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Fire Along the Sky (Wilderness #4)

by Sara Donati (Goodreads Author)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 3,183 ratings · 144 reviews

With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain c...more With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that Hannah is not the same woman as when she left. For their daughter has come home without her husband and without her son…and with a story of loss and tragedy that she can’t bear to tell. Yet as Hannah resumes her duties as a gifted healer among the sick and needy, she finds that she is also slowly healing herself. Little does she realize that she is about to be called away to face her greatest challenge ever.

As autumn approaches, news of the latest conflict with Britain finds the young men of Paradise—including eighteen-year-old Daniel Bonner—eager to take up arms. Against their better judgment, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must let him go, just as they must let his twin sister Lily, a stubborn beauty, pursue her independence in Montreal. But on the eve of the War of 1812, an unexpected guest arrives from Scotland: It is the Bonners’ distant cousin, the newly widowed Jennet Scott of Carryckcastle. Far from home, Lily and Jennet will each learn the price of pursuing their dreams and the possibility of true love.

But it’s Hannah herself who must risk everything once more—this time to save Daniel, who’s been taken prisoner by the British. As the distant thunder of war threatens Paradise, Hannah may learn to live—and maybe love—again in one final act of courage, duty, and sacrifice.

A gifted writer, a master storyteller, and a first-rate historian, Sara Donati has written a powerful, poignant, and movingly romantic novel that chronicles the lives and adventures of a family as compelling and unforgettable as any in American fiction.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Mass Market Paperback, 655 pages

Published November 29th 2005 by Dell (first published January 1st 2004)

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Jun 17, 2013 Charlynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ten years following the events from Lake in the Clouds, the War of 1812 finds the Bonners. As a haunted Hannah returns home from the Indian wars out west, Daniel and Blue-Jay leave for the latest disagreement between the newborn United States and its recently overthrown oppressor, Great Britain. Meanwhile, his twin, Lily, enters into her own battle - one of the heart, fleeing Paradise under the guise of studying art in Montreal. There, she stays with her eldest half-sibling, Luke. While walking...more Ten years following the events from Lake in the Clouds, the War of 1812 finds the Bonners. As a haunted Hannah returns home from the Indian wars out west, Daniel and Blue-Jay leave for the latest disagreement between the newborn United States and its recently overthrown oppressor, Great Britain. Meanwhile, his twin, Lily, enters into her own battle - one of the heart, fleeing Paradise under the guise of studying art in Montreal. There, she stays with her eldest half-sibling, Luke. While walking a tightrope between his personal and professional responsibilities during a tumultuous time of war, Luke is also forced to confront his own romantic feelings when a widowed Jennet travels across the ocean to join her Bonner relatives in the New World, to finally be with him. And then there's precocious Gabriel, the youngest of the Bonner children... for now, Gabriel who adds a much needed sense of levity to his parents' lives when everything else around them - familial loss; the scandal of forbidden love twice over; debilitating grief and sorrow; military intrigue, danger, capture, and injury; and then finally a kidnapping - is so heavy. Despite everything they and theirs must face, Nathaniel and Elizabeth persevere the only way they know how: with love, faith in family, and support from their friends.

Despite the jump in time between novels and the sheer amount of major, dramatic events which take place, Fire Along the Sky still feels like a stopgap. Now, this doesn't mean that the book is any less enjoyable or important to the series. Major changes to the Bonner family occur in this piece. Characters evolve, develop, and change with the maturity that comes both from time and experience - some in positive ways, some at a detriment. Lives are lost; new additions to the family are made. Yet, at the same time, despite all the movement in plot and character development, the story seems to ebb sideways. There's no regression, but there is a lack of resolution as well. Everyone seems caught up in circumstances out of their control, many of the storylines left dangling for what will hopefully be their conclusion in the series' next work. Unlike Donati's other novels, Fire Along the Sky is not merely complimented by the books it is sandwiched between but dependent upon, a piece that cannot stand alone on its own. Some readers, myself included among them, will find this to be a detriment to Fire Along the Sky. In addition, it was disconcerting to see Liam Kirby reintroduced into the Bonners' story late in the novel, only to be killed off. This conclusion for the sometimes polarizing but always interesting character felt like a waste and a letdown. No doubt, he could have proved extremely useful to the Queen of Swords.(less)

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Jan 26, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

I couldn't bring myself to like this novel as much as the others in the series. As a bit of a recap, the series starts out with Elizabeth coming to America from England to be a school teacher. A self professed spinster, she is surprised when she falls in love with outdoors-man Nathaniel Bonner. She elopes with him in an effort to not only be with him forever, but also restore property rightfully to the people who own it. The next novel is a bit down the road and she has just given birth to twins...more I couldn't bring myself to like this novel as much as the others in the series. As a bit of a recap, the series starts out with Elizabeth coming to America from England to be a school teacher. A self professed spinster, she is surprised when she falls in love with outdoors-man Nathaniel Bonner. She elopes with him in an effort to not only be with him forever, but also restore property rightfully to the people who own it. The next novel is a bit down the road and she has just given birth to twins. They are kidnapped and Nathaniel and Elizabeth must travel to Scotland to get them back. From here we journey back to America many years down the road. This story is more about Nathaniel's daughter from his first wife and her learning to be a doctor despite her mixed heritage and the fact that she is a woman.

Finally in this novel yet another great many years have passed. Hannah has come back after losing both her child and her husband. Lost in spirit she only lives day to day in repitition. Lily, one of the twins is dealing with her own love life and whether she loves the dashing Scot Simon or the married man in town. She decides to go to Canada to study art for awhile and get away from everything. Meanwhile, her twin Daniel has gone off to join the war and fight. In doing so, he is captured and injured. Hannah and their cousin from Scotland, Jennet sneak in as nursemaids to help care for him and hopefully rescue him. There are some suspicious of them however, so they must tread carefully if they have hopes of saving him and the other prisoners.

My biggest complaint about this book would be the lack of writing about Nathaniel and Elizabeth. This was originally their story and it seems like they have become merely background characters in it. Also, the characters I did care about, like Hannah are not themselves. Granted she goes through a traumatic experience in this book but there was not as much depth to her character as in previous books. The characters the book did focus on, Jennet and Lily, weren't really characters I cared too much about. I would have rather heard more on the characters I was attached to already.

As far as plot goes for this book, it had some interesting ideas but I don't think they were well carried out. What happened in the novel should have been exciting, but instead dragged out rather slowly. I lost interest several times and caught myself skimming the endless "letters" included in the novel.

On another note, I do always enjoy Donati's writing style. Her background as a linguist makes the accents interesting and fairly realistic. She also includes description, but not too much that you tire of reading the book. While she does allude to some risque things in her book, they are not heavily described so even more timid readers can enjoy the book.

I'll continue reading the story of course, but I hope Donati goes back to what drew me to the story in the first place. She has a great set of original characters, and she should use them to her advantage.

Fire Along the Sky
Copyright 2004
608 pages (less)

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Nov 09, 2009 Tonya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ok, after the last book in the series I was sure that I wouldn't read another one... I was wrong. Somehow "Fire" found it's way into my shopping bag after a brief trip to the local BAM.

I was so happy that Donati didn't kill off Curiosity Freeman but was shocked that Dr. Richard Todd met an early and quite painful demise. Hannah's husband (who just appears out of nowhere in "Lake in the Clouds") never really materlizes in "Fire." His story was poorly told and their marriage was a complete waste...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Gail Amendt rated it 5 of 5 stars

After a bit of a hiccup with the third book, this series is back on track with the fourth. Set ten years after the last book, we find the Bonner children grown, Hannah returned from the west having lost her husband and son, and the family being caught up in the War of 1812. We see small snippets of the war as it played out along the border between New York and Quebec, but never the big picture, and while for me that is a little frustrating, I also appreciate that it is exactly the way war is exp...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

When I first picked up Into the Wilderness and started reading I nearly died of happiness to see the characters from one of my favorite movies (The Last of the Mohicans) in it!!!!The first three books were wonderful and fabulously written. Watching Elizabeth and Nathaniel's relationship grow and their children was an absolute pleasure. I did have some hesitations at first with Lake in the Clouds, but Donati's style and writing cleared up some of the earlier hesitations I had.

Now onto Fire Along...more When I first picked up Into the Wilderness and started reading I nearly died of happiness to see the characters from one of my favorite movies (The Last of the Mohicans) in it!!!!The first three books were wonderful and fabulously written. Watching Elizabeth and Nathaniel's relationship grow and their children was an absolute pleasure. I did have some hesitations at first with Lake in the Clouds, but Donati's style and writing cleared up some of the earlier hesitations I had.

Now onto Fire Along the Sky. I think this could have been a fabulous book, a wonderful book....if not for a two nagging and annoying lingering doubts and blanks Donati left. First...the jump in time. I understand you can't have books falling year after year after year, but it really was a drastic jump. One minute I'm reading about the 8 year old twins and a newly married Hannah, and the next minute (well not really the next minute more like the next week)I'm reading about 18 year old twins who are leaving Paradise and a shell of the former Hannah who Donati just tells us has been presumably widowed and lost her only child. That leads me two my second and probably largest annoyance with the book...the way in which Donati directs Hannah's story.

(view spoiler). It had taken me a bit to warm up to Strikes-the-Sky in Lake in the Clouds (honestly I had been holding out a secret hope that somehow Liam would change and his wife would be dead or something), but once I continued reading I perceived Strikes-the-Sky to be much better for Hannah/Walkes-Ahead because he sees both the Mahican and White parts of her. So there I am in my little blissful contentment after Lake in the Clouds that Strikes-the-Sky and Hannah are perfect and will live happily ever after, and then I read Fire Along the Sky. If I ever thought of not finishing the series in the middle of the series, it would have been when I found out-- after starting to read the book-- that Strikes-the-Sky has gone with Manny Freedman and Hannah presumes him dead. I was livid when I read this...for goodness sakes Donati had take Liam away from Hannah and now she takes Strikes-the-Sky away; I honestly think it was for more shock and awe affect than anything else--as in 'Let's see how far we can take Hannah's life and make it into the most wretched and difficult we can short of killing her'. Alright, maybe I'm a going over the top a little, but it really did anger me that Donati would put Strikes-the-Sky into Lake in the Clouds at the end to comfort us over the fact that Liam Kirby has turned out to not be Hannah's true love, and then not even bother to put him into Fire Along the Sky except when he visits Hannah in her dreams. I honestly think it would have been better if she had never created his character and just had Hannah have a desire to head west with her uncle Otter.

Okay, now onto the parts that I did like.

I fell in LOVE with Lily and Simon! Yes, she seemed a little spoiled, but I couldn't help but watch as the two of them circled around each other. Him loving her and trying to show her that she loves and needs him too was one of the most beautiful tales of courtship to read about; they are perfect for each other! (view spoiler)

Also, I liked Luke and Jennet. It was really the first time we are given a glimpse into Nathaniel Bonner's first child by Gisele Somerville, but he proves to be quite a interesting and dynamic character. In Dawn on a Distant Shore, I had loved Jennet's little character as she takes Hannah all through the nooks and cranies of the Earl's house in Scotland. In this book she becomes a character of depth and courage (a little idiotic for leaving the letters) but a natural heroine to join the rest.

So final conclusion...I would have given this book 4 stars or even 4.5, but I just could not get over the jump in time because it wasn't well established in what happened during the 10 years between the two books and the way in which Donati directed Hannah's life. (less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Erica Bailey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another great book! The wilderness series is a must for any Outlander or historical romance fan. Against most opinions, I actually liked Lily you watched her grow from a girl into a woman, she reminded me a lot of Elizabeth in the 1st book. I loved her conflict between Nicholas & Simon & may I say without giving any spoilers that I was cheering for Simon the entire time & couldn't wait to turn the page to see whom she chose!

I was disappointed when I started to read Lake in The Cloud...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010

This was my least favorite of the series so far... probably give it 3.5 stars.

Despite the blurb on the back of the book, the story doesn't focus that much on Hannah and Jennet. It at least equally focuses on Lily, and I have to say that I don't really like Lily. She's childish, selfish, and too stubborn. Which is sad, because in the third book I thought that I'd really come to like her. But, I really dislike her as an adult.

As far Hannah and Jennet - I was happy to see Hannah again, though she's...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Jeri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: f-historical, f-women, kindle

We continue the Bonner saga in this volume 4 -- its 1812 and Hannah has returned to her family home in the northeast wilderness, having lost her husband and infant son. She resumes her duties as a gifted healer and you can feel her healing herself as we'll. but as with all of the wilderness saga books so far, there is much to come..the war of 1812 sees the young men of paradise volunteering for war,jennet comes from Scotland, also newly widowed, and then there's the mysteries and allure of Montr...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Lvolk rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another good one in the series. I like happy endings, and I like when good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, etc. Hey, it's why I read! But these books are unpredictable. You never know when a loved one is going to meet a bad end. I like the history that goes along with it. I don't know much about the War of 1812. Granted, I don't really WANT to know much about it, but it's a part of history that isn't pushed too much in school. We go from Revolutionary War to Civ...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this series because I read The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon and LOVED it. I heard that Clair/Jamie, from Outlander, made an appearance in these books so I had to read it.

It wasn't as good as Outlander but I did enjoy the story and the characters very much. It's much along the same lines as Outlander (without the time travel) and very well written. You get invested in the characters and want to follow them though life.

I've read the entire series and LOVE how it matures with the...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ohhhh I just discovered that Sara Donati wrote three more in the series. I read the first book Into the Wilderness 10 years ago when it first came out. Set in the 19th century New York wilderness it's the epic tale of the Bonner family with lots of romance, adventure and mystery woven into the story. I love her stories and I find myself consumed with the characters and their lifes. I read the last three (Queen of Swords and the Endless Forrest) all together one right after another on the Kindle....more

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Nov 28, 2012 Lavezzij rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I think that sara Donati is a fine writer with a compelling American story of a time that we have forgotten, a family that endures, filled with very real characters. I am happy to see that Ms. Donati has allowed her characters to age gracefully, and to focus on the generation in an even handed genealogical story of hope and courage. I enjoy her characters for their humanity, and it is not indulgent to say that in a time of major over the top-wonder heroes, it is refreshing to live in a book with...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book continues the saga of a family in Americas early history. the new Americans are fighting the British Red coats. Native Americans, Scottish, and Black slaves are making a new tolerance of the races in the small town of Paradise, New York. Cousins Blue Jay and Daniel are related by marriage and both fighting against the British in Canada. The characters in Paradise continue to school Indians, Blacks and white children in the same school. Some fall in love and some loose their loved ones...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Emily Decobert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love this series of books, the author Sara Donati is an excellent historical writer, but I failed to enjoy the new aspects of the book. The daughter, Lily, who was a child in the last book, is 18 and choosing a husband. Much of the book is told from her point of view and I failed to connect with the character. This is my own issue and not a reflection on the quality of the work, it is still a great read and a must read if you have already invested time with the other three books before this on...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Alexandria Brim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, rhfl-challenge, reviewed, american-history

In her fourth book, nearly ten years have passed since Lake in the Clouds. The War of 1812 has started and not even the residents of Hidden Wolf are spared. Lily, ready to go study art abroad, has her plans put on hold. Her brother Daniel and their cousin Blue Jay long to go fight. Elizabeth wishes to keep all her children on Hidden Wolf, safe. And into this walks Hannah, a shadow of her former self. The Bonners are also surprised by the arrival of Luke, Nathaniel's illegitimate son, and Jennet,...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Thom Swennes rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel Fire Along the Sky is the fourth volume of the six-part Into the Wilderness series by Sara Donati. Spanning the time that the newly independent United States was again engaged is a bitter struggle with England in the conflict known in history books as the War of 1812. This historical novel, as indeed all of the novels in this series, give reference to general historical events without placing either the characters or any events in any particular historical incident which, in my opinion...more

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May 09, 2011 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: absolutefavs

Read for the third time. April 2011
******************************************

Reading again for the second time. Love this series. July 2010
*******************************************

Sara Donati’s continuing saga of the Bonner family in Early America is another great addition to the series. Its sbeen 10 years since Hannah has been home to her family and she has lost much in those years. She has come home alone without her husband and her son. She is broken and speeks nothing of what has happened...more

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May 24, 2011 Jenny Q rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-favorite-reads, historical-fiction-faves

4.5 Stars. Ten years have passed since Hannah married Strikes-the-Sky and walked west with him to live among his people and now she is back in Paradise, alone, a quiet shell of her former self. She's not the only one who's found their way home to the welcoming arms of the Bonner family. Her newly widowed cousin from Scotland, Jennet, has arrived looking to rekindle her relationship with her first love, Hannah's half-brother Luke. Luke's home, too, and he's brought his business partner, fellow Sc...more 4.5 Stars. Ten years have passed since Hannah married Strikes-the-Sky and walked west with him to live among his people and now she is back in Paradise, alone, a quiet shell of her former self. She's not the only one who's found their way home to the welcoming arms of the Bonner family. Her newly widowed cousin from Scotland, Jennet, has arrived looking to rekindle her relationship with her first love, Hannah's half-brother Luke. Luke's home, too, and he's brought his business partner, fellow Scot Simon Ballantyne, who has eyes only for Lily, the youngest Bonner daughter.

Hannah was my favorite character in books two and three of this series, but Lily takes center stage for me in this novel as she struggles to make the transition from girl to woman. Lily's plans to study art in Europe have been foiled by the outbreak of the War of 1812, and her life is further complicated by an illicit relationship. Eighteen years old, headstrong and with a wild streak, Lily is determined to chart her own future, and she begins by convincing her parents to let her live and study art in Montreal with her brother Luke.

Lily's twin, Daniel, also leaves Paradise with his cousin Blue Jay to join the war and soon finds himself taken prisoner. Lily and Simon make the dangerous trip through the battle lines to bring the news to Paradise, where the decision is made for Hannah and Jennet to set out with Luke's help to bring Daniel home.

As war breaks out along the Canadian border, the narrative moves back and forth between Montreal, the battlefields, and Nathaniel and Elizabeth in Paradise, who in addition to worrying for their children, have problems of their own to face at home. This novel has a large cast of characters and there are multiple story threads, but even though they are separated, the Bonner family is never far from each other in thought and heart. The story concentrates on the younger generation, but Nathaniel and Elizabeth are still integral characters and the population of Paradise colorfully portrays the ups and downs of frontier life on the edge of the vast New York wilderness.

I really like this series, I own all of them except the final book, which was recently published, but with this book as in the others, there are always a couple of things that nag at me and keep me from giving them five stars. Two in this one: First, It took me a long time to warm to Jennet; I found her annoying and callously happy to be a widow, though by her own admission her husband was a good man, even thought the marriage was arranged. And second, the story held on a little too long. With so many characters and plotlines, it took too long to bring it all together and the pace slowed down when I was ready to get to the end to see what the conclusion would be.

In this book a few lingering loose ends from previous books are tied up, but several things are left hanging and the basis for the next book is presented, so I'm moving right on to Queen of Swords. Then I think I'll wait a while to read Endless Forests. I'm not quite ready to read the end of the story yet.(less)

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Apr 23, 2011 Shell Schroth rated it 3 of 5 stars

An absoloute, without a doubt 5 + star read for me~ Until it wasn't....

WHY, Sara?~ Why would you do this to your fans? I dont see the sense in it at all, other than to shatter our hearts and kill all hopes we had... all the books~ All the time invested and the WAITING for that certain IMPORTANT SOMETHING to finally happen~ For what? For that? My heart was constantly in my throat as I caught on to the early hints, for that long awaited moment~ Page after page, at warp speed~ Gitty with excitement...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Aly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Took me a while to really get involved in this segment of the Bonner's story. I can't quite determine why as I've been eager to hear more about Jennet since she was first introduced. I was a bit upset that Hannah's story took such a sad turn after the bright childhood she had. I loved watching Lily & Simon fall for each other, and Luke and Jennet keep me happy as well. I wanted to know more about how Blue Jay suddenly came home with a wife having found her sometime after leaving the prisoner...more

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Nov 19, 2007 Laurel Bradshaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, war-of-1812

One of my favorite authors.

Book Description from Amazon.com
With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that...more One of my favorite authors.

Book Description from Amazon.com
With epic sweep and breathtaking adventure, Sara Donati’s bestselling saga of an Early American family’s struggle for survival in the Northeast wilderness continues with the story of an indomitable woman and an unforgettable journey of redemption across a young nation threatened by the flames of war.

The year is 1812 and Hannah Bonner has returned to her family’s mountain cabin in Paradise. But Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner can see that Hannah is not the same woman as when she left. For their daughter has come home without her husband and without her son…and with a story of loss and tragedy that she can’t bear to tell. Yet as Hannah resumes her duties as a gifted healer among the sick and needy, she finds that she is also slowly healing herself. Little does she realize that she is about to be called away to face her greatest challenge ever.

As autumn approaches, news of the latest conflict with Britain finds the young men of Paradise—including eighteen-year-old Daniel Bonner—eager to take up arms. Against their better judgment, Nathaniel and Elizabeth must let him go, just as they must let his twin sister Lily, a stubborn beauty, pursue her independence in Montreal. But on the eve of the War of 1812, an unexpected guest arrives from Scotland: It is the Bonners’ distant cousin, the newly widowed Jennet Scott of Carryckcastle. Far from home, Lily and Jennet will each learn the price of pursuing their dreams and the possibility of true love.

But it’s Hannah herself who must risk everything once more—this time to save Daniel, who’s been taken prisoner by the British. As the distant thunder of war threatens Paradise, Hannah may learn to live—and maybe love—again in one final act of courage, duty, and sacrifice.

A gifted writer, a master storyteller, and a first-rate historian, Sara Donati has written a powerful, poignant, and movingly romantic novel that chronicles the lives and adventures of a family as compelling and unforgettable as any in American fiction.
(less)

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Jun 17, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm reading Fire Along the Sky, which is a sequal to Into the Wilderness, one of my favorite books.

I found Dawn on a Distant Shore a few years after I read Into the Wilderness by accident and was very excited and loved the book. I just reread both of the 1st two books and saw in the back that Fire Along the Sky was "coming soon" in 2004 (which, when I got the book, seemed like eons away), so I ran out to Borders to get it, but (1) it wasn't in stock and (2) it's not out in paperback till Novembe...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Ailhlin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-could-read-all-night, frontier-stuff, gabaldon-and-gabaldonesque, history-and-historical, u-s

I loved this, and once again SD completely drew me into the Bonner's world - she really never fails to capture life in the period with all its ups and downs.
(view spoiler)
I have to admit that I got next to nothing done while I read it (always a sign of a book I can't tear myself away from) and I did like the ending (even if I ne...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, fiction, romance, dropbox

I've been gulping these books down, one after another, and it's hard to write individual reviews. I love the setting and the characters, and Donati does a wonderful job using the organic layers of the generations to drawn the story from one book to the next. That being said, I'm going to take a break before diving into QUEEN OF SWORDS, as the long drawn out drama of Hannah's plot line has exhausted me emotionally for the time being, and I can't dive right into another star-crossed lovers scenari...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Micki Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am almost done this book, and I am again enthralled with the adventure and romance of the book. I continue to be immersed in the story plot about frontier life in New York, and will never tire of the romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bonner. Hannah's character has been further developed and there are a number of entertaining and interesting secondary characters. I am totally immersed in this wonderful story and consider it one of the best epic adventures that I have read.

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Mar 22, 2009 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

I loved this book. It continued from Lake in the Clouds and followed Hannah (28), Lily (18) and Daniel (18) and their cousin Jennet from Scotland as well and new characters and the rest of the Bonner clan through more adventures. Lots of drama in Paradise to uncover in this book as well as trips to Canada. It move between all their lives and I really didn't want to put it down. Read it in 5 days and it was another thick one over 600 plus pages.

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Feb 08, 2011 Kathy added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 28, 2011 AJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic, historical-pre-1900, series

To be honest I wasn't overly impressed with this series when I first started reading the books, but then I re-read Into the Wilderness, and with each story in the series I am growing to love it more.

This book is by far my favourite so far, with plenty of page-turning 'oh my God!!!' moments. There's not a lot of Elizabeth and Nathaniel in it, but I like how the story is shifting to their children (and honestly how much more adventure are E&N supposed to go through now that he is in his 50s a...more

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Feb 24, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth in the Sara Donati wilderness series. I feel such an affinity for these characters and love returning to their world. It is not the most literary novel but always a captivating and compassionate story. Each time I begin a new book from the series, it feels like a warm homecoming of sorts. For more info read my review on the first of the series: Into The Wilderness.

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Jun 23, 2012 Nancy Schober rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I adore her writing...no anachronisms to distract me and jar me out of the time period...Before you sit down to read this one you might want to assemble; a box of tissues for the sad parts, a fan to wave to cool you off during the racy parts and maybe someone sitting beside you to thump you on the back when you're laughing so hard that you're afraid you'll choke to death.

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Fire Along the Sky (Wilderness #4)

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