Blue Honor
By- K. Williams
Expected Publication Date- April 27th, 2015
Published By- Booktrope Publishing
Blue Honor tracks four tightly twining families during the American Civil War. Each member is asked to sacrifice more than their share to see friends and loved ones through the terrible times. The only certainty they have is that nothing will be the same.
Emily Conrad is the bookish daughter of a wealthy dairy family from Vermont. Her indulgent father has educated her and bred ideas that aren’t acceptable to her more urbane mother, who thinks Emily needs to settle down with her longtime friend and town philanderer Evan Howell. The outbreak of war frees Emily from these expectations for a time, but a stranger soon arrives after the guns begin to blaze, threatening her plans more than societal conventions ever could.
Devoted to the young woman who healed her wounds, Henrietta has become part of the Conrad family, hoping that she may one day see her husband and son again. As a runaway slave, she’s been lucky enough to find this slice of peace in Vermont, but the return of Evan Howell and the man he brings with him portends great change that might see her locked back in irons, if not executed for what she’s done.
Evan isn’t as bad as his reputation has made him out to be. He knows his chum Emily will make the best doctor Vermont has ever seen, and he knows he’s not the man to marry her. With a little manipulation, he convinces his commanding officer, Lieutenant Joseph Maynard, to take leave with him and see the beauty of the north. He just doesn’t let on it’s not hillsides and streams he’s setting the man up for.
Joseph has both power and privilege as the son of a Baltimore lawyer, but neither can guarantee him the things he wants in life. His commission in the army is likely to lead to death, a sacrifice he was willing to make to end slavery in the States—that was until he saw Emily Conrad. Torn between duty and desire, Joseph struggles to stay standing for that which he once held strong convictions. War weary, they all march on to duty…
I will say that I do not feel the blurb does
this book justice. I wasn’t pulled in by the blurb at all, in fact I picked up
the book and started reading because this kind of book has always pulled me in. The intertwining of these families is so amazing, it just is seamlessly done
for the most part. I became so heavily involved I read a little at a time, the better to
digest what was happening. There was, at times, a lot to take in. This kind of
attention to detail is exactly what made this book so beautifully done.
I highly recommend this book to history
lovers, it is a wonderful example of a romance in the times of the turbulent
Civil War. The depth of the characters is particularly well done, I had no
problem imagining each and every one from the good right down to the bad. Kudos
to K. Williams on a book that has made my favorite list, I will be going back
to read it again. I am sure I will discover things that I missed with the first reading. Many thanks to the author for allowing me to read and review
her book, I found it to be a wondrous story that I enjoyed immensely. Five
stars for Blue Honor.
About the Author-
Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she continues to reside, K.Williams embarked on a now twenty year career in writing. After a childhood, which consisted of voracious reading and hours of film watching, it was a natural progression to study and work in the arts.
K attended the State University of New York at Morrisville, majoring in the Biological Sciences, and then continued with English and Historical studies at the University at Albany (home of the New York State Writer’s Institute) gaining her Bachelor’s Degree. While attending UA, K interned with the 13th Moon Feminist Literary Magazine, bridging her interests in social movements and art.
Currently, K has completed the MALS program for Film Studies and Screenwriting at Empire State College (SUNY), and is the 2013-2014 recipient of the Foner Fellowship in Arts and Social Justice. K continues to write and is working on the novels of the Trailokya Trilogy, a work that deals with topics in Domestic Violence and crosses the controversial waters of organized religion and secularism. A sequel to OP-DEC is in the research phase, while the adaptation is being shopped to interested film companies. Excerpts of these and more writings can be found at: www.bluehonor.com
Links-
Thanks so much for the lovely review. I am so thrilled you loved it. This book was a tough write and hearing that my work shines makes that all worthwhile. And, Thank you for hosting me today and bringing my book before your readers. I hope they'll enter to win a copy, and I look forward to their questions and comments.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! You made it easy to love your book. Thanks for stopping by!
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