Innocent Hearts

Three years ago, this was my first Radclyffe read. It opened my eyes to the phenomenal writer's talent and I've enjoyed her stuff ever since. From the back cover... "In 1860's Montana Territory, Kate Beecher, a young woman from Boston, faces the hardships and hard choices of life on the frontier. Just 10 and quietly struggling agains the social constraints of the era. Kate meets a woman who fires first her imagination, and then her dreams. Jessie Forbes, a fiercely independent rancher, finds in Kate the passion she never knew she had been missing. This is the story of their struggle to love in a land, and time, as cruel as it was beautiful." Every time I read this book, I get something new from the story. Kate's father moves his family from Boston to the west to work a small newspaper with an old friend. Instead of doing what is expected from young ladies, Kate finds herself strongly attracted to the enigmatic Josie. At first believing Josie is a man, Kate is surprised her feelings remain once the truth is unveiled. Josie is shot by outlaws and brought to the town doctor for help. Kate steps in and helps tend the rough woman as she heals. Over time their relationship develops, and once Josie returns home both women are infinitely lonely. Kate finds ways to visit Josie's ranch and the two fall deeply in love despite social norms. Scared that Kate's parents will keep them apart, the women decide to leave town together. Just before they are scheduled to leave, Kate falls ill with a deadly fever. Josie thinks Kate has changed her mind. The story certainly doesn't end there, but I refuse to ruin it for you. Needless to say, the characters are lovable, believable, and highly dimensional. The story will tug on the reader's heartstrings and stick in the mind for a while after reading. Highly recommended with a glass of cold sasparilla on a warm sunny day on the deck...

Rad's Innocent Hearts is utterly charming! The romance simply sizzles off the pages as young Bostonian Kate Beecher becomestotally enamored of Montana rancher Jessie Forbes. A magically romantic story with characters you fall in love with.A fascinating journey toward finding a place in life and the love and acceptance Kate and Jessie have craved for so long.Distinguished by wonderfully evocative descriptions of the Western landscape, Innocent Hearts is sure to strike a chord with readers who have struggled and won the freedom to embrace their own lives. The ending to this story is one that truly leaves a smile on the reader's face. This one will go on my keeper shelf

Kate Beecher, a beautiful, intelligent, accomplished young woman from Boston's Society Circle, travels west with her parents towards a life with an uncertain future. Arriving at their new home, Kate meets Jessie Forbes, a woman rancher who somewhat "scandalizes" Kate by wearing pants, and carrying a gun!Intrigued by Jessie, Kate wheedles an invitation to attend the festivities when all the ranchers arrive in town for the "annual round-up" where Jessie rescues Kate from almost being trampled in a stampede. Spending more and more time around each other, Kate and Jessie soon begin experiencing "strange feelings" when together. When the entire town is besieged by a mysterious illness, Kate and Jessie's friendship is thrown into a whirlwind! Will they survive to acknowledge these feelings? Will these feelings turn into love? Will another who has feelings for Jessie interfere? Will a possible newfound love withstand age-old prejudices?Come along as the writer takes you on a wondrous journey of the lives of these two incredible women as they face life in the "untamed" Montana territory. You will definitely find yourselves intrigued by both the beauty and dangers of the old west as you experience life as the settlers lived it! This is one journey NOT to be missed!

Set in the American West ? in the rugged Montana Territory, deep in the Rockies ? in the mid-nineteenth century, INNOCENT HEARTS is a tale of two young women who fall passionately in love. We follow the story of Kate Beecher ? an educated Bostonian who has come West with her parents ? and Jessie Forbes ? wrangler, rancher, businesswoman - as they come to recognize and explore the depth of their feelings for one another as friendship turns to passion. But when their love is tested by both natural disasters and societal expectations, will they have the strength to buck all convention and build a life together? And at what cost?This story has all the hallmarks of a classic Radclyffe tale: strong women who live and love passionately and independently; moments of soul-twisting loneliness and despair; vividly sensual, erotic lovemaking scenes. In INNOCENT HEARTS, Radclyffe adds the historical element to the mix, making this a quite unconventional coming-out story as well. And unlike many storytellers who tell stories of this sort, Radclyffe never preaches to her readers and never trivializes the very real conflicts faced by characters.Radclyffe ? the author of SAFE HARBOR, LOVE?S MELODY LOST, and ABOVE ALL, HONOR as well as the forthcoming SHIELD OF JUSTICE ? has hit the lesbian romance market with a vengeance in the past fifteen months. If you?ve never read her work and you love stories about sexy, romantic, strong women, hurry up and see what you?ve been missing: simply the best books in this class. Radclyffe?s stories will warm your heart and set your soul on fire.

I've read all of Radclyffe's books and some of her other stories on her web site. I'm beginning to believe this woman can't write a bad book. This one takes you to the frontier days of Montana. Kate Beecher has moved west with her parents from Boston to start a new life. Kate and her father share a love of new experiences and places, while Mrs. Beecher responds to the world of a typical woman of her time. Her husband makes the decisions and she'll follow along. This is exactly the world that Kate wants to get away from. She's never felt completely comfortable in the society of Boston, but Montana feels like home and she embraces the new surroundings. Then she meets Jessie Forbes. Could anyone be more different than the women Kate knew in Boston? In a country that puts women in laces and corsets, here is a woman who wears pants, herds horses and wears a pistol on her hip. Kate and Jessie are immediately drawn to each other, though neither one understands the attraction at first. One of the nice things about Radclyffe's books is that her characters don't immediately fall in love and jump into bed. Relationships develop at a normal pace and face real problems. Though the relationship between the two women is accepted a little more quickly than would have probably really happened in the 1800s, it was the West, where anything was possible. Readers will enjoy this story of two women who, against great odds, find each other and then, against even greater odds, love each other.