New York's Mohawk Valley during the French and Indian War is the setting for a familiar plot: a pampered mam'selle's true grit--and sexual ardor--are awakened by a red-blooded American. By creating confusion about the purpose of Claire Chandon's incessant journal-writing, Harper ( One Fervent Fire ) skillfully builds romantic tension between the young French actress, posing as a laundress to the British army, and Ethan Trent, an American frontiersman and staunch enemy of the French. by cre ating confusion about the purpose of Claire's incessant journal-writing. But the author miscalculates when she thrusts the lovers into a not-unwelcome marriage of necessity early on, a device that takes the vinegar out of later confrontations over Claire's divided loyalties.
