Isle of Books: A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan (Review)

Saturday, May 26, 2012

A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan (Review)

Moved by the desire for adventure and a yearning to help the Ute Indians, twenty-year-old Shiloh Wainright impulsively accepts a teaching position at the White River Indian Agency in northwestern Colorado. The new job, however, isn't what she imagined it would be, and Shiloh soon finds herself caught in the cross fire between the Utes, their unyielding Indian Agent, and the unrealistic demands of the US government. Her unexpected encounter with Jesse Blackwater, an embittered half-breed Ute and childhood friend, only complicates matters as they battle their growing feelings for each other amidst the spiraling tensions threatening to explode into a catastrophic Indian uprising.

Set amongst the wilds of the Colorado Rockies in 1879, this is a tale of a forbidden love and a faith tested in the cauldron of intolerance and the harsh realities of life on the untamed frontier. Bestselling author Kathleen Morgan deftly explores themes of mercy, fidelity to one's beliefs despite what others think or do, and compassion for those different from oneself as she plumbs the depths of the human heart and the healing power of God's love.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
A Love Forbidden is the second book in the Heart of the Rockies series, the first being A Heart Divided. After reading and greatly enjoying the first book, I had very high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, even though the story was still good, I was a little let down with it.

I loved the characters of Nick and Cord in A Heart Divided, but they played such a small role in this book. When they were mentioned, which was hardly ever, they didn't even seem like the same people.

There was a bit of a discrepancy between the books in regards to the age difference between Shiloh and her sister Jordan. In A Heart Divided it says that they are almost 4 years apart in age (pg 204?), yet in the beginning of A Love Forbidden, when they are both children, it says that Shiloh is 12 years old and Jordan is 14 years old. To me that makes them 2 years apart and at max you could say they are almost 3 years apart - I don't see any way they could be 4 years apart. Also, when Jordan was 14, it says that she caught the breath of every man who saw her. Now I don't know about you, but I think that 14 is a bit young for grown men to be interested in her - in fact, I think it's gross.

I thought that the strained relationship between Shiloh and Jordan was very well written and very believable. In the beginning of the book, Jordan is a person that is very hard to like and the way Shiloh feels towards her is completely understandable. However, by the end of the book, after learning more about Jordan, I started to like her.

I loved the fact that the author used a historical site as the setting of this book. I had never heard of it before, but it was very interesting to learn about it and also more about Native American life in the late 1800's.

The ending of the book was very abrupt and left many things unclear. I would say what was left unclear, but I don't want to ruin parts of the story for you - in case you decide to read it. Even if there will be a third book in this series, I don't think it justifies leaving the ending the way it did.

I still greatly enjoyed A Love Forbidden and would recommend this series.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

“Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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