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War of 1812 #1
The Ballad of John MacLea
A ring of spies, a battle of lies and the one man who can change the tide of war
Stationed with British militia in Upper Canada in late 1812, Captain John MacLea is charting his own course against a background of uncertain loyalties and certain danger.
Tasked with routing out enemy agents and thwarting an elaborate espionage ring, which includes beautiful American double agent Josephine Lafitte, MacLea’s mission is betrayed.
Now, trapped in a dramatic showdown aboard a captured American warship headed for the breach at Niagara Falls, battle-hardened MacLea finds himself fighting not just for freedom, but for his life.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2019
34 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 11, 2019
Writing under a pseudonym husband and wife duo A.J. MacKenzie pen another enthralling historical crime novel in which no-one knows who they can trust. Captain John MacLea is tasked with identifying an espionage ring who are up to no good. You could really feel the danger that was building, and there were plenty of shocks in store for the reader. The Captain is a formidable character who has tenacity by the bucket load and no matter how much his life is at stake he carries on with the mission he was assigned. With so many secrets and lies and much deception and duplicity, will Captain MacLea be able to find these enemy agents and expose them, or will he die trying?
Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.
Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.
March 5, 2019
An adventurous novel set in Canada during the War of 1812 about a British militia Captain caught up in a spy ring.
There's a lot of action, which is fun, but there's also some head-hopping which is generally a bit jarring and I'm not a big fan of it. I know it's intended to give the reader perspective of more than one character, but that can be done without head-hopping. For me, it does the complete opposite and jars me out of the scene and makes it more difficult for me to connect with the characters. There's nothing wrong with multi-character perspectives, but keep them exclusive to different chapters or sections, don't jump back and forth within the same paragraph or section (or worse, sentence, though I don't think that happened here).
As a result, I didn't feel much connection to the characters and found it dragged a bit. The writing was otherwise good, and the characters believable and sympathetic, just a shame about the head-hopping.
Advanced review copy from NetGalley via publisher. My opinions are my own.
Historical Readings & Reviews
There's a lot of action, which is fun, but there's also some head-hopping which is generally a bit jarring and I'm not a big fan of it. I know it's intended to give the reader perspective of more than one character, but that can be done without head-hopping. For me, it does the complete opposite and jars me out of the scene and makes it more difficult for me to connect with the characters. There's nothing wrong with multi-character perspectives, but keep them exclusive to different chapters or sections, don't jump back and forth within the same paragraph or section (or worse, sentence, though I don't think that happened here).
As a result, I didn't feel much connection to the characters and found it dragged a bit. The writing was otherwise good, and the characters believable and sympathetic, just a shame about the head-hopping.
Advanced review copy from NetGalley via publisher. My opinions are my own.
Historical Readings & Reviews
February 10, 2019
Overall i would give this book a 2.5/5 star rating. It wasnt bad but it definitely did not wow me. It took a lot to get into, there were a fair few tedious and repetitious descriptions and passages throughout the book and even though the characters where built upon well the main protagonist, Captain McLea, seemed to be able to do no wrong. His morals were so impeccable that it nearly read as a Hagiography rather than a war epic.
Towards the end the book started to pick up pace, the plot lines started to converge which was exciting. But the ending didnt I feel didnt finish on a conclusive note, there was still a fair few loose ends that never tied up or got mentioned in which i felt a but let down on.
Having no knowledge of the war of 1812 beforehand I do like how well researched the novel was as i fact check a few topics along the way. The dialogue seemed genuine to the time and the scenes were well described.
A good premise for a story that to me was only let down by editing and needed a bit more structure to pace the book out more evenly.
Towards the end the book started to pick up pace, the plot lines started to converge which was exciting. But the ending didnt I feel didnt finish on a conclusive note, there was still a fair few loose ends that never tied up or got mentioned in which i felt a but let down on.
Having no knowledge of the war of 1812 beforehand I do like how well researched the novel was as i fact check a few topics along the way. The dialogue seemed genuine to the time and the scenes were well described.
A good premise for a story that to me was only let down by editing and needed a bit more structure to pace the book out more evenly.
May 29, 2019
I’ve enjoyed the Reverend Hardcastle books by the same authors and though it was interesting to read about a war I knew nothing about, I didn’t take to this so much.
You get a bit confused with the amount of characters (many actual figures from that time) that are constantly dropping in and out.
Set in Canada, the start is quite exciting with MacLea (MacLee or MacLay??) the hero and his trusty Sergeant Murray under attack from the Americans. MacLea is an upstanding, honest, trustworthy, brave sort of bloke. He is sent on a mission to persuade the Indian tribes (under chief Tecumseh) to fight with the British against the invading Americans. He is also tasked with finding who are the spies sending information to the Americans.
There a battles, rows with incompetent colonels, deaths of friends as well as foes and a bit of romance. Sounds a winner but it didn’t quite gel. The ending is not quite an ending. The war is not over and some incompetent colonels will still be after MacLea (MacLee, MacLay.....all three of them 😀).
You get a bit confused with the amount of characters (many actual figures from that time) that are constantly dropping in and out.
Set in Canada, the start is quite exciting with MacLea (MacLee or MacLay??) the hero and his trusty Sergeant Murray under attack from the Americans. MacLea is an upstanding, honest, trustworthy, brave sort of bloke. He is sent on a mission to persuade the Indian tribes (under chief Tecumseh) to fight with the British against the invading Americans. He is also tasked with finding who are the spies sending information to the Americans.
There a battles, rows with incompetent colonels, deaths of friends as well as foes and a bit of romance. Sounds a winner but it didn’t quite gel. The ending is not quite an ending. The war is not over and some incompetent colonels will still be after MacLea (MacLee, MacLay.....all three of them 😀).
May 6, 2020
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Having visited a number of the places mentioned, before I knew much about the War of 1812, I read this book with interest.
I felt I could emphasise with the characters, both fictional and real, and felt genuine concern about their well being.
The action scenes are well described and the storytelling swept me along. I know that I have enjoyed a book when I feel disappointed when I finish it.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next to all those involved in the story and to help me increase my knowledge of those times.
The postscript was very helpful in helping separate fact from fiction.
Having visited a number of the places mentioned, before I knew much about the War of 1812, I read this book with interest.
I felt I could emphasise with the characters, both fictional and real, and felt genuine concern about their well being.
The action scenes are well described and the storytelling swept me along. I know that I have enjoyed a book when I feel disappointed when I finish it.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next to all those involved in the story and to help me increase my knowledge of those times.
The postscript was very helpful in helping separate fact from fiction.
March 10, 2025
A little known war.
An easy five stars for a well written novel introducing a series. John Mac Lea is a charismatic captain in the British army defending Canada from invasion by the americans. He has a close friendship with Alec Murray and a romantic attachment with an intriguing double agent. The battles when they arrive are vividly brought to life without the need for overly bloody detail. There is also a spy ring to be eliminated. Highly recommend.
An easy five stars for a well written novel introducing a series. John Mac Lea is a charismatic captain in the British army defending Canada from invasion by the americans. He has a close friendship with Alec Murray and a romantic attachment with an intriguing double agent. The battles when they arrive are vividly brought to life without the need for overly bloody detail. There is also a spy ring to be eliminated. Highly recommend.
February 8, 2020
Brilliant !Can't wait to read the other 2 books. Knew about battle of New Orleans (who hasnt?) & even the burning of the White House but not this struggle with Canada. This book has the lot -spy intrigue, romance, treatment of the Mohawks and great battle descriptions.
July 7, 2025
not bad it took me a while to get going on this one good
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews