Review: A love story with substance, drama and tension.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 25, 2011
I was irritated by the Prologue which is a snippet from the middle of the story and I think best avoided. Simply start at Chapter 1 and enjoy the flow of the story.The main characters are Jess and Lissa, but there are several other players with depth to add to the story.Lissa is the daughter of a rich rancher. She is indulged, used to the finer things in life and generally getting what she wants. There is so much more to her though as we see throughout the story. She is fearless to the point of being reckless. She is courageous and honest and willing to fight for what she believes in. Her initial infatuation with Jess may be the lure of the forbidden, but it develops into a Romeo & Juliet grand passion (without the tragic ending).Jess is definitely from the wrong side of the track, a bounty hunter and gunman with Indian and Mexican blood. He is paid by Lissa's father to solve a serious rustling problem. Jess is comfortable in his own skin and the insults and rudeness of the supposedly better white society slide off him like water off a duck's back. He has had his share of heartache and disillusionment and now single-mindedly pursues his goal of setting up a small ranch of his own. That is...until Lissa breaks into his life like a thunderstorm.Lissa is determined to get his attention and he is equally determined to avoid her and the trouble inevitably involved in crossing any society lines.The attraction starts like a game of cat and mouse but develops to become a `Fire in the Blood'. They are drawn to each other despite the opposition around them. The biggest battle, however, is Jess' internal battle with himself.The love story faces a rocky ride, with plenty of tension in the relationship and the events and characters around Lissa and Jess. This is not a simple historical western romance, but a story of love, bigotry, racism, greed and social hypocrisy.A page-turner and a story I will definitely revisit.  I was sad to reach the last page and would have loved to spend more time with these wonderful characters.