The Worst Enemy

by Jennifer Bohnhoff

Two boys. One battle. A life-changing encounter. Jemmy Martin left his Texas farm and followed Confederate General Sibley's Army into New Mexico to keep his mules safe. Now after the Battle of Valverde he's protecting Willie, an orphaned drummer boy with a broken arm. Cian Lochlann is an Irish orphan who gave up gold prospecting to join the Union Army. All he wants is a full belly and a strong man to lead him into an unknown future. Both are pulled toward a distant mountain pass in New Mexico territory where the decisive battle of Gen. Sibley's New Mexico campaign will be fought. Called the "Gettysburg of the West" the Battle of Glorieta Pass will test both boys as they face their worst enemy.

248 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Bohnhoff is the author of a trilogy of middle grade novels set in New Mexico during the Civil War, a YA novel about a girl who suffers through a wildfire that destroys her home, several stand-alone middle grade historical novels, a duel narrative YA novel that examines the Beowulf story in both a contemporary and paleolithic setting, a series of funny contemporary middle grade novels and an adult novel set on a ranch in Southern New Mexico during WWI.

A former middle school social studies teacher, she loves travel and history.

Mrs. Bohnhoff is the mother of three handsome men, the mother-in-law of three beautiful daughters and the grandmother of three very smart granddaughters and a grandson. She lives in the mountains of central New Mexico with her husband, and a tank of a Rottweiler named Panzer.

Mrs. Bohnhoff is available to present on writing and history both online and in person.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great series for middle schoolers and up, to bring New Mexico history alive!!

This is book 2 of the Rebels Along the Rio Grande trilogy (previously published as "Glorieta"). In book 1, "Where Duty Calls" (previously published as "Valverde") we followed Texan Jemmy and New Mexican Raul as the boys got unwittingly swept up in the Confederate campaign to take New Mexico.

In this book, the blue and the gray are still battling it out for control of New Mexico, and we're still following along with Jemmy and his story as he seeks to protect his little friend Willie and get back home to San Antonio somehow.

And we've got a brand new main character, Irish immigrant orphan Cian. He joins the Union army out of the mines in Colorado, and his journey throughout this book is to learn to control his anger, and more importantly to find his proper path in life. His and Jemmy's lives intersect in the next big battle in the campaign, the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

I really enjoyed following the campaign through the eyes of these two boys! The research the author put in is once again evident and brings the whole thing very vividly to life.

I received an ARC from the author - thank you!