Indigo

This book is very different from what I usually read, so I don't know that my opinion should hold a lot of weight, since m/f romance isn't a genre I know a lot about. But I enjoyed this book.

Both main characters are involved in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad, and a lot of historical details are woven into the story. Slavery and racism have shaped the lives of all the major characters, and the book brings those topics to the forefront in a myriad of ways. For example, one of the villainous characters, Jeanine, is written with a lot of sensitivity, and Hester muses that if her own life had been different and she had not been freed from slavery at an early age, with a family to rely on, she might have done the same things Jeanine does.

Hester is easy to like and sympathize with, without ever feeling too perfect. She's not a modern woman and isn't written like one, but she's very determined and firm in her convictions. This is a fairly minor detail but I really like the portrayal of Jeanette, Galen's former fiancee who has lived a life of privilege. Hester sees that Jeanette's priorities in life are very different from hers, but she sees Jeanette's lack of interest in political issues as a difference in their backgrounds, not as a flaw in Jeanette's character, and they become friends.

The romance really was not my kind of thing, but that's my own personal taste and not a comment on the book's quality. Galen decides what's best for Hester and spends most of the book showing her. Of course he wants to make her happy, and when we first meet her, she's clearly lonely. So, it is appealing to read about her falling in love, but I wasn't totally on board with everything that happened in their relationship. I do really like that it was completely Hester's choice to officially (in the view of this book and of society at that time) have sex with Galen, but some of the sex scenes before that one are more along the lines of Galen convincing Hester into surrendering to him. But mainly, I dislike that he basically shamed her into marriage, even though I don't think Hester ever has a good reason not to marry him. He took away her choice. .

I love the ending - it's one of the happiest endings I've ever read in a romance novel. Overall, I recommend this book highly, if immersing yourself in an important era of American history through the eyes of interesting characters sounds like something you would enjoy.