Review: Queen of Cotton
QUEEN OF COTTON
By Laurie Moore-Moore
Historical Fiction
Publisher: Goat Mountain Press
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
1861: The Civil War is raging. The men have gone to fight, leaving the women behind to cope. Cotton is the lifeblood of the South.
Sara, a young wife, risks her life and reputation to lead an official Confederate Camel Caravan hundreds of miles across Texas to Matamoros, Mexico. There, cotton can be sold and shipped to the buyer, avoiding the Union blockade and providing critical funds for the South and desperate Dallas cotton growers.
But . . .“It’s not a job for a woman.” The Texas frontier is fraught with danger. The caravan will face fierce Comanche, bandits, extreme weather, internal vandalism, and unforgiving desert. The Mexican cotton market is complex and full of fraudsters. The trail home, carrying gold and armaments, makes the caravan a rich target.
Joining Sara on the adventure are a fascinating mix of real and fictional characters, including a slave— who quotes Machiavelli—and forty-six camels! Can Sara face peril and uncertainty with grit and unyielding determination? Can she survive, succeed, and as a result, shed the past that haunts her? Queen of Cotton: Confederate Camel Caravan is a woman’s adventure with roots in true history. Climb aboard, your camel is waiting.
A stand-alone novel and book two in the Texas Brave & Strong series.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After decades in Dallas, Texas the couple moved to a mountaintop overlooking a lake in the Cherokee Nation. "The cabin is unique," Laurie says. "There is a nine foot chainsaw bear in our entry hall. The house was built around it. Never thought I'd own a piece of chainsaw art, much less a nine foot bear. Life is full of surprises--just like a good historical novel."
Laurie is a retired entrepreneur who has built and sold multiple businesses and served on the board of directors of an international Corporation.
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Queen of Cotton: Confederate Camel Caravan by Laurie Moore-Moore is a work of historical fiction and is actually the second book in her Texas Brave & Strong series. Queen of Cotton is set at the beginning of the Civil War and is focused on Sara, a young wife and storekeeper in Dallas. I was wary of reading Queen without having read the first in the series, Gone to Dallas because I am definitely a completist when it comes to series. However, I didn’t have to worry because this is heralded as a stand alone novel “rooted in history”. And it sure was! The plot is definitely separate from the first one. So, although I encourage you to read the first book too, you can definitely enjoy this without reading the first.
With men having gone off to fight in the war, Sara has to lead an official Confederate Camel Caravan hundreds of miles to Matamoros, Mexico. The purpose is important and dangerous: to sell cotton and bring back gold and weapons for the Confederacy. Queen of Cotton is about the perils that Sara finds along the way.
I did indeed found Queen of Cotton to be rich in history without having a monotone voice. It was page-turning and interesting and kept me going. I love a strong female protagonist, especially when she is on an adventure! I found Sara to be a strong and resourceful woman - and that is always welcomed to this reader.
While historical fiction is not one of my go-to genres, I definitely recommend this to both lovers and those who don’t frequent the genre. Those who especially like Civil War historical fiction or stories set on the Texas frontier will really enjoy the read.
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