A River Between Us (2023)

About the Book

Title: A River Between Us

Author: Jocelyn Green

Genre: Historical Fiction, Civil War

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Cora Mae Stewart’s world collapses when Sherman destroys the Georgia cotton mill where she works and has her arrested for treason and sent North. Faced with impossible choices, she does what she must to keep a little girl safe in an unhospitable land.

Convinced he won’t survive the war, Union Sergeant Ethan Howard determines to make his death count for something. But Cora Mae gives him a reason to live. Trouble is, he’s just arrested her on Sherman’s orders, and torn her from home and family.

Sergeant Howard is the last person Cora Mae wants to forgive, and the only man who can bring her all the way home.

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My Thoughts

Jocelyn Green is one of the best Historical Romance authors ever. Every book I’ve read by her is masterful and poignant and endearing. A River Between Us is no exception. I devoured this story. Truly, I could not put it down. The fact that Union soldiers during the American Civil War were ordered to take Southern women and children to prison just because they were Southern and worked in mills making clothing for the Confederate soldiers is horrific to me. Actually, most of the time while I was reading this book I was a ball of emotions — I was angry, frustrated, and concerned. “Concerned?” you ask. Yes, concerned. I read a lot of historical fiction and what I have learned is that history repeats itself all. the. time. There is a lot of hate and distrust and mean-spiritedness in Society today that feels very similar to basically every revolutionary and civil war period that’s ever happened. It bugs me big time that humans can get to a place where it’s OK to behave barbarously against the poor, the vulnerable, basically all those who are different from what Society approves, and the Majority doesn’t even bat an eye. Today, I see this behavior everywhere. It really has me worried. But God, right?! And this is my favorite theme weaved throughout A River Between Us. Cora Mae is the heroine and one such Southern mill worker who is forcibly taken to prison by a Union soldier simply because she is Southern. I really felt for Cora Mae and the other women and children who were taken from their homes, families, and everything they knew. I related to Cora Mae as she gets frustrated or scared or worried about her current situation. But what I love about her is that she doesn’t ever let present circumstances get her down, and she never gives up figuring out the right step to take. I also LOVE that she takes the time to look back on her experiences and see all the ways God has acted in her life on her behalf. Cora Mae is a really good illustration of how we who say we believe in God should act in scary times (because God ALWAYS has a plan!). I found her to be such an encouragement. And a great reminder that I need to trust God no matter where He has me.

A River Between Us is another home run by Jocelyn Green. This book is SO good and I truly cannot recommend it enough. If you are a fan of superb writing, excellent attention to historical detail, a sweet and endearing romance, and a story replete with timely themes, then this is the book for you!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author in order to review. I also purchased a signed paperback copy of this novel from the author in order to review. In no way has any of this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.