The Lady and the Officer by Mary Ellis #review

I am a history nut (all of my undergrad electives were in history and anthropology!). So when I saw The Lady and the Officer by Mary Ellis I knew I wanted to read this one!

The Lady and The Officer

The Lady and the Officer is the second book in her Civil war historical romance series that focuses on the stories of the brave women and the men who love them.

Madeline Howard is our main character in this novel who was serving as a nurse for a brief period after the battle of Gettysburg. While serving as a nurse she saves the life of Elliot Haywood, a colonel in the Confederate Home Guard. Even though Maddy makes her home in the South, her heart and political sympathies belong to General James Downing, a soldier from the North.

Colonel Haywood has never forgotten the beautiful nurse who saved him and when he unexpectedly meets her again in Richmond, he is determined to win her heart. While rubbing elbows with army officers and cavalry generals and war department officials in her aunt’s home, Maddy overhears plans for a Confederate attack in Northern Virginia. She knows passing along this information may save the life of her beloved James but at what cost? Can she really betray the trust of her family and friends?

Maddy’s heart is torn between wanting to be loyal to those who care for her and wanting to help the man she believes is on the right side of the conflict. Two men love her. Will her faith in God show her the way to a bright future or will her choices bring a devastation of their own?

My Thoughts

Maddy is an incredibly strong woman and I love how the novel focuses on this aspect of her personality. She knows what is in her heart, trusts in her faith and what she feels is right. She has also seen a lot of suffering and devastation which has changed her as a person as well.

The struggles she deals with watching families separated by beliefs is something I can imagine happened a lot during these times. Maddy is placed in a difficult situation that challenges her morals and beliefs. She has to choose between her family and her love. A choice that eats her up inside.

The novel gives you a great insight into the lives of those living during the Civil War and how they had to survive. The Lady and The Officer is an excellent historical romance – perfect for weekend reading!

Check it out on Amazon here.

Rating: 4/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.