An Unconditional Freedom: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War (The Loyal League #3)

Alyssa Cole

$16.95

Publication Date: July 25th, 2023

Publisher:

Kensington

ISBN:

9781496739148

Pages:

288

Description

From the award-winning author of the instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller When No One Is Watching, love war, and racial justice collide in Alyssa Cole’s third buzzworthy, sensual, and revelatory Civil War novel.

The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighbor—but for the Cuban American daughter of an enslaved woman and a man ravaged by the horrors of slavery, an assassination plot could end the battle…

When the Union Army occupies the Florida home of Cuban Janeta Sanchez, daughter of an enslaved woman and the plantation owner who married her, her family’s wealth does not protect her father from being imprisoned. Under duress and blaming herself for the arrest, Janeta agrees to infiltrate a group called the Loyal League as a double agent—and unexpectedly finds a cause truly worth the sacrifice.

Daniel Cumberland, born free in Massachusetts, studied law with dreams of helping his people—dreams that died the night he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Daniel is rescued, but he’s a changed man. When he’s offered entry into the Loyal League, the covert organization of Black spies who helped free him, he seizes the opportunity for vengeance against the Confederacy and those who support it.

Daniel is aggravated by the headstrong and much too observant new detective he’s paired with, while Janeta is intrigued by the broken but honorable man she is tasked with betraying. As they embark on a mission to intercept Jefferson Davis and thwart European meddling, their dual hidden agendas are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing affection that could strengthen both the Union and their souls—or lead to their downfall.

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

Praise for An Unconditional Freedom: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War (The Loyal League #3)

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

“Cole tells a story that is utterly relevant to the America we live in today by examining the realities of an America past. An Unconditional Freedom is not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one. For her characters, trauma is an unavoidable part of their lives. But love, compassion, decency, and hope can pull us out of the gloom to a hard-won happily-ever-after, a bright light in the darkness. In a world that can feel designed to crush our spirits, there’s no message that feels more essential, inspiring or provocative than choosing happiness and love in the face of inexorable despair.” —Entertainment Weekly on An Unconditional Freedom

“Forbidden attraction and the threat of betrayal are the initial hooks for what turns out to be a sumptuously written and meticulously researched tale of a country at war with itself and two damaged people who find themselves in each other’s arms.” —Kirkus Reviews, for An Unconditional Freedom