The Commander

Ten years after he left in disgrace, Ryan Reid returns to Calgary to face his demons and mend fences. This is a lot harder than he even imagined since everyone has long memories and is prepared to think the worst of him. Julia O'Shea is a struggling widow trying to support her son as she runs the town's biggest newspaper, the Calgary Town Crier. Julia had grown up with her family in debtor's prison--locked in every night by Joseph Reid, Ryan's father. All of the Reids looked down on Julia and her family. She thought Ryan was the exception, but he walked out on her without a word after a night of sex in her family's bar. Now, after five years of widowhood and in desperate straits, Julia advertises for a gentleman husband. Her search is complicated by Ryan's return and the feelings she can't help but still feel for him. Ryan is snubbed by Julia, many of the townspeople, and even his own family, but they must all work with him as he is both a surgeon and a Commander in the Mounties and he has been charged with protecting Calgary from a devastating wildfire that is rapidly bearing down on the town. As the fire rages closer, Ryan proves his mettle, misunderstandings are cleared up, wounds are healed, and some surprising truths revealed. This book is packed with all the right things--good plot and pacing, interesting and likeable primary characters, equally interesting and well-developed secondary characters, drama and humor, and hot love scenes. One of the most interesting elements is the setting. Ms. Bridges did an excellent job of bringing the Canadian West to life. If I have one complaint about The Commander it's that I wish there were more of it. The secondary characters are so interesting that I would have liked to spend more time with them. I would also have liked to know more about the 10 years Ryan was gone, especially his friendship with Adam Willeby. Unfortunately, the Harlequin Historical format seems to limit authors to a little under 300 pages. In that respect, it is perhaps even more impressive that Ms. Bridges was able to produce such a rich story within those constraints. All in all, this was a great read. (As Ms. Klausner notes in her review, Ms. Bridges presented the stories of the other two Reid brothers in earlier books. Don't miss them--or her other stories about the Canadian West, Mounties, and the American West.)

In 1895 in Calgary, Alberta an out of control wildfire on the nearby prairie threatens the city with every able person ready to help stop the calamity. Especially prepared is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. At the same time the fire approaches Calgary, Donovan "Ryan" Reid has returned home after being away for a decade to join the British military. He left behind barmaid Julia Adare, who loved him but after he left married Brandon O'Shea; five years ago he died leaving her a widow with a son Pete and a newspaper the Calgary Town Crier to run. Julia detests herself because she still desires the one man who thought she wasn't good enough for him. Ryan knew the moment he left ten years ago he made a mistake as he loved and still does Julia. Now it is too late when he sees how much the woman he humiliated hates him. What she does not know is he left because he believed he was unworthy of her, but if he could turn back the hands of time he would have told her that he loved her but she deserved better than a lousy loser like him. Still he will do what he can to help his beloved, his family and his hometown fight the fire. THE COMMANDER, the final Reid Trilogy tale (see THE BACHELOR and THE PROPOSITION), is a thrilling late nineteenth century Canadian historical with a strong romantic underpinning. The fire that threatens Calgary is the prime character perhaps because of the prevalent wildfires today. The story line provides a deep look at 1890s Calgary during a crisis yet also a strong second chance at love subplot combined with the encroaching inferno make for a strong finish to an insightful miniseries. Harriet Klausner