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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is Centuries, where we were given a random century and had to pick a book based during that time period. For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!
Book: “An Extraordinary Union” by Alyssa Cole
Publishing Info: Kensington, March 2017
Where Did We Get This Book: The library!
Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound
Century: 19th
Book Description: 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…
Kate’s Thoughts
It’s a bit of an anomaly that I have read a romance author before reading the book selected for book club should that author be a romance author. But in the case of “An Extraordinary Union”, I actually had read TWO books by Alyssa Cole! One of them was her “Hamilton” inspired novella “That Could Be Enough”, which was cute, and the other was her thriller novel “When No One Is Watching”, which I really loved. So I had read Alyssa Cole before book club met, and I MAY have been the only one? ANOMALY I SAY! And while “An Extraordinary Union” wasn’t the usual book that I pick up on my own, I kind of knew what to expect.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I really liked the idea of spies for the Union during the Civil War, and that one of said spies is a Black woman who has gone deep undercover in hopes of turning the tides of the war. I liked Elle a lot, and I found her motivations believable and was invested in her getting out of her dangerous position while also sticking it to the Confederacy. While I don’t usually do spy books, this one kept my interest because of my background in learning about and presenting this time period at my historical society job. But at the same time Cole balances this aspect with the charming romance between Elle and Malcolm, while also bringing up and parsing out the complications that would arise during this time period for a mixed race couple. I was worried that there might be some sticky aspects to this given the historical context, not only with societal racism, but also misogyny/ misogynoir, but I did feel that Cole did a pretty good job of addressing these things and making sure that Elle and Malcolm were on equal footing, or as close to equal footing as possible.
And this is an ongoing series! So if you like “An Extraordinary Union” and the themes and plot points, you can keep on going! I am considering it, as the set up for the next book is pretty intriguing. Overall I found it to be a solid romance novel with a setting that felt unique.
Kate’s Rating 7: A historical romance filled with intrigue and a backdrop of a critical time during the Civil War, “An Extraordinary Union” is entertaining and sure to please people who like the genre!
Book Club Questions
- What did you think of having Elle as a protagonist in this book? Along with that, what were your thoughts on Malcolm as a love interest for her?
- What did you think of Cole comparing and contrasting between the two backgrounds that Elle and Malcolm came from, and how they are both from marginalized backgrounds?
- What did you think of Susie as one of the antagonists in this book? How did she hold up or subvert the Southern Belle stereotype in literature?
- Have you read any fiction books that take place during the Civil War that have stuck with you? What was it about that book or books that resonated?
- How does this story compare to other historical romances that you have read?
- Would you keep reading on in the series?
Reader’s Advisory
“An Extraordinary Union” is included on the Goodreads lists “#ReadPOC: List of Romance Books by Authors of Color”, and “Historical Romance with Unusual Settings”.
Next Book Club Pick: “Much Ado About Nada” by Uzma Jalaluddin
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