Antietam Affairs by Dennis Roumm (Book Review)

Title: Antietam Affairs
Author: Dennis Roumm
Publisher: Rocinante Press
ISBN: 979-8991418102
eBook ISBN: 979-8991418119
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Spiritual, Time Travel
Availability: Paperback or eBook
Language: ‎ English
Paperback: ‎ 414 pages
Item Weight: 1.4 pounds
Dimensions: 6.14 x 0.92 x 9.21 inches

Review:

There are so many beautifully written quotes and expressions about Soulmates but for this reviewer, there are two quotes that instantly come to mind. “A soul mate is not found. A soul mate is recognized,” by award-winning author Vironika Tugaleva and “I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…In life after life, in age after age, forever.” from poet Rabindranath Tagore and those quotes ring true in Dennis Roumm’s Antietam Affairs.

The story begins in 1988, when we meet David Cooper and his wife, Carol, getting their family ready for a camping trip to Sharpsburg, Maryland, more specifically, to the Antietam battlefield. However, the jovial air of a camping trip is brought down when his best friend, Sam Baker, informs Dave that Marco Developments has purchased some of the land to build housing units, something that upsets the duo as they are Civil War enthusiasts.

Little did Sam or Dave know that this single phone call would not only put them in the middle of a different sort of war between the Historic Antietam Foundation and Marco Developments, but it would also lead Sam to someone he never knew he needed.

There are many enjoyable aspects to Antietam Affairs. The writing was descriptive, the world-building between two time periods and character interactions were solid, and the characters remained internally consistent, which is commendable as Dennis Roumm juggles multiple characters throughout the novel.

However, the biggest aspect I want to shine a light on is the romance. Many authors struggle when it comes to going back and forth through time while also juggling characters in each time period. The romance is the driving force of the novel. The romance between Sam Baker/Kelly Gracie and their predecessors Theodore “Sandie” Sandfeld Duncan/Katie Wheatly mirror one another but Dennis Roumm does an excellent job keeping them distinct, in addition to keeping Dave’s relationship with his wife wholly unique from the two main pairings.

Another highlight of the novel is the friendship between the four-man group of Dave, Sam, Kelly, and Carol. Their chemistry as a group is naturally believable and readers will feel the camaraderie between the four, even though Sam and Dave had a jumpstart at forming such a friendship due to their stint in Vietnam together. Throughout the story, Dave and Carol act as anchors for Sam and Kelly when the world around them is tilted off its axis as the paranormal aspect of the latter’s relationship begins to rear its head, as well as the physical danger that comes during their time on the battlefield.

Outside of the romance, Dennis also does a great job keeping the plotlines of each time period moving forward without excessive prose that goes on too long. The plot builds, moving the story forward, and foreshadowing aspects of the story.

With that said, the novel is not without its own twists and turns in both time periods, with action scenes that will leave you tense and some character conclusions that will leave you saddened. Antietam Affairs is a romantic thrill ride and mind-bending paranormal suspense that transcends time. This story gains an enthusiastic recommendation from me. ★★★★★ – Elijah B. (Explore Authors Magazine)

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