Defiant Love

Rating:
Summary: A Rapturous Read
Review: "Defiant Love" is a mesmerizing tale of frontier romance and adventure. Life is boring in St. Louis for Carolin Lee, a spoiled rich girl who makes everyone's life miserable when she doesn't get her own way ... until she meets the dashing Captain Travis Conners and decides he's the man she wants to marry. Conners woos her father into becoming his business partner and convinces him to take a trip west to see the goods he wants to ship east for sale in the cities. Determined to win Conners for herself, she goes against her mother's wishes and accompanies her father to Conner's fort in South Dakota. Enroute, Conner's fort commander sends a half-breed Sioux scout to meet their stage coach and escort it safely through restless Indian territory. As rude as she is towards him, he bears her outrageous behavior. When she disbobeys his orders to stay close to the others, she and her father are ambushed by Crow Indians. The Sioux scout rushes to their rescue, but her father is killed during the skirmish. When they return to the coach, they find everyone slaughtered, including the horses. Suddenly Carolin's survival depends on this half-breed she despizes. They set out afoot for the fort, and the following two weeks in the wilderness change her life. With no servants to look after her every need, she learns to fend for herself and becomes proud of the new self-reliance the half-breed is teaching her. When he takes her to his tribe to get horses, a young brave challenges him to the death to possess her. It is then that she realizes she is falling in love with him. While there, renegade soldiers raid the village and kill many of the women and children in camp. Carolin is devastated. Now the Sioux scout called Blade is convinced that the attacks against the stage coach and his people are connected, but who is doing this and why? Once friendly soldiers catch up with Carolin and Blade to take them to the fort, they have to face their growing desire for each other, but the charming Captain Conners intends to claim Carolin for himself. Caught between her fantasy about Conners and her real life experience with Blade, Carolin has to decide which world she wants to embrace -- the life of rich elegance back east with Conners or frontier life out west with Blade. Greater than the romance, however, is the mystery. Saving Carolin is pivotal to the plot, and as she learns why her father is killed, her life is in jeapordy. Janice Prestine tells a fascinating story and develops unforgettable characters and authentic dialogue. Her sensitivity to the Indians' plight adds special historical perspective. Most of all, she brings back old-fashioned romance instead of today's trend to hard-core lust. Romance readers will love this book. You can't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A Rapturous Read
Review: "Defiant Love" is a mesmerizing tale of frontier romance and adventure. Life is boring in St. Louis for Carolin Lee, a spoiled rich girl who makes everyone's life miserable when she doesn't get her own way ... until she meets the dashing Captain Travis Conners and decides he's the man she wants to marry. Conners woos her father into becoming his business partner and convinces him to take a trip west to see the goods he wants to ship east for sale in the cities. Determined to win Conners for herself, she goes against her mother's wishes and accompanies her father to Conner's fort in South Dakota. Enroute, Conner's fort commander sends a half-breed Sioux scout to meet their stage coach and escort it safely through restless Indian territory. As rude as she is towards him, he bears her outrageous behavior. When she disbobeys his orders to stay close to the others, she and her father are ambushed by Crow Indians. The Sioux scout rushes to their rescue, but her father is killed during the skirmish. When they return to the coach, they find everyone slaughtered, including the horses. Suddenly Carolin's survival depends on this half-breed she despizes. They set out afoot for the fort, and the following two weeks in the wilderness change her life. With no servants to look after her every need, she learns to fend for herself and becomes proud of the new self-reliance the half-breed is teaching her. When he takes her to his tribe to get horses, a young brave challenges him to the death to possess her. It is then that she realizes she is falling in love with him. While there, renegade soldiers raid the village and kill many of the women and children in camp. Carolin is devastated. Now the Sioux scout called Blade is convinced that the attacks against the stage coach and his people are connected, but who is doing this and why? Once friendly soldiers catch up with Carolin and Blade to take them to the fort, they have to face their growing desire for each other, but the charming Captain Conners intends to claim Carolin for himself. Caught between her fantasy about Conners and her real life experience with Blade, Carolin has to decide which world she wants to embrace -- the life of rich elegance back east with Conners or frontier life out west with Blade. Greater than the romance, however, is the mystery. Saving Carolin is pivotal to the plot, and as she learns why her father is killed, her life is in jeapordy. Janice Prestine tells a fascinating story and develops unforgettable characters and authentic dialogue. Her sensitivity to the Indians' plight adds special historical perspective. Most of all, she brings back old-fashioned romance instead of today's trend to hard-core lust. Romance readers will love this book. You can't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent debut novel
Review: Defiant Love is a very readable and entertaining Romantic Western with an imaginative plot and great pace. Despite the fact that I'm not normally a big fan of either Romances or Westerns, I found myself enjoying the story. I expect fans of these genres will thoroughly enjoy the talent of this new author, and I join them in looking forward to her next books.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent debut novel
Review: Defiant Love is a very readable and entertaining Romantic Western with an imaginative plot and great pace. Despite the fact that I'm not normally a big fan of either Romances or Westerns, I found myself enjoying the story. I expect fans of these genres will thoroughly enjoy the talent of this new author, and I join them in looking forward to her next books.

Rating:
Summary: A fast paced adventure
Review: Defiant Love is an excellent read from beginning to end. The story begins with an exceptional flow that keeps the pace of the book moving forward, until the climatic ending. Combining great characters, setting, and plot, Defiant Love caputures the reader within its grasp, never letting go. For lovers of this genre, and even for those who wouldn't normally read historical romance, this book is a must read and will not disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: A fast paced adventure
Review: Defiant Love is an excellent read from beginning to end. The story begins with an exceptional flow that keeps the pace of the book moving forward, until the climatic ending. Combining great characters, setting, and plot, Defiant Love caputures the reader within its grasp, never letting go. For lovers of this genre, and even for those who wouldn't normally read historical romance, this book is a must read and will not disappoint.