My love for this series continues to grow. But 1400+ pages! Don't start this book if you're not committed -- and don't have time on your hands! The story of our beloved characters continues. Claire and Jamie, Brianna and Roger, and all the various offspring grow, thrive and prosper in their homestead on Fraser's Ridge. Events of the broader world keep intruding, and Jamie and kin are once again drawn into the perils of war and intrigue. The Fiery Cross does meander at times, and could definitely have stood to be cut a bit. The first 250 pages of this massive book cover the events of one single day! However, the author does a wonderful job of evoking the thrills and dangers of the 1770s, the simple pleasures of love and family, and the risks people must take to protect home and loved ones. You've got to feel a bit sorry for Jamie and Roger especially -- how many times must they end up on the brink of death? Claire, of course, is the heart of this series, and she continues to enthrall, with her combination of romantic love and clear-headed science. If you've come this far in the Outlander series, you won't want to miss The Fiery Cross. 
 **Updated to add: Re-read finished 2/15/2014. Even better the second time around, when I wasn't quite as consumed with finding out what happens next -- so that I could think things through a bit more, enjoy the connections to previous books and foreshadowing of what's to come, stop and consider the meaning of small moments, and just in general enjoy the heck out of this amazing book! Love, love, love.