Authentic Storm

Hearts Touched by Fire #5

by Gina Danna

1856: A free Black lady from Louisiana, a New York abolitionist running for the Senate. Their love is forbidden, yet it could change the country.During the unrest of pre-civil war America, a wealthy plantation owner sends his beloved, educated, biracial daughter to New York in an effort to keep her safe from the growing intolerance of his wife. But Jaquita Fontaine soon discovers that a woman of color, free or not, is not exactly welcome up north. All alone, feeling abandoned, Jaquita struggles to live as a “free” woman while facing prejudices that prevent her from doing something as simple as buying food. When a handsome abolitionist comes to her aid, Jaquita is grateful, but as she begins to lose her heart to her charming knight-in-shining-armor, she realizes their affair could put her in even more danger.New York attorney Thomas McHenry III comes from a staunch abolitionist family, but plans to do more than attend meetings and send donations. He’s campaigning for a Senate seat so he can push the end of slavery through Congress. All is going well until he falls for the lovely Mulatto he meets by chance. Jaquita’s intelligence and beauty rivals that of any of the ‘acceptable’ young ladies of his acquaintance, but the color of her skin could destroy his chances at the ballot box.As the country heads towards Civil War, Jaquita and Thomas must determine if their growing love and desire for each other can withstand the social bias of others, or will it ultimately crumble beneath the injustices of the time?



Authentic Storm is the 5th standalone novella in the enticing Hearts Touched by Fire historical romance series. If you like complex stories, vivid characters and love against all odds, then you’ll adore Gina Danna’s compelling tale!



Buy Authentic Storm to enjoy the journey today!

Genres: Historical Romance

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2021

About the author

A USAToday Bestselling author, Gina Danna was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and has spent the better part of her life reading. History has always been her love and she spent numerous hours devouring historical romance stories, always dreaming of writing one of her own. After years of writing historical academic papers to achieve her undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, and then for museum programs and exhibits, she found the time to write her own historical romantic fiction novels.
Now, living in Texas, under the supervision of her three dogs, she writes amid a library of research books, with her only true break away is to spend time with her other life long dream – her Arabian horse – with him, her muse can play.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authentic Storm: An American Civil War Novel: Hearts Touched by Fire Book 5 is by Gina Danna. This is the last in the Hearts Touched by Fire series. This series is very good and depended on a great deal of research to get the background to be real. Giving second chances and following your heart have been themes in each of the previous novels and definitely is in this one.
Pierre Fontaine had an illegitimate daughter, Jacquita, whose mother was a slave. Pierre loved her but didn’t give her freedom until she was on her death bed. He had raised Jacquita in the home in the same manner as he had done with children by his white wife. When they had gone North to Jack’s graduation from the US academy at West Point, she convinced him to leave Jacquita in New York. He did but not without leaving her money and a place to stay. So naïve, young Jacquita set out to treat New York as she did home.
Jacquita meets members of the Abolition movement who are hoping she will join them and with her money be able to financially help them. However, Jacquita sees that they just want to be seen freeing the slaves but don’t want them living near them. Through them, she does meet Lawyer Thomas C. McHenry III who helps her acclimate to life in New York. Does he teach her too much or too little?
This is a good book but it makes one feel like you are right there experiencing the world of the Civil War with them.

[Marcia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not authentic enough...

First off is the cover, while a beautiful black woman is certainly not mulatto. Second, it's difficult to believe she had no exposure to the cruelties of slavery raised in the south and rather insulting that a white man was her educator when there were blacks around her in position to do that. Third, unrealistic to play house for 6 years and win the Senatorship with no blowback from the jilted fiancee & both families, his & hers! A decent read but not realistically told. As a child of a slave even raised with the master's children she would have been more aware of slavery.

[Lynda Bullard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Authentic Storm


This book did not hold my attention like the other four did. Too much sex and not enough Civil War plot. But I did plod through to the end. Mrs. Dana should remove one word from her vocabulary! The word is SNORT or Snorted. I cannot count the number of times it was used in the five books I read. This is only one reason I will not read her next book. Best wishes for her continued success as an author.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very good telling of the struggle of the black people in the north during the antebellum period. Northerners still pretend to want to help black but still don't really want them in their close vicinity. The practice of Placage offered some security to a few at least.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading! Tells a lot about the era of the Civil War and how it affected some people at that time.
Good reading and a true to life romance.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed your story.

[JANE ACKLEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I love civil war history as sad as some of it is, or was, I can't get enough of it and learn more with every read.

[Shannon Calloway · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous

This book was just stupid. Poorly researched and poorly written. The author clearly has no understanding of the times nor the situation facing the characters.

[EvilAntie Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous ending

What an amazing reading journey this series has been. I was so surprised how story this short novella would be! What a testimony to this incredible family.