Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already time for another First Line Friday… December is flying by, and Christmas will be here before we know it! Today I’m featuring All Through the Night, an upcoming release by new-to-me author Tara Johnson.

April 1861

“‘What do you think, Songbird?'”

All Through the Night by Tara Johnson

The Basics

Title: All Through the Night

Author: Tara Johnson

Release Date: January 5, 2021

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover: With her stammering tongue and quiet ways, Cadence Piper has always struggled to be accepted. After the death of her mother, Cadence sets her heart on becoming a nurse, both to erase the stain her brother has left on the family’s honor and to find long-sought approval in the eyes of her father. When Dorothea Dix turns her away due to her young age and pretty face, Cadence finds another way to serve . . . singing to the soldiers in Judiciary Square Hospital. Only one stubborn doctor stands in her way.

Joshua Ivy is an intense man with a compassionate heart for the hurting and downtrodden. The one thing he can’t have is an idealistic woman destroying the plans he’s so carefully laid. When the chaos of war thrusts Cadence into the middle of his clandestine activities, he must decide if the lives at stake, and his own heart, are worth the risk of letting Cadence inside.

Everything changes when Joshua and Cadence unearth the workings of a secret society so vile, the course of their lives, and the war, could be altered forever. If they fight an enemy they cannot see, will the One who sees all show them the way in the darkest night?

My Thoughts

This was the first of Tara Johnson’s books I’ve read, but it won’t be the last! I can be a little picky when it comes to historical fiction, but this book had just the right balance of an intriguing storyline, historical detail, and engaging characters. I enjoyed the unique historical aspects, with a focus on the brave doctors and nurses who served the Union during the Civil War, both in Washington DC and on the battlefield. The added elements of Joshua’s clandestine work were fascinating from a historical perspective, and made the book hard to put down!

I loved Cadence and Joshua as characters and thought they complemented each other very well, even though they got off to a rocky start! They brought out the best in each other, helped each other grow, and accomplished so much more together than they could have on their own. This multifaceted story even had some suspense mixed in that led to some tense moments at the end! This book is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, especially from the Civil War era.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.