Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Rescuing Rose by Susan Pope Sloan

Book: Rescuing Rose

Author: Susan Pope Sloan

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: January 24, 2023

His army destroyed her livelihood. She represents the people he scorns. How can they reconcile their differences when the whole country is at war?

When the Union Army marches into Roswell, Georgia, and burns down the cotton mill where Rose Carrigan worked, not only is her livelihood destroyed but she’s also taken prisoner and shipped northward with the other workers. Only the unlikely kindness of one of her guards makes the trip bearable.

Union Captain Noah Griffin hates the part of his job that requires him to destroy the lives of innocent civilians, but at least he’s able to protect these women he’s been ordered to transport to Louisville, Kentucky. Especially the one whose quick wit and kindness draw him.

While they’re forced to wait in Marietta, two fugitives arrive to complicate matters between Rose and Noah. As Rose heads north and Noah returns to the battlefront, they each face fears and prejudices. With survival so tenuous, only faith can help them find love in the midst of so much tragedy.

 

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Historical Romance books are one of my favorite genres to read. Rescuing Rose by Susan Pope Sloan is the most recent book in this genre that I have read. It is Book 1 in the Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series. Susan Pope Sloan is a new to me author and I was excited to read a book from a new to me, author.  

The Setting is Rosewell, GA during the Civil War Era. Rose Carrigan is ushered out of her workplace and then has to watch in horror as the Union Army burns the Cotton Mill down to the Ground. She and the other workers are taken prisoner and they are shipped up North. She is so appreciative of the kindness of one of the guards. Noah Griffin is the kind guard who tries to protect the women who he has to take prisoner. He doesn't like having to take them, prisoner, so he tries to show them kindness. Rose and Noah strike up a friendship as they await transportation from Marietta, GA to Louisville, KY. They begin writing letters to one another that are very heartfelt. Rose begins her journey up North and Noah has to return to the Battlefield. Can they have a friendship from a distance? Will they survive the War and being a Prisoner? 

I was drawn into the Storyline from the first chapter. The author does a GREAT job with her writing and I felt like I was really in the time of the Civil War. Rose is a strong woman who is devasted at the fact that her life was drastically changed when her job was burnt to the ground and she becomes of Prisoner. She is encouraged by Noah is a wonderful character in the story. He feels dutiful to care for the women prisoners with kindness. Noah is a Union soldier and he loathes the part of his job that requires him to change the lives of the civilians. The book also is Faith-Based and the characters rely on God through some major parts of the journey. I truly enjoyed learning about this period of the Civil War, a part I didn't know about. I HIGHLY Recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. FANTASTIC BOOK! 

Born into a family of storytellers, Susan Pope Sloan published her first articles in high school and continued writing sporadically for decades. Retirement provided the time to focus on writing and indulge her avid interest in history. Her Civil War series begins (and ultimately ends) in her home state of Georgia with references to lesser-known events of that period. She and husband Ricky live near Columbus where she participates in Word Weavers, ACFW, and Toastmasters.

 

More from Susan

Rescuing Rose is the first book in the Rescued Hearts of the Civil War series. Years ago, I worked with a gentleman who was a Civil War reenactor. We had many conversations about the war and my writing aspirations. He told me two stories that stuck with me, one of which was the Roswell mill workers.

 

The bare-bones story is this: The Union army entered Roswell, Georgia, in July 1864. They ordered the workers out and burned the mills. Then they arrested the workers, who were mostly uneducated women, sent them to Marietta, and then put them on trains headed north.

Note that they were uneducated, unable to read or write, unskilled except in mill work. How were they to survive without means of supporting themselves and their families? If their husbands, sons, and fathers were away with one or the other army, how would they ever bring the women home again?

 

Since my hometown has several cotton mills and my grandparents worked in those, I felt a connection to those women. Their story should be told! My research led me to a wonderful scholarly book, The Women Will Howl, which was published thirty years ago and contained ample information to get me started. It became my primary resource, but I also had the advantage of a robust Internet to find other sources.

 

To provide a main character who was educated, I came up with two daughters of a minister with poor health. The family moved from Dalton, Georgia in 1863 so the daughters could work in the mill and take care of their father. After the mills are destroyed, Rose and her sister (Celeste) decide to teach some of the children how to read and write so they can help their folks and be better prepared for the future. When they reach Louisville, she leads the effort in finding jobs so they can provide for those who’ve fallen ill. In this way, Rose “rescues” the families in her group.

 

The male protagonist is a Union officer who aids Rose and Celeste when they are accosted by a band of hostile soldiers. Noah assists them again and takes on the role of self-appointed guardian. Though he and Rose often rile each other, he is smitten and does whatever he can to help their group adjust to their new reality. Circumstances tear them apart, however, and both must face hidden fears and prejudices before the relationship can be restored. How will that be possible when the war has pushed them hundreds of miles apart?

 

What I learned from research and writing this book.

• There were people loyal to the Union scattered all over the South, even in Georgia.
• Soldiers endured miserable conditions, often pushed to cover many miles before they reached the next engagement, in all kinds of conditions.
• Leadership was fractured on both sides, with personalities clashing within the ranks.
• Lee’s surrender at Appomattox did not end the war. It was months before that happened.
• Mill workers thought tobacco use would ward off “brown lung” from breathing cotton fibers and losing a finger or two in machinery was almost a rite of passage.

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 25

Bizwings Blog, January 26

Holly’s Book Corner, January 26

Texas Book-aholic, January 27

deb’s Book Review, January 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 29

Cover Lover Book Review, January 30

Betti Mace, January 30

Connie’s History Classroom, January 31

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 1

Lily’s Book Reviews, February 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 2

For Him and My Family, February 3

Pause for Tales, February 4

Blossoms and Blessings, February 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 6

To Everything There Is A Season, February 7

To celebrate her tour, Susan is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/23cc5/rescuing-rose-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: Rescuing Rose by Susan Pope Sloan

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