Beloved Enemy - eBook

"Beloved Enemy" by Al Lacy is the third book in the "Battles of Destiny" series. This book features a fictional account of the events that surrounded the first Battle of Bull Run. The story dives into the web of intrigue surrounding Confederate spy missions during the Civil War. Jenny Jordan, a southerner who is employed by the Federal government, falls in love with Buck Brownell, a northern officer. Jenny's father sets up an elaborate spy ring to bring Union secrets to the Confederate army. She is aware of his actions and covers for him. Her involvement with the spy ring nearly drives her apart from Buck.

I have never read an Al Lacy book before, but I was drawn to it by the historical aspect of the novel. The book was mildly interesting and I appreciated learning more about the Civil War era. The factual events happening in the book appeared to be well researched. However, I was completely turned off by the character dialogue in this novel. It was at times cheesy and hokey at best. Much of the dialogue also seemed to be much more modern sounding than for the era he was writing about. I wish that aspect would have been better researched.

I normally love historical fiction, but this book just didn't do it for me. The concept was good, but the execution of it didn't quite come across as well as it could have.

(I've received this complimentary book from Waterbrook-Multnomah through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

Beloved Enemy is written by Al Lacy and is one of the first books in the Battles of Destiny series. This is a novel about the civil war, more specifically about the author's version of the Battle of Bull Run.

Jenny Jordan is the daughter of a Confederate spy but meets and starts to fall in love with Union soldier Buck Brownell. Jenny gets pressured to help the South and agrees to carry information over enemy (Union) lines. She gets caught and Buck is ordered to execute her. Even President Lincoln gets involved in the situation! You'll have to read to the very end to see how everything turns out.

I think this would be a great read for someone who is a history and/or Civil War buff, who wants to read factual events and characters with a fictional storyline mixed in.

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. It is set during the Civil War, and I love a good Yankee/Rebel romance. Unfortunately, I could not get into the plot of this book. I found the characters stiff and the dialogue to be silly and melodramatic. The main female character was supposed to be a spy, but she did very little spying. There was a lot of historical detail given, and the Battle of Bull Run was covered very thoroughly. I just found it all rather dry. This book was part of The Battles of Destiny series, but it worked well as a stand alone title.

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for free for the purpose of review.

Jenny Jordan is torn between her loyalty to the South and the Yankee soldier she has fallen in love with. Her father orders her to end the relationship and tells Buck Brownwell, the man she is in love with, to stay away from Jenny, but Buck will not give up, and Jenny can't bear to be away from him, even though she has to hide huge secrets about herself and her father, who is a Confederate spy. Pressured by her father to aid the South by carrying information across enemy lines, Jenny finally agrees. But the penalty for being caught as a spy is death, and when Jenny is caught in Yankee territory, Buck himself is ordered to oversee her execution. Will he find a way to rescue his beloved enemy?

I enjoyed this book, and hope to read others in this series. I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This review is from: Beloved Enemy: Battle of First Bull Run (Battles of Destiny #3) (Paperback)

From the Back Cover:

Jenny's allegiance lay with the Confederate Army. But her heart belonged to the enemy. Faithful to her family and the land of her birth, young Jenny Jordan covers for her father's Confederate spy missions. But as she grows closer to handsome Union soldier Buck Brownell. Jenny finds herself torn between devotion to the South and her feelings for the man she is forbidden to love. Overwhelmed by pressure to assist the South, Jenny agrees to carry critical information over enemy lines. But when she is caught in Buck Brownell's territory, will he follow orders to execute the beautiful spy or find a way to save his Beloved Enemy?

My Review:

I'm not a huge fan of war stories but I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The author, Al Lacy does a good job of bringing history to life through Jenny and Buck's love story. I also liked his balanced interpretation of both the North and the South. He made me care about the people on both sides of the Civil War.

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.