Shades of Gray: A Novel of the Civil War in Virginia | 
 enlarge | Author: Jessica James
Publisher: Patriot Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
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New (13) Used (5) from $15.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 209363
Media: Perfect Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 468
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1.4
ISBN: 0979600006
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780979600005
ASIN: 0979600006
Publication Date: January 19, 2008
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Product Description
Winner of two Best Regional Fiction awards since its release in January 2008, Shades of Gray chronicles the clash of a Confederate cavalry commander with a Union spy as they defend their beliefs, their country, and their honor. The Historical Novel Society called Shades of Gray a sympathetic, loving portrait, while Civil War author Virginia Morton describes it as an incredible achievement and a treasure. Shades of Gray is an epic love story that illuminates the fine line between friends and enemies at a time when traditions and principles were worth defending at all costs. This debut novel by Jessica James continues to receive critical acclaim from Civil War authors and historians, as well as lovers of romance and historical fiction. According to bookpleasures.com, [Emotions] seem to transcend the pages to settle in the very marrow of the reader s bones. Jessica James has produced a tremendous and wonderful saga about love, loyalty and honor for which she must lauded.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Powerful and engaging historical fiction December 26, 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. 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.
Worth every penny, if you only read one book in 2009, make it this one!
 Deserves only half a star November 20, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I can not believe this book has a 4.5 average rating.
I can not believe this book has won a single award.
The premise of the book hooked me, just by reading the publisher's blurb.
I gave the book a star only because of the potentially interesting plot, plus I truly enjoy civil war fiction.
This book is poorly written, with absurdly affected dialogue. There are jumps in the narrative without any logical premise or purpose towards the story line. The two main characters defy reasonably historical accurate portrayals for men and women growing up in the antebellum south.
Don't buy this book. I consider it a total waste of my money. I love to share books with my friends, but I would be almost embarrased to tell anyone I read this. It's going to Good Will, anonymously.
Loved it ~ start to finish November 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Loved it ~ start to finish. I didn't just read about the civil war I was there smack dab in the middle of it. The spying, the battles, the raids, the camps. The human drama, the camaraderie, the love, the lives hanging on the edge. This book has it all. The last 100-150 pages were intense, the last 50 pages heartbreaking, the last 20 pages I cried. I mean the tears were running down my face.
The passion between Andrea and Hunter is so explosive that I thought the book was going to catch on fire. The scenes where they argue and fight for their own beliefs and feelings about the war and why each is involved are intense and heated. I felt like I was in the room listening to these two worthy opponents do battle for themselves, their families, their homes and their country. As they slowly come to realize that what they feel for each other is beyond their control they surrender pieces of themselves to the other and cross battle lines.
For the time it took me to read this book I was transported back to those war years. I was there in the thick of it. I was riding my beloved horse across enemy lines to bring dispatches and information back to camp. I shared my days and nights with my fellow soldiers. I fought side by side with them. I stared the enemy in the eye. I worked to save their live and when I couldn't I held them as they died. I shared stories of home and family as they read letters from loved ones. I cleverly played the part of spy whether I was a southern belle or disguised as a young man.
Any book that captivates me, absorbs me, captures my imagination is a good book indeed. Shades of Gray did all that. I recommend this book to any reader as it has something for everyone. Readers of historical fiction should especially enjoy it.
Outstanding action-packed romance! October 30, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Truth be known, I'm not much of a romance reader, but I absolutely could not put this book down. The author does such a tremendous job of developing her characters that I soon found myself either loving or despising them, but turning pages as fast as possible to find out what happens next. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the main story line surrounds the dashing Captain Hunter, a Confederate cavalryman who is forced to look after for an injured Yankee woman to fulfill a promise given to his dying brother. Little does the captain know that this woman has led a double life, and can match wits, words, or anything else the captain throws at her! There's action, heroics, romance, and not a little humor as the two main characters vie for supremacy. Somewhere along the way, they figure out that maybe they don't hate each other all that much, but will it be too late? Ms. James does an excellent job of not only developing her characters, but developing Southern hospitality as well. This is a must read for Civil War fans, and both romance and action fans alike will find plenty to keep them engaged. Very highly recommended!
Epic Civil War Adventure and Love Story October 11, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Winner of the Silver Medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Independent Publisher Awards, this is a fast-paced adventure set in battle-torn Virginia during the War for Southern Independence. It pits a determined Northern spy against a larger-than-life Southern cavalry officer, and ups the ante by developing a strong romantic attraction between the two. Fierce enemies in the beginning of the book, each obsessed with destruction of the other, they are overtaken by near-tragedy and find themselves strangely allied. The Yankee spy, though she masquerades as a young man, is most definitely a woman. And the dashing and daring Rebel cavalry officer (and true Southern gentleman) will capture the hearts of lady readers and inspire the admiration of the men.
The story is set against the harsh conditions of this hard-fought period, but does not attempt a battle-by-battle account of the War. Historical events unfold within the context of the story and how the characters react to various victories, defeats, tragedies, etc. Since there are sympathetic characters and villains on both sides, it shows both perspectives; although we Southerners know who was right! Daring exploits, courage and recklessness fill the narrative, and strategy and intrigue keep the reader turning pages. The epic love story of Andrea Evans and Alexander Hunter is bittersweet, but survives against all odds.
Duty - Honor - Country - Courage - Loyalty - Valor - Gallantry. Today's younger generation has no comprehension of the deeply held convictions of particularly, the mid-nineteenth century South that exemplified the highest ideals these words stand for. Ms. James illustrates these concepts through her characters, whose lives reflect their commitment to principle.
Also important to me personally, the book is free of gratuitous vulgarity and pornographic scenes, but otherwise graphically depicts the brutality of this war. The love story is tender and thoroughly passionate without being offensive. I highly recommend this book, first in a series planned by the author.
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