At barely fourteen, Ceci Prejean is a tomboy, running wild in the heat of a Louisiana summer. After her father breaks the nose of a local boy, he decides to enlist the aid of Hecubah, a beautiful Creole woman, with a secret past, who takes Ceci in hand and teaches her how to be a lady. Now, at eighteen, Ceci falls head over heels in love with Trent Sinclaire, a handsome, young northerner. Trent is a cadet at West Point military academy who acts as if he knows Ceci. They begin their love affair as the southern states begin to secede from the Union. The Confederate army attacks Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War just a few weeks before Ceci and Trent's wedding. Trent is called into active duty in the north, leaving a heartbroken Ceci in the south. After the untimely death of her family at the fall of New Orleans, Ceci vows vengeance on the Union and meets with infamous spy master, Henry Doucet. Doucet initiates her into the shadowy world of espionage. After failing to avert the catastrophe at Gettysburg, Ceci infiltrates the White House, coming face to face with Abraham Lincoln, whom she has sworn to kill. She forms a reckless alliance with the infamous actor, John Wilkes Booth, and is drawn deeper into the plot to assassinate the President of the United States. She's a Confederate spy who is in love with a Union officer and her next decisions will determine her fate.
Wow! This book was an incredibly well written, emotional roller coaster of a ride. I had never heard of this author, so I was initially a little skeptical. But, since I love historic fiction, I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did. The only negative point for me was the cover. I really think that if it were re-released with a better cover, more readers might find it appealing and give it a chance. For such a well written book with such an intriguing premise, it's surprising that it hasn't reached more readers. Bartram does a great job of letting us view the events of this intriguing story through the eyes of a young southern girl. There were definitely aspects that made me think of Gone With the Wind, which has always been one of my favorite books. Ceci was spoiled and naive and I really enjoyed watching as she matured and grew into her own person. It also very much reminded me of the story of Mulan, which is another of my favorite stories, so this book really appealed to me on all fronts. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends.
I received a copy of this book from Troubador Publishing Limited and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Barely fourteen, Ceci Prejean is a tomboy running wild in the hot Louisiana summer. After breaking the nose of a local boy, her father decides to enlist the aid of Hecubah, a beautiful Creole woman, with a secret past, who takes Ceci in hand and turns her into a lady. Now, eighteen-year-old Ceci meets and falls passionately in love with a handsome young northerner, Trent Sinclaire. Trent is a cadet at the West Point military academy. He acts as if he knows Ceci. They begin a torrid affair, even as the southern states begin to secede from the Union. Only weeks before their wedding, the Confederate army attacks Fort Sumter and the civil war begins. Trent is called to active service in the north, leaving Ceci heartbroken in the south. Swearing vengeance on the union, after the untimely death of her family at the fall of New Orleans, Ceci meets with infamous spy master, Henry Doucet. He initiates her into the shadowy world of espionage. After her failure to avert the catastrophe at Gettysburg, Ceci infiltrates the White House. There, she comes face to face with Abraham Lincoln, a man she’s sworn to kill. Forming a reckless alliance with the actor, John Wilkes Booth, she is drawn deeper into the plot to assassinate the President of the United States. A Confederate spy in love with a Union officer, her next decision will determine whether she lives or dies.
The book was good. I really liked Ceci as she went through her life. She was very well written. I enjoyed the book as it was a bit different from what I normally read. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

An interesting enough story that took place during the American Civil War. It's was an okay read.

Well written, this book took me by surprise. I have never heard of this author and wasn't sure what to expect. One thing I don't like about the book is the cover. I think if this book had a different cover and was re-marketed it would sell better. The story was just incredible. This was no fluffy story this is a dig in and think kind of story with spies,Civil War going ons,the White House and more. The author has definitely done his research on this very well thought out plot with so much going on.
Pub Date 28 Nov 2017
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Troubador Publishing Limited through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely mine.

I was skeptical at first--a British man writing a historical romance set during the American Civil War? Pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Bartram has written an interesting novel, part coming-of-age, part thriller, with romance thrown in. The Louisiana setting at times seemed as slow and languid as a bayou in the summer. The pace certainly picked up as Ceci left the cocoon of safety on the plantation. (The young women focusing on sex quite often seemed a little contrived, but did not detract much from the story.) I enjoyed the story, and even stayed up late to finish it.

As an educator, the book provides opportunities for discussion of the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by Ceci, Hecubah, and others, in addition to examining the choices that must be made during a war.

A Southern spy whose love is an Union officer sets that background of Ceci and Trent's story. The Civil war tears apart a country as the pressure these two to keep love alive. Find a comfortable seat as you won't want to put it down.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. Enthralling, engaging and really enjoyable. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre of reading.