Ride the Fire by Pamela Clare

There was only one rule on the frontier—survival.

So when wounded, buckskin-clad stranger appeared at the door of her isolated cabin, Elspeth Stewart felt no qualms about disarming him and then tying him to her bed. Newly widowed and expecting her first child, she had to protect herself at all costs. And Nicholas Kenleigh threatened not only her safety, but her peace of mind. The terrible scars on his body spoke of a tortured past, but his gentle touch and burning gaze awoke longings she had never expected to feel. Bethie had every reason in the world to distrust men; the cruelty she suffered at their hands had marked her soul, though her blonde beauty showed no sign of it. But little by little she found herself believing in Nicholas, in his honor, his strength. As he brought her baby into the world, then took both mother and daughter into his care, she realized this scarred survivor could heal her wounded spirit, and together they would… Ride the Fire.

My Thoughts:
This was my first experience with Pamela Clare. I did something I never do... bought the book from the Dollar Tree. For some reason I have been closed minded to any book on display at any of the "Dollar" store chains. I can happily say that I got the better end of the deal spending only a dollar on the book and receiving an excellent book! This being the first book I read for 2010 I am happy to say that I am off to a wonderful start in my reading.

Ride the Fire takes place just after the French and Indian War, I love reading books set during any war but most especially those that took place on our soil here in the States. To top it all off it also involved Indians and the Frontier.

Nicholas was captured by the Wyandot Indians and tortured. When he was finally able to escape the hell that had become his life he returned home to his family in Virginia only to realize that he had escaped one hell to enter another. One that was entirely in him. His soul was tortured and he could not live among his family any longer for fear of what he had become and what he might unintentionally do. So he headed West hoping for death to consume him.

Bethie is widowed and heavily pregnant when Nicholas stumbles into her yard, forcing her to care for his injuries. Growing up in the Frontier, Bethie is not stupid and knows that she has to figure a way to keep herself safe from this man who has held a gun to her head and demanded her help. The Christian inside her won't allow her to kill him while he sleeps. They come to a silent agreement. He takes care of the work that she should not be doing and she allows him to stay under her roof until he is strong enough to move on. Bethie's strong character eventually wins Nicholas's dead heart and soul.

They fight their way to safety and deal with their inner demons side by side. Ride the Fire is a great first read by a new author and for a new year.

Rating 4.5