''An Extraordinary Union'' is a 2017 romance novel by American author

Alyssa Cole Alyssa Cole (born August 12, 1982) is an American author of historical, science fiction, and contemporary romance novels. Her stories include diverse casts of characters with a variety of professions, from Civil War spies to modern day epidemiolo ...

. It was received favorably by critics and named to multiple best-of lists. It won multiple awards but was passed over by

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

's nominations process for their major award, sparking discussions of racism within the romance fiction industry.

Plot

Freedwoman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

Ellen Burns, who has an

eidetic memory Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

, poses as a mute enslaved person in the Richmond, Virginia, household of a Confederate senator to gather intelligence for the Union. Scottish immigrant Malcolm McCall is a Pinkerton detective posing as a Confederate soldier to spy on the family Ellen has been "loaned" to. The two overcome obstacles to falling in love.

Series

The book is the first installment in Cole's The Loyal League series set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. Other books in the series include ''A Hope Divided'' and ''An Unconditional Freedom''.

Reception

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of ...

called it "a masterful tale" and said it "defies genre stereotypes at every turn (and) offers a nuanced portrayal of Civil War–era racial politics. Any reader who thinks romance novels are pure fluff will be schooled by Cole's richly drawn characters, who must overcome generations of trauma in order to let themselves love each other." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' named it to their best romances of 2017 and said Cole "paints masterfully in shades of gray" a story of interracial romance that "interrogates slavery, systemic racism, and more, while still remaining utterly swoon-worthy." ''Vulture'' named it to their best romances of 2017 and said it was elegantly and deftly written. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' gave it a starred review, calling it a "smartly written espionage romance brimming with vivid characterization, heartfelt dialogue, and sensual sweetness" and "sparkling gem of a romance".

Industry fallout

The book sparked discussion of racism within the romance fiction industry when, after having been one of the most reviewed romances of 2017, winning other awards, and being included on multiple major best-of lists, it was passed over by

's Rita nominating process and not included among the finalists for the award. The finalists that year were all books by white authors. Cole is Black.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Extraordinary Union, An Interracial romance novels 2017 American novels Historical romance novels Kensington Books books