source: personal copy
title: One Wore Blue
author: Heather Graham
published: June 1, 1991
genre: historical fiction/romance
pages: 411
rated: 4 out of 5
blurb:
HER REBEL SPIRIT DEFIED HIS YANKEE SOUL
She was velvet and silk, emerald eyes and sunstruck hair, Kiernan Miller had married one man to protect her from another. She hated Jesse Cameron with a fierce passion. But she was a widow now, and he was the enemy at her door, come with weapons of fire to melt her icy heart …
HIS TRAITOR’S TOUCH IGNITED RAGING PASSIONS
He wore a Yankee uniform with inimitable Southern style, as true to the Union cause as he was treasonous to his rebel roots. Even as war engulfed them all, he would find his greatest adversary in the beauty who’d branded him a traitor, the woman he was born to possess.
my thoughts:
I finished reading One Wore Blue which is part of Heather Graham’s Cameron series; specifically her Civil War trilogy which includes One Wore Gray and One Rode West. There are 6 books total involving the Cameron family. My daughter is so cute, she gifted me this book for Christmas last year because she knows I love Civil War history and Gone With the Wind is my favorite movie.
One Wore Blue starts off with Southern belle Kiernan Miller living in Virginia about one year before the American Civil War begins. Kiernan’s childhood friend Jesse Cameron is a doctor who has decided to join the Union army as a field medic when the war breaks out. His younger brother Daniel will fight for the South, they are both West Point grads. Kiernan and the Cameron brothers grew up together and there are sparks between Kieran and Jesse now as adults. However, Kiernan is currently being courted by Anthony. Anthony is a good match for her on paper but she has no feelings for him. She even tells him this at one point and Anthony states that he has enough love for the both of them. That made me lol! Anthony will be fighting for the South. The story mainly centers around Kiernan and Jessie and the war that separates them. Kiernan is hell bent on rooting for the Southern cause, while Jessie sympathizes with the North. The author uses this as the main conflict in their relationship.
Okay so as I read I was big time reminded of GWTW and I just know the author was inspired by that movie. Several of the scenes, some of the dialogue and situations were reminiscent of GWTW.
When reading romance I like to root for the heroine but that didn’t happen here since Kiernan was only willing to see things her way and refused to see Jessie’s point of view. She acted childish most of the time and would not let it go that Jessie was fighting with the North. Speaking of Jessie, he’s a great hero overall. I liked that he was levelheaded while still being able to sweep Kiernan off her feet both literally and figurately speaking. These two had good chemistry together.
Author Heather Graham infuses actual places and people pertaining to the Civil War into her storyline and I really enjoyed that attention to historical detail the most. John Brown, Jeb Stuart and even Robert E. Lee all make appearances in the storyline as they interact with Jessie Cameron and his brother Daniel. Historical details are seamlessly blended in throughout, so you are getting facts about the Civil War while reading. There’s mention of the different battles and skirmishes all throughout the storyline and you see Jessie working as a doctor trying to save the lives of both Northern and Southern soldiers. The story moved on along pretty quickly and the supporting characters dove in and out of the storyline well. The ending wraps it all up nicely and the next book features Jessie’s younger brother Daniel. I have the second book and will definitely be reading it.
As entertaining and well written as this one was, it’s published the early 1990’s, so I knew it would be a little dated. The book is written mainly from the Southern perspective and while the author shows good and bad on both sides, it really is partial to the South. The central characters are wealthy Confederates and slave owners including Kiernan’s family and Jessie so bear that in mind if you choose to pick this one up.
“But the southern boys, commanded by the genteel and remarkable Robert E. Lee, were holding them back. Jeb Stuart’s cavalry had actually ridden right around the enemy. The tension in the city was crackling.” – p. 367, One Wore Blue by Heather Graham
I also think the book could have ended about 100 pages or so sooner because it started to drag on towards the end. It turned into Kiernan fighting her attraction to Jessie while hating him for siding with the North and one of their arguments about this towards the latter half of the book had me laughing out loud. Oh the drama and the back and forth with these two started to get a little old. Like can she let the man live? He’s literally saving lives on the battlefields. And *sigh* Jessie calls Kiernan a bitch on page 296 but again, this book was published about 32 years ago and that was the norm in these steamy romances back then so I wasn’t too surprised. I had no idea how extensive this author’s reading list was, but it makes sense since she’s been publishing books since the 80’s.
All in all, I found One Wore Blue to be a fun, historical romance heavy on the history aspect and set during the Civil War era. The blurb says it all…“Her Rebel Spirit Defied his Yankee Soul”. I was really impressed by the attention to historical detail and the southern backdrop. I recommend this one if you enjoy Civil War history and romance.
“They must be from the 13th Massachusetts, she thought. Harpers Ferry had been quiet-dead quiet-since she had come. Neither army had occupied the area, and the snipers from both sides kept to their action in the heart of town.
But Union General Nathaniel Banks-whom even the most stalwart of Confederate sympathizers regarded as a gentleman-had moved on, leaving only a few troops at Sandy Hook, the Maryland point across the river. “-p.234, One Wore Blue
“Even in the darkness his eyes were startingly blue upon her, and his smile was as wicked as the storm he promised. He was suddenly a tempest, a whirlwind. He moved like lightning and swept her into his rhythm.”- p. 322, One Wore Blue by Heather Graham
about the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult and Christmas family fare.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages. She has written over 200 novels and has 60 million books in print. She has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is also proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was also awarded the prestigious Thriller Master in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.-quoted from Amazon.com
Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
source: ARC courtesy of 
the bookworm 