Stars of Fire — Mary Ellen Dennis

Fate brought them together....

JANE ELIZABETH McALLISTER (Jenny): Raised to honor a man's every wish, Jenny rejects her docile role in a Western frontier run by men. Disguised as a boy, determined to deliver a letter to President Buchanan before Lincoln takes office, she even rides for the Pony Express. At the start Jenny is sold into slavery, first by marrying an abusive ammunitions manufacturer to settle her uncle's debts, then by standing erect and proud atop an auction block. By journey's end, Jenny's indomitable courage leads her to the one man who tries to curb her wild spirit....and fails.

JAMES COLEMAN (Cole): Renowned as one of the greatest pre-Civil War prizefighters in the United States, Cole's mysterious bloodline brands him as a man apart. He can never find happiness until he solves the riddle of his birth. But that seems impossible since he does not know the identity of his father, his mother died in childbirth, and the midwife was murdered shortly thereafter. Cole stakes all he owns on a love he never dared dream would happen....and by doing so, finds the answer to his quest.

For these two special people, time will pass and obstacles will need to be overcome before they can be as one. With such issues as slavery and war woven throughout the saga, Stars of Fire is vast in scope, with action that builds and, ultimately, accelerates to a startling, unforeseen conclusion.