Reviewer Comments: Brandon Dumont fled Charleston, South Carolina the night his brother reappeared in his life and kissed his fiancée. Brandon knew that the kiss meant nothing, just the prize for a shooting contest, but it made him feel like less of a man and so he left to prove himself. He fled to Texas to help in the fight for freedom from Mexico. While fighting, he was captured, forced to work as a doctor for the Mexican army and then shot in the leg which resulted in a limp. Brandon was damaged by more than the shot to his leg and knew that he could not return to Charleston or to his fiancée. He could not be the man that she needed. Of course, Brandon soon realized that he had underestimated Caroline.
Caroline Benet had been raised by one of the wealthiest families in Charleston. She had never wanted for anything and when Brandon asked her to become his wife, she knew that her life had just gotten better. That was why she allowed Brandon to anticipate the wedding night. The passion she felt for him over took her. She never thought that he would leave to fight in the war and never return. When she realizes that she is pregnant, Caroline takes it upon herself to go to Texas and tell Brandon about the baby. She hopes that she can convince him to return to Charleston with her and resume his practice as a doctor. She doesn’t know what to think of the broken man that he has become.
Ms. Albright has written a story that tugs at one’s heartstrings. We feel for Caroline as she struggles to do the right thing. She desperately loves Brandon and is caught in a situation where he repeatedly tells her that he doesn’t want her and that she needs to leave. Caroline must figure out a way to convince Brandon that he is what is best for her. At the same time, we understand Brandon’s fears for Caroline. Texas is not a safe place and her presence puts her in danger. From the very beginning of this story, we can feel the love that these two people have for each other; we just need to wait for them to figure out a way to make their love work.
The amount of detail that Ms. Albright provides about Brandon’s time in a Mexican prison transports her readers there. We feel the helplessness and hopelessness that Brandon felt. We understand his despair and why he is having difficulty with the memories and nightmares. Ms. Albright brings us into the horrors of life for prisoners of war and the emotional toil that war takes on a person. As a historical novel, this story reads very contemporary. The characters could be a man returning from war in Iraq and woman that he left behind. The horrors are no less real now than they were then despite the advances in technology and weaponry.
