Author Becky Akers has long lived in the eighteenth century—or at least she wishes she had. Now readers can join the excitement via her debut novel, Halestorm.
They’ll meet such icons as General George Washington, who must learn the British Army’s plans for quashing the rebellion or perish with his troops; Sir William Howe, the British commander who quickly sheds his principles and his sympathy for Americans when King George III asks him to lead His Majesty’s forces against them; and Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old charmer whose dedication to the Patriots’ cause is exceeded only by his honor.
Halestorm presents the true—well, mostly true; okay, partially true—story of this legendary spy. Beloved son of a farmer in Coventry, Connecticut, Nathan imbibes politics along with the food his family raises at his father’s table.
When Mrs. Hale dies, Nathan’s heartbroken dad turns to a lady he knew long ago—and one with whom he shares an explosive secret. Soon her luscious daughter, Alice Adams, falls in love with Nathan. But Mr. Hale forbids the couple to marry, imprisoning Nathan with his own honor.
Though Nathan considers himself duty-bound to forget Alice, she doesn’t. When a dangerous and determined rival begins courting her, she encourages him to make Nathan jealous.
A motley militia fires on British troops in Massachusetts, and Nathan enlists in the new Continental Army. There he battles his honor again when General George Washington appeals for a spy. Espionage in these days before James Bond is dirty and despicable; no gentleman of honor befriends an enemy only to betray him. But unless they know the details of the upcoming British attack, the vastly outnumbered Continental troops will die—and so will the Revolution.
Nathan alone volunteers for this essential mission as Alice once more plays her suitor against him. The disaster she unleashes overtakes the threesome behind British lines, where Nathan’s uncovering the secrets General Washington needs to win the war…
Filled with love and conflict, murder and betrayal, Halestorm stirs readers’ deepest emotions with themes that resonate today as much as they did in the 1770s: the tragic effects of history, both personal and political, on our lives; our need to make sense of the senseless; how much obedience and loyalty we owe our family; whether honor should ever displace love.
“…a triumph of literary artistry and historical research…”
— American Daily Herald“…her fiction brings alive the time of the American Revolution in beautifully written prose…”
— Hearst Newspapers“This novel turns its own pages, so you may want to begin reading it at the beginning of a weekend. I didn’t, and it made for some sleepy workdays.”
–Strike-the-Root.com
HALESTORM; Quackenduck Books; 978-0-9882032-0-4
356 pages; $16.95; also available as an e-book for $2.99
About the Author:
Becky Akers is a free-lance writer and historian who publishes so voluminously that whole forests of gigabytes have died. You’ve heard of some of the outlets that carry her work (Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, Barron’s, New York Post, American History Magazine, Independent Review, Military History Magazine, Ottawa Citizen, forbes.com, alternet.com, dailycaller.com, wnd.com); others can only wish you’d heard of them. She’s also written two novels of the American Revolution, Halestorm and its sequel, Abducting Arnold. She lives in New York City, not far from where Nathan Hale uttered his famous regrets about having only one life to give for his country.
Read the Original Article at Ammo-Land