Lawson’s review of Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Historical romance released by Avon in 1979

I know that Sybil would love this one, but it’s 665 pages. Yep, when Woodiwiss wrote epic romance, it was epically long books. But again, it is worth it.

Cole Latimer is a doctor with the occupying Union army in New Orleans in 1863. One day on his way home he rescues a young boy from some ill-mannered soldiers on the street. The young boy, named Al, is given a job at the hospital where Cole works, and Cole takes Al home to his uncle’s house. Seeing Al home safe, Cole then goes back to his daily routine.

But Al is actually Alaina MacGaren, who is escaping her plantation home for the safety in her uncle’s house. Alaina has been falsely accused of spying by a Confederate soldier who she didn’t let get into her bedroom. Her response was to disguise herself as a young boy and flee the only home she’s ever known. Her life has had more than that blow in the recent past as well, for her mother and father died and her brothers were missing in action during the war.

Alaina is trying to survive as best she can and she works hard as ‘Al’ at the hospital. Al earns the respect of several of the doctors there. Cole, in taking Al under his wing, is in contact with Al’s family and gets under the scrutiny of Al’s spoiled cousin Roberta. Robert has always been jealous of Alaina and when Alaina brings a drunk Cole home one night, she takes advantage of the situation.

Cole things Al has brought him to a brothel and in his state of drunkenness he presses his attentions on who he thinks is the madam, but when he awakens he finds Roberta in his bed. Forced to marry her, Cole moves into the house and Alaina runs the risk of Cole finding out who she really is. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, considering she’s fallen in love with him, but marrying her cousin doesn’t help things.

One night Cole comes home early and finds Alaina in his room. Once he learns the truth about Al and how Roberta decieved him, he decides to go on a trek with the army near the front lines in the northern part of Louisiana. On the trip Cole gets some shrapnel in his leg, effectively ending his career as an army surgeon. He has to pack up his reluctant wife and take her home to Minnesota, leaving the woman he loves and desires in Louisana. But Roberta dies in childbirth (and it wasn’t Cole’s child either) and Alaina is in danger in New Orleans from far too many people. End part one.

Part two begins with Alaina heading to Minnesota to be with Cole. He’s asked to marry her, she’s accepted and though she’s leaving the only home she’s known, Alaina is arriving with her Southern charm. It takes awhile for Cole and Alaina to work through everything. Roberta and his leg with the shrapnel still in it have made Cole bitter and hard to get along with. Alaina is afraid Cole only wants her as his wife because he pities her and he doesn’t really want her.

As they work out their differences and fall in love even more, Alaina and Cole have to deal with a major issue that has followed them from Louisiana and the nefarious actions of many people from the past who could endanger their happiness. That is, if they don’t listen to their hearts and work together.

I know, I left out a lot in the summary. But with so much in one book, it’s like taking Gone With the Wind and making it into a movie. But it’s definitely another sweeping epic romance, and the Civil War history works so well with the progress of the love story.

Alaina grows so much during the novel as well. Though in disguise, she is emotionally similar to Al at the beginning of the book. After that disguise is uncovered, she dons several more to hide herself in New Orleans so she doesn’t get arrested for her supposed crime. With each new identity, her emotional growth gets to the point that she is comfortable being herself around Cole in Minnesota and becomes the woman and wife he always wanted.

Cole is an Alpha through and through. And though he is confused about things for the first third of the book, once he realizes what he wants (Alaina) he gets her the first chance that he can. Cole probably could give Rhett Butler a run for his money in patience, wealth and devotion to a fiercely independent woman. The only difference is Cole keeps his woman in the end.

With a wide array of seconary characters, Alaina’s family, her friend Sam (a former slave), Cole’s neighbors in Minnesota, there’s plenty of people there to compliment the H/H dynamic and help it along as needed. The villains are multi-dimensional as well, though there are a the truly evil and those that just possibly throw a kink in the workings of the love story for plot purposes.

With the history, the love story and the length, this book reads more like historical fiction. It’s so well layered, paced, characterized, it is one of the high points of Woodiwiss’ career as well as a high point in what a Romance novel could be.