The Flame and the Flower

Set in England and the Carolinas, 1799

For the flame will surely come,

 And burn, and blacken, and lay bare the hill.

But with the first sweet breath of spring

The shy and lovely flower will again show

its face among the charred ruins.

It yields to the searing heat,

But with its persistent beauty

Far surpasses and finally tames the flame.

Heather Simmons is a timid young woman who is desperately unhappy living under the abusive thumb of her lazy, mean Aunt.  She sees no way to improve her life until her Aunts brother suggests taking her to London to work in a school for ladies. When he attempts to rape her, Heather stabs him with a paring knife.  Believing him dead, Heather runs off.  When two men find her and tell them to go with them, Heather goes willingly, under the mistaken belief that they know she killed a man and are taking her to the authorities.

Instead she met Brandon Birmingham.  A sea captain from America looking for companionship, he takes Heathers innocence before she can explain she was not a prostitute.  Even worse, he decides to keep Heather and force her to be his mistress.  She escapes, and returns to her Aunts house, wanting only to forget him.  Then her Aunt realizes Heather is pregnant. Heather is horrified when she learns her Aunt is forcing Brandon to marry her, and that she will have to move to America with him.

Brandon is furious at being forced to marry Heather.  He tells Heather she will be a wife in name only; little more than a servant in his eyes.  Although free from the fear of having to share his bed, he still makes Heather dread his company, for he is often mean and short tempered with her.  Even though he scares her, Heather decides to try and be the best wife she can, for she still dreams of happiness and hopes for a better life in America.

Time eases pain and fear, and Brandon and Heather come to love each other.  Together they find a strong, passionate love that allows them to overcome all the problems that they, and fate, have placed in their paths.

I was a teenager when I first read this book.  The rape scenes at the beginning were upsetting, but I thought that was just how men acted in that time.  I cheered for Heather, and hoped she would find happiness.  This book set the bar for romance, and I recommend it to anyone who loves historical romance.

Have you read this book yet?  I would love to hear your thoughts of both this book and my review.  Are there any books like this you would recommend?