But, embittered by the conflict, Shannon McCahy and Malachi Slater still fought a raging battle of wills all their own. A Yankee whose only solace was the land she had struggled to save. Shannon hated the hot-tempered Malachi, a Rebel on the run who stood for all she had come to despise.
Yet as jayhawkers and bushwhackers descended upon the lawless Missouri border, the two joined forces in a desperate search for their endangered loved ones. They clashed relentlessly, but as time ran out they were forced to realize there was something between them far stronger than hatred . . . .
Heather Graham was born on March 15, 1953 and grew up in Dade County, Florida, and attended the University of South Florida at Tampa, majoring in theater arts and touring Europe and parts of Asia and Africa as part of her studies. After college, she acted in dinner theaters, modeled, waitressed, and tended bar. She married Hershey Dennis Possezzere, and after the birth of her third child, she was determined to devote her efforts to her writing: her dream. She sold her first book in 1982.
Today, this author's success is reflected not just by reader response and the over 20 million copies of her books in print, but in many other ways. In addition to being a New York Times bestselling author, Heather has received numerous awards for her novels, including over 20 trade awards from magazines such as Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur, bestseller awards from B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, and BookRak, and several Reviewers' Choice and People's Choice awards.
Heather has appeared on Entertainment Tonight, Romantically Speaking, a TV talk show that aired nationwide on the Romance Classics cable channel, and CBS Sunday News. She has been quoted in People and USA Today, been profiled in The Nation, and featured in Good Housekeeping. Her books have been selections for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. She has been published across the world in more than 15 languages and has published over 70 titles, including anthologies and short stories.
Now, she had five children. Somehow, this prolific author manages to juggle it all - family, career, and marriage - while reaching a level of success to which few can aspire.
#RitaGraham #RetoRita2 Me gustó mucho más que el primero, pero claro Malichi y Shannon son unos personajes que me conquistaron en el primero. Son dos personas de fuerte carácter que chocan constantemente y se tiran pullas siempre que pueden pero en el fondo se adoran aunque ambos tarden en reconocerlo. Malichi es un gran héroe que se pasa el libro entretenido rescatando a Shannon y discutiendo con ella, debatiéndose entre besarla o estrangularla XDD Es un libro entretenido y no dejan de suceder cosas primero el secuestro de una de la otra, un rescate, otro, luego vuelta a empezar y juicio... He echado de menos una historia del hermano de Kristin y Shannon, Matthew.
"Why? 'Cause somewhere, Captain Slater, the healing has to start. Somewhere, it has to quit being North and South, and somewhere, we have to stand against the men going against the very rules of God!"
We are in the aftermath of the war. Malachi is riding back to the McCahy ranch to regroup with his brothers when he learns that Hayden Fitz has “wanted for murder” posters on them all over the Kansas.
"He had fought in the regular cavalry. Fought hard, and fought brilliantly. They had often hung on against impossible odds. They had a right to be proud, even in defeat."
Malachi is absolutely yummylicious but half the time Shannon was really irritating. I love a feisty heroine with a temper but most of the time Shannon was just plain too stupid to live. I mean the girl not only wouldn’t shut up to save her life but she also put other people in danger! I almost removed a star because of her. What redeemed her was that the hate/love relationship between her and Malachi was really well written.
"She didn't know quite what it was that lurked between them, she only knew that it was heated and total and combustible. Every time they met, sparks flew and fury exploded."
"Never mind. Forget it. Sometimes I forget consequences and…" He took a long sip of coffee, watching her over the rim of his cup. "Have you forgotten them this time?" "What?" she murmured. It was her turn to be confused. [...] "Consequences. Procreation. Infants. Sweet little people growing inside a woman's body…"
Also, this book has a lot of action from beginning to end.
3.5 stars for this book. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but it’s not great either. The characters are one dimensional and you feel like you’ve seen it all before. It’s sort of lacking substance but if you’re looking for a lighter kind of happy-happy story then it could be a good book. It’s was one of those “meh” stories for me.
The hero is the strong Confederate soldier looking to get away from the aftermath of the war now that it’s over and the Unionist heroine has always disliked him but underneath all that “hate” ol’ love comes in and conquers all in the end. Maybe if there was better written witty dialog/verbal sparring the story could have been 4 stars. There’s a bit too much narration and overuse of exclamations that make it seem silly instead of heartfelt at times. It is a late 80s romance so that could account for the difference in writing style. Lacks verve.
It’s basically a light read with a borderline gooey ending –gotta be in the right mood to “appreciate” one of those.
Shannon Blond, blue - eyed, beautiful, a spitfire, quick with her colt (gun), 18 years old.
I'd always wanted to get my hands on Malachi and Shannon's story after reading Cole and Kristin's story. And boy, was I ever glad I did. It was so satisfying. I've always loved Malachi and Shannon's interaction from the get go. There was instant fire. They loathed each other from the very beginning. They bickered and argued and couldn't help shooting bickers here and there. It's no wonder their attraction was so deep rooted it almost hit them hard.
This installment was slightly less better than the first one. Only just. Less angst in this one ... that's why. Also, I did not appreciate Malachi running off and spending his wedding night with the saloon girl, Iris. Even though he did not sleep with her. That was truly harsh. And the following night, too! He slept in Iris' room - leaving Shannon thinking all the wildest things in the world (even though Iris was not in her room). That was harsh. But since this was supposed to be a historical romance, I let it go.
This was OK, but I liked Dark Stranger better, and Apache Summer looks much better in comparison. I was constantly torn between wondering whether Shannon was brave but impulsive, or just (too stupid to live. She put herself in danger several times, she put her sister in danger, she put Malachi in danger, she put Iris in danger - need I go on?! If she had learned from her behavior, I'd go with brave but impulsive, but she obviously didn't, so I have to lean toward TSTL.
Other than that, this series was a chilling look at the Kansas/Missouri conflict during Civil War times, the guerilla warfare that existed between jayhawkers & bushwhackers, and the lawlessness that came with it.
an excellent story, great writing, great romance. I really enjoyed the book. Although I found out after the fact that this is a sequel to another book . I'm definately going to read the previous book. This one was much better than some of the others by the same author.
Los pocos libros que he leído que transcurren en esta época me han gustado y este no es la excepción... estuvo muy bueno la trama y como se conectan los personajes.
Malachi Slater and his 2 brothers (Cole and Jamie) fought for the Confederacy. Cole married into a family of Union sympathizers, including his wife Kristin, sister-in-law Shannon and brother-in-law Mathew McCarthy (in the Union army).
The Civil War is over but it is hard to tell with the continued fighting!
This is Cole's second marriage - his first wife was killed by a bushwacker while Cole was left for dead. Eventually, Cole found the man and killed him in a fair fight. However, the killer had a powerful and rich father - who circulated wanted posters. He has placed hefty prices on all 3 of the Slater brothers heads.
Now, the murder's father has had Kristen kidnapped, to get Cole to rescue her. Malachi teams with his nemesis, Shannon, to get Kristen. Unfortunately, Shannon is worse than no help; she's hot-tempered and speaks her mind. Before long, Malachi has to rescue Shannon too.
This book has plenty of action! The only complaint I had was with Shannon - I couldn't imagine why Malachi would want such a loose cannon!
In 2001, this story was published as part of an anthology: DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY.
Gosto bastante dos romances de época que tratam da época da Guerra Civil dos Estados Unidos, e esse livro começou até de uma forma promissora, o plot dos enemies to lovers não é um dos meus favoritos, mas nesse contexto, sendo bem trabalhado ele consegue me conquistar, mas em algum lugar no meio do caminho esse livro foi perdendo a minha atenção.
A passagem de tempo da história é muito curta, e mesmo o casal se conhecendo anteriormente, a impressão que eu tive é que o romance se baseou mais em impulsividade e tensão sexual, e que eles nunca lidaram com alguns fantasmas e nem lidaram com alguns problemas mais profundos.
A leitura é rápida e consegue distrair, mas como já li outros livros com esse mesmo contexto, a história não foi memorável para mim.
This could have been a 4 if the heroine, Shannon, wasn't so incredibly annoying. I loved our hero, Malachi. How he could stand Shannon, I don't know. There's a difference between being feisty and brave, and being fool-hardy, undisciplined and reckless with the lives of others. And that's what Shannon was. I really didn't like her at all.
Thoroughly enjoyed this story. The two main characters were forever arguing with each other and she was forever disobeying him causing all sorts of problems. Lots of action, twists and turns. They are all accused of being outlaws and murderers, including his brothers and her sister, justice eventually prevails.
Me diz como Malachi consegue agüentar as imprudências de Shannon. Que mulherzinha mais cabeça dura. É obvio que ela é maravilhosa, fiel, apaixonada e verdadeira. Mas totalmente irracional, impulsiva e selvagem.
Se deve dar um desconto porque o período que a estória acontece é muito conturbado, fim da guerra civil americana. Então, Shannon que era uma daquelas damas rurais, que perderam tudo, teve que amadurecer para não ser devorada pela guerra, mas ela é impulsiva, nãos pensa nas conseqüências de seus atos. É selvagem age por instinto.
Malachi por sua vez é um homem vivido, que passou por todo o inferno que é uma guerra. E está cansado e apenas quer voltar pra casa e esquecer tudo. Mas, acontecimentos terríveis e inesperados farão Malachi e Shannon viver uma aventura para salvar as pessoas que os dois mais amam de suas famílias. Não posso esquecer de mencionar que Shannon atrapalha muitas vezes a tentativa de resgate.
Durante a jornada Malachi e Shannon terão que curar suas feridas e assim viver um amor verdadeiro. Será que ele vai conseguir convencer Shannon que ela pode amar outra vez ou Shannon vai conseguir não se meter em mais confusões? Para descobrir o resultado de toda essa loucura só lendo "Luta Apaixonada"
Obs.: alguém sabe como se fala o nome "Malachi"??? Pq tenho certeza que to lendo errado...
Good Love Story from the Missouri-Kansas Border Just After the Civil War
This is the second in Graham’s trilogy set about the three Slater brothers who fought for the South. The first two stories are set on the Missouri-Kansas border during the Civil War and just after: DARK STRANGER (Cole), RIDES A HERO (Malachi). The third, APACHE SUMMER (Jamie) is set in 1870 in Texas.
In this second book, it’s 1865 and the war is over, but jayhawkers and bushwhackers still tear apart the Missouri-Kansas border. And one gang of bushwhackers is out for revenge on Cole Slater. Meanwhile, his brother, Malachi Slater and Shannon McCahy, who we met in book one, are still having their own private war, that is until the day they discover all that scraping hides an attraction neither can deny—sexy Southern gentleman meets beautiful feisty Yankee sympathizer, oh yes!
Just like book one, this novel held my interest and gave me a feeling for the tensions of the North and South, in this case even after the war was officially over. Though Lincoln wanted a healing peace for the nation, it was not to be. Graham writes well and tells a good story. It’s a great follow on to book one and I recommend it!
This is Book #2 in the "Summer Fires" trilogy. In my opinion, this is the best of the trilogy. Shannon MaCahy has always hated Malachi Slater. Her sister, Kirstin, is married to his brother, Cole. He's always treated her with contempt, calling her a brat, teasing her, frustrating her to no end. While Cole is busy with ending the war, Malachi rides in just in time to find that Kristin has been kidnapped by an old Slater enemy. He determined to find his sister-in-law and bring her back to her husband and baby boy. Shannon insists on going with him, but he ties her up so she won't follow. Shannon of course, gets free and follows him, starting a whole new heep of trouble for herself and Malachi, ends up being kidnapped herself. Malachi irritated with her childish behavior, thinks she deserves what she gets for not listening to him, but nevertheless, he abandons his search for Kristin to find Shannon. Again, this is the best of the trilogy.
Malachi Slater is a hero for the ages..... Shannon truly began as a brat. But, she's a brat with a heart. Having read the book prior to Rides a hero I did not expect Malachai and Shannon to have such a passionate story. Boy, this is the best of the trilogy.
From start to finish it's just unbelievably well written. The thin line between love and hate was very well dealt with in this book. Neither our hero or heroine ever really stood a chance! They were bound to fall head over heals despite the obstacles.... :)
I love to read Heather Graham when I'm burned out on the heavy stuff and want a relaxing reading experience. I also love Civil War stories, so this romance set just after the war in Bleedin' Kansas is just the ticket. Historical elements of the story are compelling, but it IS mainly formulaic romance.
No se compara con otros libros que tiene la autora (especialmente los que tiene escritos sobre la guerra civil en EEUU) pero es bastante bueno, creo que ya lo había leído hace 1 año pero se me habrá pasado anotarlo acá. Hubiera estado bueno que en vez de incluir a Matthew (el hermano de ella) e Iris (la protistuta amiga de ellos) como pareja en el epílogo hubiesen tenido su propio libro.
There was a pesky detail that got me crazy and just ruined the whole book for me. However, I did like the fireworks between Malachi and Shannon. The passion between them sure is HOT.