An Unconditional Freedom: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War (The Loyal League) Paperback – February 26, 2019

Book 3 in the Loyal League series, a series set in Civil War era that blends history, spies and romance so well. Daniel lived life as a free man in Massachusetts going to law school, but one night his life changed when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He ends up getting his freedom back thanks to Elle & Malcolm (the couple from book 1) and their work with the Loyal League. So when they give him the opportunity to join up into the Loyal League as well, a covert organization of spies working for the North, he joins.Janeta is Cuban and was raised on a plantation by her plantation-owner father and freed-slave mother. She was taught she was better than those enslaved working the fields and even was seeing a man who is a Confederate supporter. When her father becomes imprisoned her lover convinces her to gather any intelligence she can find about the North & join the Loyal League to spy for the Confederacy in return for her father’s freedom. She ends up joining but starts to realize rather quickly her life has been built on lies and that she has a lot to process from her upbringing, she has to check her own privilege and prejudices and really has a lot of work to do on her mindset. It was so interesting to watch happen and really well done, I appreciated how she did a lot of the work on her own and didn’t rely on Daniel to give her all the answers. She ends up getting partnered up with Daniel and they definitely butt-heads a bit at the beginning, the angst and tension of the double-agent bit was so good. This book had me caught up in the story from the start and it was just such a fantastic addition to this amazing series.

"Do not think of yourself as a burden. You're not," she said softly, and the words tore into that secret longing he thought he'd shielded from everyone. He wanted to believe her so badly that the hope was a heavy ache in him. "I did it because I wanted to, but also because you deserve it. You deserve to be cared for."An Unconditional Freedom is a masterpiece of historical romance and historical fiction, generally, in my opinion. I know this book was hard for Alyssa Cole to write and I can see why. How hard must it be to write a book about fighting for freedom while watching our democracy seemingly take steps back toward hating people for the color of their skin or their religion being accepted? Those things have never fully gone away, of course, but for a while it did seem that we were on an upward trajectory. This book is so full of beautiful quotes and a beautiful story of Daniel, born free and captured and sold into slavery, and Juanita, born free and raised to think that she's not actually Black. The two are struggling with accepting who they are, though in different ways, and I think they really brought out the best in one another. Daniel is struggling to believe that he's still worthy of happiness, or maybe worthy isn't the right word. He feels broken and it seemed like he thought he would infect others. Juanita, meanwhile, is sent to spy on the Loyal League to rescue her white father, and she's realizing the man she thought she loved, never loved her. And that despite her privilege, in this world, the color of her skin means more than the relative privilege she enjoyed at home. She's struggling to decide if she truly can betray the people living in slavery for the "love" of a man who really isn't that great and for her father's safety. Everything about this book is so well written. The emotions are visceral. I cannot say enough good things about this series or this book. If you haven't read it yet, please pick up the entire series as soon as you can.

Unconditional Freedom is a Civil War romance novel. It is the third in the Loyal League series. Thankfully, it doesn't include slavery porn with unnecessary brutality. Instead, the book focuses on trauma as one of the central topics. Cole also provides a panoramic view of the Civil War via the lens of espionage, international politics and economics. I had zero knowledge of European involvement with the Civil War. Additonally, Cole succeeded in paralleling our current politics with those of the past!Janeta and Daniel were deeply flawed characters both seeking a sense of self and direction. This arc drives most of the plot with the text mainly focusing on their internal struggles. I will admit there is a fair amount of internal contemplation, much to my chagrin did not lend itself to action. Personally, I wanted more suspense and spying. Anyway, the romance bloomed nicely. Their emotional growth was a thing of beauty.A secondary character was rather compelling, but I wont spoil the fun. 3. 8 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. Daniel and Janeta are both damaged souls with secrets they don't want to share, especially with each other. (Side note: you can't judge a book by its cover, but this yummy one is worth the price of the book all by itself. Definitely puts one in the mood to hear Daniel's story.)I loved that Janeta was: 1) a spoiled and unaware princess of sorts, the pampered daughter of a Cuban plantation owner, and 2) Afro-Latina. Her journey as a double-agent, who begins to really understand the horrors of slavery, that she'd previously been unaware of, is so good.Daniel is also still not past the PTSD of being a free man, captured and enslaved. Not only was he beaten and tortured, but his naïve ideas led to the torture and harm of some of the children on the same plantation. Can he ever forgive himself?The romance between them develops slowly, from having to work together, to developing respect and rapport, and finally, scorching chemistry and NEED.While this is the third in the Loyal League series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Really excellent.

read the book - slow at some points - action in others

An Unconditional Freedom é o terceiro livro da série Liga da Lealdade. Esse volume conseguiu ser completamente diferente dos romances anteriores, porquanto focou no crescimento e na cura emocional de Daniel e Janeta. Eles são dois detetives da Liga da Lealdade (uma irmandade secreta que atua em defesa da União durante a Guerra Civil Americana), forçados a trabalharem juntos em uma missão e durante essa trajetória, vivenciam experiências transformadoras.Daniel é um herói profundamente torturado. Ele foi um jovem que nasceu livre e estudava para ser advogado, cheio de aspirações e sonhos, especialmente ao lado de Elle, seu amor de infância. Tudo muda quando ele é sequestrado e escravizado, período em que o seu corpo e a sua mente vivenciaram traumas desmedidos. Daniel nunca conheceu o trabalho como o encontrou na fazenda da Geórgia, onde foi vendido. Trabalho que minou a força do seu corpo e do seu espírito. Sim, ele foi liberto, mas a sua mente vagou por imensidões obscuras. Ele achava que a sua liberdade era algo inato, porém ele foi forçado a receber a verdade da crueldade do mundo e acolhê-la como uma terrível comunhão e com isso surgiu um novo Daniel: atordoado, insano, quebrado. Eu não me recordo de ter lido algum livro em que o herói desejou a morte tão profundamente. Ele se tornou duro, solitário e mortal. Até as gentilezas o incomodavam Sua sede de vingança o levou a se vincular à Liga da Lealdade.Janete percorreu outro caminho. Cubana, a filha mulata de uma família abastada, cuja mente foi talhada pelos privilégios e falsos pretextos de que ela não era igual aos escravos que atendiam às suas necessidades, que trabalhavam nas plantações, que a sua mãe era diferente...Ela aprendeu que se um negro apanhava como um animal, era porque merecia. Isso tinha sido repetido para ela uma e outra vez. Ela ingressa na Liga da Lealdade com intenção deliberada de obter informações privilegiadas para os Confederados, acreditando firmemente nas razões que a impulsionaram a atuar levianamente e para isso usa suas melhores armas. Porém, a realidade atinge Janete como uma avalanche, deixando-a irremediavelmente perdida, tropeçando em seu labirinto emocional. Ela seria capaz de trair o seu próprio povo?Janeta me surpreendeu, uma mulher que se redescobriu, cujo amor fez transparecer as suas melhores qualidades. Agora, acompanhar o fogo e os sentimentos que forçaram o coração de Daniel a bater novamente, a se apaixonar, foi algo digno de ver...Enfim, um romance lindo, emotivo que nas apresenta reflexões eternas sobre a vida e a liberdade. Amei. Terminei a leitura ansiosa por mais...Que venham os próximos.

Incredible window into life in the US with tragic similarities to present day. The inhumanity of some is truly horrific. Alyssa does an amazing job of bringing her characters and the times to life. Many thanks for your wonderful series.

At times scorching romance, at times literature to rival socratic discourse in its philosophical importance and far better than any 'classic' i've read.Every page is a fist shoved into the air. Every page is exquisitely crafted.And everytime a new one comes out in this series i am astounded by the way ms cole surpasses herself.I got the notification that it was released, and i didn't stop reading til niw. Yeah i'll regret the gritty eyes, but no time spent reading this series can be regretted!Also a pinpoint accurate representation of ptsd, survivors' guilt, and potentially aspergers i the heroine because i empathised HARD!ma'am, i know these crucify you... i had to stop writing welsh history because the baddies won... but these are so beautiful and so necessary! Please don't stop!

J’ai adoré ce livre.Daniel est le héros réticent qu’on a tous envie d’aider. C’était tellement prenant que je ne dirais pas non à un tome 4