I Shall Be Near to You, by Erin Lindsay McCabe

Rosetta always preferred the more manly chores on her family's farm, being outdoors and doing physical work.  When her sweetheart decides to enlist in the Union army to fight in the Civil War, Rosetta convinces him to marry her before leaving.  She then disguises herself as a man, and enlists in the same unit as her husband.  Reinventing herself as Ross, she finds herself fighting as well as any man, for the sake of her country as well as her family.

I have been on a huge Civil War kick lately, ever since I visited Gettysburg this summer, so this book was right up my alley.  This book was really fascinating, not only thanks to the beautiful writing, but to the fact that this fictional story was based on actual women who fought in the Civil War.  The research behind the book was solid, and allowed me to be completely absorbed into the story.

I thought the writing in the book was just gorgeous.  I adored Rosetta as a character, and I admired her spirit.  I felt like I was able to connect to her adoration of her husband, and her desire to follow him to the ends of the world.  The book will appeal to fans of historical fiction and romance, but I think that in all reality this is the kind of book that would still appeal to fans of general contemporary fiction who tend to shy away from historical books.  While the historical aspect is a huge part of the story, it does not overshadow the book.  One does not need to be a Civil War buff to appreciate the beauty of this book.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

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