Customer Reviews

Destiny's Captive

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Texas, 1875. During his childhood he survived the raid at Baldwin Fort. The entire community had been massacred. Juan Delgado, one of the raid leaders, sold him to the Comancheros. For many years he lived with the Comanche. His name was Chikoba. Chikoba married. But his wife and their unborn son were trampled to death by soldiers. Many in the area have heard of the white warrior's fierceness against the soldiers, but he never harmed civilians. During Chikoba's vision quest, the Great Spirit tells him to return to where it all began - Baldwin Fort. Thus Chikoba puts aside the way of the People and once again wears the name of Jeremiah Baldwin.

Jeremiah returns to the site of Baldwin Fort and finds nothing is left of his past. The land now belongs to Señor Don Miguel Sanchez, the wealthiest rancher in the area. No one seems to know how he became owner of the land and Sanchez refuses to say. Then Jeremiah is attacked and left for dead.

Angelina "Angel" is another survivor from the massacre. Sanchez found her and raised her as his daughter. She has no memories of her horrible ordeal and loves Sanchez dearly. As she, Bull, and Little Bird tend to Jeremiah's wounds and hide him from Juan, her memories of the massacre begin to return. Jeremiah believes Sanchez led the attack long ago. Angel is determined to prove Sanchez's innocence. Meanwhile, Angel must deal with Juan's unwanted attentions.

***** FIVE STARS! Kate Lyon has written an exciting romance filled with the rich culture of the People and the undeniable passion of two hearts in love. The main characters have multiple problems to overcome, so I was constantly wondering what would happen next. This author has proven to me that she can write breathtaking action and romance, and still have her own distinctive flair shine through. Excellent! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

About 155 pages into this book, I got too bored to continue. The female lead character seemed ditsy and completely unrealistic for a woman of the year 1875. I don't want to give too many details, as it would ruin the book for those who choose to read it, but none of the characters earned my concern. I didn't care if the couple ended up together because neither had a reasonable bone in their body. Everyone acts without concern for the consequences of their actions. Each person is sure they are right and everyone else is living in a fog, so there is no respect shown in any direction. The couple are "in love" without having any reason to even like one another... The story was so typical, that I'm pretty sure I know how it ends without needing to read it. I'm done.

If you are looking for a great Native American/ Western book, I suggest these:

Feather in the Wind (Leisure Historical Romance)

Cheyenne Song (Zebra Historical Romance)

Under a Prairie Moon (Leisure historical romance)

Midnight Fire

As someone who has followed Kate's career from the beginning, I have always been impressed by her strong storytelling skills and impeccable historical research. This is the third Native American romance by Kate Lyon. Although I've enjoyed all of them, DESTINY"S CAPTIVE is the most deeply felt and exciting of the three. The hero and heroine are sympathetic and compelling in this story of revenge, endurance and love. Even the secondary characters are memorable, deserving novels of their own. Paranormal elements blend seamlessly with the historical depiction of 1875 Texas. And for romance fans, take note that the scenes between Jeremiah and Angel are highly sensual and erotic. So whether you like romance, historical novels or just a corking good story, DESTINY'S CAPTIVE should suit you just fine.

You can always find jam-packed emotion in a Kate Lyon book, and Destiny's Captive gives that in spades. I primarily read mystery, but found the history in this romance to be spot on and interesting as entwined in the charming and engaging characters. I especially liked the hero, and while I found the heroine a bit frustrating at times, I could certainly understand her dilemma. The minor characters, Bull and Little Bird, deserve their own book in fact! The author portrays Native Americans as real people, sympathetic and warm. This was a winning read, and satisfying. Kudos to Ms. Lyon for her best book yet.

The raid at Baldwin Fort, Texas left almost everyone dead in the bloody massacre. The few young survivors were sold to the Comancheros. He adapted to the Indian way of life given the name Chikoba. He married, but soldiers murdered his pregnant wife. Insane with the senseless massacre of his loved ones, Chikoba attacks soldiers whenever he can although he has never assaulted a civilian.

In 1875 the Great Spirit sends Chikoba a vision insisting he goes back to where his journey began. He starts using his birth name of Jeremiah Baldwin for the first time in years and returns as a white man to Baldwin Fort. Wealthy rancher Senor Don Miguel Sanchez owns the land, but no one knows how he bought it or from whom. Someone attacks Jeremiah leaving him dead.

Another survivor of the Baldwin Fort massacre Angelina was raised by Sanchez as his daughter. She suffers from partial amnesia having blocked out the horror of that brutal day. She loves her father, but she hides an injured Jeremiah from his henchmen though she is not sure why. While she help nurses Jeremiah back to health, Angel begins to recall the massacre while her dad's man Juan Delgado who sold Jeremiah to the Comanchero displays openly he wants her.

This is an exhilarating western Reconstruction Era romance starring two delightful lead protagonists carrying tons of baggage from the same massacre and odious villains. Filled with plenty of action, readers anticipate the showdown between Delgado and Baldwin with a confused Angelina pulled in several directions by the men in her life. Kate Lyon writes an enjoyable Texas historical romance starring a strong cast as the good, the bad, and the ugly converge on a sweet young woman.

Harriet Klausner