Anny P. (wolfnme) reviewed on 9/4/2006 + 3389 more book reviews

When Laura's father dies, the homeless young woman goes west to her aunt Lavitia's ranch,the crazy R. The estrangement between Laura's father and his family left the family spread to a bitter lavitia while the laura's father was 'disinherited". Laura finds her aunt to be bitter, cold and calculating. Laura meets the neighboring ex boyhood friend of her dad and his son, zach houston. Latitia holds the note on their spread the double H and eventually uses her power to bankrupt them. Laura and Zach fall in love and defy lavitia by meeting secretly and planning to be wed. Zach takes a job to earn some money for them to marry but Zach is soon reported dead. A grieving, pregnant Laura is forced into a loveless marriage to luis esposito, a florida plantation owner and an evil, sadistic man. 7 yrs later, a seminole uprising in fla requires the intervention of the cavalry....and zach is the lieutenant in charge. At this point the story veers off into 3 chapters of seminole indian/cavalry history and massacres and the book sinks from an average western 3 to about a 1. But I determined to finish the book, which I did and wish I hadn't bothered. Other characters and subplots muddy the mess. Luis is living with laura (and hates her child) but his mistress pilar and her son by Luis also live in the same house. Theresa, is almost raped by Luis and within 8 pages is the happy "squaw" of the outlaw seminole leader. etc..

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