Fire Dancer [Paperback]

I was fortunate enough to read Colleen Faulkner's Fire Dancer in manuscript form. This book is a must for romance readers who enjoy adventure, great characters, and the thrill of a once-in-a-lifetime love. These star-crossed lovers will capture your heart. The heroine is a portrait painter; the hero, her reluctant subject. Fire Dancer is a Native American romance that will keep you reading well into the wee hours of the morning. Warning, do not open this book if you don't want to be captivated

"He wiped the back of his mouth with his hand." -- Fire Dancer, by Colleen Faulkner. Okay. I usually don't give books that low of a rating, but even for a romance novel you expect the editors and the writer herself to edit the book before they publish it. The quote above obviously makes no sense, making everyone involved look bad.

Fire Dancer was an interesting story set in colonial Pennsylvania in 1759. The heroine, Mackenzie, goes to Fort Belvadere with her father to paint portraits of the officers in charge of the peace process between the English, French and Indians. At the fort she meets Fire Dancer, a Shawnee brave who is in representing his tribe in the peace negotiations. They both feel an instant attraction but think that nothing can ever come of it because they are from two different worlds. They strike up a friendship of sorts and get to know each other in secret.

Fire Dancer had told Mackenzie not to paint his portrait because he believed it would steal part of his soul. Mackenzie didn't understand his superstitions so she painted him in secret. After Fire Dancer is unjustly accused of being a traitor, he is about to flee the fort but stops by to see Mackenzie one last time. He notices the portrait of him and is outraged because he thinks she has power over him. Fire Dancer kidnaps Mackenzie after an accident renders her unconscious but during the escape attempt inadvertently kills her father. He takes Mackenzie to his Shawnee camp, where she recovers from her illness and gets over her anger at him for kidnapping her. Fire Dancer does not tell her about her father because he doesn't want to lose her. The rest of the story tells how Fire Dancer and Mackenzie fall in love and start their marriage as they learn to live together despite their differences. There is some conflict in the story due to Fire Dancer's evil cousin and the issue of Fire Dancer killing her father, but they are able to overcome the challenges.

The positives of this story are the unique setting and time period. I enjoyed having a Shawnee hero and seeing his way of life. I find this setting fascinating because my family has been in Pennsylvania from 1780 so I enjoy knowing the history of where I live (another reason I enjoy learning about the French and Indian War). Fire Dancer was very well drawn, his character did seem Native American and not just a white guy with a different name (as some of these NA books seem to make them). The most annoying thing about him was the unending use of "this man" in reference to himself. The author had most of the Native Americans speak this way and it drove me a little crazy. I like the fact that the heroine was a strong female but sometimes she made decisions that were a little annoying. But at least she wasn't spineless like some historical heroines.

I didn't love this book but it did entertain me and was a decent story. If you enjoy colonial American romance, this one is something different because of the Shawnee hero.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  3.3 out of 5 stars