fighting to survive during a time when Irish immigrants were discriminated against and slavery was alive and well in the south. When their paths crossed on Jubilee Plantation, the attraction between them was undeniable. But inter-racial marriage was not only illegal but considered an abomination. Meeting in secret was not only impractical, but put their lives and those of others on the plantation at risk. Regardless, Henry was determined to be with Sarah, even if that meant plotting to steal her from her master.

This book was such a heartfelt and heartbreaking tale, but the strength of their love for one another was what kept hope alive for them. It really was a story of survival, not only in the sense that physical harm and even death could come to them at any given moment, but in the sense that they weren’t truly living unless they were together. That’s what made this such a beautiful story.

Highly recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4393560553

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of A More Perfect Union.

This is an incredible historical fiction based on the author's great-great grandparents. I really appreciated her historical note at the end.

Henry O'Toole fled the famine in Ireland that killed his family and was surprised at the anti-Irish prejudice he encounters in NYC. He changed his last name to Taylor and heads south to Virginia as a traveling blacksmith. While at Jubilee Plantation, he meets Sarah an enslaved woman who had just been sold to the plantation. They form a friendship and he promises her freedom... but at what cost?

This is a well written story and so different than other slave narratives. It looks at prejudice on different levels, the forbidden relationships and how she writes the struggles of the characters.

This has vivid descriptions of a slave auction, lashings, separated families and the abuse/sexual abuse by masters. This was a tough read in many places but I'm so glad I read it.

The title of the book is related to the first line of the Constitution, as the author used James Madison's Montpelier as the model for Jubilee Plantation and reality of that statement...

A terrific, compelling read. I read this in one sitting. I gasped, clutched my iPad and wondered just how the story would end. I love that the story is based on the author’s great great grandparents. The way she wrote the story; it’s like it’s unfolding in real time. The characters come alive with her apt descriptions and emotions. It’s an emotional wrencher to the very end.

This book is fantastic, and even more impactful since it is based in truth of the author's own family. A Irish man fleeing the potato famine meets an enslaved woman, together they endure trials and tribulations in every attempt to achieve freedom. This book is a rollercoaster of emotion, sadness and heartbreak but also overwhelming hope and love. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I reviewed this book for Historical Novels Review magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. Per their policy, I cannot put the review online until February 1st when the review appears on their website.

5⭐
PG for low steam, but includes whipping and abuse to enslaved people

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. You don't need to know anything else, just go preorder it now and I promise you won't regret it because this is the best historical fiction book I've read since Yellow Wife and that is a pretty high bar right there.

Do you enjoy feeling sad when you read? What happy? Angry? Hopeful? Distraught? Thrilled? Well I felt all of those feelings reading this book and I loved every moment... Even when I got to the end and I was very worried as to whether this would be a happy book or a sad book.

A More Perfect Union is the story of a man who leaves Ireland during the potato famine for America who falls in love with a slave woman when working on a plantation and their determination to seek her freedom together. Even better? It's based on the author's great-great grandparents story.

From start to finish, this book was incredible. Sarah was this clever woman balancing refinery politics from the family who owned her to the slave who ran the household and hated Sarah. I didn't think Henry was really worthy of Sarah at first and was just a bit lovesick, but he grew to have a much deeper understanding of how his actions contributed to the condition of slavery. Sarah put Henry in his place when he tried to compare being poor to being enslaved and that conversation is sadly still relevant today when people try to equate class struggles with racism.

The reality of slavery is harrowing and Tammye Huf puts it all out there, along with the struggle of the Irish potato famine. But there were also so many beautiful tender moments between Sarah and Henry that balanced out my anger and sadness with joy and hopefulness. I loved this book and I really do want everyone to read it because it was just so special and wonderful and educational. If you like any historical fiction at all, read this book!!!!

This beautifully penned story is so much more than a forbidden interracial romance between a white Irishman and a Black slave woman. It’s about the difficulty in giving flame to love and the difficulty in fully understanding each other when surrounded by insurmountable adversity on every level.

Inspired by the true story of the author’s great-great grandparents, an enslaved Black woman and an Irish immigrant, this southern historical fiction explores identity, sacrifice, belonging, race and love.
Henry O’Toole arrives in New York penniless after fleeing the potato famine in Ireland. Due to anti-Irish prejudice, he can’t find work, so he changes his last name to Taylor and heads towards the plantations in Virginia. Due to circumstances he can’t control, he fortunately finds work as a travelling blacksmith making rings and shackles for plantation owners. When he arrives at Jubilee Plantation, he falls in love with Sarah, a slave girl. What follows is his quest to free Sarah and their joint fight against the prejudice.

Although the narrative is propelled by the blossoming love these two have for each other, the author highlights characters ranging from the plantation owner to the cook to the cotton pickers and reveals their individual struggles. The stories of each are masterfully woven together, showcasing the progression of the slavery movement as seen from many points of view.

“Starving ain’t the only dying we know about … I know you’ve been though a hard, hungry life … I want you to understand that slave suffering is a different thing. When somebody owns you, there ain’t nothing they can’t do to you.”

The quote above sums up the entire book and reveals the tension between the couple as Henry fails to understand the freedom he experiences versus the controlled life Sarah leads.

Inspired by real events and titled in reference to the US Constitution, this emotional and eye-opening read reveals how the past shapes our present and how necessary it is to choose love in a world mired in extreme prejudice. It has potential for screen adaptation.

Publishes January 11, 2022.

I was gifted this advance copy by Tammye Huf, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.