Fannie Caldwell has been an
indentured servant to an odious pig of a man for three long years.
Her younger brother and sister were
also sold into servitude to the man by their stepfather, shortly
following the death of their mother. After selling all three
of them into
servitude for two long years for the measly sum of $50, the man had
disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. Now, one year
after her indenture was to be over, Fannie still finds herself a servant
to Tom, and things aren’t getting any better.
She knows she must find a way to save herself and her younger brother
and sister before it is too late. After careful planning, Fannie
is
able to get the supplies and wagon needed to join the next wagon train,
if only she can get the wagon master to agree to let her join the train.
Blake Tanner has a couple of hard and fast rules, and one of them is to
never let a woman traveling without a man join his wagon train. He
worked hard to keep things peaceful in the wagon trains he led, and
single women just ended up causing a ruckus, no matter what. So,
when pretty Fannie Caldwell asks to join the train, he has no trouble
saying no. Fannie, vivacious and young, would bring nothing
but trouble to the train. She even wanted to bring along the town harlot
and her younger brother and sister. But, when Fannie decides to
follow along behind the train, Blake has no choice but to allow her to
join up with the other wagons.
DEFIANT HEART is a story of the enduring qualities of love and faith.
The wagon train’s journey is hard and fraught with troubles and
disasters, but both Blake and Fannie experience newfound faith and love
blooms between them despite the harshness of their environment.
Author Tracey Bateman has woven a story filled with villains and
ever-present mayhem, yet softened by the discovery of the joys of
Christianity, love and friendship. DEFIANT HEART will charm readers who
love a good Christian prairie romance. Reviewed by Janean Nusz for The Road to Romance
June 7, 2007 |
