Customer Reviews

The Fugitive Heart

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one day. It was a good story line with very interesting and likeable characters. I started on the sequel as soon as I finished reading it. The Christian theme was strong and very present throughout the book. One of the best messages I got from reading this book is that no matter how hard we try to change someone or something, we need to give it to God for He is the one who is ultimately in control.

What a great read! The first book I've read by Jane Orcutt and she needs to keep up the good work! She has talent and really portray's that not everything goes "right" even when you're a Christian. What a great example of God's love for us and forgivness no matter how much wrong we have done and how bad we think we are. A great romance also! A breath of fresh air in the inspirational section of fiction writing! Worth your time.

How often do we try to play God instead of living God to lead others to Him? We can all learn from this enjoyable, gripping read!

Jane Orcutt may not have penned many novels to date, but hers is a real talent that is sure to produce more and even better novels in the years to come. The Fugitive Heart was a terrific read, and I'll be watching for whatever Ms. Orcutt writes next.

This is the story of Samantha and Nathan. They are young sweethearts growing up and it's war that seperates them. Samantha's brother (Caleb) and Nathan leave her at an orphage and join the war. Over the years Caleb and Nathan have become wanted men and have lost their faith because of the awful things they saw and experienced during the war. Nathan has a strong feeling that Samantha needs him and decides to go the the orphange but doesn't expect to find her. She's there. He asks her to come live with him and Caleb. He still loves her but knows that he can't have a future with her. She loves him but is shocked to find not the gentle boy she knew but a hardend man. The story is their journey of triumphs and defeats, love and hurt.

The thing that I loved about this story is that it was true to life. When I say gritty I mean that you can feel the physical struggle between the two. The desire to do what is right and the desire of the flesh. Isn't that how real life is as well?

If you like westerns, romance and realism than you will love this story. I also recommend the sequel "The Hidden Heart". It is the story of Caleb. That's a great one too.

Just as a side note...if you order the book it may have a different cover than the one shown. So if you want a particular cover you need to ask the seller.

Growing up on the Kansas prairie, Samantha Martin cherished two desires: to love God and marry her childhood sweetheart. But the War between the States took nearly everything--her family, her home, and Nathan her love. When he returns six years later, she is shocked to discover he's no longer the gentle boy she's always adored. Instead, he is a physically and emotionally scarred man on the run, dodging charges of theft...and murder.

Nathan Hamilton once dreamed of seeing the world, becoming a doctor, and making Samantha his bride. But instead of adventure, he encountered tragedy and made choices that nearly destroyed his life. Now, in Samantha's arms, Nathan seeks peace and freedom--while she strives to lead him from darkness to light and into the embrace of the only one who can provide a true refuge for The Fugitive Heart.

I just completed "The Fugitive Heart", much to my sorrow, as it normally goes when you do not want a wonderful story to end. I have not read any other books by Jane Orcutt, but I admired her style and her talent in creating the characters of Samantha, Nathan, Caleb and Jonathan, so much, that I immediately had to find a website that would allow me to comment. Gritty came to mind very early in the book when the homes of the children were destroyed and the boys enlisted with the Union. In fact, the entire book was so descriptive that I was able to really visualize the scenes. This book is packed with romance, action-adventure and the struggles with the spirit vs. the flesh that we all face. I was thankful that Samantha did not remain the perfect angel, but was portrayed as a human being that had erred, repented and kept her faith so that things worked for the good, as they do in fact. I am in hopes that this story might continue in a book describing Nathan's life as an ex-convict and the hardships that he and his family would encounter due to the past mistakes. Another point I would like to make about this book, is that it moves to so many different settings, so smoothly and swiftly, that it is comparable to a roller-coaster ride. It takes you all over the place, never losing you, but keeping you on edge. What touched me the most was the state Samantha was in when she thought Nathan had died unsaved. The reality of a loved one dying in that situation terrifies me and I could relate to her. It also reinforced saving yourself for your spouse to reap the fullness of a Christian marriage. Thank you for the past day of pleasure I took in reading your book. Hope there are many more to come.

"The Fugitive Heart" is a heart-wrenching story of the civil war and the families this conflict tore apart. Samantha is a girl of 14 growing up on a farm. She knows that she will marry 17 year-old Nathan, her neighbor and her brother's best friend. Their childhood dreams are torn apart when both of their fathers enlist in the Union Army, are reported missing, and their homes are burned to the ground by Confederate soldiers. The boys drop Samantha off at an orphanage and enlist in the military, too. But war changes the boys, hardening them until they reject the grace of God in their lives. When the three are reunited 6 years later, can Samantha pour God's love back into Nathan and Caleb's lives? Or are they too hard-hearted to allow His love and forgiveness to take root?

This is a superbly written novel of grace, forgiveness and second chances. The genuine presentation of these characters, their inner turmoil and their experiences made my heart race one minute and brought me to tears the next. This is a book that you won't want to put down!

What a good book! I couldn't put it down. I hope there will be a sequel. I have not found any other books by Jane Orcutt and am sadly disappointed. This was truly a love story of Samantha, Nathan and God. In the end, God wins out, but it is tryuly a struggle to come to that end. The only disappointing thing about the book is that we don't find out what happens to Samantha's brother, Caleb. Hopefully she will have a sequel and come to a conclusion with Caleb. I love how she incorporated history into her book. It didn't push facts on u s, but showed what it was like to have to live through a war, and what changes a man endured during the civil war. It was a hard time for Nathan and Caleb, and they both changed from their Christian values they were brought up with, but Samantha still loves them and cares for them. In the end, who will win?

This was an excellent book--best I've read in a long time, and I read a lot of books!

This book paints a realistic life of frontier struggles. It's gritty, sometimes violent. The heroine meets obstacles with incredible bravery. The novel honors family and faith, instead of glorifying gunfighters, and that's a wonderful change of pace.

At times, however, Samantha was too good to be true. Instead of feeling angry with Caleb, which would've been natural, she felt guilty for doubting him.

Also, I couldn't believe how far Nathan had fallen from his faith. Sure, his experiences during the Civil War would make anyone bitter, but I couldn't accept that he'd become a sarcastic outlaw who smoked, drank, and robbed banks. He seemed too intelligent to succumb to those things. His growth and redemption, however, was very believable.

I gave this book a C at All About Romance.