HOPE'S CAPTIVE

Author: Kate Lyon ISBN: 0843956267 1/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: 1878

Zach McCallister was a man on a mission. His son had been kidnapped by the Cheyenne, and he vowed to find the boy against all odds. All he needed was someone to get him into the Cheyenne camp before the Indians broke their reservation treaty and bolted for Montana, taking Luke with them. And Caroline Whitley seemed to be the answer to his prayers. Rumored to be the wife of the Cheyenne chief, she needed Zach to help deliver medicine to her husband and his people. But after long nights on the trail, Zach found himself hopelessly mesmerized by the inner strength of the determined beauty. Caroline trusted only one man in her life: Little Wolf, the brave Cheyenne chief who had saved her from an abusive Kiowa captor. One man, that is, until she met Zach. His very presence calmed her fears, and his gray eyes reassured her that he was a man of his word. But he thought she was a married woman, beyond his reach; and until Caroline found the courage to open her heart and tell him the truth, she would remain...Hope's Captive.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I was extremely happy with HOPE'S CAPTIVE. It is a solid book with an excellent storyline and great characters.

When Caroline Whitley walks into a saloon full of drunk men trying to hire a man to escort her to the Cheyenne, she never thinks that the man she will find will turn out to be the love of her life. She can't even imagine a man touching her after her brutal treatment at the hands of a cruel Kiowa warrior, let alone falling in love with a man and sharing his bed! This is a woman who has suffered horribly, and yet she manages to find her way, to persevere regardless of every obstacle. She is a strong woman who is completely deserving of a man like Zach.

From the moment he sees Caroline, Zach figures that he's her man. He desperately needs to get into the Cheyenne camp to try and find his son and discover who murdered his wife. This is the perfect opportunity.

Zach is a wonderful character. He is just the right amount of Alpha male but is also extremely sensitive to the needs of Caroline, never taking too much and always looking out for her, even if she thinks she doesn't need it. He is an army man and lives daily with the guilt that he couldn't stop his wife's death or his son's kidnapping, but maybe, just maybe, Caroline will make him doubt who he is and what he wants.

Adding beautifully to this story are the secondary characters. There are some wonderful Cheyenne whom I found myself loving and an adorable set of little boys that truly add to the story—in fact, they make the story along with Caroline and Zach.

Kate Lyon proves that she is worthy of standing up with the greats like Cassie Edwards and Johanna Lindsey with HOPE'S CAPTIVE. She is a wonderful author who knows how to tell a story and makes every minute worthwhile.

Kristal Gorman