3 out of 4 stars
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Bryan Hawkins had already seen his share of war thanks to the French and Indian War. With this experience behind him, when people started discussing rebellion in America in the 1770s, Bryan wasn't exactly happy. In fact, while many of those around him had decided a revolt of some sort was necessary, he didn't hesitate to say that he was loyal to King George and that what they were discussing was treason.
This talk eventually led to what's now known as the American Revolutionary War. Bryan's previous experience with war meant that he was called upon once again, pulling him away from his family. Bryan had skills as a ranger, making him a valuable asset for spying and missions that required stealth. But as Bryan deals with tensions between people he used to consider friends and neighbors, people and places he knows from the French and Indian War, and allegiances with Native American tribes that could side with the rebels or the loyalists (those, like Bryan, who sided with Britain), his family must maintain the farm and home that he left behind.
When The Eagle Strikes (author's capitalization) by Ronald E. Gaffney sounded like a book that would be right up my alley. I love historical fiction, and learning more about the American Revolution from a fictional character sounded amazing. Not only that, Ronald put a unique spin on it by showing things from the point of view of a loyalist, which was very different from the viewpoint we Americans are shown in history class. Despite his choice of side, the book is still fair about the actions of both sides. For example, the British use a tactic called "impressment" in which they would trick civilians into secluded areas and then beat them until they agreed to join the Royal Navy. These men wouldn't even get the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, they'd merely go missing.
Unfortunately, it felt like over half of the book was an external look at events. The book is written as if Bryan is recording these events in a book even though he took no part in them. I often struggled to remember the names of the major players in the war, the locations where events occurred, and who was on which side.
On the bright side, the scenes that are from Bryan's point of view are excellent. Ronald has skill with building tension, setting a scene, and throwing the reader right into the middle of events. Bryan takes part in holding a fort against rebels, deals with neighbors who are quick to punish him and his family for the side he chose, and sees great victories and terrible tragedies. If the book was Bryan's tale of events during the war with the other events quickly filled in, I would've enjoyed it far more.
I'd give When The Eagle Strikes 2.5 stars if I could. Because I enjoyed myself overall and heartily recommend it to people who enjoy American history, my rating of the book is 3 out of 4 stars. It's worth mentioning that the events of the French and Indian War are covered in the first book in this series, Fire Over Arcadia. I haven't read that book, and while places and events from it are mentioned, I had no problem at all following along. Finally, while there are over a dozen errors in the book, they rarely affected my reading experience.
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When The Eagle Strikes
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