Book Blurb:
Sally Townsend, of Loyalist Oyster Bay, Long Island, walks a tightrope of allegiances. While appearing neutral, she secretly helps the Patriot cause. When the dashing British Officer, Lt. Colonel John Graves Simcoe, moves into her home, Sally is taken with the handsome, though sometimes ruthless officer. Simcoe is immediately infatuated with the beautiful Sally and proposes marriage. She wants to accept until she discovers he's at the head of a plot that could destroy the fledgling American army. Now, she must choose between love for her officer and her country. Either choice could cost her everything she holds dear.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/thebelleofoysterbay
Author Bio:
Angela Moody is a native Vermonter who grew up in the Burlington area, where she still lives today. There isn’t a time that she doesn’t remember telling stories, whether concocting plays with her friends in the backyard or writing fiction, she’s been hard at work on her craft.
Always a voracious reader, her favorite authors were John Steinbeck, Stephen King, Anya Seton, John Jakes, as well as Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott. Angela would say her biggest influences in her choice of writing were John Jakes and Anya Seton. She is also a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell.
Angela received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English Literature from Trinity College of Vermont—now part of the University of Vermont. Angela lives with her husband, Jim. Her children are grown and living successful lives of their own.
She has been writing historical fiction for more than twenty years. She is currently hard at work on her next novel, due out in fall of 2021.
No Safe Haven is her debut novel. Angela is a tour guide, as well as a member of the Board of Directors at the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, in Burlington, Vermont.
Editorial Review:
If Lucifer claimed a home, Captain John Graves Simcoe was positive Staten Island was the place. Surrounded by water, the saturated air suffocated like steaming wet wool. Not only stifling during the day and cold and foggy at night, but the place stank from Manhattan City's rubbish. He couldn't decide which reeked worse, the pigs rooting in the refuse or the constant stench from the heap called Pig Hill.
The history of the American Revolution is a veritable treasure trove for historical fiction authors, and Ms Moody extracts a delightful golden nugget to develop and present in this exciting tale of a British officer and a young patriotic colonial woman whose heart and mind must choose sides in this conflict.
In actual history, John Graves Simcoe (portrayed in many historical movies and shows such as “Turn”) was a loyal British officer serving in the Thirteen Colonies under King George and, at one point, stationed at the Townsend home during some of the action of the Revolutionary War. Ms Moody expands on the possibility that Sarah (Sally) Townsend, one of the daughters of the household, was recruited by her brother, Robert, to spy upon Simcoe and another officer, John Andre, and report to him about movements of the British and anything which might help General Washington defeat them.
Known as the “Culper Spy Ring”, the author gives credence to the possibility that Sally was one of the women involved, especially since it is known that Simcoe formed an attraction to Sally, even penning a poem to her. This, no doubt, created a crucible of emotions in her, for at such a young age she would have been privy to Simcoe's activities and conversations, not to mention in dealing with matters of the heart versus loyalties to the new cause or to King George.
She rounded on her, tears in her eyes. “You have no idea, Susannah, the difficulty of living in a house with a man you consider your enemy, having to be polite and kind and pretend feelings you don't feel until all of a sudden you do and then you're so confused you can't remember if you're supposed to like or dislike him. Guarding your tongue until you're mute because you you don't know what you can or cannot say. And when you're convinced, he's not so bad, he does something to one of your friends or countrymen and it's as if he's slapped you in the face.”
The author's character of 'Sally' gives us an insight into the day-to-day life for women at the time, not to mention an introspective eye into slave-owning at the time in northern states such as New York and Massachusetts. Ms Moody weaves the ideals of freedom and love, of loyalty and honor, and of patriotism versus the shadows of slavery, hatred, dishonor, and betrayal – royalists versus revolutionaries. And in the mix, Sally must decide if her heart and mind can accept Simcoe's love, thus giving up her American ideas, or if she can see clearly enough beyond the emotion to recognize the truth behind the poetry and attention. Again and again, Sally is given opportunities to send messages to her brother after 'hearing' conversations, or witnessing the training of the British Army, even one which revealed a plot to overtake West Point and the betrayal of Benedict Arnold, which ultimately leads to the revelation of someone whom she considers a friend – Adjutant General John Andre – which puts him in a very life-threatening situation. In all of these situations, Sally's loyalty is tested time and again.
Her heart pounded. She didn't know what danger it portended for the British, but she prayed for success for the Americans. Lifting her fingers to her lips, she kissed the pads and sent a prayer to the Lord that whatever happened, it would work toward the defeat of the British. As she climbed into bed and drifted to sleep, it never occurred to her that defeat for the British also meant defeat for John, and for Daniel and Susannah.
For the most part, the story is very engaging and page-turning, with the characters developed enough for the reader to connect to the emotions and obstacles barring true love; however, unless another book is coming as a sequel, the reader might be left wondering about the ultimate outcome for both Sally and John, and how the war impacts them both on a deeper level. The author does reveal in the notes the actual historical destiny for them both, but as far as the story line, itself, the culmination might leave a reader wondering about their future.
Again, as a whole, the story is entertaining and well-written grammatically and structurally, with a believable character arc, yet one can't help wonder if more of the war, the boots-on-the-ground action, and engagement with General Washington might have built the dramatic backdrop and world even more, and if Sally's actions might have been pushed even further to the brink, especially with someone like John whose own actions hinted at something more volatile on several occasions. Without revealing any spoilers, the ultimate revelation of Andre's actions and arrest, as well as Sally's guilt and decisions about John, seemed to plateau instead of rising to grand climatic crescendo. As a reader and reviewer, this story left me wanting a bit more and in hopes that another book to continue the story is in the works.
On that Christmas night, Sally had been called upon to declare her loyalties. Though she didn't comprehend it at the time, when Robert gave her the code book, she'd declared herself. Sally Townsend would be a.... (no spoilers! Read to find out her decision!!)
*****
“The Belle of Oyster Bay” by Angela Moody receives four stars from The Historical Fiction Company
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