MY REVIEW:
I have always loved to read historical fiction and for some reason am often drawn to novels that take place during the Civil War – possibly because I am a Southerner. I had already picked up book two of this series when the ebook was offered as a freebie for a short time so it was pretty much a no-brainer to take the opportunity to read and review book one, “Leveraging Lincoln”. I dove into it last night and made myself put it down long enough to get some sleep. I liked it well enough that I have already decided to take advantage of an opening on my review calendar to go ahead and read “Losing Lincoln” I really want to find out what happens to Matthew and Annabelle.
The author paints a very realistic picture of life during the last days of the war, particularly in the south both on and off the battlefield. With an opening scene that featured Annabelle in the process of digging a grave to bury yet another soldier she had helped to nurse, it didn’t take very long to learn that the war had drastically changed life as she had always known it. It was also quite evident that Annabelle had the strength and fortitude to survive despite overwhelming odds. Desperate to avoid marriage to a man she detested, Annabelle agrees to deliver a message in exchange for help finding her uncle. What she finds is trouble – big trouble.
Matthew, a confederate soldier, has just learned that his brother has been imprisoned by the Yankees and is determined to set him free. Listening to false promises from a fellow soldier, he quickly finds himself in over his head and mixed up in a dire plot to kidnap President Lincoln in a last ditch effort to save the Confederacy. Annabelle’s unwitting involvement brings out his protective instincts and against his will he finds himself falling in love with her.
Based loosely on actual historic facts, “Leveraging Lincoln” is a fictional account of what could have happened during those last weeks of the war. The plot is fast-paced, suspense and action filled, and very plausible. Although history lessons taught us what happened to Lincoln, “Leveraging Lincoln” nevertheless gripped my attention until its very end. 
I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
“All we have to do is kidnap their President….”
Four years of war have reduced the South to near annihilation. Homes lay smoldering and men become desperate. Amid the shadows of fear, a clandestine group waits for an opportunity to change the course of history.
Harlot, liar, spy…
On the threshold of losing her plantation, Annabelle Ross finds a cryptic letter on a dying soldier and seizes the opportunity to get out a message of her own. She never dreamed her plan would brand her a suspected spy… or worse, an unwilling conspirator.
Deserter, traitor, accomplice…
When Matthew Daniels’s brother is taken captive, he finds himself caught up in a plot to gain leverage on the Union. The lines are drawn in blood, and the risk is there for the taking. But will his reckless gamble cost him the woman he had determined not to love?
She wants to save her home. He wants to save his brother. Together, they may just save a nation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Stephenia McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and lover of all things historical. Stephenia currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and life steeped in southern culture.
Visit Stephenia’s website: http://www.stepheniamcgee.com/
Visit Stephenia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StepheniaHMcGee/
