My Bookshelf: A Thousand Shall Fall by Andrea Boeshaar

        In the autumn of 1864, spirited Carrie Ann Bell is searching for her runaway sister in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Disguised as a Yankee soldier, she stumbles into a skirmish near Front Royal—and instead of her sister, she finds trouble.

        Colonel Peyton Collier of the Union cavalry division arrests her for impersonating an officer, but protects her from worse consequences. Soon the Southern girl finds herself drawn to the chivalrous Yankee horseman, discovering that her foe has become her ally—and more than that, someone she could love. But Carrie has promised to keep a dark secret, never suspecting that her silence might threaten the life of the gallant colonel who holds her—and her heart—captive.

        A Thousand Shall Fall is the first book in Andrea Boeshaar’s Shenandoah Valley Saga, and is the only book I have ever read by her, so far anyway. Let’s just say, I loved this novel so much that I know I will be reading more of her work in the future. Andrea has weaved together a wonderful tale of love and loss, pain and joy, that will captivate your mind and touch your heart in ways no other book ever has. The story that fills this novel’s pages is so sweet, so touching, so heart-wrenching, that you will be completely unable to put it down. I know I was.

        Carrie Ann Bell knows that she cannot return home until she finds her sister. So, dressed as a soldier in the Union army, she attempts to make it past army lines and towards the direction she feels sure her sister took. Unfortunately, she gets caught in the middle of a battle, and through a few unusual circumstances ends up captured by the handsome Colonel Peyton Collier. As she gets to know him better, Carrie Ann realizes just what a wonderful man the colonel is, and finds herself wondering what a future with him would be like.

        Peyton Collier is one of my favorite heroes of all time. He is kind, caring, chivalrous, brave, compassionate, and honorable. Enough said. He has such a big heart, and I love the type of colonel he is. He cares deeply about his soldiers, and is such a kind yet firm leader, which helps him to have good relationships with his men but still receive respect and obedience from them. On top of that, I love the way he treats his aunt, her housekeeper/friend, and Carrie Ann. He really knows how to care for the women in his life, and that makes him all the more lovable.

        A Thousand Shall Fall is an extremely captivating novel that has just enough twists and turns to have an element of suspense, and I have to admit there were quite a few unexpected events sneaked between the pages. Although I yelled at Andrea a couple of times because some of the twists were not entirely to my liking, it has nothing to do with the quality of the story, but rather with how they didn’t line up with the way I wanted the story to end. All in all, I happily give this novel five out of five bookshelves, and a place on my all-time favorites list, simply because it was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend this read!

        Happy reading!

I received a copy of this book from the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review.

Check out where I’m linking up on my Where I Party page.

All credit for the cute photo goes to my sister Allie, whose blog you can check out here.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Andrea Boeshaar and Kregel Publications.