WYOMING WILDCAT by Elizabeth Lane features a fun twist on enemies-to-lovers, amnesia, and western captive themes. I enjoy all these themes in historical romance, but the captive theme often gets a bad rap because it’s usually the Native Americans who look like the bad guys. This is not the case with this book, which made it refreshing for a reader who loves Native American stories that are engaging.
Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? I remembered reading and reviewing one of Elizabeth Lane’s books for Romance Junkies in my early days as a reviewer. I think that remembered review was lost in a site crash, and then of course, in one of my own computer crashes because I can’t find it. But, I have always wanted to read more by her.
I think that remembered review was for book one in The Tolliver Family of Wyoming series, Wyoming Widow. It’s still on my print shelves, but I cannot remember the story. I’m glad I kept it as I’ll read it again, because I liked the characters from that first book who made an appearance in this one. Probably read in 2003, it was prior to keeping track of my books on GoodReads, and added this book shortly afterward.
Even though I forget books a lot faster now than I used to, it is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I can enjoy them again, and a curse because I have one heck of a time writing reviews if I don’t write them the day I finish the book! The joys of aging!
That’s why I chose this book to read for the challenge. I was considering culling my print TBR shelves and WYOMING WIDOW reminded me why I kept it. Then my Nook died, and while I was looking through those books on the Nook app, WYOMING WILDCAT popped up on my screen. Our TBR Challenge theme “Backlist” fell right in line.
REVIEW:
WYOMING WILDCAT begins with Ryan Tolliver on a hunt for Molly Ivins to collect a reward from her grandfather. Eighteen years prior, Molly was lost on the frontier and rescued by a loving Cheyenne medicine man. She is known as Moon Hawk by her Cheyenne people.
After a few mishaps, the story twists into Ryan becoming Moon Hawk’s captive. Most of the Native American westerns about missing women are usually about the woman becoming a captive of a brave warrior, so this is a great twist. Moon Hawk is completely happy with her current life and established place within her community, so she has no intentions of leaving. But as we all should know by now, never say never. The adventure for this couple begins.
I’m not an expert on Cheyenne history, but this book seemed accurate enough to be believable, as well as heart-rending. My passion for Native American history has never faded over the years. I’ve always felt they were cheated by the white man’s drive to populate this country. This book touches on that history, but it’s far more than that as a story filled with various conflicts for this couple.
For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has some of the Native American lifestyle that I love reading about. The characters were engaging, even when they ticked me off. I wasn’t always in agreement with their attitudes or actions, but that kept the book interesting.
I noticed the dialogue tagging almost immediately as something prevalent in Harlequin historicals during that time frame. It wasn’t a bad thing, just a noticeable style, since it’s not done in most recently published books I’ve read. I gobbled up Harlequin Historicals in the early 2000s, so I’ve missed them. Makes me happy I have so many of them in my print TBR.
I need to mention that there is violence against women within this novel, which can be a trigger for some. The grit contained within may be a bit much for more sensitive readers. And lastly, it’s on the more sensual side of romance. It got labeled as Erotic on Amazon, but I can’t figure out how. It’s sexually explicit, but it’s not styled like Erotic Romance as a sub-genre.
What surprised me most, is that three-quarters into the story, it changed direction and didn’t end as I predicted. I can’t go into why, as it will spoil the story for you, but I wasn’t happy about that twist, at first. It threw me off, and I wasn’t sure I’d like how it progressed. I was frustrated with both characters for their actions, but my faith in them was restored by the end.
I think that those who love old school historical pioneer stories will enjoy WYOMING WILDCAT. Seventeen years after it was published, it’s still an unusual historical western in comparison to all I’ve read. You might want to start with WYOMING WIDOW, so you can continue reading about those characters in book two. I was convinced enough to buy WYOMING WOMAN and WYOMING WILDFIRE, books three and four, to complete my set. I consider WYOMING WILDCAT a successful TBR Challenge pick for giving me the nostalgia I sought.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. A digital copy was purchased by me. Thanks in advance for following links and sharing this review on social media. #RomBkBlog
WYOMING WILDCAT by Elizabeth Lane
Series: The Tolliver Family of Wyoming
Category: Historical Western Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Historical (January 15, 2013)
ASIN: B00AHCFE4S
Rated 4 out of 5 Stars
