Beloved Enemy: A Book Review

 Hey ya'll! I think I can finally get back into my regular schedule. Of course, right now, I'm a day off, but I figured I needed to get a post to you today. So, this post is a review of Beloved Enemy by Al Lacy.  I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing. All opinions expressed are my own.

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?

 Wow. Okay. My thoughts on this book are mixed. It's like throwing my emotions and writing opinions into a mixing bowl, and spinning them all up into a gooey mess. So maybe that's not the best analogy... but...

 When I first had the opportunity to review this book, I snatched it up pretty quick. I do like historical fiction, and the fact that it was about the war between the states, and spies, and such things only interested me further. But when I started reading, I wasn't the most happy camper. It IS an interesting story. At least it should be. All the elements are there. Everything's in place. Before I say more, I should tell you one thing. This book took me almost an entire YEAR to read. I'm sure for any book lover this is very odd. I was constantly reading something else that I found more interesting. I would feel bad, and try to finish it, but would soon tire of it. So, you ask, what was so bad?

 It wasn't allll bad, of course. But there were a few elements that threw me off. Al Lacy has a certain way of writing that doesn't really appeal to me. I suppose I should have known this after reading a bit of one of his other books, but the thought never occurred. I love history, as I said, but the way Mr. Lacy incorporated the history was distracting to the story line. He would have a chapter with a bit about the main characters, and then lots and lots of paragraphs and chapters dedicated to unimportant characters who usually just died at the end of the chapter. It wasn't the most fun experience. I could have enjoyed the book without reading about the guy and his dog who died, or such. I don't know if it was of historical significance, but it really just made me sad and want the book over with!

 The positive side of things is that when I could push myself to read, I did enjoy it for the most part, even if the writing style and storyline were a bit off. I rate the book three stars, and I say that I'm being generous sometimes. :D Don't just take my opinion, though, because many people have rated this five stars.

 Hope you enjoyed!

~ a rambling author