The war brought them together – Would it also tear them apart?

While en route to aid Confederate soldiers injured in battle near her home, Southerner Caroline Dunbar stumbles across a wounded Union sergeant. Unable to ignore his plea for help, she tends his injuries and, against her better judgement, hides him away, only to find her attachment to him deepen with each passing day. But when her secret is discovered, Caroline incurs her father’s wrath and, in turn, unlocks a dark secret from the past which she is determined to unravel.

After being forced to flee his place of refuge, Sergeant Andrew Gallagher fears he’s seen the last of Caroline. Resolved not to let that happen, when the war ends, he seeks her out, only to discover she’s been sent away on his account. When word reaches him that President Lincoln has been shot, Drew is assigned the task of tracking down the assassin. A chance encounter with Caroline revives his hopes, until he learns she may be involved in a plot to aid the assassin.

My thoughts: I love how this story explores how divided we were as a country with the Civil War. Relatives fought on separate sides, friend against friend. In this story, we meet Caroline and Drew, who are both well meaning characters on opposite sides of the war. I enjoyed getting to know them! The book is well written and the character development was excellent. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

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About the Author

Cynthia Roemer is an inspirational, award-winning author with a heart for scattering seeds of hope into the hearts of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Cynthia enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the mid-1800’s prairie and Civil War era. Her Prairie Sky Series consists of Amazon bestseller, Under This Same Sky, Under Prairie Skies, and Under Moonlit Skies, a 2020 Selah Award winner.

Cynthia writes from her family farm in central Illinois where she resides with her husband of twenty-seven years. They have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing or researching, Cynthia can be found hiking, biking, gardening, reading, or riding sidesaddle with her husband in the combine or on their motorcycle. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

More from Cynthia

Let me start by saying, I absolutely love novel research and learning about the past. But, when I set out to write a Civil War novel, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. LOL!

My first three novels (Prairie Sky Series) were set on the Illinois prairie (my home state) in the mid to late 1850’s with only moderate research of the time period necessary. The majority of my characters and plot stemmed from my imagination. With this fourth novel, Beyond These War-Torn Lands, I ventured into the very heart of the Civil War conflict in Maryland and Virginia.

Though my hero and heroine are fictional, many of those they encounter along the way are based on actual people and much of the plot revolves around actual events. I soon found out that’s a whole different ballgame when it comes to research. But, I enjoyed throwing in a few historical “surprises” along the way.

I’m a stickler for accuracy, so I found myself steeped in researching minute historical details—everything from the specifics of certain battles to the layout of war campsites to the weather on certain dates to the correct type of salutes to General Grant’s mannerisms and the name of his horse.

While the extensive research slowed the writing process, I loved every minute of it. Over a year and a half in the writing, Beyond These War-Torn Lands is a tale of honor versus deception, good versus evil, and God’s transforming power versus bitterness.

Theme verse:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 5:43-44)

I hope you’ll be blessed by Drew and Caroline’s story and that you enjoy the hidden bits of history tucked within the pages of the novel.