Fire by Night

by Lynn Austin

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I loved this book! It had me captivated and I didn't want to put it down even though I was reading it right around Christmas! I even read some of it on Christmas Day! That's how great it was!

One deceived by a life of wealth and ease, the other desperate to flee her true identity. In a land shattered by war, unlikely heroes test the limits of their strength and discover that love has a meaning far beyond their imagination. © back cover, Fire by Night, Austin

The main characters in this novel are all strong, well rounded, believable, and interesting. The plot is fast paced and draws you in so you have to read "just one more chapter" and find yourself reading half the night. The antagonist (which I would guess would be the Civil War itself as you do come to hate it and all the blood shed and loss of life that the characters have to deal with) is unusual , but strong and provides all the motivation that keeps the main characters active and having to interact with one another. During times that Julia is away from the war, there is definitely a lull in the book. Perhaps that is intentional - a break from reading about the fast paced scenes of nursing all the injured men straight from the field. Perhaps it is a break from the intense reactions and feelings between Dr. McGrath and Julia that provides the lull. I'm not sure but it definitely provides a momentum to this novel that keeps the reader coming back for more - like a good roller coaster.

My only regret is that the embrace between Julia and Dr. McGrath early in the novel (which is the key that all the excitement and passion hinges on) is not fulfilled at the end of the story. I kept reading about Julia's longing for a passionate embrace and to be loved for who she is and a desire to have Daniel hold her like Dr. McGrath had and yet it never happens to the same intensity that the first embrace had. Perhaps that was planned - life is kind of like that. The first kiss almost takes on a life of it's own in the reliving of it and the second almost never holds up to the same expectations. Or perhaps it was a flaw in the author's work (gasp! Dare I suggest a flaw in this lovely piece of work?!) All I know is I was thoroughly disappointed by the lack of passionate description that was described earlier in the novel. Ah well. It lives on in my mind. (wink)

If you like a good romance with strong female characters and strong (but not overpoweringly so that you need to skip whole paragraphs of historical detail to get back to the storyline) historical content, you will love this novel as I did!