An Extraordinary Union
Alyssa Cole
So I finally did the thing, and I’ve fallen into historical romances again.
Some of the first romance novels I read were historical romance with clinch covers promising bodice ripping within their pages. I remember going into a drug store with my friends in high school and picking up a few with the little money I had, wondering why no one was carding me or anything, the clerk not batting an eye as I purchased smut. (Bless drug store clerks, honestly). I hid them, or thought I hid them, in my book shelves. My mother made no comment regardless…
My friends in high school would have readings of them, guffawing at the sex scenes. We were weird, and I always tried to hide the fact that I loved how they made me feel. Being a teen is weird. But now I can unabashedly share my love of romance novels! Sort of… I still borrow them on my Kindle so that none of my patrons/coworkers can see the cover of what I’m reading or putting on hold. But that’s the beauty of digital lending! Your local library probably has an e-book lending service too!
I’ll get off my librarian soap box now…
It’s not a coincidence that this novel is also written by Alyssa Cole. I’ve tried reading other romance authors, and while I loved Helen Hoang’s The Bride Test and (next on my list) The Kiss Quotient, there’s just not enough material from her yet to satisfy the needy bits of my heart, although I will continue to cherish everything that she writes. Christina Lauren fell flat for me in the sex department of Romance in The Unhoneymooners, which is mostly my entire reason for reading these kinds of novels, and I’m hesitant to try them again. I have a few other authors on my Kindle I’m going to try, and I’ll probably review them here as well, but back to Alyssa Cole! I fell in love with her contemporary voice in the Reluctant Royals series, and I’ve fallen in love with her again for An Extraordinary Union.
Set during the Civl War, Elle Burns is on a mission to collect important information by trading in her freedom to work as a slave in a Confederate Senator’s estate. Her photographic memory and keen detective skills have set her apart and made her work invaluable, but she is unprepared for Malcolm McCall. Another spy infiltrating the manor, his easy manner and disarming charms win him the affections of the senator’s daughter easily, if only a certain Elle Burns wasn’t on his mind all the time… As their attraction for each grows, so does the threat of violence against the Union as plans are put into motion that could tear apart the nation. Malcolm and Elle must make dangerous decisions that risk everything, even losing each other, to preserve the Union at any cost.
Honestly, I was not prepared for this book. I’ve gotten used to the gentle escapism that’s in her Reluctant Royals series, which if you haven’t read A Princess in Theory yet, go do the thing. An Extraordinary Union feels like a masterclass.
In such a short time I cared so much about these characters, and Cole’s plot pacing had my heart racing at times. She did an excellent job of balancing the spying portions of the novel with the romantic, and I found myself-while excited- not wanting to skip ahead to rid myself of the tension during suspenseful passages. The stakes were so much higher in this book when compared to her others, and I even found myself getting emotional towards the end. Not that other parts of the book didn’t illicit reactions from me either, especially since this is set in the south during the Civil War.
Here are a few of my Kindle notes in reference to scenes of white people being Scum [TW: racism/racial slurs/sexual assault]:
Book:”We treat our darkies like family here, but something about this girl just ain’t right.”
Note: Murder her!
Book: “Senator Caffrey elbowed him congenially, as if they were old friends, raising his chin in Elle’s direction. ‘Can you imagine having that under you, and her not able to make a sound?'”
Note: MURDER THEM ALL
Book: “‘Our refusal to lick the boots of the North has allowed the true ingenuity and kindness of the Southern people to shine. We’re not afraid of a little hard work,’ Susie said…”
Note: FLAMES. Flames on the side of my face
As a note, one of the reasons I initially held off reading this book was because I was worried, by having it set in the Civil War with a black female protagonist, I’d also have to read sexual abuse. And while it’s mentioned, because Cole doesn’t try to rewrite history only write historical fiction (a key difference), I was pleasantly surprised and relieved I didn’t have to go through with reading about it in detail. So if you can stomach rape-y insinuations, like in the quote above, you should be fine to read this book.
Honestly, Susie is probably The Worst in the entire book, but seldom few white people get a pass. Even Malcolm grows and isn’t a shining pillar of woke-ness. Frequently Elle and he evaluate the power dynamics of their relationship both out loud and through introspection. At times he is a little White Knight-ish, but honestly?? I’ll take it.
Elle often functions as a vessel for viewing and critiquing slavery and its manifest psychological impacts that go deeper than what the superficial attempts of the American education system tries to explain. The relationships, dark and twisted as they are, between master and slave, as well as the varying degrees of a master’s “kindness” are laid bare and questioned in this book, even if internally, by Elle.
The smuttiness of the book didn’t leave me wanting, and I think there were more intimate scenes in this novel than in her latest contemporary ones. I can’t tell which I prefer more, since in the more contemporary stories there’s more of a buildup before things get steamy, whereas in this historical series there’s a sense of urgency beyond just carnal needs. I won’t say “no” to having more well written sex scenes though.
Overall, if you like historical romance and are looking for unique characters and a compelling plot, not to mention quality smut, try An Extraordinary Union. I took my time with it, but it could easily be read in a day. Lastly, while the race of the characters is factor, just like in her other books featuring paramours of differing backgrounds, she doesn’t fetishize them for it. So if that’s the kind of smut you’re looking for, this isn’t the book for you.
The Little Book Witch 