40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wagon Train Passion, December 9, 2001
This review is from: Sunset Embrace (Coleman Family Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one of my favorite of Sandra Brown's romances, and one of the few where she attempted historical fiction. The story takes place on a wagon train to Texas, and whether or not Brown researched her facts, it all rings perfectly true. In fact it is mesmerizing.
The book begins as a young girl gives birth alone and in agony, in the woods. Rather than hoping for herself and the baby to live, she prays for death for them both. Half her wish comes true: the baby is stillborn, and Lydia, the young mother, falls into unconsciousness.
Before the wolves can find her, Lydia, still unconscious, is found by the Langtry family, and is saved by Ma Langtry, who happens to be the midwife-cum-earth mother for a wagon train heading west. Lydia awakes in Ma's wagon, in a clean bed, wearing a clean nightgown, and lovingly tended by Ma and her daughter Anabeth. We soon realize that Lydia is woefully innocent of female matters, to the point where she hardly realizes how she got pregnant in the first place. But even in her pain and weakness, she refuses to divulge the name of the baby's father.
Meanwhile, in another wagon, one of the group's handsome and stalwart leaders, Ross Coleman, has just lost his dainty blueblood wife in childbirth. The baby survives, but will soon die if it cannot be nourished, and in his grief, Coleman barely spares his new son a glance. Enter Ma Coleman. She has a girl without a baby, and a baby without a mother. Voila! Lydia will serve as wet-nurse to the infant. Despite Coleman's strong objections, Lydia is moved to his wagon, is helped by Ma to put the baby to her breast, and baby and girl form an instant bond.
Not so Lydia and the girl's father. Ross is convinced that Lydia, an unmarried mother, is a tramp. Lydia's pride will not let her dispute that point. The animosity between the two is somewhat tempered by the infant's obvious health and contentment in Lydia's care, and her willingness to work as hard as any of the other women in the pioneer group. Of course, an attraction arises and grows between Ross and Lydia, and that is the heart of the book.
But their relationship is as bumpy as the dangerous trail they are traveling. Not only do they have to contend with the hardships and dangers that any wagon train would face, but they are also being stalked by a murderous madman intent on rape and murder. Will Ross ever acknowledge his love for Lydia? Will she be able to overcome her fear of men enough to be in his arms? Will the baby survive? Will the madman destroy the wagon train?
Read the book and find out...it will be impossible to put down until the explosive conclusion.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great love story, July 15, 1999
This review is from: Sunset Embrace (Coleman Family Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)
This was the first sandra brown book I read - I picked it out randomly at the library based on the jacket. I couldn't put it down and went in search of every Sandra Brown book I could find. So far I have read every one I could get my hands on, although this one remains a sentimental favorite. Ms. Brown takes you to another time and really makes you feel as though you're there on that wagon train and you can see Lydia's unique beauty and Ross's tender side underneath all his rough exterior. I highly recommend it - you won't be disappointed - from the first page you'll be caught up in this great love story!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Page Turner, June 7, 2005
This review is from: Sunset Embrace (Coleman Family Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a "period" piece by Sandra Brown, taking place in the 1870s, charting a wagon train heading for Texas. The two main characters are Ross Coleman, a man who just lost his wife during childbirth, who has a secret from his past, and Lydia, who just gave birth to a stillborn baby, who also has a secret from her past. Lydia is found, barely conscious after giving birth in the woods, by two teens (Luke and Bubba) from the wagon train, who take her back to their Ma to help her get well. When Ross's wife dies during childbirth leaving an infant son behind, it's Lydia who is there to nurse his baby. He's resentful at first, because he thinks Lydia is trash and doesn't want her near his child, but he is also attracted to her wild beauty and he's feeling guilty b/c of his feelings for Lydia so soon after his wife's death. This torment causes him to be unfairly nasty to her, but she's strong-willed and dishes it right back at him, which he finds unnerving. Eventually, they discover that there is something strong b/t the two of them that can't be stopped, and love does conquer all. What I like about this book, besides the love story, is that there are other characters from the wagon train who are interesting to read: Bubba Langston (aka Jake), the sweet, innocent teenager who found Lydia, who idolizes Ross and wants to become the type of man he is; Priscilla, the teen w/ loose morals who seduces Jake; Winston Hill, the southern gentleman who is attracted to Lydia; and Ma, the matriarch of the wagon train. Each lends a dynamic to the book that when woven together make for an excellent read.
Be sure to follow this book up with her sequel, "Another Dawn", which takes place 20 years later and focuses on the story of Jake Langston, and Ross and Lydia's daughter, Banner. But you'll also catch up with Ross and Lydia, Ma, and Priscilla, too. It's a great sequel and a five-year book, but be warned, though, because you may not be satisfied with the ending.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
