A Review of Be Not Afraid, by Alyssa Cole

Be Not Afraid, is a passionate novella of the American Revolution that only Alyssa Cole could have written. She is a master of steamy historical romance with life and death stakes!

Setting

Brooklyn, New York, late August 1776, just after the Battle of Long Island.

Main Characters

Elijah Sutton is fighting in the place of the man who legally owns him, because that man has promised to free him and give him the means to set up a small horse farm if he does. Elijah will let nothing stand in the way of gaining his freedom.

Kate has taken the English up on their offer of freedom to any enslaved person who flees their master and joins the British war effort. She has lost her daughter and been abandoned by her husband while she almost drowned, and she has lost faith in most of humanity.

Romance

After the Patriots suffered a disastrous loss in the Battle of Brooklyn, Elijah is attempting to find his way back to his scattered regiment. In the dark, he sees a beautiful woman pursued by a British officer who accosts the woman, and he sees her stab him in self-defense.

Against his better judgment, he goes to make sure she is unharmed. As more British soldiers appear, they assume he is the one who killed the officer, and she fakes a swoon so she is not implicated.

Feeling guilty that Elijah is arrested for her action, even though they both know that no amount of explanation could have saved either of them from the redcoats, she volunteers to aid the prisoners. Elijah, to her amazement, is understanding and kind to her, and maybe, just maybe, he is different.

Plot

Elijah pretends to accept the British offer of freedom in exchange for joining their forces, but he has no intention of actually betraying the Patriot cause. He is looking for a way to help the prisoners escape. But that is a deadly game, and he may have to choose between Kate and freedom.

Historical Worldbuilding

As always, Cole is masterful at immersing readers in the history of the moment, and that history is at the core of the story, not a distraction from it. You feel the mud and damp of the swampy ground after the battle, and Elijah’s thirst and hunger as the prisoners are starved for days. Kate’s weariness is palpable, as is her strength as she does what she can to ladle water into the mouths of the prisoners. And you cannot escape the pull of their passion as they grab what pleasure and connection they can under the dangerous conditions of the camp. This novella will save you a trip to the gym, as your heart pounds for the entire length of the story. Cole lets us earn their happy ending!

Tropes

This is a forbidden love story, since they are on opposite sides of the Revolutionary War. It is also a wounded hero story–or rather a wounded heroine–since Kate has suffered unspeakable losses, and Elijah helps bring her back to herself.

Secondary Characters

There isn’t much room for secondary characters in this novella, but the few who appear are well-drawn and believable. Most are just cameos, like Michael, the soldier Elijah comforts, and Letty, whom Kate helps with her daughter.

Point of View

The story is written in third person, alternating between Elijah and Kate’s points of view.

In Summary

• If you are looking for a new angle on a Revolutionary War romance as we head into the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this is your story. It is divine!
• It is set in Brooklyn, New York, right after the Battle of Long Island, in late August 1776.
• Elijah and Kate are heart-wrenching characters, whom you cannot help but root for right from the start. They earn that ending!
• As always, Cole’s historical detail is phenomenal, and it enhances the story at every turn, and never distracts.
• This is a forbidden love trope and a wounded main character trope.
• The heat in this story is about a 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. It is steamy, and that is all on the page, but it is not gratuitous.
• This is a wartime romance about two enslaved characters, and it does not shy away from the violence that entailed.

Keep them Coming!

Please keep the tips coming! What other historical romances have you read that are set in the Americas and you think others might enjoy? Let’s share the love. Please email me or post in the comments below with suggestions of other titles!

Love historical romance? My novel, Passion’s Duty is set during the war that set up the Revolution. We are embarking on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, so this is the perfect time to read it. Be sure to check it out!

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Image: The Battle of Long Island, by Alonzo Chappel, 1858. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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