Captain Blake Winberry finds the beautiful refugee he rescued fascinating. When he learns that she has no place to stay in Columbia, he offers her a room in his family’s home. Although he’s attracted to Judith, Blake doesn’t do anything about it because his heart already belongs to Sally Dubose, his ex-fiancée. The heartbroken Blake plans to woo Sally away from her new beau.

When Blake fails to win Sally back, he turns to Judith. Both Blake and Judith hunger for love, so they quickly marry before he returns to the battlefield. Will Judith be able to make Blake forget about Sally, or will he return to Sally’s arms when the fickle, conniving girl decides that she wants him back?

FIRETRAIL is a magnificent Civil War romance. It’s not a story of fiery passion, but a tale of friendship growing into love. Blake and Judith marry soon after they meet, hoping to find security and comfort. Judith seems to be in love with Blake from the start, while he spends almost the entire book pining for Sally. Normally, this would bother me, but since Ms. Hawke does such a wonderful job of making Blake a likable, honorable man, it’s easy to forgive him for sometimes being a cad. Judith is a delightful heroine. She possesses plenty of strength and determination. She is willing to fight anyone or anything to keep the man she loves.

This book is long and wonderfully detailed, but it flows so smoothly that you’ll be finished before you know it. FIRETRAIL proves that Ms. Hawke is a wonderful writer and a gifted storyteller. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Renee Burnette
August 25, 2004