The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

With the death of her mother, spinster Roxanna Rowan finds herself alone in Revolutionary War Virginia without prospects, suitors, or a home.  She escapes to her beloved father, a soldier on the Kentucky frontier, arriving just in time to hear of his death.  When the dashing but cold Colonel Cassius McLinn offers her a position as his scrivener, she has little choice but to take it.  Rumors circulate of McLinn's questionable family and past, but Roxanna begins to learn of his true character as a man with many regrets, but a steadfast and caring nature.  In the midst of the desolate and cruel landscape of war, Roxanna provides Cassius with light, hope, and a reason to reexamine his faith. 

Based loosely on the life of George Rogers Clark, The Colonel's Lady is a fascinating look at the Kentucky frontier, military life during the Revolutionary period, and the work lives of women.  Frantz has created a story that touches both the heart and the mind.