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 Traitor” 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.
The parts which resonated with me from “The Tory”:
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.
-quoted from my review of The Tory
I felt conflicted about what I found inside the pages of “The Tory” and what I had hoped to have found instead – as the bits which put me at a disadvantage to read the story in full were the grisly gritty sequences where you truly do not have a lot of separation between what is visually being described and what is laid out on the pages – for me personally, I like a bit of a distance between those kinds of scenes and the page. I know every writer has their own personal style and approach, but when it gets to be visually graphic – as a reader, I tend to feel myself pulling out of the context of the story-line.
It was a bit complicated because it was violence against women and it involved a scalping which by definition is brutal in of itself. I honestly just was hoping for ‘less than more’ and had to put “The Tory” down from continuing as I was a bit discomforted by what I found. I was also worried about the direction of the story-line as it was shifting in tone and how it was being delivered. A bit more intensive on the side of being a different kind of story than I perceived it to be before reading it and thereby, when it came to the sequel, I was unsure how to approach it.
I decided to see if I could read even a partial amount of the sequel “The Traitor” – not just to confirm or speculate on what happened ‘after’ I felt uncomfortable reading “The Tory” but to also, see if in this part of the story-line where the characters have moved forward. I know there is a bit of distance between John & Dellis – naturally, as just by the synopsis alone you can gleam this much foresight but in regards to where they personally stand in regards of feelings and thoughts, I was curious how they each found themselves ‘now’.
The Traitor
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Spy. Liar. Scoundrel. Redcoat.
Provocateur and spy for His Majesty, Captain John Carlisle returns to Fort Niagara with the secrets he stole in the arms of the beautiful Oneida innkeeper, Dellis McKesson. Determined to complete his mission and clear his name, he’ll see justice done—and damn the consequences. Now, he finds himself drawn into political intrigue as the British prepare to launch a three-pronged attack that will bring the Rebels and the Mohawk River Valley to its knees.
A dangerous revelation finds Dellis as whispers of intrigue insinuate her beloved is not all that he seems. Unwilling to wait for her lover’s return, she sets out in search of the truth as the Onieda begin negotiations with the Rebels, breaking the neutrality agreement with the crown. A bold move that will stoke a fire between the brother tribes and lead to a bloody inter-confederacy war—one Dellis predicted, and one John incited.
While war between the colonies and the King smolders, the punishing winter of 1777 allows the perfect opportunity for old enemies to settle scores, lying in wait, ready to exploit John’s one weakness—his heart. John is not an innocent man. The truth he’s long tried to hide from can no longer be ignored, the ghosts of the past seeking justice, and karma wanting payment for sins so dark they cannot be forgiven.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-0692197479
Also by this author: The Tory
Also in this series: The Tory
Published by Self Published
on 24th October, 2018
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 505
The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:
The Tory (book one) | (see also Review)
The Traitor (book two)
Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
About T.J. London
T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era.
Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Mickey.
reading about the author:
Having continued to read the Appendixes before I begin reading London’s novels, I was happy to discover how she wrote the three novels in the saga – they are an evolution of one woman’s search for tomorrow after an injustice she endured. The books serve as a backdrop to her very real and raw emotional anguish which she worked through writing the novels. This in of itself is an incredible testament to the power and the beauty of how words transcend both the writer and the reader; whilst time itself knits everything together.
Even if I am unable to fully enjoy reading the saga myself – due to the reasons I’ve been vocalising on the blog tour, I still find it fascinating how the author turnt inward, found the courage to write these novels and in effect, healed herself through a very difficult part of her life. Words can empower us as much as they can be cathartic and carry us through a darkness we cannot light from beyond. I enjoyed reading about the process London took to bring these stories to publication and I know there are readers out there who will find better traction with these stories than I was able to do myself.
why i am spotlighting this novel:
I wanted to give the sequel the benefit of the doubt – to see if it would resume a narrative I could feel myself able to resume, however, unfortunately, the very first chapter confirmed my fears of where “The Tory” was going to take me (at the moment I stopped reading it) and pondering this revelation, I lost all interest in knowing why or how John Carlisle was responsible for his actions or those actions of the men in his unit.
It is a very guttingly realistic saga – one not for the faint of heart, as the nature of the violence inside is a grievous one to read. I knew the author was trying to write about John Carlisle as a man torn between his loyalties, his convictions and the war inside his own conscience – of owning the choices he made as they arose and to deal with the aftermath of repercussions due to those actions he choose to do.
However, understanding ‘this’ and being able to ‘read’ about them are two very different things – I’d rather let this series find traction with readers who can handle the internal strife John is facing with the visuals London has left behind than to attempt to read a series I am simply uncomfortable with exploring. It is far darker than I gave it credit for initially and I will simply keep the short memories I had discovering London’s approach at narrative Historical Fiction.
I still commend how she was able to keep it historically accurate and how even when part of her research is showing, it is done in such a way as to elevate the fictional accounting of her characters. For readers who love traditional Historicals rooted in the honest recollections of how history was once lived without filters – this is definitely a saga for you!
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{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 Spotlight banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.
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