Lord Of The Plains

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: A tragic tale of an Indian Chief, Gray Wolf, and his obsession with his white female slave, She-With-Hair-Of-Midnight, influences the lives of the following generations. Black Bear / Mato, the son of Indian Chief Red Hawk, is raised believing that to love and cede to a woman is a weakness that will bring bad fortune to his tribe. She-With-Hair-Of-Midnight, Elizabeth Taylor, has romanticized her time of capture by Gray Wolf and of her life with the tribe to her grandchildren, Jen and Brad Foster.

When Jen and Brad assist an unconscious Oglala woman, Doe Eyes, they incur the wrath of her tribe. Most of the white soldiers at the fort, their wives and children are slain. A few are taken for slaves. Jen is captured by Mato. At the Indian camp she discovers her brother, barely alive, lashed to a post. Although Jen knows a few Oglala words, these are of little use as she struggles daily within the constraints Mato has on her. As his father, Red Hawk, was the adopted son of Gray Wolf, Mato has been taught to understand English. He does not reveal this to Jen, instead forcing her to communicate as an Indian. Yet he can understand her anguish and fear for her brother clearly. Mato will not show her lenience in his punishments for mistakes, as it would bring shame on them both. As Jen gets to know her captor, his fairness within the tribe and his tender lovemaking, she believes that she could fall in love. Mato will never let any emotions for a woman, especially a white slave; have any bearing on his future role as a chieftain. Even if it breaks his heart to be so ruthless with Jen.

Ms. Gray is an exceptionally talented writer. Her eloquent prose has taken this reader back to the Dakota Territory in 1866 without long-winded detailed descriptions of the countryside and the Indian Camp. Although these elements are hinted at, the author gets straight to the heart of the story through her characters. I read over many sections twice to get the full impact of her beautiful style of writing, which seems to flow effortlessly.

Ms. Gray is an author well-worth keeping a watch for. After reading Lord Of The Plains this reader is hopeful that there will be a sequel featuring Brad and Doe Eyes. By far one of the best Western Historicals I have had the pleasure of reading. Lord Of The Plains and Ms. Gray definitely deserve a 5 Angel rating. Very Highly Recommended!

Naomi--reviewer for Fallen Angel Reviews
Fallenangelreviews.com

Rating:
Summary: Hard To Put Down
Review: A truly fabulous story that has all the passion, love, and suspense that
makes a romance novel great. The reader is captured much like Jen was and
finds it hard to put the book down. I found Jen grew with her time in the
Sioux and the innocence she had when she set out west was not only lost but a
woman emerged from that child and would forever be the one who has the wolf
spirit. The characters are so defined I could almost see them on the pages as
I read. The author has done a wonderful job and I have no question in my mind
this book deserves 5 hearts.

Overall rating: 5 Hearts
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

The Romance Studio
http://theromancestudio.com

Rating:
Summary: Star-crossed lovers
Review: A wonderful story that has one under it's spell until the last page. The characters of Jen and Mato are not the star crossed lovers of their ancestors but more the reincarnation of those two who loved and lost but are given a second chance. The story seems to come alive as one reads it and one can't seem to put it down. For all of us who love a good romance this is up there with those. I hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

Reviewed by Louise Riveiro - Mitchell for The Road to Romance April 7, 2004

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but seems a bit unfinished
Review: This novel attempts to present a historically accurate depiction of a white captive while simultaneously providing a romance with her captor. The writer gives an interesting portrayal of Sioux life and culture, but I found the "romance" angle to be a bit unconvincing. The harsh - usually cruel - treatment of an captive slave, while realistic, at the same time makes the love affair hard to accept. Black Bear and his people torture Jen's brother, enslave her, and essentially force her to be the concubine of the "hero." I couldn't accept that the heroine could so easily fall in love when there doesn't seem to be anything between them except sex, and the first time he forces her. Sorry, "rape seduction" may have washed in the 1970s, but astute readers can see the holes in the 21st century. Black Bear may secretly suffer from having to treat the woman he loves so cruelly, but since SHE doesn't know that - why does she love him? He doesn't tell her until the end which is far too late. This type of historical romance IS hard to write but since it's fiction some stretch could have been used to make it more believable. I didn't think Black Bear was heroic at all, just a brute. The ending is a bit unsatisfying since Jen's brother and grandmother basically just disappear. Entertaining, but I think this obviously talented writer could have done a little better.