Lainey Kade has been spurned twice since the death of her true love in a logging accident. Now there's been talk. "That Lainey, she's a shrew all right. Not ever going to marry, likely." Seeing herself as an unlovable vixen on whom God has turned His back, she hardens herself to the prospect of such a painful emotion again. Walking away from love's possibilities and from trusting God, Lainey looks for solace instead in seeking adventure and breaking the rules.
Zane and Kelly Beaumont are drifters, brothers suffering their own disillusionment and bitter degrees of "soldier's heart" since the Civil War. When their paths join Lainey's, risky actions and emotions long thought buried set their course on edge. Then the Great Peshtigo Fire sweeps across the young Wisconsin wilderness, swallowing thousands of lives and 2,400 square miles in its wrath. And Lainey realizes that if she allows the spark of love inside her to flame again, it may tear them each apart.
EXCERPT
When the others had gone, Lainey sat back down and waited for Zane to address her. For a long while he shuffled cards and said nothing at all. Then he stopped, cut the deck, and began to deal. When he finished and they both picked up their cards, he stared at her long and hard. She waited for him to speak. He didn't even blink. She finally dropped her gaze and squirmed beneath his silent examination.
"Are we going to play?" Her voice sounded breathy and slight in her ears.
He lifted a one-sided smile at her, and his eyes slipped into a dreamy gaze. "Sure we are. The first thing you need to learn, Lainey, is that you should never let someone disconcert you the way I just did. If you can hold steady under scrutiny, then you're a long way towards a better bluff than your opponent."
She took a deep breath. "I see."
"You understand that half of the game is the ability to bluff and to read your opponent."
She nodded.
"I don't know if you do."
Something in his tone pulled at her. "I think I do."
"But you're not a very good bluffer."
"I've not had the chance--"
"Haven't you?" He leaned forward on his elbows and perused her face so closely that her skin felt hot. She pressed back in her chair and frowned.
"You're not married, are you? Stephen isn't your husband. He isn't even your betrothed."
Lainey's mouth fell open and snapped closed again.
Zane smiled. "I thought not."
What was the point in arguing? He'd found her out. "How did you know?"
"As I said, you don't bluff as well as you think, but I can help you with that." His steady smile finally reached his eyes. They were clear again and sparkling and Lainey had the distinct feeling that she'd crossed onto more dangerous ground.
But she liked it.
"All right, Zane. Then teach me how to bluff."
"Naomi's attention to detail, scene and setting are pitch-perfect true to era. I felt the flames and terror of the great fire of 1871, the same night as the Great Chicago fire. I loved Lainey's spirit, mourned and rejoiced with them all as they realized dreams, loved, fought for life and independence, and breathed the smoke of history. Another winner for those who revel in the drama of the past."
"The first novel in the series is The Green Veil Empire in Pine Book One. When I read the first one, I couldn't wait for the second, and now, I can't wait for the third... I rate both these prestigious novels a rating of five stars. Naomi Musch is an author you'll want to read over and over again, no doubt about it. She'll take your heart on a journey you won't soon forget."
"The Red Fury by Naomi Musch was even better than The Green Veil, which is the first in the series and made it to my Top Ten list of 2011. The Red Fury is already on my Top Ten of 2012! Naomi Musch is a master at planting nagging questions in the reader's mind--questions that must be answered. Now... The Red Fury is an absolute, must-read!"
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