Guest Review: No Greater Glory by Cindy Nord

I was recently given a copy of No Greater Glory to evaluate for a contest. I was initially a little disappointing to find that I had been given a Civil War historical to read. I am more of a Regency/Victorian England type of girl. BUT...was I ever wrong. This book was beautifully written. It gave an accurate portrayal of the time. The story was compelling and the characters were believable. Most importantly, I have continued to “live” the story in my mind hours after finishing it. That's impressive.

It is not hard to have dramatic conflict in a Civil War story. Drama is inherent in the regional conflict between fellow Americans. Thirty-five year old widow Emaline McDaniels is distraught when Yankee soldiers commandeer her land, house, and livestock. She has been struggling to hold her house and property together with only a few loyal servants. Emaline is surprised and dismayed to find that she is attracted to Colonel Reece Cutteridge, the leader of the Yankee battalion. Reece has a tragic past, having lost his wife in an Indian raid. He is attracted to Emaline, too, but feels he is too damaged to offer her anything. Besides, they are in the middle of a war and on opposite sides.

The events that Emaline and Reece encounter are realistic for their situations. Yes, there is a little bit of coincidence involved, but it wouldn't be a great story without it. Reece finds little ways to look out for Emaline, even when he is off fighting battles. Emaline holds everything together at her home while finding ways to help injured Yankee soldiers. They both come to believe the war is nothing but senseless death and destruction. I liked that they didn't fall into bed immediately - Reece was a truly honorable man - but the steamy scenes were quite satisfying.

This was an extremely well written book. The use of descriptive language painted pictures that were easy to visualize. The best part for me was that the characters were so believable. Author Nord made me understand who they were. Their behavior was completely consistent with backgrounds and personalities. Their love for each other was deep and genuine. I cared about them. One important measure of the quality of a romance is the degree to which we are emotionally invested. I was totally invested in this story from beginning to end. It doesn't get much better.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble |