No Small Thing: A Novel of the American Revolution

by Harold Coyle

History is written in blood, and lived in heartache, fate, and fire. Seize New York Times bestselling author Harold Coyle’s latest masterpiece of historical a multi-perspective account of the American Revolution that wheels all the way from the slopes of Breeds Hill to a desperate gamble across the frozen Delaware River on Christmas Day, 1776. Rebellion demands sacrifice. Identity requires dedication. See the limits of loyalty and miracles of heart that shaped America, and fall vividly right into the truth and smoke of battle in the way only Harold Coyle can write.

Fifteen-year-old Anthony Carter yearns for glory but finds brutal realities. Edward Shields defies his loyalist father and pragmatic mother to forge a new path. Lady Katherine Trent walks a dangerous line between fidelity and liberty in British-occupied New York, knowing her dreams reach beyond convention. And French officer Anton de Chevalier, sent to observe, finds himself drawn into a fight that will change both the world and his own fate. Here, early America comes to life through the eyes of young militiamen, seasoned veterans, daring women, conflicted loyalists, and more – all swept into the storm of rebellion and war.

Our world is made by those who dare. And for them, it is no small thing.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

417 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Harold Coyle is an American author of historical, speculative fiction and war novels including Team Yankee, a New York Times best-seller.He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1974 and spent seventeen years on active duty with the U.S. Army.He lives in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

I thoroughly enjoyed the story in spite of the massive proof reading errors. Every page needs proof reading, badly. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚No Small Thing
✍🏻Harold Coyle
Blurb:
History is written in blood, and lived in heartache, fate, and fire. Seize New York Times bestselling author Harold Coyle’s latest masterpiece of historical a multi-perspective account of the American Revolution that wheels all the way from the slopes of Breeds Hill to a desperate gamble across the frozen Delaware River on Christmas Day, 1776. Rebellion demands sacrifice. Identity requires dedication. See the limits of loyalty and miracles of heart that shaped America, and fall vividly right into the truth and smoke of battle in the way only Harold Coyle can write.

Fifteen-year-old Anthony Carter yearns for glory but finds brutal realities. Edward Shields defies his loyalist father and pragmatic mother to forge a new path. Lady Katherine Trent walks a dangerous line between fidelity and liberty in British-occupied New York, knowing her dreams reach beyond convention. And French officer Anton de Chevalier, sent to observe, finds himself drawn into a fight that will change both the world and his own fate. Here, early America comes to life through the eyes of young militiamen, seasoned veterans, daring women, conflicted loyalists, and more – all swept into the storm of rebellion and war.

Our world is made by those who dare. And for them, it is no small thing.
My Thoughts:
The characters were well done, and reflected the attitudes of the contending parties. I hope this book is the beginning of the story, because although I know how it ends, Each character has to decide where they stand and what they are willing to sacrifice for independence, or for loyalty to the king. The story is told from both sides and gives you a feeling for what the people went through to secure our freedom. Thing deals with class and gender issues as well as freedom. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy historical fiction.
Thanks NetGalley, Master Wings Publishing and Author Harold Coyle for the advanced copy of "No Small Thing" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
##MasterWingsPublishing
#HaroldCoyle
#NoSmallThing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Nicolette · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC Review | Thank you to Net galley for the opportunity to read and review No Small Thing by Harold Coyle

I typically gravitate towards historical fiction, but this one was hard for me to enjoy and hard for me to follow along. As it’s written in the description, it is a multi-perspective account of the American Revolution. However, I think the numerous perspectives made it hard to keep track of everything that was happening. Being written in third person may have also contributed to the confusion throughout the novel.

It took me quite some time to get into the writing and plot. There were several sections early on that I had to reread or flip back a few pages to keep the storyline straight. It seemed like within every new section, new characters were being introduced. Except the story would just land you in the middle of a new place with a new character.

If you are a reader that enjoys third person and multiple POVs, this book could be a good read for you. For me it just took too much brain power in the beginning pages.

[Ramona Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed previous books from Harold Coyle. Being somewhat of a student of the Revolutionary War, I am happy to see a novel concerning it. Telling the story from both the English and American points of view made an interesting approach, though it took a while to sort things out. The characters were well done, and reflected the attitudes of the contending parties. I hope this book is the beginning of the story, because although I know how it ends, I would like to know how the characters made it through the conflict. In addition to the story line the reader has a chance to learn a bit about the weapons that were available to the armies. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc with no pressure for a positive review.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold Coyle is one of my favorite authors and had pretty much stopped writing. Well, he is back with a novel about the first two years of the American Revolution. He has not lost his talent for characterization at all. Each character has to decide where they stand and what they are willing to sacrifice for independence, or for loyalty to the king. The story is told from both sides and gives you a feeling for what the people went through to secure our freedom. I look forward to the sequal.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In No Small Thing, Harold Coyle gives us a story of the early days of the American Revolution.
Told through the perspective of multiple characters on either side, we read about familiar events of the first year of the war.
I enjoy historical fiction, and I like how Coyle addresses the concept of rights and freedom for all. No Small Thing deals with class and gender issues as well as freedom.
I recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley and Master Wings Publishing for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

[David Haddon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical fiction from a period that does not get enough attention. I like the focus on everyday folks, not Adams, Washington, Howe, Burgoyne, etc. Nicely teed up for a sequel picking up the story in 1777 forward.

Nice follow, 25 years later in publication time, to the characters in Savage Wilderness. The authors writing has grown crisper in the ensuing years.

[Steven A Regis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So full of typos, incorrect wording, comma splices sentence fragment, and more, that it was hard to read. Good story of the early days of the Revolutionary Army, but a slog to wade through the awful editing. It was as if someone had dictated it and then never reread the text. Lazy

[Scott Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read by Harold Coyle

While a bit wordy at times I found this a very enjoyable historical novel of the American revolution. Well done.

[Christina M. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

It would be great if he continued the story through entire war,to see how the chacters end up in the end.