Comanche Sunset

From the back cover: He saved her life...she rescued his heart. Mail-order bride Jennifer Andrews headed for Texas ready for adventure. But when her stagecoach was attacked by Comanche warriors, the auburn-haired beauty wished she'd never left St. Louis. Then all at once the renegades were gone...and she was being cradled in the strong arms of fellow passenger Wade Morrow. The handsome half-breed had saved her life, and though they were all alone on the vast Texas plains, she suddenly felt safer than she had ever before. For she'd finally found the man who could ease the loneliness in her sould, and bring rapture to her heart! Though Comanche blood ran in Wade Morrow's veins, he'd been adopted by a white family as an infant, and knew nothing of his Indian heritage. Still, something in him yearned for the wild, untamed land where he was born. So he headed up to west Texas to join with his future--and ended up with Jennifer Andrews in his arms! Wade knew from bitter experience that no white woman would ever want him, and he tried to harden his heart against the sweet desire she awakened. But soon he realized there was no deying the passion they were destined to share in the magnificent glow of the Comanche sunset. And my review: I enjoyed this book. If you're looking for a fast-paced, well-researched, historical, Native American romance, then this book is for you. I love Native American romances, and this one was very well done, and with an interesting twist. In the typical style of the genre, it was a white woman with a Comanche man. But wait - he's only half Comanche. And wait - he's been raised since birth by a loving white family and therefore knows nothing about the ways of his Comanche side. The idea of a man searching for the Comanche family that he's never known was an interesting one. The author used the little-known fact that Comanche law stated that twin children were not allowed to live. They saw it as a bad omen; one spirit living in two bodies meant both were weak. Twin babies were killed as soon as they were born. If, for some reason, twins survived into adulthood, they would have to fight to the death, so that the one who lived would have the missing half of his spirit back. That was the belief. I've read Native American romance for years and didn't know this. Now just imagine what this belief will do to Wade Morrow when he is finally reunited with his long-lost brother, Wild Horse. I'm not going to give anything away, but I will say that Wade Morrow remains an honorable man throughout the book--one that you can cheer for whole-heartedly. As with the author's other books, Rosanne Bittner has done her homework. This book was obviously deeply researched, and it shows. The historical detail is richly drawn, until the reader feels like she's really there, yet it's woven in so delicately that it never overtakes the story. I had only one complaint about this book, and that was that the characters seemed to fall in love too quickly.

Now this is an author that can write a very good story without relying on heavy doses of intimacy. COMANCHE SUNSET is my first journey into the world of Rosanne Bittner and I was extremely pleased with her ability to tell a story. Amazingly, the author describes west Texas vividly just before the civil war, a time that witnessed the subsiding of the American Indian domination. Bittner's magnificent storytelling creates a glorious adventure for her reader. Hot dog! I may have just found another author's work to pursue! Jennifer Andrews left behind civilization, St. Louis, and a lecherous uncle. She headed for Texas to become a mail order bride. Wade Morrow headed for Texas to find the essence of his soul. Instead they found their destiny. Jennifer Andrews is a tough little cookie. She survived a Comanche attack, a near fatal gun wound, and bigotry. Now she survives only for Wade Morrow. I liked the way the author allowed her heroine to deal with her feelings. The reader did not have to endure lengthy struggles of denial. Wade Marrow longed to discover his heritage, to uncover the truth, to find his Comanche roots. He promised Jennifer Andrews he would come back. The author uses great technique; she forces her reader to wonder if the story will indeed close with a happy ending. I enjoyed this story; it is the American west; a time when the white man viciously invaded the land; a time when a noble and proud nation retaliated against that invasion. Grade: A MaryGrace Meloche.

I enjoyed this novel immensely. I have a well-worn copy of this book. I love F. Rosanne Bittner's stories. She writes with such clarity that you think you are there with the characters watching them as a third party. In 'Comanche Sunset' Wade Marrow is the son of a Freight Shipping Mogul, but he is also part Comanche who was abandoned by his real mother because he was a twin and Comanches think of Twins as Bad Omens. Well Lester and Vivian Marrow saved Wade from the ravages of the Texas Plains and went to California. In 1860, Wade is now 26 years old and in search of his Indian Heritage, so he hops one of his father's freight trains and goes to San Antonio where he signs on as Indian Scout for a stage coach going to Fort Stockton and meets Jennifer Andrews who is going to Ft. Stockton as a mail-order bride. Along the way the stage coach gets attacked by renegade Indians and all but Wade and Jennifer are dead in the raid. Wade and Jennifer travel alone through the Texas plains towards Ft. Stockton with Wade treating her wounds and they soon realize there was no denying the passion they were destined to share in the magnificent glow of the Comanche Sunset.The characters are simple and believable. This book as been a favorite of mine for years because Ms. Bittner uses real places and real history in her stories that set the scene for the couples in her romance novels. Ms. Bittner did a great job in creating these characters, for how the story was written they are suited for each other. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Indian romance and a F. Rosanne Bittner fan.