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Glory: A Civil War Series #2
Train to Glory
On the Road Again…
Home after having escaped the gallows for spying on the Confederacy, Jana Brady returns to Virginia in search of her soldier-sweetheart, Keeley Cassidy, who is missing from battle. She finds him suffering from amnesia, and she brings him to the Brady farm to recover. Months pass and Keeley’s inability to remember their love or fall in love with Jana all over again constantly frustrates her and confuses him. To give Keeley some breathing room, Jana agrees to travel around New York speaking about her time in uniform. She hops aboard her Train to Glory with high hopes of advancing the cause for women’s suffrage and equal rights.
Jana is kidnapped, and further scare tactics beyond her release attempt to thwart her ultimate goal of speaking before the 88th state legislature. With a wealthy philanthropist funding her tour and her cavalry comrades and Pinkerton agents watching her back, Jana determines to see her commitment through. She especially refuses to give up when it appears her absence from home is making Keeley’s heart grow fonder for her. But a real threat of assassination looms over her. Will Keeley come around to Jana in time to reconcile their love? Will Jana elude death again?
In her sequel to Sweet Glory, Lisa Potocar masterfully interweaves adventure, romance, and suspense into a sweeping portrayal of the women’s suffrage and equal rights movement and the courage of key figures in history.
Home after having escaped the gallows for spying on the Confederacy, Jana Brady returns to Virginia in search of her soldier-sweetheart, Keeley Cassidy, who is missing from battle. She finds him suffering from amnesia, and she brings him to the Brady farm to recover. Months pass and Keeley’s inability to remember their love or fall in love with Jana all over again constantly frustrates her and confuses him. To give Keeley some breathing room, Jana agrees to travel around New York speaking about her time in uniform. She hops aboard her Train to Glory with high hopes of advancing the cause for women’s suffrage and equal rights.
Jana is kidnapped, and further scare tactics beyond her release attempt to thwart her ultimate goal of speaking before the 88th state legislature. With a wealthy philanthropist funding her tour and her cavalry comrades and Pinkerton agents watching her back, Jana determines to see her commitment through. She especially refuses to give up when it appears her absence from home is making Keeley’s heart grow fonder for her. But a real threat of assassination looms over her. Will Keeley come around to Jana in time to reconcile their love? Will Jana elude death again?
In her sequel to Sweet Glory, Lisa Potocar masterfully interweaves adventure, romance, and suspense into a sweeping portrayal of the women’s suffrage and equal rights movement and the courage of key figures in history.
- GenresHistorical
Kindle Edition
Published August 27, 2017
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Y. Potocar
3 books45 followersOnce upon a time. . .
Lisa Potocar hated history! Only after touring a colonial home in which a melodic-voiced docent, dressed in period garb, lulled the metaphorical ghosts of Revolutionary-War times out to play, did she become hooked. Lisa’s quest to gobble up historical novels and light non-fiction led her to discover that around 250 known women, from both the North & South, disguised themselves as soldiers to fight in the American Civil War. Sarah Edmonds, alias Frank Thompson of the 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment, kept calling out to Lisa from the graveyard of records to tell her story as a solider, nurse, and spy. Aha! Lisa’s primary protagonist was born: the bold, adventurous, sixteen-year-old tomboy Jana Brady who seeks to create a new meaning of what a woman can do during the tumultuous years of the Civil War.
When Jana’s escapades came to a close in Sweet Glory (Book 1 of Glory: A Civil War Series), and readers expressed a desire for more, Lisa returned to her research, delving deep to exhume a seedling for a sequel and sprouts to liven the characters and scenes for the thrill of her readers—a skill honed from her former work in healthcare administration and as a professor.
Shazam!
Train to Glory (Book 2 of Glory: A Civil War Series) germinated with a suspenseful twist when Lisa learned that suffragists had suspended their crusade during the Civil War to put all of their energies into the abolition of slavery and providing for the soldiers. With the war winding down at Sweet Glory’s end, who better to help re-ignite the woman's cause for equal rights than a woman soldier? Thus, real-life activists, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass, invite Jana to travel their lecture circuit speaking about her time in uniform to prove: A woman ought to be granted the same rights to tackle anything a man can if she has a mind to it!
Lisa’s close (as of March 2021) to publishing the third book in her “Glory” series. Hint #1: It embraces her own spin on legends of lost gold during the Civil War. Does Curse of Civil War Gold on The History Channel ring a bell? Hint #2: As Sweet Glory and Train to Glory do, it begins on the Brady Homestead and climaxes with mayhem.
Aside from her writing, Lisa is much like her main character Jana Brady—she’s a tomboy at heart who loves to hike and bike and has traveled the world to do it. Her most favorite reads are any subgenre of historical fiction. Author John Jakes rocks! She also loves contemporary romance, mystery, and political/spy thrillers.
Lisa was in her forties when she realized her childhood dream to someday publish a story that would entertain someone somewhere and to experience the exhilaration of seeing it displayed in a bookshop window. She’s living proof, it’s never too late to make your dreams come true!
P.S. Join Lisa, Civil War ghosts, and other enthusiasts where you'll find fun facts, contests, or great conversation:
https://www.lisapotocarauthor.com
https://www.civilwarwomen.co
www.facebook.com/LisaPotocarAuthor
www.facebook.com/LisaYPotocar
Lisa Potocar hated history! Only after touring a colonial home in which a melodic-voiced docent, dressed in period garb, lulled the metaphorical ghosts of Revolutionary-War times out to play, did she become hooked. Lisa’s quest to gobble up historical novels and light non-fiction led her to discover that around 250 known women, from both the North & South, disguised themselves as soldiers to fight in the American Civil War. Sarah Edmonds, alias Frank Thompson of the 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment, kept calling out to Lisa from the graveyard of records to tell her story as a solider, nurse, and spy. Aha! Lisa’s primary protagonist was born: the bold, adventurous, sixteen-year-old tomboy Jana Brady who seeks to create a new meaning of what a woman can do during the tumultuous years of the Civil War.
When Jana’s escapades came to a close in Sweet Glory (Book 1 of Glory: A Civil War Series), and readers expressed a desire for more, Lisa returned to her research, delving deep to exhume a seedling for a sequel and sprouts to liven the characters and scenes for the thrill of her readers—a skill honed from her former work in healthcare administration and as a professor.
Shazam!
Train to Glory (Book 2 of Glory: A Civil War Series) germinated with a suspenseful twist when Lisa learned that suffragists had suspended their crusade during the Civil War to put all of their energies into the abolition of slavery and providing for the soldiers. With the war winding down at Sweet Glory’s end, who better to help re-ignite the woman's cause for equal rights than a woman soldier? Thus, real-life activists, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass, invite Jana to travel their lecture circuit speaking about her time in uniform to prove: A woman ought to be granted the same rights to tackle anything a man can if she has a mind to it!
Lisa’s close (as of March 2021) to publishing the third book in her “Glory” series. Hint #1: It embraces her own spin on legends of lost gold during the Civil War. Does Curse of Civil War Gold on The History Channel ring a bell? Hint #2: As Sweet Glory and Train to Glory do, it begins on the Brady Homestead and climaxes with mayhem.
Aside from her writing, Lisa is much like her main character Jana Brady—she’s a tomboy at heart who loves to hike and bike and has traveled the world to do it. Her most favorite reads are any subgenre of historical fiction. Author John Jakes rocks! She also loves contemporary romance, mystery, and political/spy thrillers.
Lisa was in her forties when she realized her childhood dream to someday publish a story that would entertain someone somewhere and to experience the exhilaration of seeing it displayed in a bookshop window. She’s living proof, it’s never too late to make your dreams come true!
P.S. Join Lisa, Civil War ghosts, and other enthusiasts where you'll find fun facts, contests, or great conversation:
https://www.lisapotocarauthor.com
https://www.civilwarwomen.co
www.facebook.com/LisaPotocarAuthor
www.facebook.com/LisaYPotocar
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 18, 2021
***NOVEL THOUGHTS***
"A woman ought to be able to tackle anything a man can if she has a mind to it"
What a fantastic read and grabbed me right from the start! It had so many layers: mystery, drama, history and romance. Train to Glory is the second in this YA series featuring Jana Brady, a girl soldier who fought bravely in the Civil War disguised as a young man. Later she goes onto nurse and then spy all of which she did with great skill and even defied the hangman's noose. In this sequel, after she is reunited with her family, discovers Keeley, her soldier-boyfriend is missing after a skirmish with the Rebels and along with her calvary mate, Leanne, set out to find him. When they do, Jana is met with possibly a life changing outcome to their relationship. In an effort to help him recover, he is released from his military commitment and goes back to be tended by Jana's family on their farm. Once she begins to share some of her escapades on the battlefield with her family, Suffragette movement movers and shakers ask her to share her story across New York state, to bring women's equal rights back into the conversation since it took a backseat to the war. She agrees and accompanied by her friends, she sets out to meet her wealthy benefactor, Wyatt McGriffin but along the way, she is briefly kidnapped and detained, sending a message to those prominent Suffragettes sponsoring her tour. This sets the stage for a mystery which keeps the reader engaged with each page.
This story kept me rapt! Potocar weaves the famous equal rights activists and abolitionists who Jana is introduced to along her route to Albany was like a who's who of the times. She does a great job describing each town Jana's train travels through along Central New York. She also introduces the first female Pinkerton detective who comes to Jana's aid. All these pieces of history will be very interesting to the YA reader.
Potocar's introduction of Leanne, Jada's traveling companion, fellow soldier and protector is a courageous choice as well as she is described as "masculine" and "preferring men's clothing over women's." She also takes on a traditionally male job as a smithy, owning her own blacksmith's business. Very progressive for the times! Charlie, another recurring character from her first novel, becomes a photographer and also has the gift of "profiling their character" just from analyzing facial features. Jana has uncanny observations and deduction skills and more than once is asked to join the Pinkerton agency (could that be foreshadowing into the next book??). She was like a 19th century Nancy Drew!
It was great to discover what happened to these captivating characters next since Sweet Glory debuted and I look forward to the third installment Gold, Guts and Glory.
"A woman ought to be able to tackle anything a man can if she has a mind to it"
What a fantastic read and grabbed me right from the start! It had so many layers: mystery, drama, history and romance. Train to Glory is the second in this YA series featuring Jana Brady, a girl soldier who fought bravely in the Civil War disguised as a young man. Later she goes onto nurse and then spy all of which she did with great skill and even defied the hangman's noose. In this sequel, after she is reunited with her family, discovers Keeley, her soldier-boyfriend is missing after a skirmish with the Rebels and along with her calvary mate, Leanne, set out to find him. When they do, Jana is met with possibly a life changing outcome to their relationship. In an effort to help him recover, he is released from his military commitment and goes back to be tended by Jana's family on their farm. Once she begins to share some of her escapades on the battlefield with her family, Suffragette movement movers and shakers ask her to share her story across New York state, to bring women's equal rights back into the conversation since it took a backseat to the war. She agrees and accompanied by her friends, she sets out to meet her wealthy benefactor, Wyatt McGriffin but along the way, she is briefly kidnapped and detained, sending a message to those prominent Suffragettes sponsoring her tour. This sets the stage for a mystery which keeps the reader engaged with each page.
This story kept me rapt! Potocar weaves the famous equal rights activists and abolitionists who Jana is introduced to along her route to Albany was like a who's who of the times. She does a great job describing each town Jana's train travels through along Central New York. She also introduces the first female Pinkerton detective who comes to Jana's aid. All these pieces of history will be very interesting to the YA reader.
Potocar's introduction of Leanne, Jada's traveling companion, fellow soldier and protector is a courageous choice as well as she is described as "masculine" and "preferring men's clothing over women's." She also takes on a traditionally male job as a smithy, owning her own blacksmith's business. Very progressive for the times! Charlie, another recurring character from her first novel, becomes a photographer and also has the gift of "profiling their character" just from analyzing facial features. Jana has uncanny observations and deduction skills and more than once is asked to join the Pinkerton agency (could that be foreshadowing into the next book??). She was like a 19th century Nancy Drew!
It was great to discover what happened to these captivating characters next since Sweet Glory debuted and I look forward to the third installment Gold, Guts and Glory.
October 16, 2016
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite
Train to Glory is a young adult novel by Lisa Y. Potocar. Jana Brady returns home after escaping the gallows for spying on the Confederates. Her soldier-beau, Keeley Cassidy, goes missing while engaged in a battle so Jana and friends search for him. They find Keeley, but he has amnesia and doesn’t remember Jana. Keeley stays at the Brady farm while Jana accepts a contract on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement.
She is to speak about her roles as soldier and spy. However, not everyone is pleased to have a woman competing in a man’s world and Jana is kidnapped. She is released and Jana continues her tour under the protection of her friends and Pinkerton agents, but the assailants are relentless.
Train to Glory is a fascinating novel that has adventure, romance, action, and intrigue, and a cast of interesting, well-defined characters. Jana and her friends are strong and supportive. Their complex personalities and witty dialogue made the story come alive. The women’s suffrage movement experienced both positive and negative reactions from females and men who held firm beliefs about women’s roles in society.
Lisa Y. Potocar made these issues that Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglas struggled to lobby for seem more convincing. It also made me more aware of the dangers and significant contribution women like Jana made to perform their various duties in the Civil War. Train to Glory is a well-written story that readers will find thought provoking and informative.
Train to Glory is a young adult novel by Lisa Y. Potocar. Jana Brady returns home after escaping the gallows for spying on the Confederates. Her soldier-beau, Keeley Cassidy, goes missing while engaged in a battle so Jana and friends search for him. They find Keeley, but he has amnesia and doesn’t remember Jana. Keeley stays at the Brady farm while Jana accepts a contract on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement.
She is to speak about her roles as soldier and spy. However, not everyone is pleased to have a woman competing in a man’s world and Jana is kidnapped. She is released and Jana continues her tour under the protection of her friends and Pinkerton agents, but the assailants are relentless.
Train to Glory is a fascinating novel that has adventure, romance, action, and intrigue, and a cast of interesting, well-defined characters. Jana and her friends are strong and supportive. Their complex personalities and witty dialogue made the story come alive. The women’s suffrage movement experienced both positive and negative reactions from females and men who held firm beliefs about women’s roles in society.
Lisa Y. Potocar made these issues that Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglas struggled to lobby for seem more convincing. It also made me more aware of the dangers and significant contribution women like Jana made to perform their various duties in the Civil War. Train to Glory is a well-written story that readers will find thought provoking and informative.
August 12, 2022
Train to Glory is the second book in the Civil War series by Lisa Y. Potocar and it will have you on the edge of your seat !! In the first book, Sweet Glory, Potocar introduces readers to Jana Brady as she enlisted to fight in the war disguised as a man under the name of Johnnie Brodie. The story followed her as she fought in the war, made and lost friends, fell in love, was found to be a girl and kicked out but convinced her leader to send her in as a spy. Unfortunately she was discovered, arrested and sentenced to be hung……but she escaped and we pick up her story now in Train to Glory upon her returned to her hometown of Elmira, New York.
In Train to Glory Jana is returning to Elmira with her soldier sweetheart, Keeley. Unfortunately Keeley was injured and suffers from amnesia and Jana is unsure how her family will react to her fighting as a soldier in the war as opposed to them thinking she was working as a nurse. Luckily the family accepts Keeley into the family as well as forgive Jana for her secrets.
Regrettably Keeley is having a hard time remember Jana and their love and promises for the future so when Jana is offered a proposal to go on the road giving speeches on her journey, she decides that putting space between her and Keeley might be the best medicine for him. Plus he will be in great hands with her family on the farm.
Unfortunately Jana runs into trouble while on the tour circuit. She is kidnapped for a short time, threatened and an attempt is made on her life. But Jana has her dear friends Leanne and Charlie watching her back and she is pretty good on keeping herself safe. So they continue on the tour and keep the end destination in mind…. speaking at the capital in Albany.
Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they read Train to Glory. Potocar grabs your attention immediately and you will be powerless to let go. You will want to see Jana reach her final destination and when you find out who is behind the threats on her life, you will be completely shocked !!! The culprit will not be on your radar at all !!!
I highly encourage you to grab your copy and follow this amazing woman’s journey. I highly recommend reading Sweet Glory and then follow up with Train to Glory and there is a third book as well, Gold, Guts, and Glory that I hope to read soon myself.
In Train to Glory Jana is returning to Elmira with her soldier sweetheart, Keeley. Unfortunately Keeley was injured and suffers from amnesia and Jana is unsure how her family will react to her fighting as a soldier in the war as opposed to them thinking she was working as a nurse. Luckily the family accepts Keeley into the family as well as forgive Jana for her secrets.
Regrettably Keeley is having a hard time remember Jana and their love and promises for the future so when Jana is offered a proposal to go on the road giving speeches on her journey, she decides that putting space between her and Keeley might be the best medicine for him. Plus he will be in great hands with her family on the farm.
Unfortunately Jana runs into trouble while on the tour circuit. She is kidnapped for a short time, threatened and an attempt is made on her life. But Jana has her dear friends Leanne and Charlie watching her back and she is pretty good on keeping herself safe. So they continue on the tour and keep the end destination in mind…. speaking at the capital in Albany.
Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they read Train to Glory. Potocar grabs your attention immediately and you will be powerless to let go. You will want to see Jana reach her final destination and when you find out who is behind the threats on her life, you will be completely shocked !!! The culprit will not be on your radar at all !!!
I highly encourage you to grab your copy and follow this amazing woman’s journey. I highly recommend reading Sweet Glory and then follow up with Train to Glory and there is a third book as well, Gold, Guts, and Glory that I hope to read soon myself.
April 24, 2023
Lisa Potocar is a brilliant writer. Her story, from the POV of the heroine during the Civil War is gripping, filled with meticulous research and characters we've grown to love.
In my opinion, it's a must read.
In my opinion, it's a must read.
February 17, 2017
Review to be posted in the spring newsletter of the Historical Novel Society at www.historicalnovelsociety.org with Goodreads to follow.
February 6, 2017
After reading “Sweet Glory” I couldn’t wait to get to the sequel – “Train to Glory,” and it certainly didn’t disappoint. “Train to Glory” keeps following Jana and her loyal friends’ adventures away from the frontline, and even though this time they aren’t participating in the actual fighting, Jana finds herself in a different kind of trouble. A wealthy benefactor offered her a chance to speak for all the women during the tour which he had offered her to organize, however not everyone is so excited about the possibility of the equality of sexes, and Jana’s life is endangered once again…
I don’t want to say anything about the plot other than it’s as compelling as in the first book in this series, but once again I can’t help but applaud the author for creating such an authentic setting filled with multidimensional characters who you’ll love and villains who you’ll hate. Every one of them seemed incredibly real, starting with their manner of talking, dressing and acting in given circumstances, and such authenticity is definitely a sign of a thoroughly researched novel.
The main topic of the book – the equality of sexes – is highly relevant today as we again face these same problems, against which those courageous women have fought. Beautifully written and highly compelling this story is one you don’t want to miss.
I don’t want to say anything about the plot other than it’s as compelling as in the first book in this series, but once again I can’t help but applaud the author for creating such an authentic setting filled with multidimensional characters who you’ll love and villains who you’ll hate. Every one of them seemed incredibly real, starting with their manner of talking, dressing and acting in given circumstances, and such authenticity is definitely a sign of a thoroughly researched novel.
The main topic of the book – the equality of sexes – is highly relevant today as we again face these same problems, against which those courageous women have fought. Beautifully written and highly compelling this story is one you don’t want to miss.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews