War is not a game – #HistoricalRomance #Giveaway #Review

Blurb

Meet Jesse Eastman, a young man from a powerful and wealthy American family. When he joins a group of rough fur traders on a journey to open up the American Northwestern Frontier, Jesse thinks his days are numbered.

The looming War of 1812 and a rugged farm woman from Upper Canada may prove him right.

Zee Collard and her father, George, are half-American, and half-Canadian. They will stop at nothing to protect their livelihoods in Upper Canada. The Collard's family history goes back to the Revolutionary War and their past is not something many Americans are keen on.

Whichever Way The Road Leads will pull you into the lives of two American families on both sides of the border who struggle as war breaks out in 1812. This engaging and graphic first book of The Eastman Saga will take you through raging mountainous rivers and early Northwestern Frontier landscapes to the bloody Niagara battlefields of 1812.

Be careful which road you take, you never know where it'll lead.

Excerpt

Jesse walked confidently to the group as the man spoke commandingly to him in the Arikaran language. Jesse looked at him in bewilderment.

“He said that he would take everyone into the village and save our lives in exchange for the bear pelt and the canoe,” the woman translated slowly.

The Arikara guard spoke again, quickly, almost jumbling over his words with passion.

“He also says that this is not a free stay. Everyone must work once they are healthy enough.” The woman explained the rest of the agreement and looked at Jesse for confirmation.

Jesse looked back at the stranded Overland Astorian group. They were probably three more days away from dying, he thought. Losing the bear pelt was nothing, but the canoe would be a huge sacrifice. “Tell him we will give him what he wants,” Jesse replied, rubbing his long beard. “But he must allow us to rebuild a new canoe with the surrounding trees. It is our only survival to return to St. Louis.”

The woman frowned, turned to the Arikara guard, and relayed the message in their native tongue.

The Arikara man’s mouth frowned in deliberation. Then, a half smile graced his face. He spoke rapidly to the woman, then turned to his group of guards, gesturing for them to grab the canoe and bear fur. They began approaching the Astorians as the native woman spoke to Jesse. “They have agreed,” she translated, with a funny grin on her face. “He also said that you are stupid and young.”

Jesse laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you,” he said. “You saved our lives.”

“No,” she replied. “You did, Jesse.”

Review by Lisabet Sarai

Jesse Eastman is the scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family, but he doesn’t see eye to eye with his parents. In an attempt to escape their influence, he signs on to a perilous expedition exploring the wild northwest frontier. He nearly loses his life as part of the Overland Astorian band, but he gains experience in leadership and community. Those experiences serves him well when he’s commissioned as an officer in the War of 1812, which pits American soldiers against the loyalist Canadians across the border.

Zelda “Zee” Collard, eldest daughter of one of those loyalists, figures she should have been born a boy. She’s much happier, not to mention more useful, helping her father with their homestead, planting and harvesting, building fences and caring for the animals than staying in the house and doing “woman’s work”. Though she can’t imagine marriage, her youthful desires lead her into a liaison with the Collard’s farmhand. She’s not sure how she’ll manage. when she discovers she’s pregnant as the result of that lapse. With her father apparently lost in the battles with the Americans, her mother stricken with grief, and her many siblings to care for, her own baby seems like the least of her problems.

Jesse’s and Zee’s paths converge when he commandeers the Collard farm as a field hospital for wounded American soldiers. Though officially the enemy, Jesse proves to be a thoughtful, honorable man who treats Zee and the other Canadians humanely and with respect. Officially on opposite sides of the conflict, the two young people share a connection that gradually ripens into love.

Whichever Way the Road Leads is the third historical novel I’ve read by J.A. Boulet. I’ve enjoyed them all. The historical periods and events she selects have all been new to me, so I’ve learned quite a lot from her books. Meanwhile, her focus is always on the impact historical events have on individuals and their lives. Indeed, as she explains in the notes at the end of this book, she usually has a personal connection to the places and events in her stories. In the case of this book, she lives in the Niagara region of Canada, where the Collards’ farm is located, and is surrounded by the monuments and battlefields from the brief but bloody 1812 war.

The characters in this novel are believable and engaging, especially Zee. She’s brave, strong, and competent, but she doesn’t fit society’s expectations for a woman. In particular, I found her hormone-driven extramarital sex very realistic. I appreciate the way that she handles the outcome without feeling overly guilty.

Here’s a bit from early in the book, which will give you some idea why I adored her.

Zee stomped down the hallway toward the shouts coming from Jacob and Sam. She opened the bedroom door and found the two four-year-olds crying in pain and hugging their legs.

“I hope my fence is not broken!” Zee yelled. “I swear I’ll skin you alive if you damaged it. It took Papa and I the entire year to build that.”

“Zee!” Clara shouted from the kitchen.

Zelda glowered at her twin brothers. “Let’s get washed up, you little troublemakers.” She lifted the smaller one up onto her shoulder and grasped the other boy’s hand. She looked down at the heavier twin, Jacob. “What in God’s name were you doing?”

“Playing war,” Jacob answered feebly.

“War is not a game,” Zee responded, frowning. She placed the lighter boy on the counter near the wash bin and started cleaning the scrapes on his leg amidst howls of protest. “Sit still, Sam!”

Jacob peered up at her. “Have you ever been to war?” he asked, rubbing his mouth with the back of his grubby hand.

“Of course not,” Zee replied. “I’m a girl.”

“Girls aren’t allowed?”

“That’s right, Jacob.”

“If it was allowed for girls to go to war, would you?”

“Now, what kind of question is that?” Zee asked in response.

“You’re pretty good with a rifle, Zee,” Jacob answered, smiling with pride at his eldest sister. “I’ve seen how you can shoot those cans.”

“That’s just practice,” Zee responded.

“Practice for what?”

“Nothing and everything,” Zelda stated, getting increasingly annoyed. “It doesn’t matter anyway because Ma and Pa want to marry me off so I can have kids and cook bread for the rest of my life.”

The twins broke into raucous flights of laughter. “You?”

Sam shrieked. “Never!”

War is not a game. This is the underlying message in Whichever Way the Road Leads. Jesse and his comrades suffer terrible losses; Zee’s mother succumbs to grief and despair while her father barely survives. Ms. Boulet is not in the least bit judgmental, recognizing that both sides in the conflict had grievances, but she shows very clearly the costs.

I gather that this novel is the first in a series that will feature Jesse and Zee. I look forward to the next installment.

Amazon buy link: 

https://www.amazon.com/Whichever-Road-Leads-Eastman-Saga-ebook/dp/B0D4FCQ66D

Trailer:

https://youtu.be/_ULhoNshAF4

About the Author

J. A. Boulet is the passionate author of six historical fiction novels. Raised in a Hungarian refugee family, J. A. was born and grew up in Canada with a strong moral foundation, which she has stood behind all her life. Ms. Boulet began writing poetry at a very young age and progressed to short stories and novels easily. She quickly became a history geek and became fascinated with ancestry and the rough path of immigration. Her university studies ranged from photojournalism to accounting. After decades of working in accounting, J. A. published her first book in 2020 and has since published one to two books annually.

She lives in the Niagara region of Canada with her two sons, a crested gecko, a large Doberdor dog, and a small orchard of fruit trees.

Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit.

Website: https://jaboulet.ca/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/love_walk_life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jabouletauthor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyJHrncBj09F5119oxt6Vw

Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/user/NormalFemale

J.A. Boulet will award a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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