After the Civil War, stalwart warriors struggle to keep the Marine Corps alive. Their one hope may lie in Zachary O'Hara, the son of their hero, Paddy. But Zachary is haunted by a secret - one that may force him to choose between a career in the Corps or a life with a woman who fulfils his desires. You can't tell a book by its cover. The synopsis sounded good and the book started out in grand epic style by introducing a host of characters. The interest stopped there. The characters were undeveloped and the lapses in time were confusing. Dialogue was stilted and love scenes were sappy. There did not seem to be much craft used in developing the plot. It appeared that the author had done his historical research and then needed to share that learning through the dialogue of his characters. Writing in hindsight the author had material the characters would never have known. Nevertheless, the information was inelegantly expressed through the words of the speakers who sounded too prophetic and preachy to be real. I did learn something of the origins of the Marines but the price of the knowledge was too high. Don't bother.
