New Review: Lauren Laviolette’s LOVE AMONG THE RABBLE – Wonderful Love Story Spanning America’s War of Independence

This was my first by Laviolette and I believe it is her debut novel. It's a great first book and a wonderful love story! I'll definitely be looking for more of hers. If you like a well-written historical romance that will put you into the time of America's Revolutionary War, this is a good one! It spans the years 1773-1780, as Laviolette takes us deep into what happened in South Carolina during that time. I love a romance with rich historical detail and real (as well as fictional) characters, especially when combined with a dashing hero and a strong, independent heroine--and I was not disappointed in this one.

As the story opens, it's 1773 and the Colonies are on the brink of war with England. "Loyalists" and "Rebels" are beginning to square off against each other in South Carolina. Today we think of the war as between England and the young American nation, but it wasn't so clear then. People loyal to the Crown who considered themselves Americans lived next door to those "rebels" who considered themselves patriots. Sometimes this occurred even in the same family.

Liliana ("Lily") Dunmore considered herself a patriot (while her family purportedly was Loyalist) until she met Lieutenant Bennett Davenport, a British Naval officer who happened to be in her home of Charles Town. Though Bennett is wildly attracted to the beautiful and tempestuous Lily Dunmore (who is crazy about him), he expects to inherit a title as a Baronet and knows he cannot marry a commoner, especially a Colonial. The war will tear their budding love asunder and years will pass before they are brought together, but what a sweet ending.

I highly recommend this one and think you will like it, too!