There's just something about historical time-traveling books that I really love. I don't read many time travel novels so when I get them, or they virtually fall into my lap as this one did, I devour them in a manner of a salivating dog that's just been given fresh meat. Scarlet Woods was no exception.Scarlet Woods is a tale about a girl, Morgan, and a boy, Danny. Morgan is a modern girl who had just lost her parents and Danny, a southern gentleman who, through forced circumstances, has just affianced himself to Evelyn, a southern belle. Fate, in the form of a door and a horse, brings the pair together. And, together they experience each other's world while the US civil war grows closer and closer - all the while falling in love with each other.First of all, I have to say that this is not an insta-love story. This is a story of two people who met, became friends and then couldn't keep from falling in love with each other. I love stories like these. It's these type of books that just make my heart melt (hopeless romantic that I am). There were times, during the telling of their love story, when I just wanted to whack the side of Danny's head and tell him that he was being a principled idiot - but I don't think the book would have been the same if he hadn't been that way.I loved the characters - even the ones I hated. Each and every one of them had a special part to play in this book. Roy was the evil southern gentleman/boy who tried to seduced everything in sight, including raping his woman slaves. Yeah, this boy was a charmer all right. Evelyn was a simpering southern belle who wanted Danny's attention all the time, even though his heart wasn't in it and she had pretty much schemed her way into his life. Danny's father seemed like a dreamer to me. And Sam. Sam was a Person of Color, who saved Morgan from a dire situation and I really loved him for his gentleness, his spirit and his acceptance of his fate. I really hope I get to read more about him in the next book - Scarlet Woods being the first in a trilogy.Morgan was a likable, relatable character and, on the whole, developed nicely. I loved that I knew things about her that I just don't often read about in other books. I knew her interests. Her character didn't feel it had been rushed at all. She was a strong, passionate and courageous one. If she believed something was wrong, she tried to fix it - even if it meant risking her own life. Danny was principled as well as an idiot at times. He believed in doing his duty for his family, including marrying someone he didn't love. In these modern times, he would have been torn to shreds for using Evelyn the way he was, but if I focus on what I know about the past and the more-or-less political marriages that were made back then, I could be sympathetic to him. I liked watching him struggle with his ideals from what he knew to what Morgan was teaching him.The story line was fantastic. There was everything I enjoyed in it. Romance, action and suspense. The pace of the story was exactly the way I liked it and the imagery was there too. I guess the only gripes I have about this book is that I did notice several grammatical errors, and I am by no means a grammar expert. And some of the dialogue was too modern for a boy who was living in 1863. It was enough to keep jolting me out of the world I had created for myself as I was reading the book. All in all though it was a very enjoyable read.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction with time travelling and anyone who likes a good love story. Now for my rating:-Four out of Five Wands.This review can be found here:-http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
