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4.0 out of 5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable experience, October 26, 2009
Lonely reporter, Erin Branigan, discovers that the key to her happiness lies in the past.
Erin Branigan seems to have the perfect life. She's a successful reporter, and she's engaged to an up and coming lawyer. However, Erin feels as if something is missing. Night after night she dreams of a handsome Civil War soldier. Her dreams feel so real and intense that Erin is driven to find out who this man was. Unfortunately, this drives a wedge between her and her fiancé and ultimately leads to the end of her engagement.
Erin's research leads her to Mason, Virginia where she discovers the grave of William Montgomery, the man in her dreams. On her way home, Erin is involved in a car accident. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a Confederate army camp, and the captain of the camp is Captain Will Montgomery. Will is attracted to Erin, but is hesitant to declare his feelings because he lost his wife at the beginning of the war and isn't sure if he's ready to invite another woman into his life. Erin's feelings for Will are also strong, but she discovers that she is much more then a laundress in the Confederate camp.
Erin is a classic strong heroine. After she gets over the initial shock of finding herself in a Confederate army camp during the Civil War, she adapts to the harsh life without modern conveniences very quickly. When faced with the brutal reality of war, Erin displays amazing strength by assisting with the primitive surgeries of the time and tending wounded soldiers. When Will is wounded, she shows him compassion and tenderness that eventually wins his heart.
Will is a perfect southern gentleman. He has a sense of honor and duty that commands the respect of everyone around him. When he sees Jake Wagner troubling Erin, he comes to her rescue on more then one occasion. Though he has feelings for Erin, he is troubled. His family has certain expectations when it comes to who they think he should choose for a wife. To make matters worse, Will suspects that Erin is a Federal spy, but he has no definite proof. Will must learn to trust Erin if they are going to have a future together.
Not only are the characters in Erin's Rebel interesting, but the opening lines also hooked me right away. "Erin Branigan had finally found the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, he'd died over one hundred and forty years ago." As I read these first two sentences, I was instantly intrigued. Immediately several questions popped into my mind. Who was the man of her dreams? Why did he exist in the past, and how did he die? I dove into the story eager to learn the answers to my questions and found the journey to the answers to be entertaining and interesting.
Reading Erin's Rebel was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that any fan of historical romance won't want to miss.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Stirring Civil War Story, September 18, 2010
This review is from: Erin's Rebel (Paperback)
Susan Macatee has written a magnificent time-travel.
A brooch made from a lock of hair, was given to Erin Branigan by her Grandma Rose, and it, combined with a car accident catapulted Erin back in time from modern America to a Confederate army laundry.
Captain Will Montgomery had all the attributes of a true hero. His life had been touched by tragedy, his brother was killed in the war and his wife Anne died leaving him with a young daughter.
He fights his attraction for the beautiful young widow Erin O'Connell who works in the camp laundry. Erin knows from her previous life that she and Will are soul-mates, meant to be together even though almost 150 years divides them.
The descriptions of Will's house, the furnishings, transported me back to how it would have been for a wealthy Southern family of that era.
As for the gut-wrenching battle scenes at Gettysburg, I could almost hear the cannon fire, smell the blood and filth. I found the scene with the dying young soldier crying out to his mother "to take me home," particularly poignant.
This is a book you won't want to put down until you have read every gripping line, but at its end you will breathe a sigh of relief because it finished so well.
The author is a brilliant, emotive writer, and I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
Margaret Tanner
Published Author
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