In honor of both Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, this month’s recommendation is a historical spy romance about a formerly enslaved Black woman, serving as a spy for the Union during the Civil War.
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole is the first book in The Loyal League series and centers on Elle, a woman with a photographic memory, who teams up with Malcolm, a Pinkerton spy, to help put an end to a Confederate plot to win the war.
Cole has said she never thought she’d want to write a story set during the Civil War, but this series’ strong and brave heroines, who risk their lives for a cause and find love in the midst of a dark time, has garnered much praise, including from Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, Oprah Daily, Buzzfeed and more.
This action-packed and romantic read is fast-paced and ultimately uplifting, keeping the pages turning until the very end.
Raela Schoenherr works in marketing at a publishing company and is a lifelong lover of books and reading.
