Customer Reviews

First Love, Wild Love

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was my first Madeline Baker book, and it got me hooked. The love story between Shukaha Luta and Brianna was one of the sweetest and most romantic I've read in a long time, and really has stood up to be the best after countless other romances I've read. Brianna is an innocent 17 years old girl when she meets her Indian brave, who is a grown man of 30. But, he is imprisoned, and Brianna soon risks everything to free him. They fall in love almost from first sight, but it takes a few chapters for Shunkaha to look past her young age and realize she could be all women for him! After he makes the decision, he commits to her totally. Even after separations they remain true to each other, even after he is feared dead. They always reunite happily. Even after Shunkaha realizes the Lakota can no longer live as they once did and he has to adapt, they remain devoted. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and needs to believe that love does conquer all barriers.
Cyndi

This was the first romance novel that I ever read. It was way back in 7th grade and at that age I probably shouldn't have been reading these kinds of books. But I fell in love with this writer and this story. I felt like I was there with the characters as an eye witness. It will be hard for me to give away the story since it has been a long long time since I read it last, but I do remember that it was a wonderful book. If telling you that this book helped start me out on reading Indian romance novels than that should be good enough for anyone.

I love all Madeline Baker books and one is no exception. Shukaha Luta and Brianna have a wonderful friendship from the start. Though Shukaha is 30 years old and Brianna or Ishna Wi as he calls her(which means Sun Woman) is 17 Shukaha soon realizes that she is all woman. After Brianna rescues Shukaha from a chain gang Shukaha rescues Brianna from her abusive aunt and uncle. Shukaha takes her to his people where after many trials they eventually come back to Brainna's Aunt and Uncles house to find the uncle has died and left everything to Brianna. The two have many things in store for them before they get their ever after. I definatly recomend this book to anyone who wants a romantic adventure.

Brianna is a white, blond teen who falls for the tall, muscular, virile Shunkaha Luta, a Native American in his thirties who is unwillingly part of a chain gang...treated

Brianna lives with her wicked aunt and uncle, Harriet and Henry, respectively; an aunt who has the tendency to beat her, and an uncle who doesn't really care about his niece's feelings; just as Shunkaha Luta is beaten, and starved by those overseeing the chain gang, with no caring how the Indian man feels.

Circumstances occur that allow Shunkaha to escape and return to his people, with Brianna going with him and learning his customs...and both, obviously, falling in love.

Interestingly, towards the end of the novel, Brianna grows a little stronger as a person since she is seeing more of the world outside her aunt's influence...and Shunkaha Luta, despite all that has happened to him and his people...becomes wiser and less angry...but still strong.

This is a romance that definitely has you feeling for the characters, and wondering how they of different ethnicities will eventually find their happiness with all the chaos--(in terms of race, class, and gender)--going on around them.

It took me awhile to finally read the novel, as the genre of romance is stereotyped with one-dimensional characters, explicit sex scenes, thin storylines, etc. (I actually jumped in towards the middle, and read it to the end. I loved the book so much, I'm now reading it from the beginning).

Indeed, 'First Love, Wild Love' is a little more than the average novel. I found the story engaging, and very sexy...

I look to read more from this author...

I enjoyed this book. I found the heroine to be a little bit naive and wimpy but I guess all women even in fiction can't be strong self sufficient types. I wish that a bit more actual Native American lifestyle had been shown but what was there was interesting. I liked that both the hero and the heroine gave serious thought to whether or not they could fit into each other's world. I thought it was realistic that they realized that they could not live on in the old ways. I enjoyed watching two people cleave together through adversity.

I loved this book. I have yet to read another book whose story line is like this one. Could not put it down once I started it!

Normally I hate romance novels and consider them trashy, but this one was a glowing exception. It had as much action and history in it as it did romance. The romance when it was going on was a romance of love, not just lust. The commitment between Brianna and Shunkaha was palpable and real. Though they were from different worlds, their love overcame all the trials and hardships life could throw at them.

This is definitely one of the very few romance novels I'd ever recommend because of the history in it such as the Battle of Wounded Knee and the massacre of the Lakota.

This story was very informative of the Native American way of life during the late 1800's. The book was also very historically accurate. I liked that the author did not allow Red Wolf and Brianna to simply accept each others culture with out any qualms. Each of them struggled with different aspects of the other's way of life, and had to make the choice to choose each other despite or because of their differences.

The reason I gave it 3 stars instead of four was because there were too many times that the book lagged and there was really nothing going on.

Here is the story:

Brianna is seventeen and is living with her aunt and uncle because she lost her parents six years ago. Her aunt and uncle do not treat her as a daughter or even a niece, but as a servant. She lives in the attic with sparse furnishings, works from sun-up until she goes to bed, and is beaten when she does anything 'disgraceful' such as accidentally breaking a cup that is part of her aunts tea service. She muddles through this existence, until she stumbles upon some prisoners working on clearing the land to make way for a road. Her eyes are drawn to a handsome Indian, who is treated much worse than the other prisoners.

Red Wolf has noticed the pretty 'Sun Woman' as he dubs her in his thoughts, peeking out from behind the trees. One day not long after she has taken to spying on him, he is left by himself chained to a tree. Brianna's soft heart won't allow him to hang there, thirsty, when she knows he has done naught to deserve it. She helps hims several different times, even in his escape. Thus beginning the tale of love between the two, which takes them through Brianna struggling to accept the Lakota way of life, the infamous battle of Little Big Horn, and eventually to Red Wolf having to acclimate to the white man's world.

As with so many stories that I seem to have read lately, this tale starts of very interesting and exciting but seems to wan as I get to the middle.
It was a pretty good story, with no noticeable errors. I believe that the best part of the whole story was Red Wolf, who was strong, handsome, and never doubted his love for Brianna.

I totally loved this book not only because Luta had a miserable life, but also because the heroine's life was horrific with her uncle and his wife. She was a survivor and went after her heart's desire in a quiet way. His heart was with his woman. Loved it!

This is a beautiful story between a white girl and an Indian who fell in love through all the obstacles in their life. This book is a keeper! It's one of my favorites so far.One of the best story I have read!!!