On Tour with Plantation Nation by Mercedes King + $100 Giveaway!!

Emma Cartwright survives a traumatic event on her family's rice plantation and soon decides she must take a personal stand in the fight against slavery. Leaving her home and all she's ever known, she heads to Washington, D.C. and joins the Union Army--disguised as a young man. Despite the challenges and hardships, she serves as a soldier, nurse, and even spy. But what becomes even more dangerous for Emma is falling in love for the first time.

I love historical fiction.  It's one of my favorite genres to read.  In this one, the main character, Emma, is fully a part of the civil war.  Growing up I learned about the civil war.  I knew the basic facts and it was a part of history I actually enjoyed learning about.  When we moved from the west coast to the east coast (Virginia) I learned a whole lot more about the civil war.  The feelings and history of the civil war still run deep in the south.  I visited the site of the 1st and 2nd battle of Manassas.  It was very close to my house.  When we got there, I called it the Battle of Bull Run (which is what the North referred to the battle as).  The tour guide said, "What are you, a Yankee?!"  Um, no.  I'm just an American, grew up in California.  The Civil War was emotional and desperately fought.  I saw many homes still raising the flag of the south from the civil war.  It changed how I viewed the civil war and helped me understand better the deep rooted feelings that carried both sides through that war.

I guess those experiences helped me appreciate this book more.  I really liked Emma and I admired her courage to see through a plan that she thought would help right an injustice.

Emma grew up on a plantation that owned many slaves.  Emma learned much from the kindness of the slaves on her plantation.  She loved them and tried to help them when she could.  The story opens as Emma is being punished for teaching a slave boy to read.  It is violent and a bit graphic but really lays the foundations for how Emma progressed through this book.

I enjoyed reading this book.  It held my attention and I thought the author did a good job of portraying both sides of the war and some of the deep feelings connected to both sides.

I'm still wondering about the ending.  I didn't love how it left off, leaving all kinds of things wide open.  I'm hoping that means there is another book to come.  :)

Enjoy the following excerpt:

Emma could no longer raise her head or open her eyes. She tasted her own blood and withered under the sun’s brilliance. Her back and legs throbbed from the lashes with the leather belt. The scent of honeysuckle drifted to her nostrils, but Emma quivered with agony and trepidation. She fought the oblivion that threatened to engulf her¾fearing it was death.

Her heart searched for a prayer or a plea but nothing came. She wanted to cry out for her father, forgetting he was long dead.

Someone snatched a fistful of Emma’s hair and held up her head.

“Look!” Quinn said through gritted teeth. “Look at what you’ve done.” He touched his mouth to her ear. “Ain’t like he didn’t deserve it, though. Worthless wretch.”

Emma tried again to focus on the scene. At first, through the narrow slits of her swollen eyes, all she saw was a row of brown feet, naked and caked with mud past the ankles, a sure sign that rice planting was underway. She couldn’t find or concentrate on their faces now, but she knew that among the clan of thirteen laborers, Basil’s mother and brother were there watching. Fear reverberated from the mass. Children cried and stirred, but no one moved or averted their eyes. George had insisted.

                                                    
Mercedes King is an Ohio native and founding member of Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio (affectionately dubbed SiCCO). With a degree in Criminology from Capital University and a passion for writing, she crafted O! Jackie, a novel focusing on the private life of Jackie Kennedy. She has also written The Kennedy Chronicles, a series of short stories featuring JFK and Jackie before they were married and before 'Camelot'. Mercedes writes in a variety of genres, including historical and mystery / suspense. In fact, she's working on creating a new genre, 'modern historical'.

Her newest release, Plantation Nation, follows the journey of Emma Cartwright, a 16 year old Southern girl who disguises herself as a young man and joins the Union Army.

Visit her sites, OJackiebook.com or Mercedesking.com . Contact her at Mercedes 'at' ojackiebook 'dot' com. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Website: www.mercedesking.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercedes.king.1806

Twitter: @Mercedes_King_

Blog: http://mercedeskingblog.blogspot.com

Instagram: mercedes_king_author

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