Into the Wilderness: The Long Hunters (Bittner, Rosanne, Westward America!,)

Rating:
Summary: A very poor, uninteresting historical fiction.
Review: "Into the Wilderness: The Long Hunters" could have been an interesting historical fiction, as it takes place during The French & Indian War, a war that isn't written about often, but it seemed to focus more on how men reacted to war, than history. At times, I was confused with the English side and French side, but a historical note would have cleared things up, but there was none. The romance wasn't all that great, and at times interfered with the story. The relationship between Noah and Jessica happened quickly and didn't have that "courtship" romance. It seemed Noah "loved" Jessica because there was a resemblance to his late wife and Jessica "loved" Noah because she was a young, naive girl who needed to be taken care of, and was flattered that an "experienced" man had taken an interest in her. Both stories, The French & Indian War and the romance, didn't mix well and because of it, I really had no interest in finishing the story. There also should have been an epilogue explaining how the war ended and how Noah and Jessica's life turned out together. I do not recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Not so Great Narration
Review: I found this book in the book store, and , being a huge fan of historical fiction, I snatched it right up. This book is very well researched, and the character development is really good. The problem is that the authors narration just wasn't up to par with such a big story. The diolog was all right, but overall, the whole story felt rushed, and a little stilted. The thing is that the actual premise of this book is very good, so good that I will most likely read the other two books in this series just to see what happens. So, if you want a read with a great background, than this is for you, just know that sometimes the storytelling isn't that great.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I purchased this book with anticipation, ready to sacrifice sleep to devour it in one reading as I have with many other books by this author. I was sorely disappointed. The effort was great, the historical detail thoroughly researched as far as I could tell. What bothered me most is the lack of character in both Noah and Jess. Normally Bittner will bring you so in touch with her characters, it feels as though you are breathing for them at times. Neither Noah or Jess did that for me. I feel their "love" was rushed and even the fact that they spent a good part of the story apart from one another wouldn't have been so bad IF they had developed a true relationship at the beginning. And speaking of rushed, I feel the story itself was entirely too short. I understand that there are two other books following this one but another hundred pages or so could have filled the lacking characterization of hero and heroine.

I am giving a rating of 3 stars as I feel the book isn't completely horrible just lacking the usual depth of emotion and character that Bittner normally delivers.