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Are you ready for another edition of #blameAnne?  Yes, we “blame” Anne Bogel for a great many books we love, as well as my holds situation, but I completely acknowledge that my lack of will power in the face of all of her amazing suggestions is really the issue.  But then again, is it really an issue? [Ashley says: Maybe? because 127 holds is a tad excessive.] I’m not going to overthink it, I’m just going to invite you to our next Virtual Book Club on Friday, March 26th at 7:30 p.m. CST!   Sign up here if you want to join us as we talk through  Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy To Your Life by Anne Bogel.  We may also chat through some of our favorite titles that Anne should get the blame credit for while we’re talking books.  

I first heard about Alyssa Cole from Anne Bogel, and I first remember hearing about An Extraordinary Union on What Should I Read Next Podcast way back in August 2019!  (This is likely when I recommended it and dear readers, that is how to get 120+ books on hold.  I don’t recommend it.  I am considering holds bankruptcy.)  The episode is a great and sad listen (read the description before listening – the guest lost her home in wildfires and discusses the experience in detail), but also filled with hope and, as always for this podcast, SO many great book recommendations!  This is my first book by Alyssa Cole, so here’s what I knew going in – open door romance by a prolific writer of romance featuring Black characters, and An Extraordinary Union is about a Black spy during the American civil war.  History plus romance plus spies plus diverse characters and authors = sign me up!  

In An Extraordinary Union , Elle, a Black woman who was born into enslavement and freed as a child, along with her parents, is a spy with the Loyal League and has taken an assignment posing as an enslaved woman who is hired out to work in a Confederate senator’s home.  Malcolm, a Scottish man who immigrated as a child following the Clearances, is on assignment as a Pinkerton, posing as a Confederate officer traveling through the area.  They get thrown together, realize they’re both spies for the Union, and end up partnering to get to the bottom of the situation, because they both feel something big is about to happen and they need to figure out what it is, and quickly.  

At first consideration, I thought An Extraordinary Union  was just another solid romance novel.  It’s not particularly deep, but it does include characters and perspectives that are very different than those of my usual (contemporary or regency) romance novels.  I even told Ashely I was underwhelmed by it.  I want to pause here and say that when Anne recommends something, for better or worse, I have big expectations.  Those expectations are one reason I was underwhelmed, but *unpause* Here’s the full story after some additional reflection, it’s not an underwhelming book, it’s a quiet book, or at least that’s how I read it.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t heat or dramatics (there are both for sure), but what I mean is Elle and Malcolm are just people living their truths. We do get both perspectives throughout the book, so we get Elle inwardly railing at the differences of her life on assignment from her life at home, and we get Malcolm realizing the truths Elle has to face as a Black person and as a woman are things he’s never stopped to consider, because he’s never faced such discrimination.  Malcolm also has demons in his past that highly influence who he is and how he treats others.  These are two people who have overcome and healed from their pasts and are dedicated to the freedom of others, and I loved reading every word!  It is just beautiful how Elle is welcomed into the found family of the enslaved persons in this house.  It’s tragic, and yet not surprising, the personalities Malcolm discovers in his role of befriending the senator and his family and friends.  Much of the subtleties Cole uses in her story were echoes of our recent read of  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, including the similarities of American slavery to Nazi Germany.  While it was not pleasant to read of all the examples of people being treated tragically, it is a real part of history, and there was redemption in the story too, as well as freedom for some, and perseverance of others continuing to work for the cause.

I give An Extraordinary Union three and a half stars, which I’ll contentedly round up to four.  While I’m not likely to reread this title, I am very likely to suggest it and to keep reading in the Loyal League series, as well as Cole’s backlist of titles that are both historical and contemporary!  

What’s a title you’ve read that was quiet but more and more powerful upon reflection?

~ Nikki 

Alyssa Cole is a top-notch romance writer and I am here for literally everything on her backlist. She met my expectations and beyond with a solid 4-star read for me. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical romance, contemporary romance, sci-fi romance, and thrillers. She has four series and over 25 published works ranging from novels, to novellas, and short stories. An Extraordinary Union was the American Library Association’s RUSA Best Romance of 2018. Besides her writing work, and by writing we mean both fiction and for publications like Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, Cole can be found “watching anime or wrangling her pets.”

Remember, dear readers, how we repeatedly tell you to not sleep on reading any supplementary book pages – be they the table of contents, dedication page, acknowledgements, or author’s notes? You do remember?! Good, because you read these pages you find quotation gems like these: 

“I realized it was important that more people write about the experiences of POC and marginalized people in historical settings, and that I’d like to be one of those people. But I’d never write about THAT. The Civil War, that is. […] But, it seems that once I decide something is off limits, it’s destined to happen. (I also told myself I wasn’t interested in dating French men, so you can already guess my husband’s nationality.)”

How wonderful is it when we as readers are allowed a glimpse into the mind and process of the creators of the content we consume. It makes me feel like they have shared this very personal and intimate part of themselves with me and so perhaps we could, if the stars aligned, become IRL friends – and if not friends, perhaps at least drinking buddies. Besides this glimpse into how the writing of An Extraordinary Union was a contradiction of her own conviction, Cole also provided us with the names of the real life historical figures that inspired Elle, Malcolm, and other characters. But, I’m going to make you read the author’s notes to find that out! The historian in me also really appreciates the selected bibliography of sources with publication dates ranging from 1867  to 2003.

You know we aim to read books by diverse authors and with diverse characters, but I have been trying to wrack my brain for a book I have read recently where the main romantic couple are of different races and end up in their own HEA. This is a romance novel, so the HEA is guaranteed. Behind the Veil by Kathryn Nolan is also a romance novel where a white woman and black man find a happily ever after, and a stolen historic text! But, we’re not discussing the necessary plot points that make up a romance novel, we’re trying to discuss where else in literature can we find mixed race couples in solid romantic partnerships. Not in Such a Fun Age. Not in Re Jane. And certainly not in A Good Neighborhood. Everyone knows at least one mixed race couple that is romantically partnered and probably has a child or two running around with the pets in a neighborhood that looks just like ours. Heck, it is our neighborhood. And these everyday examples of love and acceptance need to be represented and CELEBRATED in literature, even if it’s in the Happily Ever After guaranteed genre of romance. Everyone deserves to see themselves, see their life and their family, described on the printed (or digital) page.

Help me out, readers, what’s a book title that has a great example of a mixed race couple who are committed for the long-haul?

~Ashley

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