By Fire And Sword

By Elaine Coffman

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On Christmas Eve, 1746, Lady Kenna Lennox is off to France to hone her fencing skills so she can return to Scotland and revenge her father’s and brothers’ murders at the hand of her uncle. She has already earned this uncle’s hatred by rescuing her sister, whom he had imprisoned. Arriving at Edinburgh’s harbor, Kenna picks out the best-looking ship, boards it, and asks to be taken to Calais. The captain is Colin Montgomery, an American privateer. Despite an immediate mutual attraction, Colin turns her down. He has a cargo to deliver and she is on a mission of revenge. However, he cannot forget the redheaded beauty. After delivering his cargo, he takes off for Paris to find her.

Coffman has written a smashing beginning, but once Kenna reaches Paris the story begins to fizzle out. It is choppy with an unpolished naiveté that is surprising for a fifth book. By Fire and Sword is disappointingly not up to the standard of her previous book, The Italian.