Go with Your Heart

This sweet but shallow historical novella pairs up Shiloh, an enslaved black woman, and Nashoba, a Choctaw man reluctantly fighting in the Confederate Army, as the Civil War careens to an end. The two bond as they defy their mutual enemy, the Confederacy, and hope to build a new life that doesn’t revolve around America’s “peculiar institution.” Although Shiloh must part ways with Nashoba when she escapes bondage, they eventually reunite after the war. Frierson develops accurate cultural portrayals, avoiding clichés and stereotypes. The story is told in a nonlinear format, which is perfect for this couple’s erratic journey. Unfortunately, too little time is spent on the characters’ conflicts both inside and outside of the relationship, and the story moves too quickly for the reader to savor each special moment. This is a tender, quick romance that’s perfect travel reading, but romance fans who desire something a bit deeper or hotter will be disappointed. (BookLife)