Raven's Bride (Zebra Splendor Historical Romances) [Paperback]

Kathryn Fox (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821764160
• ISBN-13: 978-0821764169
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,508,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Runaway saved by betrothed Eskimo., November 7, 1999

By 

Affaire de Coeur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven's Bride (Zebra Splendor Historical Romances) (Paperback)

Heartache, greed, adventure, death, and new life away Tall Dancer and Cara on their road to happily ever after. Kathryn Fox exhibits extensive knowledge of Alaskan Indians and their customs. Cara and Tall Dancer's story is endearing and satisfying.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars LOTS of action here, April 27, 2000

By 

pontmarie (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven's Bride (Zebra Splendor Historical Romances) (Paperback)

If it's adventure and action you crave, Raven's Bride might be the book for you. From the opening pages you have non-stop activity; I must admit, however, that in the end, I just wanted it to be over.

After enduring a lifetime of abuse, Cara Tarakanov sees an opportunity to escape her evil father, better known as The Butcher, while he is trading on the Alaskan coast. Instead of the freedom she craves, however, Cara is captured by an Alaskan tribe and forced into slavery. During a potlatch (the Native American term for feast or party), Cara faces an "honorable" death at the hands of her owner, and despairing, realizes that death is probably better than continued servitude and abuse. Before she can die, however, a man steps in and claims her for himself.

Tall Dancer, a half-Russian Tlingit warrior, is instantly taken with the courageous beauty who is bravely facing death, although he knows better than to take on a responsibility like Cara. He is on his way home to be married, and although he and Cara eventually become lovers, he knows where his duty is and it certainly isn't in the red-haired slave he already loves. When the two arrive at his village, Tall Dancer explains that he will "give" Cara to his mother, and that Cara will have to pretend to be a slave, but that his mother will know to treat her better than that.

The author goes waaaaay overboard with Kaskoe, Tall Dancer's odious, evil, petty, vengeful, spiteful, childish, and hugely overweight bride - and believe me, I am being very kind here. There isn't one redeeming quality to her and she is clearly there for the reader to hate from the first moment. Continued references to her "flabby rump," how her dress strains across her wide girth and how she is more than twice the width of her husband are unnecessary and became nearly as annoying as Kaskoe herself.

Raven's Bride is filled with action and conflict from the get-go, and never quite lets up. A lot of research went into the writing of this book and the plot itself is intriguing, not to mention the unusual setting; some more characterization would have made this a much better story - I certainly hope to find it in Ms. Fox's next book.