An Extraordinary Union

By: Alyssa Cole

Narrated by: Karen Chilton

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past.

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South - to spy for the Union Army. Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he's facing his deadliest mission yet - risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia. Two undercover agents who share a common cause - and an undeniable attraction - Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy's favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost - even if it means losing each other.

©2017 Alyssa Cole (P)2017 Recorded Books

Not just a good story...A Great Story

I stayed up all night listening to it. Absolutely fantastic story! The romance is intoxicating and the story itself will have you hanging on until the last word is read!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

4 Platypires

This was another Harper Miller recommendation. She's quite good at those, btw. I highly suggest you stalk her Facebook page for the books she mentions. I was disappointed to find out that none of my libraries had this one, so I ended up getting it on audible.

I've been iffy on historical fiction as of late. It just seemed too many of them I was seeing were really more... fantasied versions of the reality. And that frustrated me more than anything. When I read historical I like accuracy. This includes the negatives that come with that time period.

Unlike my usual reads, which I really enjoy something I devour it quickly, I took this one slowly. And I loved it. There's a whole lot of stuff going on in here, and I wanted to make sure I was able to comprehend and acknowledge it all so I'd get the whole picture of everything going on.

I hadn't read Alyssa Cole before this, so I wasn't aware of how much sexy times she writes. It'd been a while since I'd read a book with sex in it to be honest, so I was absolutely thrown off at first. In my head I'm all, "Wait a moment, what's going on ... oh! Yes. This. I know what this is." Because I am 100% this ridiculous.

I'd have to say that I was quite impressed with this book. I will be reading more from this author and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Intense and heart wrenching

Took a chance on this and glad I did. Well done. The tension had me clenching my teeth. Bravo!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

An enjoyable tale all around

After a shaky start I fell right in love with this book. As a historian I get pretty picky about historical fiction, despite a couple small issues I found myself giddy with excitement to hear that the characters were literally jumping on board with a real historical figure. Only real disappointment is that the second book in the series is not on Audible yet.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

I thought Malcolm and Elle's story was amazing. Sense I'm an avid fan of Beverly Jenkins I'm always looking for something to read or listen to in the meantime. I'm so glad that I ran across this book. I can't wait for Ewan story in November. The narrator did an excellent job. She actually performed the story not just read it. I felt like I was watching a movie. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Spy enemy or lover?!

This is the first time That I have red a story by AlyssiaCole. And it definitely will not be my last. This is the very extraordinary love story Of Elle and Malcolm. What makes the story this love story if he will extraordinary is the color of their skins. She was a black woman he was a white man both fighting for the same cause to free slaves. And win the Civil War for the north. Both were spies working for the north when they met. Although Iwas very suspicious Malcolm and FIRST. Because she couldn't trust anyone much less someone dressed as a rebel and because he was watching her with Romance in his heart But the obvious question was could she trust him with her secrets as a spy as well as her heart I thoroughly enjoy this story I've often wondered if two people during that time black-and-white could actually meet and fall in love I know that their union as a marriage would not be legal but could they actually fall in love during that time and I think that they could and that they did I will definitely be reading more of Ms Cole's stories in the near future I definitely recommend this book to you.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly Good

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters, the history, the love story all came together perfectly.

good read

I like the story of a forbidden love. At times the story was slow but predictable. I am always a sucker for a happy ending. overall I liked this story.....

Good Book

This book has everything in it, mystery, adventure, suspicision, and romance. I would have given it a five rating, but not that I have anything against romance, but a blow by blow of each act of lovemaking was a bit much. I found myself skipping foward to get to the details of what the book was really about. The book was a good listen but too much like the movies and t.v., with regards to the explicit sexual scenes, something I was hoping I could get away from in a Good Book. Otherwise the book held my attention.

Harrowingly Real and Truly Immersive

Writing a civil war era romance is no easy feat but Cole's masterful storytelling, combined with her vivid imagery in this book make for an inspiring read. To know that despite the horrors of the time, folks were finding and living in love is why the romance genre is so important.

Look forward to the next installment in this series.