Candle in the Darkness - Lynn Austin

Summary from Good Reads: Book 1 in the Refiner’s Fire series. The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised in a culture that believes slavery is God-ordained and biblically acceptable. But upon awakening to the cruelty and injustice it encompasses, Caroline’s eyes are opened for the first time to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. Her journey of maturity and faith will draw her into the abolitionist movement, where she is confronted with the risks and sacrifices her beliefs entail.

Caroline Fletcher and her family have always had slaves.  When her mother passes away and her father sends her to live with some relatives in Philadephia for a couple of years, she learns abolition.  She became very involved with abolitionists and when she returned to Richmond, it was hard to discuss her beliefs with anyone from the South.  Then after meeting her fiance, Robert, he goes to war as a Confederate to defend the abolition.  He is at war for four long years.  Caroline has to learn to live in constant worry about Robert while battling her personal feelings.

I read this book after reading Fire By Night.  Although I read them out of order, all three books could easily be read separately.  I thought Caroline was a very strong woman.  She stood by her beliefs amongst a community that did not agree with her.  Her family's slaves were more than slaves to her, they were her family with feelings too.  When times got rough during the war, Caroline had her slaves to protect her and help her through a difficult time.  I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the War and life during those times.