Review: Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances

Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances by Courtney Milan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trio of novellas set during the American War of Independence. I have a feeling that when I get around to reading the historical notes on these novellas they will turn out not to be as far-fetched as I currently suspect.

The Promised Land by Rose Lerner
Rachel left her arranged marriage, her interfering mother-in-law and her husband to join the American rebels fight the British. For three years her husband has thought she was dead and she has dressed as a man, calling herself Ezra. Full of ideals about an America where race, religion and sex do not act as a barrier she intends to write her memoirs after the war and go on tour telling people that a Jewish woman fought alongside christian men to free America. And then she sees her husband, Nathaniel, walking through the camp as bold as brass. Convinced he is a spy for the British she denounces him to her superior officers.

Nathaniel has mourned his wife for the past three years. Although it was a marriage of convenience, Rachel needed money for her mother's medical fees, Nathaniel truly loved his wife and had hoped that she might come to love him.

As the rebels beseige Yorktown can two estranged lovers be frank enough about their feelings and needs to start over, or are the scars too deep?

Rose Lerner writes unusual historical romances, often from the point of view of the working classes or people outside the mainstream such as gypsies, this is no exception. An exploration of how to reconcile religious beliefs with emotions and patriotism, of listening to yourself and to others, of what it meant to be a Jew in the 1700s in America, of what it meant to be a Jewish woman, of gender and identity.

I liked this, I liked the romance, that neither Rachel nor Nathaniel was entirely right or wrong, that they made as many mistakes as each other, that the emotions felt 'real'. But I didn't feel emotionally engaged, this was more historical than romance.

Three stars.

The Pursuit Of ... by Courtney Milan
An unlikely romance between a rich, white British officer and a poor black free man fighting for the American army. After saving the life of Henry Latham, a loquacious British officer, John Hunter is surprised when Henry hunts him out to offer his thanks, even more surprised when Henry agrees to accompany him on his 500 mile trek across America to reunite with his sister and her husband.

As the two men walk across America Henry waxes lyrically about anything and everything, particularly cheese, and somehow the two men fall in love.

This is funny and touching and engaging, a wonderful romance about hope and idealism. I thought that John was unbelievably well-spoken and educated for a poor black man of that time, but it's not an era I'm familiar with and it was a riveting read.

Four stars.

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
I haven't really started this one - review to come

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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