I have read Ellen O'Connell before and was glad to see that this was much smoother and better polished than her first book. The first half was a bit arduous to get through as the hero and the heroine don't talk to each other at all. Well, she talks to him and he refuses to talk back. Such extreme one-sidedness is really difficult to pull off in a romance but I was ultimately glad that I held on until they started to interact because it really paid off. Also, the historical aspects felt very authentic to me. I'll definitely be reading more. What a lovely read with a good dose of humour! I feel that bit happier for having read this book!The characters are very well written and I really like the protagonists. Too often the 'strong' female is just an irritating spoilt brat, but Katherine is wise as well as strong and makes very sensible decisions.I'm not entirely sure that Gaeten would adjust so fully to a culture that wasn't his after only knowing hate for that culture his whole life. Though I suppose it wouldn't have been as clean and simple a happy ending otherwise.I didn't understand the part of the plot where Katherine traveled the world. She didn't seem like a person who had traveled the world - she didn't really do things like compare cultures or other things you'd expect one in her position to do. My best guess is it's just a tool to show how her independent and open nature developed.The negative's I've mentioned are minor and on the whole this is really quite a good book.
What do You think about Dancing On Coals (2011)?
An exceptional read that lives up to 5+ stars.
—rbrochu
