Penniless, her parents and brother dead, Sophia Whitfield struggles to save her beloved childhood home during the Civil War. Another bluecoat is staggering down the hill, but before Sophia allows him to rob and pilfer like the others, she shoots him. How is she to know it is Gavin, the dark knight of her youth, carrying secrets too horrific to imagine and a passion that ignites her deepest desires?
As Sophia gradually learns Gavin’s secrets-and enjoys his talents in the bedroom-she discovers how to finally know her own heart. Can she save the Land of Falling Stars, or will she lose it all to the horrors of the War and Reconstruction? And will the Southern lady and the Yankee soldier be able to recapture the bliss of their youth – this time in each other’s arms?
Sophia, Gavin and Jesse had been friends since childhood, getting into trouble here and there – basically wherever they could find it. Jesse and Sophia were promised to each other in marriage at the time of their births but as they grew older Gavin discovered that he loved Sophia with all of his heart. Being Jesse’s best friend was a huge problem so he chose to love her from afar and never tell her of his feelings for her.
When Gavin returns to Sophia’s home after being discharged from the service, and being shot by Sophia when he comes back to her, he is distraught. He’s hiding the fact that Jesse’s death is on his hands and he just wants to deliver a letter to Sophia that Jesse had given him and be on his way. He wants to die. But seeing Sophia again has ignited his desire and love for her to a level that he just can’t ignore it any longer. Though he knows that as soon as she finds out about Jesse she will hate him he can’t seem to leave her side. Sophia does end up hating him, but not for the reasons that Gavin originally thought. And when they are forced together on a long journey their love and hate walk side by side.
Sophia and Gavin were an extremely volatile couple IMHO. They loved passionately but they hated passionately as well. Sometimes this was taken to the very extreme and would border on unrealistic but then would be pulled back before it went too far. I really liked Gavin a lot for many different reasons: his undying love for Sophia, the sacrifices he made for her over the course of the book, his protectiveness. Sophia I didn’t care for quite as much. She seemed more than bratty and couldn’t, until the very end of the book, quite make up her mind what it was she wanted. I really couldn’t connect with her at all.
Despite the ups and downs of the book I found it a pleasant way to spend an evening. I usually enjoy Civil War romances and this was no different. The author made everything feel real and authentic when describing places or even what the city looked like after having been attacked. I will be reading more by this author in the future.
Rating: 3 out of 5
