To Tame a Rebel

Rating:
Summary: This is a difficult book to review!
Review: This is the most usual book I have ever read. It is frontier-civil war era time period which I love.But it centers on the role of the indian nations in that conflict. That author herself notes that "the general public is unaware that Indian territory became a bloody battleground as the union foces in Kansas and the conferate forces in Texas met in the middle to fight over it." This historical romance is actually 2 individual stories in one. The first is set in early 1861 is about a Creek warrior, Yellow Jacket. His brother and niece are killed by whites so he is biased against all whites. But the Indians are starving and ill so he must accept the help of a southern white woman who he comes to admire...and kidnap. The indians decide to cross rebel lines and get to union safety in Kansas because President Lincoln has promised his support to them. The story itself is big on history (which is fascinating throughout the book) and short on romance. Yellow Jacket is macho and Twilight Dumont is missish. I could never come to care about either of them frankly. BUT in this story Yellow Jacket's life is saved by a confederate cherokee indian friend, jim eagle. and the second story in the book is about him. Towards the end of the civil war, Lt. Jim Eagle captures a union supply boat and finds that one of the young solders is a stunning cherokee woman...and a spy.Actually April doesn't care much who wins the war (she's caught in a blue uniform but carrying a new gray one), she took the job to make enough money to go east to live as a white woman and to forget that she is half cherokee. By finding out who is selling secret information she will achieve that goal. Jim Eagle is torn between his duty, his friendships, his brothers and this courageous beauty. This story is excellent. There's less history, more romance AND the characters are likeable, believable and enjoyable. The relationships are charged and everything is so real. I can not believe how much I learned about the civil war from this book. The author ends the book with a wonderful informational narrative that reflects her earnest research and love of the subject. In truth I would only read the yellow jacket story because it sets the stage for the second part, which can stand alone if you prefer. Georgina Gentry's books seem to be about the american indian which is not a genre that truly interests me but I am very pleased with this particular work.