What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas

 "Caring for someone who'd never be yours only ripped out a man's heart. He'd seen way too many souls plucked like ripe fruit from a tree by the masters, then brought back a shell of themselves, nothing left to give. It was best not to get attached."             -Bo, from the novel

Although historical fiction is a favorite genre I didn't find much to love about this novel of the pre-Civil War South. I did finish it since that is my habit and ended up liking it better than I thought at first. This was a free selection with my Amazon Prime and I am glad I did not pay for the book. In looking for a quote to use I was surprised how few passages I highlighted. I think that is telling about the literary value and I found much of the plot to be unbelievable. I am giving a rating of 2+.

Dahlia Holt is a young slave woman living on a plantation in Virginia starting in 1850. She has grown up with Bowman "Bo" Carter, another of Holt's slaves. In some strange circumstances, Dahlia ends up passing for white, changing her name to Lily Dove, marrying a white slaveowner of another plantation and then constantly fearing her past will be revealed. When Bo arrives at Ross Manor, Lily's new home, the plot gets a little more interesting as they each try to keep the other safe.

I don't really recommend this one.