The Lady and the
Officer by Mary Ellis was a sweeping Civil War story depicting one
woman’s life and decisions during the last two years of that most brutal
war. Having been widowed due to the war,
Madeline Howard has also lost her late husband’s business (he was a horse
breeder), her home, and purpose in Pennsylvania. Being a Yankee through and through, she still
decided she needed to move to Richmond, Virginia to seek shelter with her
wealthy Uncle, Aunt, and cousin. However,
before she leaves she has managed to capture the attention of a Union officer
by the name of James Downing. He
implores her to stay on the North side during the war however she feels she
still needs to go to family. Since there
is nothing James can do while the war is going on, he promises to write and
vows to her and (himself) that he will find her after the war.
Now what I found very fascinating was how Madeline, being
from the north and very much wanting the Union to win, has learned how to live
her daily life in the very capital of the Confederacy. How she still loves her family and they her,
yet they have very opposing views. There
is intrigue, spies, and a bit of a love triangle when a Confederate soldier steps
into her life in Richmond making Madeline’s decisions more complicated. This is my first Mary Ellis book and her
romantic historical had me right there experiencing the South with Madeline. This story was very unpredictable and I so
very enjoyed the resolution of this book.
One particular scene was just amazing to me with how it played out. Thank you to the The Book Club Network, Inc.
(TBCN) for my review copy. The opinions
are my own.
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