Reconciled: A Civil War Saga by Curt Locklear is the third book in the Asunder trilogy, a spellbinding conclusion to a trilogy that captures a historical moment with lucidity and unusual storytelling skills. The novel explores the climate of the Civil War and presents a cast of exciting, sophisticated characters — Paul McGavin, General McCulloch, Colonel Armstrong, Joseph Favor, Reverend Edward Felder, and many others —and the difficult, life-changing choices they make as they are caught up in the war. The narrative opens in the midst of action and Curt Locklear paints a powerful picture with vivid images of the war and the setting, the image of the woman lashing the reins on her roan mare’s sides, the run through the crowded trees, the terror in the eyes of onlookers are a prelude to the intensity of the action that dominates the writing.

Fans of historical novels, especially those who enjoy tales about the Civil War will enjoy Reconciled: A Civil War Saga. The novel is fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with wonderful surprises for readers. The author recreates the settings in a way that is brilliant and creates characters that readers will want to follow. The prose is impeccably good and the author’s unique phraseology creates sentences that are captivating and that make for great clarity of expression. The elements of the setting are well-explored and developed to allow for compelling imagery. I was pulled in immediately by the evocative style of writing and the author’s storytelling craft. It felt like I was watching a film, as though the action was taking place before my very eyes. The emotions are beautifully captured and the suspense grows in momentum as the story progresses.

Reconciled: A Civil War Saga by Curt Locklear is the third novel in the Asunder Trilogy. The story follows Confederate sympathizers Sara Reeder and Constance Carver and the abolitionists Cynthia and Joseph Favor. While still recovering from some emotional wounds, everyone is trying to make something of their lives. With everything in disarray, no one knows what they can do to make their lives whole again. With civil war fully raging, they are trying to remember why they even wanted to start fighting in the first place. All four of them are fighting an internal battle that might not be won at all. However, the war waits for no one, it has a mind of its own and it will not be stopped until it has taken the blood it needs. With survival at the forefront of everyone’s mind, fighting for a cause has now taken a secondary position. What will happen now? Can they even survive to see the future they so desperately wanted?

Although this is the third and concluding novel in the series, I had no issues with getting invested in the characters' stories and their struggles. It took me some time to understand what was happening, but by the end of chapter 4, I had a good enough grip on the story and understood what was happening in the lives of the characters. I enjoyed how the author gave an insight into both sides of the Civil War; he showed the abolitionists and the Confederate sympathizers and how the war affected both sides. I enjoyed Constance’s story the most; she had a very important role to play and she knew it. The narrative was very appropriate for the time, the characters were given time to shine and the descriptions were very vivid. Emotions were running high, the characters were desperate and the tension was thick. This is the perfect book for readers who enjoy fact-driven, well-researched historical fiction.