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Ashes in the Wind

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🎧Listening Length = 29 hours

A “poignant” romance (Library Journal) with nearly 30 hours of audio! In the 1860s, Southerner Alaina is accused of espionage and forced to flee to New Orleans — where she finds refuge with Union doctor Cole. From a New York Times bestselling author who is known as the creator of the modern historical romance novel.

A woman burdened by war…A doctor torn between passion and duty…A sweeping tale of love in the face of dishonor from the incomparable storyteller–Kathleen Woodiwiss.

Alaina MacGaren is forced to flee the devastation of her homeland in the guise of a young boy, only to find sanctuary in the arms of an enemy. Cole Latimer is a dashing Yankee surgeon who has served the Union faithfully, and his tender heart compels him to help a ragged, innocent “”lad”” in need–never suspecting the rags conceal a bewitching belle suspected of being a rebel spy.

But Alaina’s masquerade does not fool Cole for long. And the strength, courage, and breathtaking sensuality of this woman whom it would be treasonous to love sets duty and desire at war within him. Yet Destiny has joined them for good or ill–and they both must follow where their hearts would lead them, if they are to build a glorious new life together out of the ashes of the old.

664 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

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4983 people want to read

About the author

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

59 books1,899 followers
Kathleen Erin Hogg was born on June 3, 1939, in Alexandria, Louisiana, she was the youngest of eight siblings by Gladys (Coker) and Charles Wingrove Hogg, a disabled World War I veteran. She long relished creating original narratives, and by age 6 was telling herself stories at night to help herself fall asleep. At age 16, she met U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Ross Eugene Woodiwiss at a dance, and they married the following year. She wrote her first book in longhand while living at a military outpost in Japan.

She is credited with the invention of the modern historical romance novel: In 1972 she released The Flame and the Flower, an instant New York Times bestseller that created a literary precedent. The novel revolutionized mainstream publishing, featuring an epic historical romance with a strong heroine and impassioned sex scenes. The Flame and the Flower was rejected by agents and hardcover publishers, who deemed it as "too long" at 600 pages. Rather than follow the advice of the rejection letters and rewrite the novel, she instead submitted it to paperback publishers. The first publisher on her list, Avon, quickly purchased the novel and arranged an initial 500,000 print run. The novel sold over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication.

The success of The Flame and the Flower prompted a new style of writing romance, concentrating primarily on historical fiction tracking the monogamous relationship between a helpless heroines and the hero who rescued her, even if he had been the one to place her in danger. The romance novels which followed in her example featured longer plots, more controversial situations and characters, and more intimate and steamy sex scenes.

She was an avid horse rider who at one time lived in a large home on 55 acres (220,000 m2) in Minnesota. After her husband's death in 1996, she moved back to Louisiana. She died in a hospital on July 6, 2007 in Princeton, Minnesota, aged 68, from cancer. She was survived by two sons, Sean and Heath, their wives, and numerous grandchildren. Her third son, Dorren, predeceased her.

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5 stars
5,079 (47%)
4 stars
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3 stars
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1 star
136 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 571 reviews
Profile Image for Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*.
615 reviews
July 2, 2018
I originally read Ashes In The Wind back in 1979.
I remember the date because I had just come home from the hospital with my first born Michael, who finally tied the knot this month with his partner and has given me two beautiful granddaughters.
Since this was another special moment in time, I decided to pick this "keeper" I had given five stars to back up to see if time had changed with how I felt then..and now.
Truthfully, I cant remember any of it...is it a wonder between feeding's, diaper changes, no sleep,and one colic infant?
I do remember snatching every moment I could to get in a chapter or two, and I think escaping into Alaina and Cole's world kept me sane.
Did the passage of time and my tastes that have changed over the years lessen the magic of their romantic story?
Was I swept away and able to escape once again?
Did it live up to the five stars I had given it back then?
Darn tooting it did!
Some books remain timeless, back onto my "favourite keeper" shelf...till we read again :):)
Profile Image for Beatriz.
971 reviews858 followers
October 5, 2021
La autora crea una electrizante y emotiva historia de amor, aventuras, venganza e intrigas, utilizando impecablemente la guerra de secesión como telón de fondo, aunque, quizá lo único que se le pueda criticar es una excesiva referencia a datos de lugares, fechas y hechos de este conflicto, presentados de forma descuidada para quienes no conocen los detalles, pero que de todas maneras logra transmitir las imágenes desgarradoras de la guerra, narradas de una forma muy sobrecogedora.

Independiente de lo anterior, es una novela que se lee muy bien, con personajes muy carismáticos y con una trama que recorre más de dos años de encuentros y desencuentros de los protagonistas, motivados tanto por sus caracteres como por las circunstancias. Muy recomendable.
Profile Image for Blacky *Romance Addict*.
496 reviews6,571 followers
February 9, 2017

This one is tough for me to rate because there are some parts of this book I LOVED, and some I absolutely HATED!!

First I have to say that I really enjoy the author's writing style, it's so much different from the modern books that it's like in another universe. But that's OK cause it's still great.

What I didn't like here was the story, or how the author chose to develop it, and every major event that happened in the book.
Almost every potential good scene between the main characters was somehow RUINED, either by them or by other characters, and a lot of things happened that made me want to give up on it completely, but I stuck through it and I'm glad because the last 35% were great.


So...

1%-20% - 5 stars
20%-65% - 2 stars with sprinklings of 1 or zero at some parts
65-100% - 4 stars


If I was good at math I could calculate the exact star percentage but since my brain is teeny-tiny-non-existent, I'm gonna guess and give it a 3 XD


*buddy read with Glam <3*
Profile Image for Floripiquita.
1,473 reviews166 followers
December 22, 2022
4,5 estrellas. Tercer libro de la autora que leo, tras ‘Una rosa en invierno’ (mi favorito hasta ahora) y ‘Shana’, y no puedo dejar de recomendarla, pues sus novelas de romance histórico tienen de todo y (casi) todo bueno.

En esta ocasión, la Guerra de Secesión sirve de telón de fondo para una apasionante y apasionada historia, maravillosamente ambientada y escrita, con una pareja protagonista inolvidable y una trama repleta de idas y venidas y malentendidos (de los que no soy muy fan, he de decir). Dividido en dos partes bien diferenciadas (la primera mejor que la segunda), que hasta podrían haber dado para dos novelas, ‘Cenizas al viento’ es un novelón de los buenos.

#popsugar22 Reto 31: Un libro sobre un desastre provocado por el ser humano ( la Guerra de Secesión americana)
Profile Image for Jena .
2,313 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2023
Reread 2023 - 2 stars from 5.

Book’s too slow, and the romance doesn’t really start until 60%.
it’s a very thick book almost 700 pages, and I found myself bored most of the time.

Spoilers
Safety
Ow drama : I didn’t remember any safety details from 20yr are ago (read this as a teen and I thought this was KW best book ever🙄🙄), but after sleeping with the h (drunken mistaken identity, he doesn’t know who he slept with, he still thinks h is a boy at this stage),
⛑️he ends up marrying her more beautiful cousin the morning after thinking he had slept with the cousin instead,
and they ALL end up living in the same mansion while he’s having sex with his wife(ow). The sex with the wife/ow lasts a few months.
- He remains married to this ow for half the book, and he had a separate mistress while married to her. (So He cheats on his ow/wife with the mistress for a few months)
- MCs are separated for few months, and h is celibate, and H wasn’t (he had a mistress).

- after H marries the h (in name only), he kept the same mistress he had while married to his ex wife…and he does visit her once, but couldn’t go through with it. When the mistress asks if it’s over between them, he said “I don’t know” 🙄. So this mistress is around forever.?

- while H is married to the ow, he kisses the h twice. (I would consider this behavior cheating)
- Theres barely any love scenes here, and it’s a huge book. Once in the beginning around 20%…and not more until past 80%!

Never re-reading this again!😒

- some people are calling the first drunken sex rape, I didn’t see it as such, it was more like a tstl moment from the heroine side.

She kept feeding him alcohol when he was already drunk, had a concussion from a severe hit on his head, and was confused, he was an injured man!
When he came around, she made him think he was at a brothel, and not at her house, then told him she was one of the whores, and she told him “not yet” because he didn’t pay her yet, so he paid her with his necklace and they had sex. She had a body betraying moment during it🙄..
At any time during this, she could’ve told him the truth, like who she was, that would’ve stopped him.
instead she lied and lied, kept feeding the poor guy with more alcohol and confused him. Tstl h!
And in the morning, he couldn’t remember what had happened, he had passed out.

I’m sure, if this was a cheating moment, and the H had a gf/wife, there would’ve been people calling HER/h the rapist for taking advantage of a man who wasn’t conscious enough to make decisions. The h found him few hours before passed out from a head injury floating down the river. Someone had tried to murder him while he was getting drunk…who took advantage of whom here?
Profile Image for Vivian.
2,914 reviews480 followers
July 2, 2018
This was a reread after many, many years--and it held up to my memory.

I originally read this as a young teen and loved it. Rereading it as an adult I was wondering if it was going to be as good as I remembered, and while it wandered far afield, but at over 600 pages you have room for a story to stretch time and space, it was entertaining. I definitely understand why I liked it as a young woman. Alaina was so much of what I identified with at that age and aspired to from the metamorphosis from tomboy into beautiful young woman, the heroine--she's pulling the hero out of scrapes multiple times, not sitting back wilting and waiting, some fantastic friends, and some less than stellar family. I admired her fortitude and definitely had her smart mouth.

The Civil War is not a romantic period and this book spends more time dealing with the realities of shortages and renderings of medical care and issues (varnished), albeit far behind lines, but you get bone saw and various triage arguments. You get the wretched feelings of being torn apart by loyalties and ideas of decency and when they get sacrificed. You get the consequences of death and permanent injury and pain. All this in a bodice ripper? Yep.

"I have always been suspicious of this flaring thing that occurs on first glance," he muttered. He favored her with a quick glance and spoke with deliberate slowness. "How can I determine what love is? When a man and a woman begin to understand each other, love begins small and grows with the passage of time. It is that which a man holds within himself until it blooms to its fullest."

Being a romance, you get to eat your cake and have it too. So while all these things are happening to the characters you don't leave them in a casket, which was nice. I read grim, we see grim every day on the news so having something that takes you through hell and back again with a happy ending is kinda nice, right now.

Two beings wrapped in the pure bliss of their union, proceeding in eager, uncaring haste, giving all to the other and in return finding everything and more.

My rating remains four stars.
Profile Image for ✩ Yaz ✩.
687 reviews3,730 followers
August 19, 2020
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashes in the Wind was a pleasant surprise! It got my heart fluttering and pounding with its extremely slow-burn romance and in agitation of unforeseen circumstances

I was spellbound by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss’s fluid writing. I was wholly immersed in what I consider to be a heavy romance book without it being a daunting experience because the writing alone just flows beautifully.

The romance was a chaotic whirlwind! The blazing chemistry between Alaina and Cole, because I would not describe in any other way, engulfed me. The slow-burn was truly excruciating because trust me when I say it. was. SLOW. Yet, it was rewarding once they sheathed their claws and their hearts began to soften for one another. Though I have to say I enjoyed their banter and teasing, but half of the time I found it to be vexing because it burst my lovey-dovey bubbles whenever there was a perfect romantic moment, they managed to ruin it somehow. As for the characters themselves, I really liked Alaina but she played with my nerves a lot. As for Cole, I had mixed feelings about him, I liked him in the first quarter of the book, began to have very mixed feelings about him by the end of Part 1 but I grew to like him more in Part 2.

As for the plot, I would say it was a bumpy ride. Unlike other romances, this one has a more serious tone to it and the circumstances do not get easier for the characters although I felt like there were events that were a little too convenient for the characters. It was probably 30% to 50% through the story that I felt it’s becoming a little flat and the pacing did not help but it managed to keep me interested for the other half of the book which I believe has the best bits.

Despite the few points I wasn’t happy about, I would recommend this book but keep in mind that it’s roughly around 600 pages and it’s a heavy read in terms of the story. I promise you if you love slow-burn romances, this will satisfy your craving for a true slow-burn.
Profile Image for Regan Walker.
Author 30 books812 followers
April 6, 2016
Captivating Civil War Romance!

When Kathleen Woodiwiss did romance well, there was no one better--and such a novel is ASHES IN THE WIND. To my thinking, it's up there with her best (THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER, THE WOLF AND THE DOVE and SHANNA).

It is a compelling tale of a young Southern woman from Louisiana who loses everything in the Civil War. The Yankees take her family and her home and finally, even her identity. Disguised as a boy for her safety, 17-year old Alaina MacGaren thinks to seek refuge in her uncle's home in New Orleans. But before she can reach him she encounters a group of soldiers who harass her. She is saved from them by a young Yankee surgeon, Captain Cole Latimer from Minnesota, a man of honor and great medical talent who is respectful of Southerners.

Cole takes "Al" the boy (Alaina's new identity) under his wing and gives "him" a job at the Yankee army hospital in New Orleans Al returns the favor and saves the doctor's life one night when he is drunk, set upon by thieves and tossed into the Mississippi River. In the process of caring for Cole in her uncle's home, much happens, and a great mix-up occurs that casts a shadow on the rest of the story.

It is a magnificent love story, well told with great plot twists and accurate history of the era, woven in so that you understand what is going on in the Civil War. Her characters are richly drawn. You will feel you are living it and you will celebrate Alaina's strength and intelligence. She plays many parts and Woodiwiss does them all so well. You won't regret reading this one--it's a keeper!

Here's the backlist should you want to read more. It seems from my own experience and others that the earlier books (look at the dates) are the best.

Birmingham Family Saga Series

The Flame and the Flower, 1972 (her first and one of her best)
Short story, "The Kiss
Short story, "Beyond the Kiss"
A Season Beyond a Kiss, 2000
The Elusive Flame, 1998

Single Novels

The Wolf and the Dove, 1974
Shanna, 1977
Ashes in the Wind, 1979
A Rose in Winter, 1981
Come Love a Stranger, 1984
So Worthy My Love, 1989
Forever in Your Embrace, 1992
Petals on the River, 1997
The Reluctant Suitor, 2002
Profile Image for Myself.
282 reviews7 followers
March 21, 2018
#RitaWoodiwiss #RetoRita2

Tercer libro de la Woodiwiss terminado.
4/5 y creo que le subiría de las 4 estrellas.
Tenía una idea difusa de cuando lo leí hace años y me ha encantado, creo que casi más que Una rosa en invierno, no se, me gusta más Seton que Cole pero la primera parte de Una rosa es un poco pesada.
En este libro me gusta más la primera parte que la segunda, sin embargo. Los dos protagonistas me gustan más en la primera, Cole se vuelve un poco insufrible. Y Alaina me gusta mucho, no como la insoportable de Shanna.
Escribe tan bien esta mujer, tiene unas descripciones tan buenas. Además siempre adereza sus libros con alguna intriga que te engancha más a ellos. Este también la tiene y te sorprende.
Profile Image for Carolyn F..
3,491 reviews51 followers
January 28, 2016
What a book! As I was reading it, parts started coming back to me and I used to read a lot of Woodiwiss in the early '80s so I must have read this book. The beginning was strange. The middle was horrible, I hated Alaina so much while reading this part. Could she never say anything nice to Cole?!? The last part of the novel was better and the ending was great.

Things that drove me crazy besides the above: Cole being rescued from the river - 2 times. Alaina literally running into Jacques - 4 times! Give me a break. Could the author not come up with anything different. And the male blacks were portrayed as - well just awful! This is the 1980s not the 1880s, or even the 1930s. I kind of understand writing how you think they may have sounded, but I'm sure they could speak in sentences and were not unintelligent. I don't think the author realizes that all human beings have brains and are able to use them - some better than most but still. Okay, so you can see that was a HUGE peeve for me.

I don't think I'll read this book again. I'm only giving this book 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Cassandra Dexter Colby.
345 reviews184 followers
October 26, 2015
Tengo que meditar la review para el blog... No me ha cautivado como "Una rosa en invierno", a pesar de que sería más creíble en varios aspectos. De todas formas, K. Woodiwiss es una gran escritora de romántica y sus historias no son meras excusas para contarte escenas picantonas. Menudos zarangollos se monta además de la trama romántica...

La reseña en el blog http://alacamaconunlibro.blogspot.com...
Profile Image for Jude: The Epic Reader.
788 reviews81 followers
August 29, 2023
This needed to be 300 pages short. It started out so well, definitely my best Kathleen E. Woodiwiss book (which really isn't saying much) but then it dragged on too much so I think that honor still lies with A Rose in Winter (also too long). I did like the MMC, most of the time, and the FMC but only during the first 400 pages. Then she got annoying and the book should've ended before that point.
Profile Image for Serena Miles.
1,430 reviews65 followers
October 27, 2021
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
Me ha gustado pero no me gustan los malentendidos y este libro gira en torno a eso
Profile Image for Océano de libros.
842 reviews93 followers
May 31, 2018
Durante la guerra de secesión Alaina McGaren debe huir de su casa y dirigirse a Nueva Orleans junto a la familia que le queda, disfrazada como un muchachito para pasar inadvertida se encuentra con el enemigo, Cole Latimer, médico de la Unión que pronto descubrirá su secreto y se sentirá irremediablemente atraído por una mujer que lo rechaza constantemente.

Sin duda es normal que Kathleen Woodiwiss sea considerada una de las mejores autora de novela romántica histórica y una pena que ya no podamos disfrutar con nuevas novelas porque si queréis leer novelas de este género que mejor que hacerlo con esta autora y tengo que decir que de las pocas que tengo leídas por ahora, cada una de ellas se ha llevado un trocito de mi corazón. La autora tiene una capacidad innata y una pluma indiscutible, en este caso la espléndida ambientación de la novela se centra en buena parte en la guerra civil americana (1861-1865) donde la protagonista Alaina se ve impulsada a huir de lo que queda de su hogar en busca del resto de su familia y así tenemos a una joven fuerte, inteligente y decidida y a veces bastante orgullosa que se defiende bastante bien ante la adversidad. Y teniendo a una protagonista de este calibre su compañero no podría quedarse atrás y la autora nos trae al irrepetible Cole Latimer, un cirujano que se une al ejército y en el transcurso del tiempo conocerá a Alaina y sus múltiples caras. Cole me las ha hecho pasar canutas pero me encanta.

La novela es además de una novela romántica histórica, una novela llena de aventuras, qué capacidad de la autora para abstraernos a ese mundo y pasar junto a los personajes múltiples episodios. Tendremos romance pero esos romances que no son solo escenas sexuales, no hay necesidad, Kathleen te monta una escena “hot” entre Alaina y Cole (son pocas pero en todas es así) en la que no le hace faltan diálogos soeces y descripciones explícitas del acto sexual, no, la autora tiene esa capacidad de narrarte el momento y sacarte los colores sin ninguna palabra malsonante.

Sin duda hay romance pero también hay intriga, traiciones, venganza, emociones por doquier, personajes de esos que te dan ganas de estrangular, otros de amar por los siglos de los siglos (mi parejita de Cole y Alaina son lo mejor), vamos que a lo largo del libro pasaremos por varios estados de ánimo. Sin duda los diálogos es también de lo mejor, al final os encontraréis en medio de una película, porque es así, lo vives, que capacidad de K. W. y me asombra que es que no deje puntada sin hilo, y la novela es larga pero no se le escapa nada, todo queda bien atado como a mí me gusta.

En definitiva, este es un novelón al que le daría más de cinco estrellas, es de matrícula de honor, me ha hecho llorar, reír, salivar con ese personaje de Cole, jajaja, me lo he pasado genial leyendo esta novela.
Profile Image for Kimberly Carrington-Fox.
845 reviews196 followers
March 21, 2018
¡Madre mía, qué disfrute lector he tenido con Cenizas al viento! ¡5 estrellitas y porque no hay más!.
No es que me parezca una estupenda novela romántica, es que me parece un novelón, donde el amor es muy importante pero todo lo que rodea a los personajes, también. No sé si es porque me pones algo de la Guerra de Secesión y ya me vuelvo loca pero me he encontrado totalmente atrapada por este libro, por la (tochíííííísima) historia de Alaina y Cole y sus múltiples peripecias espléndidamente escritas por la Woodi.
¡En este libro pasa de todo! De hecho parecen varios libros en uno. Está dividido en dos partes muy diferenciadas y he croqueteado en ambas, me costaba muchísimo dejar de leer, independientemente del momento en el que me encontrara. La primera es más ligera en algunas cosas, con engaños, tensiones, la guerra, una mala pécora, peligros que acechan a Alaina por doquier, hombres que se la quieren calzar sí o sí (si no, no sería una prota de la Woodi, a todas les pasa lo mismo). La segunda parte, sin embargo, tiene muchos toques de novela gótica, una Rebeca con toques de Jane Eyre (agárreme usted que me vuelvo lóquer). Si le tengo que poner un "pero" es que la Woodi disfruta de estirar las situaciones y alargarlas innecesariamente recurriendo al tópico que más odio, el del malentendido, pero cuando disfrutas mucho con algo sueles tener la manga ancha para pasar por alto hasta lo que habitualmente te desagrada y es lo que a mí me ha ocurrido con esta novela.
A pesar de estar escrita en el año de la polca (con algunas cosas típicas de la época *ejem*) creo que se lee bastante bien ahora, gracias especialmente a que está muy bien escrita, Alaina es cero pichote y Cole es un maromazo de los de caerte de culo (a pesar de los *ejem*). No hay muchas escenas guarreriles y las que hay son breves pero teniendo en cuenta el tipo de libro que es y la época en la que está escrito yo he quedado bastante satisfecha (ay Cole, que tiene mata pelo en el pechoteeeeeeeeeeeee! #Lóquer).
Desde luego ni es un nadismo ni una lectura ligera pero si os apetece un novelón viejuno que tenga sustancia y que os cuente una historia de amor pero muchas más cosas a la vez, intentadlo con Cenizas al viento.
[Podréis encontrar un resumen de esta reseña en el post de la Woodi que publicaremos en breve pero esta novela ya la leyó y reseñó Cassie en el blog, así que no dejéis de leer su opinión!]
Profile Image for Anna.
96 reviews12 followers
February 6, 2021
¡¡¡Me ha encantado!!! Esta novela tiene de todo, todo, todo. Más enganchada que un dorama he estado. XD
Muy bien ambientado y documentado. Cole Latimer, ese yanqui barriga azul me ha ganado. El pobre, cómo sufre (cualquiera lo haría con esa Roberta). El desarrollo y evolución de Alaine me ha gustado más. Si bien es cierto que a veces roza el pichotismo, se lo perdono. Y el epílogo me ha arrancado unas lagrimillas.
Sin embargo, por pedir, me gustaría que hubiera habido más desarrollo de los sentimientos de ambos, quizás más claridez en vez de intuirlo.
¡Aún así he disfrutado muchísimo!
Profile Image for Patrick.
25 reviews4 followers
February 18, 2010
The first romance novel I ever read, and still the best. I all but gulped and breathed it in voraciously, reading while eating, getting up during the night to see what would happen next, only to end up reading all night long, and sighed with satisfaction and gratification, in the afterglow of the end. I read it all, in 3 days.
Profile Image for Jericho McKraven.
Author 1 book14 followers
July 1, 2020
*sigh*

I adored this book so much!

Due to the climate of the world, I don't think it would be well received by... well... anyone - so I'll keep my reading preferences to myself and leave this as a little reminder (to me) that yes, I would read this again. 😊
Profile Image for Glamdring.
508 reviews111 followers
December 10, 2014
*Re-read*
*Buddy read with Blacky <3<3<3*


Over the last twenty years I read this book many times, this was my first time in English and it still is one of my all time favorites.

I just LOVE Al/Alaina & Cole. Al & Cole relationship is hilarious while Alaina & Cole together are beautiful, and most of all Al/Alaina & Cole relationship development throughout the book makes sense.

The first time I reached the 30 % mark or so I was devastated but then it makes sense in the context of the story, it's not angst for the sake of it but any other choice wouldn't be believable at all. Also the angle the author chose to tell that part of the book makes up for it.

Thank you, Blacky for reading this one with me. I know that at time it was hard for you, but you kept on reading... <3<3<3

Blacky's review

Profile Image for Karla.
89 reviews
June 5, 2009
"Ashes in the Wind" is set during the Civil War in the South and is about Alaina, a young Southern woman and a doctor who is a Union soldier. Alaina's life and home have been torn apart by the war and she is forced into disguising herself as a young boy "Al" to ward off unwanted attention and to work as a spy. This is a captivating saga that pulls you into the story and you will not want to put it down. You feel the aura of the Civil War around you as you read this book. Expect to experience a full gamut of emotions when you read this, and to close it with a smile and contentment.

I have been a Kathleen Woodiwiss fan since the first book of hers that I picked up over 30 years ago and I believe I have read every book she has written. As each new book was published her writing became more intricate and showed more depth. I have enjoyed them all, but without a doubt this one was my favorite. My heart broke when she passed away a couple of years ago because I knew there would never again be another new Woodiwiss to snuggle into a chair with and read for hours. If you are not a fan of historical romances you may want to pass, but you will be missing a very good story.



Profile Image for Monica.
160 reviews6 followers
September 11, 2010
Okay so I read this book in Junoir High. Shyly and quietly because god forbide any of my friends find out that I was reading Romance!Oh the shame. Anyway it came in a box full of other books and I thought, well Ill just randomly pick one.
Then and there I fell in love with this book. It was such a fun book. It was exciting and totally new experience for me in reading. ( for fantasy is more my stlye)I recomend this book for people who really don't enjoy romances.Yes, it does follow some of the typical romance patterns but the story was completly orginal. To me any ways.
Now that Im older I have no shame in declaring this one of my favorites!
Profile Image for Keri.
2,095 reviews119 followers
March 10, 2016
It is scary sometimes doing re-reads, because sometimes story lines don't hold up to the test of time. But of course with the great dame KEW writing the story how could it now??? AITW did hold up and I loved the Civil War love story today just as much as I did when I was 14!
Profile Image for Josefita.
76 reviews7 followers
November 20, 2022
He disfrutado esta novela como hacía tiempo no lo hacía. Me ha gustado ese ambiente tipo Lo que el viento se llevó. Kathleen E. Woodiwis es la reina de las grandes historias románticas.
Profile Image for Bella Foxygobble.
99 reviews9 followers
July 12, 2020
Okay I guess I am ready to write my review for this book. Reading it was definitely a labor of love for me. I feel as though now that I've read my first Woodiwiss novel I can officially label myself a fan of the bodice-ripper genre.

That said, never in all my years of reading have I encountered a heroine I wanted to slap more than Alaina "Al" MacGaren. Admittedly, one of my biggest pet peeves in a story is the whole "girl-in-pants" deal. I can't wrap my head around the idea of a woman passing off as a man for any long period of time. I didn't buy it in the movie Just One of The Guys, and I didn't buy it in Ashes in the Wind.

The book starts off with Alaina fleeing her home dressed as Al because she is being accused of being a rebel spy. She journeys to her Uncle's home and along the way has an encounter with Cole Lattimer, the heroe of the story. He believes her guise as Al and gives her a job at the hospital he works at in New Orleans. She is able to keep up this sham for a good portion of the book. Being that as I stated earlier girls-in-pants don't do it for me, it made for a VERY long first half of the book.

In the 2nd half of the book Cole & Alaina eventually come together, but in true bodice-ripper fashion she makes every stupid cliche mistake a heroine could make. She's stubborn, runs away a lot, puts herself in danger and finally realizes almost too late how much she loves our hero Cole. Really she treated him like a piece of garbage for 75% of the book. It was like a really bad 80's horror flick, only bodice-ripper style. I kept waiting for Freddy Crueger to jump out from around the corner.

And the hero Cole... sigh. I had very little respect for this man. He was bullied into a marriage he didn't really want in the beginning, and was very much the tortured "big-baby" hero for most of the 2nd half of the book. I just can't believe he was so blind and stupid he didn't figure out that Al was a actually a girl. And I hated the way Alaina treated him. He doesn't really pony up for me until the end, where it seems too little too late.

Part I and Part II of this book really felt disconnected to me. They felt as though they were almost two completely different stories. Although I was completely bored with Part I, Part II really picked up the pace and was a much more enjoyable read. It was however, so completely over the top that it left me breathless at the end... I felt like I had just run the mile in highschool (that seems to take forever) and then just like that its done and time for a cold shower in the locker room with no cool-down time before its time for my next class.

In the end I don't think this book was a complete waste of time for me. It did leave me with some enjoyable moments. It will not however, be a book that I will be re-reading any time soon.

Rating: 2.5 stars. I'll rate it 3 stars here for the fact that the last 200 or so pages were VERY entertaining and true to the art form of bodice-ripper writing.
Warning: Rape scene

My Ratings:

5*****I loved this book, consider it an all time favorite
4**** Thoroughly enjoyed the book and will recommend it
3*** I liked it well enough,
2** Brain Candy - It was okay. Writing mediocre, will
keep/re-read if part of a series
1* didn't like/possibly not finished. (less)
Profile Image for HÜLYA.
1,133 reviews48 followers
September 15, 2012
Rüzgarla Savrulan Küller - Kathleen E.Woodıwiss

Bu roman hakkında ilk söyleyebileciğm şey kesinlikle kaçırılmaması gereken bir kitap...Yazarın en iyi kitaplarından olduğu şüphesiz..Yazdığı romanı tarihsel mekan ,karakterler,mizahı,cinselliği o kadar güzel harmanlamış ki yazar..Yapmamız gereken sanırım kitabın kapağını açıp okumaya başlamak..Alaine ile Cole'ın aşkı,tarihsel kurgu..Özellikle Alaine katlandığı zorluklar yaptığı fedakarlıkları yazar çok çarpıcı bir şekilde anlatmış..Rüzgar Gibi Geçti romanını okuyanlar veya filmini izleyenlerin bu romana Daha iyi anlayacağını veya beğeneceğini düşünüyorum..
Bu roman Amerika’daki İç Savaşı zamanında geçiyor.(1861-1865 )yıllarında Kuzey ve Güney arasındaki yaşanan, temelinde ekonomisi, köleliğe bağlı tarıma dayanan Güney Eyaletleri ile gitgide sanayileşen ve de köleliği kaldırmış olan Kuzey Eyaletleri arasında yaşanmış bir savaş ...Bir nevi Güneyin geleneği ile Kuzeyin zenginliğinin,medeniyetinin savaşı..Kuzey daha bol kaynaklara sahipken,Güneyin ise elinde pamuk tarlaları ve köleleri var..Aslında savaşı hangi tarafın kazanacağı başından bellidir!!..
Yıllar önce Televizyonda TRT1 de oynayan Kuzey ve Güney adlı bir dizi vardı başrollerini Patrick Swayze, Kristie Alley, David Carradine, Lesley-Anne Down gibi oyuncuların yer aldığı çok güzel bir diziydi. Benim gibi bu diziyi seyredenler varsa aranızda, bu kitaptaki anlatılan savaşı daha iyi anlayabilir daha iyi hissedebilirsiniz....Biz yine de kitabımıza dönersek..
Kitabımızın kadın kahramanı Alaina MacGaren;

Savaş nedeniyle hem ailesini hem de evini kaybetmiş,amcasının yanına gelmek durumunda kalmış bir güneyli genç kız.Annesi ölüyor,erkek kardeşi savaşta kayıp,kuzeyliler onun ekili arazilerini yakıp yıkıyor, kölelerini,çalışanlarını ele geçirip, onu da casus olarak suçlayınca tek umudu kalıyor o da saçlarını kesip erkek kılığında amcasının New Orleans’daki evine gitmek .
Ama işler planladığı gibi gitmiyor sarpa sarıyor ve New Orleans yolunda Kuzey ordusunda yüzbaşı olan bir askeri doktorla tanışıyor.kiminle mi?
Romanın erkek kahramanı; Cole Latimer….
Alina’yı bir grup askerin elinden kurtarır dahası ona yaşaması için iş olanağı da sağlayan,bir kuzeyli de olsa da varlıklı,işinde başarılı,insancıl ,karizmatik yakışıklı bir genç adam.

Bu ikili birbirleri ile karşılaştıktan sonra hayatları tam anlamı ile değişiyor..Önceleri Alaine'ni 13 yaşında bir erkek çocuğu olarak bilen Cole ona yardım eli uzatmaktan kaçınmazsada sonradan birbirlerinin aşkı olurlar ama Alaine'nin kuzenin olan Roberta'nın oyunları sayesinde Cole ile evlenen Roberta oluyor...Daha fazla anlatıp tadını Kesinlikle kaçırmak istemiyorum..

Romanı okurken kah güldüm,kah ağladım,yaşanan zorluklar,çekilen çileleri ,ikilinin arasında önceden filizlenen sonrada tutkularını okurken çok büyük bir keyif aldım..Yazarın okuduğum en güzel eseri bu..bence tabii ki..
Bu romanı yayınladığı için Epsilon Yayınlarına ne kadar teşekkür etsem azdır!!..Bir romanda hem tarihsel kurgu olup hem de tarihsel detayları bu kadar çarpıcı anlatılması çok nadirdir çünkü..
Tek kelime ile süper bir roman..Tüm kitap severlerin kütüphanesinde olması gerek!!!


Profile Image for Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill.
Author 2 books46 followers
July 21, 2023
This was an easy 5 stars.

This book was set in Civil War times and it was filled with mystery, intrigue, and romance, of course. It is Kathleen Woodiwiss, after all.

The book is long (679 pages on my reader), but it goes really fast. The story is good, well thought out. and interesting. I cared about all the characters and was looking for that happy ending. I got it and then some. The ending, well, I didn't see that coming. I didn't even suspect it. It was so good.

I got a little impatient with Alaina and Cole at times. I don't want to go into a lot of detail because I would like to write a review without a spoiler in it but suffice it to say, she tried to tell him something and he just wasn't getting it. It got a little frustrating. I wanted to slap him up along the side of the head and say, "Dude, listen to what she's trying to tell you!"

But it all ended well and the book was fantastic!
Profile Image for Pikolina.
878 reviews329 followers
April 9, 2016
La primera parte del libro no me ha parecido romantica, en cambio la segunda parte está mb, aunque quizás esperaba otro tipo de romanticismo... la historia me ha gustado bastante.
Profile Image for Angigames.
1,395 reviews
January 2, 2016
Uno dei migliori libri della Woodiwiss che ho letto.
Bella la trama, caratterizzati molto bene i personaggi, azzeccate le scelte dell'autrice.
La storia è complessa e gestita molto bene, mi piace il modo di scrivere della Woodiwiss ma generalmente le sue scelte sono sempre un pò troppo sopra le righe. Non questa volta, l'autrice si prende tutto il tempo per intrecciare una trama affascinante e ben riuscita.
Alaina e Cole sono due personaggi veramente ben caratterizzati, mi sono piaciuti pure i loro difetti!
Questo è un libro che, arrivati ad un certo punto si divora in poco tempo!
Finale con un magnifico colpo di scena e, tipicamente alla Woodiwiss... cioè, molto dolce!
Bella lettura!
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