The Traitor (The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, #2)

I loved this book! After the way that The Tory ended, there was no doubt that I was going to read (or listen) to the next book in the series. I just hoped that this installment would be as good as the preceding one. You know what? It was even better in my opinion. This was one of those books that I couldn’t wait to get back to when I wasn’t listening and looked forward to those opportunities that I did have to slip on a pair of headphones. I really had a fantastic time with this book.

This series really is a saga. I am only two books in but I feel like I have been through a lot with this cast of characters already. This book picks up right after the last book ended. Since we already know the characters, the story takes off right away. Dellis finds out that John is actually a Redcoat and sets out with her cousin Alexei to find out exactly what is going on.

The characters in this book were phenomenal. Dellis is a strong woman and she faced some challenges in this book that really broke my heart. John is the kind of man that will stand by his word and is very loyal. Together, these two just worked perfectly. They have such good chemistry with each other and you can feel how much they care for each other as the story unfolds. The supporting characters were equally well done. The villains of the story were equally well developed and were truly vile humans.

The narration was top-notch. I am a big fan of full-cast productions and I must say that this was a stellar team working on this book. I felt like each narrator really brought their characters to life and brought a lot of emotion into their delivery. I loved the fact that conversations between characters utilized multiple narrators making everything flow quite naturally. The quality of the narration added a lot to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this series to others. This was a captivating listen that really pulled at my heartstrings. I feel like I have been on quite the journey with Dellis and John and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a digital audiobook review copy of this book from the author/publicist.

After listening to the audio of The Tory by T.J. London in 2020, The Traitor immediately became one of my most-anticipated listens of 2021. To say that it was worth the wait is an understatement. A great audiobook has to start with an amazing book, so whether you read to listen to this, you are in for a next-level experience. This series from T.J. London has all of the hallmarks of a sweeping epic in any form. As I was listening, I could imagine it holding its own against some of the most memorable mini-series events on TV. She is an absolutely masterful writer, and you can feel her dedication to this series and the era throughout the entire experience.

Set in New York during the Revolutionary War, the reader is immersed not only in the war between the rebels and the redcoats, but we get a dramatization of how the American Indian tribes were used by both side to advance their cause. We experience a British captain questioning his loyalty and which side he’s on, an American Indian woman standing up for herself and her people during a time when women were property and natives were nothing more than pawns, an American Indian man coming into his own and deciding his path forward after years of corruption and thievery by his European father, a British war criminal so hell-bent on revenge on those he thinks have wronged him that he has devolved into the most vile and evil man, a woman who has been so used and abused by men for living that she’s turning the tables on them, and more.

Each of these characters is a puzzle whose final picture is being revealed to us piece-by-piece through a fast-paced, heart-breaking and gut-wrenching plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s consuming, and it was impossible to stop thinking about it each time I had to put the book aside to live in the real world. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, that keeps you thinking, that has you wanting more. And I know that I’m not going to be able to wait for the audio of the next book in the series, The Turncoat. I’m picking that up, and anything else that follows in the future, and reading all of T.J. London’s words as soon I’ve recovered from this listen.

The audio of this book is a stellar example of what voice acting is supposed to be. This is not flat narration or reading; this is true acting to be able to convey the emotions, the turmoil, the upheaval of the story and characters through just your voice. The cast included standout performances by Tara Langella, Patrick Zeller, Shane East and Marnye Young, reprising their roles from The Tory. They are joined by Nicholas Boulton, Dryw McArthur and Shayna Small. Tara Langella’s ability to shift from strong, determined and fierce to vulnerable to joyous gave us a full picture of the heroine of our story, Dellis. Patrick Zeller as Delancie was so deliciously evil, so diabolical, that you want to reach through your headphones and strangle the man yourself. Shane East and Dryw McArthur as John Carlisle and Alexei McKesson respectively make us feel the conflict, the push-and-pull, the conflict of conscience their characters are feeling. Shane East also gives us the vulnerability of a man that wants to be better, who doesn’t think he deserves any happiness or love, who feels that the mistakes of his past have cost him his future. Marnye Young’s Celeste is alternately wicked, diabolical and vulnerable, and is doing what she feels she must to not only survive, but thrive, within the corruption of the era.

As a listener, this experience was a marathon of emotions for me. I loved, I hated, I laughed, I cried, I yelled. I was elated, I was heartbroken, I was angry, I was broken. There are a lot of potential triggers here given the nature of the subject and the time period – sexual assault, war, PTSD, some graphic violence at times. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is such a rewarding encounter. I cannot wait to experience the rest of this series. I sincerely hope the later books are put into audio as well because The Tory and The Traitor are two of the best audiobooks I have ever heard, and I’ve heard thousands.