Midnight Silk

Ah well, another gal wanting her own way. Such are females. Maria Taylor [Mar-I-ah]is suffering from hormones and wanting the man of her choice, namely Bowie Beckett. Of course, the society minded people of her era maintains that the son of an overseer is not fit mate material for the plantation owner's daughter. Bowie does not want to follow in his father's footsteps and become an overseer. He operates independantly. He has formed "Beckett's Brigade" to save the cotton crop for Maria's father and the south. Thereby serving his alliagence to the South. Smart mouthed Maria seems to know that the life as they know it is going to change. She is willing to work in the fields along with their workers. She is also determined to have Bowie as her husband. She is also being stalked by the snake-in-the-grass, Lance Webster who intends to ruin her and marry her for his own gains. [He do like to slap females around] Yup! she rode into the ambush of Beckett's Brigade just a-shootin' but you got to remember she let out a screeching rebel yell. Bet that curled some toes. I forgot to count how many times she almost caused Bowie to surrender to her wiles. She sure is determined. Loved her buddying up with Cookee and learning to trail cook and she did seem to earn the Brigades respect. Great story - great characters [don't forget her aunt] and the time spent at the King Ranch - great pace - not boring. Great scene of the killings, I could feel the men's surprise as they died. Definitely Recommended -m - definitely a keeper!

As a Civil War reenactor, I'm always overjoyed to find CW fiction, and this romance doesn't disappoint. Set in a theater of the war often overlooked - Texas - the author simultaneously presents a thrilling western theme, the heartbreaking choices those who fought in the war had to make, and a sexy romance! She clearly knows both the period and the setting, which is a refreshing change from so much of the bad CW fiction currently on the market. Maria is a spunky heroine who'll go to any lengths to get her man, and Bowie, the noble and daring hero, will endear himself to the reader. I look forward to more of this writer's work!

Reading MIDNIGHT SILK was a true pleasure for me, as I have so little time to read and often look for books out of the ordinary. Bowie's and Maria's journey across Texas, fraught with perils, hidden dangers, became real to me as I rode in the cotton wagons with them every step of the way. I loved how Ms. Grant wove history with fiction in relaying details of the Kenedy Ranch in Texas. Ms. Grant's book makes me clamor for more westerns of a different style, those that are smooth-paced with real history, and immerse one into the Americana culture of yesteryear. Reading books like hers makes me realize how little American history I absorbed in high school, and how much I have picked up simply reading romance. I highly recommend this book for lovers of all historical romances. You could learn something along the way!

Growing up on a Texas plantation, the son of the overseer Bowie Beckett loved the owner's daughter Maria Taylor. However, though she followed him around the spread, he knew she was out of reach.During the Civil War Bowie runs the northern blockade that enables him to bring cotton to the market and in turn finance the Confederacy. His father feels Bowie is a coward for not joining the military and makes it clear publicly how he feels about his son.By 1863, Maria is no longer a pampered belle of the south as she keeps the books and even works in the fields. When he learns of the plot that Lance Webster has for Maria to further his own well being, Bowie intercedes. However, the rescue has just begun as the Union Army, Confederate bandits, and their families seek the fleeing duo, who allow their love for one another to surface.MIDNIGHT SILK is a solid Civil War romance that brings to life the diverse opinions that further divided the Confederate side of the conflict. Bowie's dad Sam cannot see how courageous his son is by supporting the effort in as dangerous an occupation as soldiering. The story line is fast-paced and action packed, but it is the star-crossed lead protagonists that turn on the romance inside a vivid historical tale.Harriet Klausner