Special Author's Cut Edition - a Matthews/Hampshire NovelOriginally published by Ballantine BooksROMANTIC TIMES WINNER for K.I.S.S. HERO OF THE YEAR!"In FIREBLOSSOM Cynthia Wright captures the essence of the West and the magic of romance! An absolutely wonderful read!" ~ Kathe Robin, ROMANTIC TIMES Daniel "Fox" Matthews, sent to Little Bighorn by the president to keep an eye on hot-headed General Custer, is haunted by guilt for a battle outcome he couldn't prevent. The raucous gold town of Deadwood, South Dakota seems like the perfect refuge, although it's located in the Black Hills, sacred land to the same Sioux Indians who decimated Custer's troops.Madeleine Avery, raised to be a lady in Philadelphia, is appalled when she arrives in Deadwood with her family. Slowly she unbends, coaxed out of her shell by a powerful attraction to Fox and a journey into the world of the Sioux Indians.FIREBLOSSOM is a compelling tale of cultures colliding and the bittersweet, tender journey of Fox and Maddie as they discover the secrets of their own hearts.REVIEWS:"By including historical figures like Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, Custer and Crazy Horse, Cynthia Wright adds depth and color to an absolutely wonderful novel!" ~ ROMANTIC TIMES"Wright weaves history and fiction together skillfully. Maddie is a proper lady who must learn to unbend. Fox is the presidential adviser who's undercover and trying to live with a decision that left him alive while Custer's men died. Like 'Dances With Wolves,' FIREBLOSSOM paints the Sioux as an idyllic people faced with the end of life as they know it. Wright creates sympathetic Indian characters and populates Deadwood with an array of real-life eccentrics. FIREBLOSSOM again shows why Wright is one of the country's most popular romance novelists." ~ THE SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADERAuthor's note: Maddie's grandmother, Susan Hampshire O'Hara, is the daughter of Lion & Meagan from TOUCH THE SUN. She also appears in NATALYA as a young woman.