Vivian Schurfranz

Here we have the third book I've read in the Sunfire series. Given that these teen historical romances were published back in the 1980s, and the book blurbs and cover images are basically bursting with high drama, I've approached these vintage novels expecting to make some, um, stylistic allowances.

And hoping there'd be enough to the history writing to keep my historical fiction-loving self engaged, whether or not even the "tween/young teen" somewhere inside of me would find the romantic show more aspects too appealing.

Well!

Regarding the political history in this novel, one thing I appreciate is that the story doesn't paint a false "all women vs. all men" picture. Laura's experiences shed some light on the fact that there were both women and men on both sides of the women's suffrage issue.

Also, as Laura suspects would happen, the desire to help win the vote for women becomes "an all-consuming passion" for her. For the most part, she even puts that passion before her romantic life—and that's what ultimately saved this novel for me.

See, for this reader who usually steers clear of the love triangle trope in genre romance, the triangular situations weren't too off-putting in the two Sunfire novels I previously read. In one book, the heroine meets two different guys in two different parts of the country at different times along her journey, so she isn't flitting or agonizing between two romances the whole time. In the other book, the heroine makes her choice of hero so early on that she and the second guy simply settle into a friendship for the rest of the story.

But the triangle in this third novel is the kind where the heroine goes back and forth between her two boyfriends all book long, unable to make up her mind. After the novel's halfway point, it seems the narrative itself admits that Laura's roller-coaster back-and-forthing is tiresome, as the book says during one of her multiple moments of romantic indecision, The turmoil she felt was the same old story.

And it isn't one of those triangles where the heroine's two suitors are both legitimate options. No, it's made clear that one of Laura's boyfriends is an elitist, possessive, sexist, violent jerk. She doesn't drop him already because she's hoping she can change him, but because she keeps carrying on with him like he's "ooh-la-la" material, her simultaneous romance with Guy #2 never gets to feel like a special part of the story.

Not to this reader, that is. Again, triangles aren't my go-to trope anyway when I'm checking out romance novels, including YA ones. So you won't find it surprising of me to say that I think this story would have done well enough with its focuses on Laura and the Women's Movement, the First World War, the deadly flu pandemic, and if need be, just one (decent) love interest in Laura's life.

Because, yeah, despite certain stylistic weaknesses in the general writing of this book, I was glad to stick with it as it dealt with significant history—especially wrestling with the meaning of democracy in a nation where half of its adult citizens didn't have the guaranteed right to vote.

Due to my love for historical fiction and the pleasure that my old-fashioned side gets out of finding older books, I plan on checking out at least one or two more novels in this series.

Note:
• some political violence and reports of war violence, and also fistfighting on a personal level
• a bit of mild language, kept to a "PG" level
• the romance doesn't go further than kisses show less

This book is about a girl named Cassie, who was captured by Indians at the age four. One day she was at the river near her tribe's camp, when a fur trapper named Joshua found her. They became quick friends but he had to leave for his job, but he said he would return to take her back to her real family. A woman in the tribe found out about Joshua and made her leave. Joshua returned and took her back to the town she was born in and she got to see her parents. Joshua leaves again and Cassie show more meets another guy which she doesn't know if she trusts. She gets into some trouble with some French soldiers and is sent to jail. Joshua comes to save her and they run off together to somewhere safe.
I like this book because it isn't only an adventure book but there is some history about the French and Indian War. So it actually makes your brain think about something that is important. It is not like the werewolf and vampire books that are putting mostly fictional things into your mind. Young girls really did get captured during the French and Indian War. Sometimes they were treated kindly and other times they were treated like slaves. This book was very good at giving information about it. show less

What I learned: school is dumb, & friends can turn on you and become bullies. But non-human animals are amazing friends and can even make problems with school and people better.

One of my favorite adolescent romance novels! You have time traveling with pretty dresses; you learn about the civil war from a vastly different than normal perspective; you have fax machine love letters. Awesome.