Revolutionaries #2
Jack and Eli have been separated for months while Jack gathers intelligence in Philadelphia and Eli spies on British officers in New York. When Jack has to take on the role of spymaster and work behind-the-scenes, Eli offers to insinuate himself in Philadelphia’s loyalist circles, taking Jack’s place.
As Eli works to uncover traitorous negotiations between a high-ranking American officer and the British, he cozies up to British spymaster John Andre. Jack doesn’t like Eli putting himself at risk, nor does he like seeing him fawning over a beautiful, charming man.
As the chances of the American army surviving the winter decline, tensions mount between Jack and Eli, threatening to tear them apart. They will have to rely on their love and trust for one another to make it through these harrowing months.
Silvia Violet
As Eli works to uncover traitorous negotiations between a high-ranking American officer and the British, he cozies up to British spymaster John Andre. Jack doesn’t like Eli putting himself at risk, nor does he like seeing him fawning over a beautiful, charming man.
As the chances of the American army surviving the winter decline, tensions mount between Jack and Eli, threatening to tear them apart. They will have to rely on their love and trust for one another to make it through these harrowing months.
Original Review March 2018:
With their missions keeping them apart, Jack and Eli haven't had much time together but now that Jack has to step in and position of Spymaster, Eli finds himself in Philadelphia taking Jack's place. Having made an acquaintanceship with British spymaster John Andre while they were both in New York, Eli continues to cozy up to the charming enemy Andre hoping to learn all he can but will the secrets be worth the jealousy and looming possibility of losing Jack for good?
I am going to start right off the bat by saying I forgot just how much I loved Eli and Jack not to mention the lovely determined Constance. For those who may say well that's just unrealistic that a woman would have been so forthright in the spy ring over 200 years ago, well I say "You don't know your history". Now back to Eli and Jack, how can you not love these two? The love they have for each other is pretty obvious but so is their love for freedom. I won't expand on the plot more than that but I just need to say that Silvia Violet balances the mission and the heart beautifully, I won't say evenly because there is drama that tends to tip the scales one way or the other but she does it realistically. I truly loved how the author stayed true to the times and yet Of Hope and Anguish is entertaining and not a history lesson, which personally I think is a perfect example that speaks of the author's talent.
The American Revolution is not a time period that is often used in the M/M genre and I wish we had more so when I find one it pretty much automatically goes on my TBR list. If it's not an era in historicals that you read often I highly recommend giving Silvia Violet's Revolutionaries a visit and "visit" is exactly what you will be doing. To say the reader will feel like their living in the time is a bit of an exaggeration but you definitely will walk away with a better understanding of the era and an appreciation for what those who fought for our freedom from British Rule dealt with. Will you learn a few things about the era? Sure. Will you walk away entertained? Most certainly! I hope this isn't the last time we see Eli, Jack, and Constance but if it is then I can safely say that Of Hope and Anguish is just as good and sucked me in as deeply as Revolutionary Temptation and I am already looking forward to re-reading these spies with heart.
RATING:
With their missions keeping them apart, Jack and Eli haven't had much time together but now that Jack has to step in and position of Spymaster, Eli finds himself in Philadelphia taking Jack's place. Having made an acquaintanceship with British spymaster John Andre while they were both in New York, Eli continues to cozy up to the charming enemy Andre hoping to learn all he can but will the secrets be worth the jealousy and looming possibility of losing Jack for good?
I am going to start right off the bat by saying I forgot just how much I loved Eli and Jack not to mention the lovely determined Constance. For those who may say well that's just unrealistic that a woman would have been so forthright in the spy ring over 200 years ago, well I say "You don't know your history". Now back to Eli and Jack, how can you not love these two? The love they have for each other is pretty obvious but so is their love for freedom. I won't expand on the plot more than that but I just need to say that Silvia Violet balances the mission and the heart beautifully, I won't say evenly because there is drama that tends to tip the scales one way or the other but she does it realistically. I truly loved how the author stayed true to the times and yet Of Hope and Anguish is entertaining and not a history lesson, which personally I think is a perfect example that speaks of the author's talent.
The American Revolution is not a time period that is often used in the M/M genre and I wish we had more so when I find one it pretty much automatically goes on my TBR list. If it's not an era in historicals that you read often I highly recommend giving Silvia Violet's Revolutionaries a visit and "visit" is exactly what you will be doing. To say the reader will feel like their living in the time is a bit of an exaggeration but you definitely will walk away with a better understanding of the era and an appreciation for what those who fought for our freedom from British Rule dealt with. Will you learn a few things about the era? Sure. Will you walk away entertained? Most certainly! I hope this isn't the last time we see Eli, Jack, and Constance but if it is then I can safely say that Of Hope and Anguish is just as good and sucked me in as deeply as Revolutionary Temptation and I am already looking forward to re-reading these spies with heart.
RATING:
October 1777
The carriage took off with a jolt, nearly tumbling Eli from the cushioned seat. “Dear God, has your driver taken leave of his wits?”
Constance frowned. “I’m afraid it’s young Tom.”
“The stable boy?”
He could barely see her nod in the moonlight that filtered through the window. “Lester has taken a chill, and I needed someone I could trust, someone who will bring back all the gossip he can gather.”
“You don’t mean to say Tom knows of our anonymous activities?”
She waved away his incredulity. “You know I only hire servants I can trust.”
“He can’t be more than fourteen, and he—”
“Hates the British army’s treatment of New York and her citizens as much as we do.”
Eli thunked against the side of the carriage as they flew around a corner. “Perhaps your trust in him as an informant is well-founded, but will he deliver us to the ball in one piece?”
Constance grimaced as she slid across the seat. “I fear I’m no longer sure.”
Eli let out a breath as they reached a straight stretch of road and the excitement of the ride diminished. “Do we have a particular objective this evening?”
“I’d like you to give your opinion of a few of the officers who have recently returned to the city, most particularly a Captain John Andre. My sources indicate he’s intelligent, ambitious, and in charge of intelligence.”
“You think he’s Howe’s spymaster.”
Constance nodded. “I do. I’ve only recently become acquainted with him, but I was impressed by his wit and shrewdness. I don’t believe he will give up his secrets easily, not even if I used my best efforts at seduction.”
Eli studied her for a moment. “Is that still an option for you?”
“Seduction?”
Eli nodded. The previous spring, Constance had fallen in love with Major Randall Bradford, a British officer, but she’d been reluctant to talk about the nature of their arrangement, and Bradford had left the city with Howe’s army on the campaign to take Philadelphia.
“Everything is an option for me, Eli.”
He could no longer say the same for himself. “I will do whatever must be done to end this war except betray Jack’s confidence.” It had been three months since he’d seen the man he loved. And even their correspondence had been sparse. He dreamed of Jack often, but waking alone, grasping after dream images, only made him miss Jack more.
Constance laid a hand over Eli’s. “I would not ask that of you. We have to give up many of our principles to do this work, but if we cannot hold to some, we are no better than the monsters we abhor.”
Her words brought to Eli’s mind the monster who’d jailed and tortured him, intending him to betray Constance, Jack, and their army contacts. He’d refused, and it had almost cost him his life. He still bore scars from the experience, and several fingers on his left hand would always be crooked, but he would suffer all of it again to keep those he cared for safe.
Constance seemed to sense his need for a change of subject. “You and Andre have many things in common: a love of reading, music, art, beautiful women.”
Eli laughed. “He does sound like a man whose company I would enjoy.”
“He entertains regularly, and as his friend, you would be able to attend events a respectable woman would never be invited to, events with other officers, where talk of war would be freer.”
Eli understood her well. If he could become part of Andre’s circle, he would likely hear gossip that would tell him a great deal of what the British were planning. And if they became particular friends, Eli would be able to ask questions a mere acquaintance could not. “I will do all I can to make a favorable impression on the captain.”
“Thank you, Eli. I hesitated to ask you tonight.”
“Because Jack would rather I were no longer involved in this business?”
Constance smiled. “No.” Eli started to protest, but she held up a hand. “He did ask, but I know you too well to think you will stop unless you want to. It’s more that you’ve been…distant.”
He had not borne Jack’s absence or his own slow recovery well. “I only apologize for not having been as supportive as I should have these past months.”
Constance sighed. “We neither of us have been ourselves.”
He squeezed her hand. “We’re both grieving the absence of those we love.”
“Which will not bring them back.” She squeezed his hand back and sat up straighter. “We should focus on what we can do to assist our cause and end this war.”
“Is there still hope it will end in our favor?” Terrible news of the state of Washington’s army had added to Eli’s malaise. Men were deserting in large numbers. Those who remained were cold and hungry, and disease was rampant in the camp.
The carriage took off with a jolt, nearly tumbling Eli from the cushioned seat. “Dear God, has your driver taken leave of his wits?”
Constance frowned. “I’m afraid it’s young Tom.”
“The stable boy?”
He could barely see her nod in the moonlight that filtered through the window. “Lester has taken a chill, and I needed someone I could trust, someone who will bring back all the gossip he can gather.”
“You don’t mean to say Tom knows of our anonymous activities?”
She waved away his incredulity. “You know I only hire servants I can trust.”
“He can’t be more than fourteen, and he—”
“Hates the British army’s treatment of New York and her citizens as much as we do.”
Eli thunked against the side of the carriage as they flew around a corner. “Perhaps your trust in him as an informant is well-founded, but will he deliver us to the ball in one piece?”
Constance grimaced as she slid across the seat. “I fear I’m no longer sure.”
Eli let out a breath as they reached a straight stretch of road and the excitement of the ride diminished. “Do we have a particular objective this evening?”
“I’d like you to give your opinion of a few of the officers who have recently returned to the city, most particularly a Captain John Andre. My sources indicate he’s intelligent, ambitious, and in charge of intelligence.”
“You think he’s Howe’s spymaster.”
Constance nodded. “I do. I’ve only recently become acquainted with him, but I was impressed by his wit and shrewdness. I don’t believe he will give up his secrets easily, not even if I used my best efforts at seduction.”
Eli studied her for a moment. “Is that still an option for you?”
“Seduction?”
Eli nodded. The previous spring, Constance had fallen in love with Major Randall Bradford, a British officer, but she’d been reluctant to talk about the nature of their arrangement, and Bradford had left the city with Howe’s army on the campaign to take Philadelphia.
“Everything is an option for me, Eli.”
He could no longer say the same for himself. “I will do whatever must be done to end this war except betray Jack’s confidence.” It had been three months since he’d seen the man he loved. And even their correspondence had been sparse. He dreamed of Jack often, but waking alone, grasping after dream images, only made him miss Jack more.
Constance laid a hand over Eli’s. “I would not ask that of you. We have to give up many of our principles to do this work, but if we cannot hold to some, we are no better than the monsters we abhor.”
Her words brought to Eli’s mind the monster who’d jailed and tortured him, intending him to betray Constance, Jack, and their army contacts. He’d refused, and it had almost cost him his life. He still bore scars from the experience, and several fingers on his left hand would always be crooked, but he would suffer all of it again to keep those he cared for safe.
Constance seemed to sense his need for a change of subject. “You and Andre have many things in common: a love of reading, music, art, beautiful women.”
Eli laughed. “He does sound like a man whose company I would enjoy.”
“He entertains regularly, and as his friend, you would be able to attend events a respectable woman would never be invited to, events with other officers, where talk of war would be freer.”
Eli understood her well. If he could become part of Andre’s circle, he would likely hear gossip that would tell him a great deal of what the British were planning. And if they became particular friends, Eli would be able to ask questions a mere acquaintance could not. “I will do all I can to make a favorable impression on the captain.”
“Thank you, Eli. I hesitated to ask you tonight.”
“Because Jack would rather I were no longer involved in this business?”
Constance smiled. “No.” Eli started to protest, but she held up a hand. “He did ask, but I know you too well to think you will stop unless you want to. It’s more that you’ve been…distant.”
He had not borne Jack’s absence or his own slow recovery well. “I only apologize for not having been as supportive as I should have these past months.”
Constance sighed. “We neither of us have been ourselves.”
He squeezed her hand. “We’re both grieving the absence of those we love.”
“Which will not bring them back.” She squeezed his hand back and sat up straighter. “We should focus on what we can do to assist our cause and end this war.”
“Is there still hope it will end in our favor?” Terrible news of the state of Washington’s army had added to Eli’s malaise. Men were deserting in large numbers. Those who remained were cold and hungry, and disease was rampant in the camp.
Silvia Violet writes bad boy M/M romance. She can be found haunting coffee shops looking for the darkest, strongest cup of coffee she can find. Once equipped with the needed fuel, she can happily sit for hours pounding away at her laptop. Silvia typically leaves home disguised as a suburban stay-at-home-mom, and other coffee shop patrons tend to ask her hilarious questions like "Do you write children's books?" She loves watching the looks on their faces when they learn what she's actually up to. When not writing, Silvia enjoys baking sinfully delicious treats, exploring new styles of cooking, and reading to her incorrigible offspring.
She also writes high heat paranormal romance with shifters of all descriptions under the pen name Silvia Onyx.
Silvia Violet/Silvia Onyx
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Of Hope and Anguish #2
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