2013
Thoughts of a Dedicated Bookworm
Booked Solid with Virginia C.
2012
My Life Blog
” I enjoyed this page-turner and couldn’t put it down. It is worth every star of its five star rating.”
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: October, 2011
“Author Jessica James ably blends the reality of war and its honor, bravery and conflicting beliefs, with the growing love of two people with opposing ideologies and views of what is right.
Noble Cause is an engrossing romantic novel interspersed with vivid descriptions of battles and devastation.”
See full review Romance in the Midst of War.
Midwest Book Review: June, 2011
“A conflict of duty often seeks to destroy the dedicated. “Noble Cause” follows Confederate officer Alexander Hunter who finds himself with two conflicting vows. Promising to protect a woman whose brother asked him to do so, he finds dilemma when said woman is also a union spy who his unit set out to capture and end. Finding the conflict crushing, Hunter must somehow find a way to not destroy himself in his decision. “Noble Cause” is a riveting piece of historical fiction, very much highly recommended reading.”
Romantic Times Magazine: Dec. 2009
“This stunning story captures the reader’s attention from the start. It not only depicts the battles, but it also describes the dedication and honor on both sides. James’ novel is a moving account of two people who are drawn into an untenable conflict and find love, despite their opposing beliefs.”
The Book Connection, Dec. 24, 2008
A powerful, engaging, and totally captivating novel of the War Between the States awaits you in Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia by Jessica James.
Andrew Sinclair is a Union spy and the dreaded foe of Confederate calvary officer Alexander Hunter. Both fighting a war based on honor and conviction–one fighting to keep the Union together, the other to preserve a way of life–they vow to fight to the death.
But there is something about Sinclair that Hunter does not know: he’s a woman! And not only a woman, but a woman who is haunted by her past and motivated to fight without concern for her welfare to right past wrongs.
Neither could have imagined how their lives would become entwined. Neither could imagine giving up the fight. And neither could imagine life without the other!
Shades of Gray is without a doubt the finest historical fiction has to offer. Complex characters, an engaging plot, and historical accuracy, come together to make this novel a must read for any fan of historical and Civil War fiction.
It is a rare book that can pull the reader in so deeply that she is overcome with emotion. And yet, as I mentioned here yesterday, I could not contain myself as I read certain passages. A true page-turner, I digested over 400 pages in three days.
A reviewer can be alarmed when she receives a book the size of Shades of Gray (524 pages); what if it is like fingernails across a chalkboard that forces you to cover your ears until the painful screeching stops. This reader can attest that you will not find that in this novel. Every page moves the story forward, and so involved will you be with Andrea and Alex’s story that you will be unable to break away from it. Not a page is wasted, not a word should be removed.
James has done her research and she has done it well. From the fashions, to the language, to the sense of honor and duty that fills its pages, Shades of Gray explores the War Between the States in a way that will touch you like no other work of fiction. If anyone seeks to know more about the reasons brother fought brother in a war that threatened the future of a nation, then she should read this book.
All this and more, makes me declare Shades of Gray by Jessica James, the best book I have read this year! Worth every penny, if you only read one book in 2009, make it this one.
*The Book Connection, Dec. 24, 2008
Other Reviews
Jenn’s Bookshelf, Jan. 12, 2009
**Printed Page, Oct. 30, 2008
*BookWorm’s Dinner, April 6, 2008
* Picked as FAVORITE BOOK of 2008 across all genres
** Picked among FAVORITE BOOKS of 2008 across all genres