What do you think?
Rate this book
Richmond #1
The Flame
Melissa Armstrong was beautiful, young and determined to abide by her father's last request -- to get to her uncle's home in Richmond before the Civil War started.
And it's there that she meets Jackson Vaughn, a tall, handsome Cavalry lieutenant under Jeb Stuart's command. Amidst the raging battle of a country divided they are swept into a fiery love affair. But when Jackson proposes marriage Melissa is alarmed. How can she marry a Confederate when her heart is with the Union?
Torn between her own loyalties and those of her loved ones, Melissa can only pray that the war will end quickly, that her lover will return home and that no one will discover her heartrending secret!
And it's there that she meets Jackson Vaughn, a tall, handsome Cavalry lieutenant under Jeb Stuart's command. Amidst the raging battle of a country divided they are swept into a fiery love affair. But when Jackson proposes marriage Melissa is alarmed. How can she marry a Confederate when her heart is with the Union?
Torn between her own loyalties and those of her loved ones, Melissa can only pray that the war will end quickly, that her lover will return home and that no one will discover her heartrending secret!
- GenresHistorical Romance
507 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 24, 2017
This review is of “Richmond: The Flame”, book #1 of 5 in the “Richmond” series by Elizabeth Fritch.
The Story: The book begins in the town of Shady Run in western Virginia, just before the Civil War begins. It is here that Melissa Armstrong, the heroine of this book lives with her father James, a blacksmith, and her brother, Jeremiah, who is going North to live with other family members to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. After James is shot accidentally and killed, Melissa goes to Richmond to live with other members of her family: her Uncle Edward, Aunt Nancy, and their children: son Andrew, and daughters Margaret, who is married and expecting, and Mahaley, who is young and promiscuous.
As the book continues, the war intensifies, Melissa falls in love with a Confederate soldier, Jackson Vaughn, and readers learn a great deal about the complicated Armstrong family dynamics.
Upside: Ms. Fritch does a good job seamlessly integrating historical accounts of the Civil War with her fictional characters.
Downside: A lot happens in this book, unfortunately, none of it was terribly interesting to me. That is due to Ms. Fritch’s inability to develop her characters to make me as a reader care about them, and her whiplash style of writing. Ms. Fritch, in each chapter, goes from one character to another and back to the first character and then to another character. I found it difficult to keep up, and after awhile, I just stopped trying and caring.
Sex: This is not a “clean” book, but there is no sex. The sex scenes are implied; it is implied strongly that Melissa and Jackson are lovers, and Mahaley does her best for the war effort-if you know what I mean and I think you do!-but none of this is explicitly described.
Violence: The book takes place in the first two years of the Civil War, so there is violence: shootings and killings. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There is a good book in here waiting to get out. Unfortunately, Ms. Fritch may not be the author to mine it.
The Story: The book begins in the town of Shady Run in western Virginia, just before the Civil War begins. It is here that Melissa Armstrong, the heroine of this book lives with her father James, a blacksmith, and her brother, Jeremiah, who is going North to live with other family members to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. After James is shot accidentally and killed, Melissa goes to Richmond to live with other members of her family: her Uncle Edward, Aunt Nancy, and their children: son Andrew, and daughters Margaret, who is married and expecting, and Mahaley, who is young and promiscuous.
As the book continues, the war intensifies, Melissa falls in love with a Confederate soldier, Jackson Vaughn, and readers learn a great deal about the complicated Armstrong family dynamics.
Upside: Ms. Fritch does a good job seamlessly integrating historical accounts of the Civil War with her fictional characters.
Downside: A lot happens in this book, unfortunately, none of it was terribly interesting to me. That is due to Ms. Fritch’s inability to develop her characters to make me as a reader care about them, and her whiplash style of writing. Ms. Fritch, in each chapter, goes from one character to another and back to the first character and then to another character. I found it difficult to keep up, and after awhile, I just stopped trying and caring.
Sex: This is not a “clean” book, but there is no sex. The sex scenes are implied; it is implied strongly that Melissa and Jackson are lovers, and Mahaley does her best for the war effort-if you know what I mean and I think you do!-but none of this is explicitly described.
Violence: The book takes place in the first two years of the Civil War, so there is violence: shootings and killings. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There is a good book in here waiting to get out. Unfortunately, Ms. Fritch may not be the author to mine it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review