Defiant Hearts — Janelle Taylor

As the Civil War divides a nation, a man and a woman -- enemies and lovers who can neither trust nor resist each other -- seek their destiny in the shadow of passion, treachery and betrayal.

As Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee lead their opposing armies into battle, the War Between the States divides a nation and its people forever. And a man and a woman -- enemies and lovers who can neither trust nor resist each other -- seek their destiny in the shadow of passion, treachery and betrayal.

The proprietress of a gentlemen's social club in Richmond, Laura Adams lives a dangerous double life as a Union spy. Code-named Vixen, she can use her feminine wiles to charm her way through a rebel blockade, deliver a ciphered message to General Grant, or dance away an evening with coded missives stashed in her curls. Her courage is ably matched by her skills: she can ride, shoot and fight. And she will not rest until she has played her part in bringing an end to the bloody conflict that has cost so much heartache and sorrow.

Yet her greatest threat will come not from the violence of war but from Lieutenant Jayce Storm, an heroic Confederate soldier whose tender caress proves his most powerful and irresistible weapon.

From the sultry decadence of a Virginia bordello to the burning deserts of the Arizona Territory, "Defiant Heart" blazes with all the pageantry and passion, sorrow and glory of history's noblest lost cause. In the haunting story of a woman torn between honor and desire and determined to fight for both, bestselling author Janelle Taylor brings to life a tumultuous era that will never be forgotten -- and a love destined to live in our hearts forever.