Dancing on Coals by Ellen O'Connell

                                                   

 

 

 

I have never read a Native American romance before but was intrigued to read this one due to the glowing reviews and I was not disappointed. I truly enjoyed this story. I am the kind of person who does not buy the whole love at first sight type of romance. I believe that true love starts out with a seed but can only come into bloom through the test of time and commitment and how well you brave the storm together. It also takes looking past someone for who you think they are and seeing them for who they really are. That is why I loved this book. Two people who did not even suspect they would ever come to even like each other eventually began to see beyond the skin and the outer flaws and find love. The heroine in this story was awesome. She was strong, smart and determined to survive. My favorite kind of heroine. There were many little surprises in this story that kept you turning the pages and one was the hero. Gaetan was not likable... he hated whites. But as the story progresses along you begin to understand him and by the end of the story you find yourself smiling at the way his heart is awakened quite surprisingly by a white woman.   ***(small spoiler ahead)*** My favorite quote from him in the book was this one: "Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart." This made me laugh and it was such a touching moment at the same time. His male pride had to justify why he loved her. I guess that's how he made his peace with himself. The only part of the book that didn't swoon me over was the ending. But, I guess the author wanted us to see the bigger happy ending for this couple so in the end I was okay with it... I would've happily read a sequel to this book. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.  ~ K