And additional unifying theme is a direct personal connection to Alexander Hamilton via the framing device of Mrs.

The collection Hamilton’s Battalion operates at the intersection of those two topics, being a collection of three historic romance novellas focusing on respectively a Jewish couple with the woman joining the army passing as a man (“Promised Land” by Rose Lerner), a same-sex male couple, one of whom is black (“The Pursuit of.” by Courtney Milan), and a same-sex female couple, both of whom are black (“That Could Be Enough” by Alyssa Cole). I’m still not convinced the thriller genre is one I’d like to keep exploring, but if Alyssa Cole wants to keep writing them, I’ll keep reading her stuff.The musical Hamilton has quite deservedly stirred up a lot of interest in the Revolutionary War era and, from a separate angle, in history as experienced through lives that don’t fit the straight white male Christian default. It’s brilliant work from a true master of the craft. They, like the social commentary, cut deep layers into a straightforward mystery. Through Theo we see whiteness as it moves from actor to ally to accomplice, in all its fits and starts. Through Sydney we see the true price of gentrification and the tolls Black women must pay to exist in the western world.

Sydney and Theo are as complex and messy as Cole’s characters always are. Cole weaves in real history to ground the mystery while also stretching the truth into something almost science fictional by the end. From the scathing commentary on gentrification and casual racism to the pitch perfect deployment of Karens and Beckys to the incisive way Cole calls out white allies who think saying they support BLM is the same as actually doing the work. The mystery itself is pretty easy to figure out, but everything surrounding it is EXCELLENT. It made for a nice change of pace, even if I did keep forgetting it wasn’t a romance novel and getting annoyed that there wasn’t more making out. I spent most of the audiobook muttering under my breath “mm-hmm!” and “oh shit!” and “girl, get outta there!” and “this bitch!” out loud, much to the annoyance of my coworkers.īecause I don’t read thrillers, I didn’t know what to expect from the genre (outside of the big, obvious points, of course). Both have great voices and really played with the tension. I opted for the audiobook version narrated by Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng, and that was an excellent choice. Having already indulged in Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series, the second I heard about her thriller I was eager to read it. But there is one thing that will get me to read outside my usual speculative fiction and romance fare: a great author. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I read one.

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole