The Desire [Paperback]

Confederate Captain Ryan Tanner is the unfortunate owner of those cat-like eyes. He knows that he remembers the flaming-haired beauty from somewhere, but he just can't place it, desperate as he is to discover why Belinda recoils in horror every time she sees him. Through a series of events that bring the pair closer together, Belinda feels a flutter of hope - but will she allow it to grow, or will it be crushed by the demons of her past?

This is a really good Civil War era romance. For those who like historical detail along with the romance, this is a good one for you. I am no Civil War scholar, but I did pay attention in history class in high school sometimes :) Some of the battle descriptions did get a little boring to me, but then again I have always been a bit distracted when it comes to such things. The scene, however, is always well-described.

The characters were both intriguing to me. Belinda was a complex character, and the depths of her emotional scars were visible even as she displayed immense courage in other areas. Ryan was also a complex character, although not as well-developed as Belinda. Much ado was made about Belinda's past, and yet Ryan's past remains pretty much in the dark. I also didn't like how arrogant he was - at times he was sensitive and loving, and at other times he would adopt the "me man, you woman, you obey me" caveman routine out of the blue. He didn't seem to be very stable. There are also some secondary characters, but most of them are only in the story briefly and are rather flat in comparison.

My major complaint with this novel is the fact that there are WAY too many coincidences to be believable. Although Belinda travels around a lot (I don't want to give any of the plot away), she keeps on meeting up with people from her very small hometown in North Carolina, or with people she met previously in the story. I would think, with nine million people in the Confederacy alone, it would be a small miracle to run into anyone from your old hometown, but to constantly run into people from her past was just plain weird. It may have helped the plot along, but it sure didn't have much logic to it.

Speaking of lack of logic - it was also strange that everywhere Belinda went, someone inevitably wanted to rape her. Okay, being raped for revenge is believable. Being threatened with rape constantly every time you move into a new situation or location is not so believable. The ending left a little to be desired, there wasn't as much closure as I could have wished for. Still, I think the book is still pretty good overall, and definitely worth the few hours I spent reading it.