Book Review: "Where Can I Flee" by A.M.Heath

"Where Can I Flee" by A.M. Heath is set at the beginning of the Civil War in Tennessee.  Frank and Claire Harper are twins who've never been apart from each other. The life that they know is soon thrown into chaos when the Civil War breaks out. Frank gladly enlists in the Confederate Army while Claire is left behind to wonder if what she's known her whole life is what is right.

The story is partially told through the letters that Frank and Claire send to each other. Though it was different than other books I've read, it was an interesting and fitting way to tell this story. Claire's letters are often filled with her concern for her brother's spiritual life and therefore, the gospel is woven throughout the book heavily.

"Where Can I Flee" is the first book in the Ancient Words Series and the story carries over into the next book. This is not really a romance story and you do not see the "love interest" until more than half way through the book and there is not a "Happily Ever After" by the end of the book.

Being someone who does Civil War Reenactments and a "Northerner", it was interesting to see the Civil War from the Southern point of view.

I liked the characters and felt for Claire with the heartache and confusion that she faced. I found the book to be well written and researched with a few exceptions. There is mention of Claire using a leather belt to hold up Frank's pants when she helped her father. Belts used to hold pants up were not used until the 1920's. They would have used suspenders during the Civil War. Also, one of the female characters had her hair "twisted high in its bun". The women wore their hair parted down the middle and anchored at the nape of their neck, not in a high bun. "Jingle Bells" was published in 1857 and was written for Thanksgiving. I am not sure if they would have been singing it as a Christmas song by 1861 or not. The final historical issue that jumped out at me was the fact that the characters "laughed out loud". This does not sound like something an 1860's person would say or think, but is a modern term. If I wasn't into Civil War reenacting, I would probably not have noticed these issues except for the "laugh out loud" one, though. I liked the part at the end of the book where the author gives some of the information she found while researching for the book.

I look forward to reading the other books in the series and finding out what happens with the people I met in "Where Can I Flee".

You can get "Where Can I Flee" in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 1719 KB
• Print Length: 526 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publication Date: August 13, 2014
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00MQ8KYI2

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive any other compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own.