A Hope Divided - (Loyal League) by Alyssa Cole (Paperback)

About the Book

"For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her--until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause. Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible. When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love--and freedom--before they ever cross state lines."--

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning author of the instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller, When No One Is Watching... The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor--but for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, the battle could bind them together as love war, and racial justice collide in Alyssa Cole's buzzworthy, sensual, and revelatory Civil War novel.Named a Best of the Year by Entertainment Weekly * Bookpage * Kirkus * Vulture * Publishers Weekly * Booklist

For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her--until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause. Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible. When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love--and freedom--before they ever cross state lines.When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love--and freedom--before they ever cross state lines.

Review Quotes

Exceptional Praise for The Loyal League Series

"Cole does the seemingly impossible, using the Civil War as a backdrop for a realistic, gripping interracial romance that interrogates slavery, systemic racism, and more, while still remaining utterly swoon-worthy." --Entertainment Weekly, Top 10 Romances of 2017 on An Extraordinary Union

"Cole's Civil War-set romance boasts one of the most delightfully, unapologetically powerful heroines in recent memory. Elle Burns quotes The Art of War in between dodging Confederate bullets, and by the end of An Extraordinary Union, readers are just as smitten with her as her adoring love interest is." --BookPage, Top Pick, 10 Best Romance Novels of 2017 on An Extraordinary Union

"Cole's characters are complex and passionate. Readers will share the couple's rage and admire their determination" --Library Journal, Editor's Fall Picks for A Hope Divided

"Fans of Beverly Jenkins will be thrilled with Cole's fearless, steamy, and moving multicultural take on forbidden love in a time of slavery and war." --Booklist STARRED REVIEW for An Extraordinary Union

"Cole's sparkling gem of a romance portrays love at its most practical and sublime." --Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW, BEST BOOKS OF 2017 on An Extraordinary Union

"[Alyssa Cole's] prose is flawless. Her historical research is absorbing, and her characters are achingly human. This book is fantastic. As the war closes in around them, the line blurs between who is the rescuer and who is the rescued." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW for A Hope Divided

"Successfully navigating the challenges of writing an interracial romance set during the Civil War is difficult enough to do once, but to pull it off twice is truly impressive. And yet Cole has managed to do just that with her second book in the series." --Shondaland.com on A Hope Divide

About the Author

Alyssa Cole is an Edgar Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary suspense and historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her Civil War-set espionage romance An Extraordinary Union was the American Library Association's RUSA Best Romance for 2018, and A Princess in Theory was one of the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2018. She's contributed to publications including Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. Her books have landed on Best of lists from Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, Essence, Newsweek, Bookpage, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, among others. Visit her online at AlyssaCole.com