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I was surprised by just how immersed in this book I became. Maybe it's because I headed into it with a bit of trepidation because after the last historical, Christian novel I read I was very disappointed. Fire by Night was a completely different creature.

The thing I appreciated most was that at no point did I ever feel like I was being preached at. The presence of God throughout the novel was there and touched upon frequently, but it wasn't forced upon the reader as something they should have to relate to, rather it was part of who the characters were and in that way the reader could either take it to heart or just let it stay in the character's lives. For me, the sharing of God should not be forced on anyone, it should be there for people to take as they will. When they do it that way, I think the message is felt so much stronger, and much less resented.

Of course the story became cliche at times, it's a fun, historical romance novel, it's to be expected, but for me it never hit cheesey. I found Austin's handling of the two main characters beautifully done, they both evolved wonderfully and neither of them made huge, saint-like changes. They stayed raw and real and fully developed throughout the whole novel.

Austin also didn't hold back in telling it like it is. She of course stayed away from any kind of shock factor, but did acknowledge the fact that this was a real war, a real, violent and unbelievably deadly war that affected everyone in the United States. People on the front lines saw awful things and Austin shares that with the reader. Also it was clear she tried her best to stay historically accurate, I don't know how accurate seeing as I'm not an expert of the Civil War, but accurate enough to not take the reader out of the book by going, "I highly doubt that could ever have happened."

Fire by Night is a good read. I don't want the idea that it is classified as Christian Lit to deter anyone because like I said the Christian message that's in the book was never EVER preached to the reader. If you like a good and fun historical romance you've got to give Fire by Night a try. You may find yourself just as unable to put the book down as I was.