Once a reader takes up this book, it is hard to set it aside. Theres adventure, kidnappings, lots of travel and a wide assortment of characters. It will be hard to synthesize this plot in a few sentences.
Madeline Christophe was dumped at a childrens home while she was still very young. She thought her mother did not want her and no one ever came to see her. Figuring she would have to fend for herself, Maddie learned to be a pickpocket and an all-round thief.
Now, Maddie is trying to get onboard a ship to go from Antwerp to Texas with a baby she has stolen. Because the leaders will not allow a single woman to travel alone, she enters into a marriage of convenience with a Texan, Brazos Sinclair. Maddie plans to join a utopian society near Dallas, after she gets an annulment from Brazos. Thats fine with Brazos; he never wanted to marry anyway.
Maddie soon learns that her new husband has horrible nightmares; they come to the surface because of Sinclairs fear of dark, enclosed areas. On board ship, there are plenty of dark, enclosed places and Sinclairs demons come to the fore. Fortunately, Maddie is able to help him escape his terrors for a time.
There are lots of things going on in this book yet the author brings things full-circle to a rousing conclusion.
Madeline Christophe was dumped at a childrens home while she was still very young. She thought her mother did not want her and no one ever came to see her. Figuring she would have to fend for herself, Maddie learned to be a pickpocket and an all-round thief.
Now, Maddie is trying to get onboard a ship to go from Antwerp to Texas with a baby she has stolen. Because the leaders will not allow a single woman to travel alone, she enters into a marriage of convenience with a Texan, Brazos Sinclair. Maddie plans to join a utopian society near Dallas, after she gets an annulment from Brazos. Thats fine with Brazos; he never wanted to marry anyway.
Maddie soon learns that her new husband has horrible nightmares; they come to the surface because of Sinclairs fear of dark, enclosed areas. On board ship, there are plenty of dark, enclosed places and Sinclairs demons come to the fore. Fortunately, Maddie is able to help him escape his terrors for a time.
There are lots of things going on in this book yet the author brings things full-circle to a rousing conclusion.
Desperate to get herself and Baby Rose out of France before the baby's father can track them down, Madeline Cristophe agrees to a marriage of convenience to Brazos Sinclair in order to secure passage on a ship to Texas. Brazos just wants to get to Texas where he plans to have the marriage annulled. He knows he isn't husband material, especially when the nightmares of two years trapped in a Mexican prison comes back to haunt him.
I've read a couple books by this author which were fun reads, but this one just didn't do much for me. The books just seemed to drag for me. I was bored from the beginning. Way too many descriptions and too many scenes from the villain's point-of-view. I believe this is one of the first of Dawson's published books. Thankfully her writing has improved in recent years. My rating: 2 Stars.
I've read a couple books by this author which were fun reads, but this one just didn't do much for me. The books just seemed to drag for me. I was bored from the beginning. Way too many descriptions and too many scenes from the villain's point-of-view. I believe this is one of the first of Dawson's published books. Thankfully her writing has improved in recent years. My rating: 2 Stars.
