The Patriot and the Loyalist by Angela Couch
In a time when loyalties are questioned, rebellion to the Crown punished, and families divided, can love be true? Or is love just a deceptive weapon used by the enemy?
In this second installation of Hearts at War, we follow jilted and heartbroken Daniel Ried into the swamps of the Carolinas. Driven by his need to escape the pain of Rachel’s rejection and the need to prove himself to his family, he is drawn into the covert operations of the Contential Army’s Swap Fox.
Lydia Reynolds is a woman so pained by loss, she has drawn herself away from everyone and hopes to escape her pain aboard a boat bound for England. The only problem? He brother-in-law refuses to help her. When a possible rebel spy crosses her path, Lydia takes matters into her own hands.
In a dance of loyalties and spy versus spy, love enters and complicates the best-laid plans. Throw in a few unexpected plot twists and there is no clean escape from the web of deception.
The Patriot and the Loyalist is a masterful depiction of real people in the clutches of war, struggling with trust, pain, and loyalty.
I loved the continuing saga of Daniel Reid from the first book, The Scarlet Coat. It was a pleasure to better get to know him and watch his journey. Angela, once again, put my beloved characters through the wringer – and thus me as a reader. I loved the action, the emotional struggle of the characters, and personal connection I made to their lives. I may not have endured the American Revolution, but I can understand betrayal, the risk of trusting someone with my broken heart, and the struggle between what I think I want and what is actually best.
I highly recommend this book to others who love real characters struggling with a backdrop of war. It was a great mixture of action and emotional angst. Â Purchase your own copy in the links below or go to your library and request they purchase it. Then everyone can enjoy this book.
*I received this e-book as an advanced reader’s copy and have given my honest opinion above.
Purchasing Links:
“Completing his three years in the Continental Army, Daniel Reid still has no desire to return home—not after losing the woman he loves to a British Captain—so he volunteers to ride south through enemy lines and deliver a message to Colonel Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. With his temper needing a release and a dark haired beauty finding her way into his broken heart, Daniel decides to join the Swamp Fox’s efforts against the British. Little does he know the British still have the upper hand.
Lydia Reynolds has learned that love comes at a price, and she refuses to pay. Better to close her heart to everything and everyone. When her brother-in-law won’t grant her passage to England, where she hopes to hide from her pain, New Englander, Daniel Reid, becomes her only hope—if she can induce him to give her information about the notorious Swamp Fox and his troops. When the British grow impatient and Daniel evades her questions, Lydia must decide how far to take her charade. The poor man, already gutted by love, hasn’t grown as wise as she. Or so she supposes.
Until the truth is known, the muskets are loaded, and it is time to decide where true loyalties lie.”
– Amazon Blurb
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