Blog Book Tour | “The Tory” (Book One: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. London

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The Tory” direct from the author T.J. London in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On reading about the #RevWar:

I, personally inherited my love of the Revolutionary War era from my Mum – who inspired me to start to take stock & notice of this lovely niche of Historical Fiction out of her love of researching John & Abigail Adams! Over the years I have stumbled across stories set either just ahead of the #RevWar beginning, during the war itself (war dramas are a personal preference of readerly joy) or shortly thereafter. I also appreciate Early Colonial era stories or any story set during a period of time which hugs close to either eras in general.

The reason I love stories set around early Americana history is because it was quite the exciting time during my country’s initial years of foundation and formulation. These were quite exciting times to be living – even if it brought with it a lot of harrowing trials where we needed strong people to either see us through the rougher patches or we needed heroes & heroines alike to help lead us forward into a better tomorrow where we could overcome the things which set out to delay our progresses.

One of my favourite films is “1776” (1972) which is a musical about the Declaration of Independence – it is an unique spin on History and I love the cast who brings this film to life. I felt it had such a clever view into the lives and hearts of the men who were striving for a better America during the Colonial era – which is the kind of drama I enjoy finding in Historical Fiction.

Aside from this film, I’ve become aware of Roseanna M. White’s The Cupler Ring series and Alex Myers “Revolutionary” – two writers I am keenly interested in reading at some point as I held off starting the first as it is a series and the second, as after I read a similar story set during the Civil War, I wasn’t sure if my heart was ready (at the time) to read a second one set during a different war. I might love reading war dramas but sometimes I find the storylines push me a bit for what I can handle reading.

-quoted from my spotlight of The Petticoat Letters

Over the years as a book blogger, I have had the chance to read a few stories set during the #RevWar era whilst I have also been gathering a list together for stories I wish to be reading in the future. It is a curious chapter in our country’s history and it is oft overshadowed by the war dramas situated during the Great War eras of the 20th Century or the Civil War; the latter of which I am less enthused to read or explore.

The novel I discovered ahead of this blog tour was “The Petticoat Letters” which appealled to me due to the nature of how it was penned with a bent towards embracing what I endearingly refer to as Feminist Historical Fiction.

In [2016] I discovered “Becoming George Washington” by Stephen Yoch, which found to be a rather personal account of Washington’s life and gave us deeper insight into the man behind what is generally known about him. He had quite the incredible life and I enjoyed the style in which Yoch delivered this keen insight into Washington.

It is not often I get to read a story during the #RevWar – which is why I took a chance on reading both “The Tory” and “The Traitor” – with the hopefulness of a reader who appreciates realistic historical dramas & the backdrop of a historical romance. I wasn’t sure what I would find exactly within these novels – as each writer who approaches crafting their vision and voice for a highly well-known era has their own choices to make for authenticity and the continuity they wish to maintain; all I knew, is that it sounded like one incredible story.

And, for me, as a reader inasmuch as a book blogger – it all begins with the curiosity about ‘a story’,…

The Tory
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780692061282

Also by this author: The Traitor

Also in this series: The Traitor

Published by Self Published

on 11th April, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 458

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:

The Tory (book one)

The Traitor (book two)

I’ve been adding flames to those stories of Romance which have extra heat inside them and are more intensively written than others. This one definitely qualifies as there are certain interludes within John’s relationships. I hadn’t earmarked this as a #HistRom until the books arrived and I saw the cover art a bit differently than I had when I first requested the series. I didn’t really notice the art then as I was focused more on the context of the story-line but on arrival, I thought, hmm, this might be going in a secondary direction than I first realised.

Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

reading about the author:

I love to preface my readings of a novel with the extra bits tucked into the front and back pages of books – it is a habit I developed in sixth grade at the behest of my teacher who was teaching us a way to read more intuitively and with a researcher’s mind. Not that I realised this at the time but over the years, especially now as a book blogger, I can see the merit of the technique. It has served me well in other words. It also lends itself to certain discoveries I am thankful to know before reading – sometimes it even expounds on the dedications – whereas those names might be left as subtle nods for the receivers, some writers lengthen the girth of the dedication by talking about who those person were to them.

In this instance, I found a fellow migraineur who suffers with a similar classic trademark of a migraine as I do – as mine are debilitating as well and come in clusters. I’ve been more vocalised about them this year but for the life of my blog they’ve been gaining frequency as much as they have lengthened their absences. Quirky. This was one of the worst years for personal health and wellness – not that I let that stop me. I could relate to how the author talked about persisting and finding your own path through your personal adversities – however they arise and whatever they entail. We all shoulder something at some point in our lives; how we cast our attitude and how we choose to endure those moments is part of what makes us who we are today.

I loved finding out how London was enraptured by the #RevWar era – how research and a hearty passion for the era led her into the narrative itself whilst a more personal event in her life triggered the whole saga from unfolding onto the page most directly. Even in the opening chapter, you can feel and sense the evocation of emotions. From what I gathered, this was going to be a challenging read – as I hadn’t taken it for being gritty realistic when I requested it – a slight oversight on my behalf to which I hoped I would be mistaken as that generally takes things visually outside my comfort zones. No matter – reading the author’s intentions for the series and listening to her journey towards publication was both illuminatingly inspirational and a reward of its own.

my review of the tory:

John Carlisle is near a depressive state of mind – if he hasn’t crossed the line already. He broached a heady argument for toiling through your own headspace when your a soldier – for the conflicts of conscience thought and the duties commanded of you. It is a feat of will I am sure many face today even in modern warfare; how to take care of self and still find a way to serve the country. John was not dealing with his internal battles well as he had made the same ill mistake as most men of his era – the bottle or a fast woman were the bandaids of choice.

I was not surprised to find this is a story rooted in the haunting after effects of justice not served as this is echoed throughout the sections where London is speaking about how the story was inspired. John on the other hand is querying mistresses – the haunting ones of his past, the current restlessness of his soul and the uncompromising way duty comes before all else. He is a man torn and conflicted without a vision of his future. Finding him in duty at a gaol (ie. a jail) felt like he was the one being taught a lesson – as it is not the kind of duty most would seek out for themselves.

We began on such an auspicious place in history – from a redcoat’s point of perspective and how they wanted to launch into espionage if only to gain more traction towards understanding what Washington was planning as Washington himself employed his own counter-intelligence. In fact, on that note, there are quite a few stories revolving round Washington’s activities towards trying to secure a foothold of intelligence against the British. Now, as we delve deeper into The Tory we’re seeing what was happening on the other side.

The British feel they have an upper edge on Washington (how can you not smirk?) and if they move their cards (er, soldiers in the field) right they could gain enough leeway to overtake the country. It was interesting here seeing how they were attempting to cut off the two sections of the Eastern Coast – to separate the North and the South, forcing Washington to send a white flag of defeat. It is interesting because I saw a film about the crossing Washington took to overtake the redcoats by surprise under the cover of darkness – if you take that story and reflect it back to where we are here within The Tory you start to see a larger picture develop for how serious it was to take risks and gain any kind of ground at all (depending on which side you were fighting).

John isn’t overly confident in himself (ironically or not) but he has skills and a mind; both of which served him well previously, which is why when he’s called into a meeting he never expected to be given his options for his future become enlarged by how much confidence his own army is placing on him! The General saw a skill set in John, one that could be used to the benefit of the British and that in of itself was enough of a reason to give John a second chance to redeem himself. His actions were not disputed but they were cautioned against repeating – not the actions which led him to the gaol mind, but the actions he was taking to destroying his soul. The ones he sought to erase the haunted past.

You had to give John credit! It would take a brave person to want to re-enter Indian occupied territories where the Rebels were a stronghold! It would take a bravery of another level to even consider being able to move in those circles and hope to achieve what his army wanted from him! Yet, John, ever daring and willing to take a risk for any kind of a gain in his life, went willingly despite the odds. As they were discussing the plans with John, a part of me was trying to drum together any knowledge I had of this section of History. Falling short, I decided to just re-live it through London’s eyes – to see where she was going to take John and how this story pulls together the lost histories of this particular moment out of ‘time’.

John had his scruples that much was for certain – though I nearly suspected he might! What turnt the tables on his vices though was his partnership with Celeste which I found an interesting earmark on his ‘extra curriculars’. He was an opportunist as much as she was and how they fit together was through a common need for profits without a trace of evidence of how they were obtained. An interesting segue before he embarks on his journey for the army but one I felt might bespeak to his character.

Dellis is such an interesting character – she has this fierce independence within her spirit but she has had a hard road to overcome especially after what happened to her parents and her brother. She is part of two worlds and has relatives who wish to hinder her progress of being able to take care of both herself and her brother with their parents to guide them. I was most fascinated how her path and John Carlisle’s were going to start to cross.

There is a subtle tone of understanding threading in the background of The Tory – where you can see imprints from the research but as they move organically in and out of the sequences your reading, you almost forget they are related to pointing out specific details. Even Dellis herself fits this world London has created for her – she behaves and acts just as you would believe she would the same way I felt when I was observing John. They are each representing a portion of the past nearly forgotten now but given new life through London’s imagination and pen.

This was of course before I reached the point where we saw our first look at what was causing the duress for the Mohawks – part of me was hoping John was not the person causing the harm but so much of this was leading back to the redcoats, I found myself unable to continue reading the story.  It is one thing to understand the horrors of history and of historical records – but when you find a writer who taps into those horrors and gives a very raw and very realistic impression of those eras in history – I, for one have to retreat. I have too sensitive of a heart for these kinds of narratives and I can’t move past those visuals because they affect me too much.

Fly in the Ointment: Content Note:

I was thankful for the choices London was making with the harder hitting elements of the story – such as when Dellis first arrived at a small encampment for Mohawks. There was a bitterly grim incident awaiting her when she first arrived – the kind of horrors you wouldn’t want to see yourself but being a woman of medicine and a voice of her people, she had to insert herself into what occurred if only to find the truth of what caused such rampant violence to start erupting with a frequency most disturbing. I also agreed with Dellis – about how the incident felt premeditated almost as if it was a trap lying in wait. London pulls her lens out a bit on the horrid details but gives you just enough to understand the dire circumstances and the horror of what the survivors had to endure as they couldn’t do anything to help those who fell.

Except that my worry over what I would encounter inside the novel was short-lived – as I was not entirely prepared for what came next – in fact, I honestly choked on the words I was reading as it was dearly too visual for me to read! I somehow misjudged the content of the novel – as I thought it was going to be closer in descriptive narrative I was used to reading for eras near this one or of the same vicinity. However, I should have known it could get grimy and more intensive given the nature of where we were in History. That was my error.

I was left so disturbed by what I read I couldn’t move past it – I seriously did not need to know the finer points on that particular crime against a woman.

Equality in Lit:

I was thankful how Dellis was portrayed – as an Oneida woman who has a mixed ancestry she was given a strong entrance into the story-line. So much so, she outshined John Carlisle for me as it wouldn’t be hard; she knows who she is and she knows what she wants out of life. John on the other hand was in constant pursuit of finding himself. She understood both worlds – a unique position to have but also, a key advantage. As her doctoring father gave her a slight advance on understanding medicine it was her Oneida heritage which gave her insight into where the war was directing itself.

on the historical writing styling of t.j. london:

London takes her time settling you into the re-constructed glimmer of Revolutionary American life – she wants you to make a connection to her lead character, John Carlisle first – as he is a crucial part of the saga’s arc – it is his journey that is what launches the tales into the height of seeing the #RevWar from a behind-the-scenes angle of insight. His is not a life easily lived; he takes risks and he challenges himself to improve his life even if he falters with carry through towards those newfound ideals. He sees the present more than the future but hasn’t found a way to purge the past. In essence, he’s conflicted, complicated and has a war within himself which is just as important to win as the one he is currently fighting.

We arrive on scene in 1776 – for history buffs you’ll denote immediately how important it is to dropped into History’s time capsule inside this particular year. The British have a gallant pride in believing themselves to be the true champions of the war, even without proof of knowing if they could succeed. Whereas Washington’s spies and allies are making their own headway towards defeating the British. Told mostly from the perceptive of where the Brits are in the war, we get to re-tunnel through the lens where our prior knowledge of this era left off and where we were hoping to take our knowledge further if we were to research the particulars again.

I, for one enjoyed how she went the character route of inclusiveness – to anchour history to characters you want to read about and see what becomes of them. They might act or behave in ways that are in-line with their generation and peers, but it is the story they have to share – about their roles in History and the actions they took to carve out the historical records we still have now that makes reading period specific Historical Fiction such as this one so dearly fascinating!

London strives to give her novel the kind of pacing where you don’t stop to let it drag between intervals of informational sequences about what is happening away from her focus on John and his high command or with his women friends; instead, she pauses long enough to fill in the gaps within our education and pulls the lens wide to show what else is shaping this war.

This blog tour is courtesy of:

Follow the Virtual Road Map

as you visit others participating:

As this particular one has a bookaway along the route:

{SOURCES: Book cover for “The Tory” and “The Traitor”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of T.J. London, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Book Review Banner using Unsplash.com (Creative Commons Zero) Photography by Frank McKenna, Historical Fiction Reading Challenge banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

Comments on Twitter:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge