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bookbedtimeprocrastination's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
becsbookishdelights's review
5.0
Loved this book! No one writes historical fiction - especially of the frontier time period - as well as Laura Frantz. I just finished the book and I’m at a loss for words. And sad that the story is over. I want to know more about how Clay and Tessa settled down on their land! Highly recommend this book and all of Laura Frantz’s books!
saska894's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
dotreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This is my new favorite Laura Frantz novel! Such a beautiful story about a confident young woman living during the mid to late 1700’s in what was considered the western frontier. The depth of the grief and joy she experiences seemed real to me as the reader and I would read it again!
gaylebn's review against another edition
4.0
A Proper Romance Set in Dangerous Circumstances
This is the first Laura Franz book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in the 1770's near my home. I chose the.book because of it's setting, South of Morgantown, West Virginia. Colonel Tygart and Fort Tygart appear to.be fictional, however named after the Tygart River and Tygart Lake in the area. I grew up in Wheeling, WV, along the Ohio River and am familiar with the history of that area which was known for many Indian skirmishes and fights during the same time this novel is set. I am less familiar with the history of the Buckhannon and and Tygart Rivers but the story and setting were believable. I hadn't intended to buy a love story, which this is. However, it was tame and as proper as the protagonist, a strong young woman with several brothers and her widowed mother. Her Dutch childhood friend had been taken by Lenape Indians several years earlier, and handsome Colonel Tygart returned to the Fort, bringing long lost Ketura, whose family has left after the heartbreak of losing.their daughter. The story has drama amid the sweet telling of hard life on the then western frontier. I enjoyed it very much.
This is the first Laura Franz book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in the 1770's near my home. I chose the.book because of it's setting, South of Morgantown, West Virginia. Colonel Tygart and Fort Tygart appear to.be fictional, however named after the Tygart River and Tygart Lake in the area. I grew up in Wheeling, WV, along the Ohio River and am familiar with the history of that area which was known for many Indian skirmishes and fights during the same time this novel is set. I am less familiar with the history of the Buckhannon and and Tygart Rivers but the story and setting were believable. I hadn't intended to buy a love story, which this is. However, it was tame and as proper as the protagonist, a strong young woman with several brothers and her widowed mother. Her Dutch childhood friend had been taken by Lenape Indians several years earlier, and handsome Colonel Tygart returned to the Fort, bringing long lost Ketura, whose family has left after the heartbreak of losing.their daughter. The story has drama amid the sweet telling of hard life on the then western frontier. I enjoyed it very much.
gaylebn's review against another edition
4.0
A Proper Romance Set in Dangerous Circumstances
This is the first Laura Franz book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in the 1770's near my home. I chose the.book because of it's setting, South of Morgantown, West Virginia. Colonel Tygart and Fort Tygart appear to.be fictional, however named after the Tygart River and Tygart Lake in the area. I grew up in Wheeling, WV, along the Ohio River and am familiar with the history of that area which was known for many Indian skirmishes and fights during the same time this novel is set. I am less familiar with the history of the Buckhannon and and Tygart Rivers but the story and setting were believable. I hadn't intended to buy a love story, which this is. However, it was tame and as proper as the protagonist, a strong young woman with several brothers and her widowed mother. Her Dutch childhood friend had been taken by Lenape Indians several years earlier, and handsome Colonel Tygart returned to the Fort, bringing long lost Ketura, whose family has left after the heartbreak of losing.their daughter. The story has drama amid the sweet telling of hard life on the then western frontier. I enjoyed it very much.
This is the first Laura Franz book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in the 1770's near my home. I chose the.book because of it's setting, South of Morgantown, West Virginia. Colonel Tygart and Fort Tygart appear to.be fictional, however named after the Tygart River and Tygart Lake in the area. I grew up in Wheeling, WV, along the Ohio River and am familiar with the history of that area which was known for many Indian skirmishes and fights during the same time this novel is set. I am less familiar with the history of the Buckhannon and and Tygart Rivers but the story and setting were believable. I hadn't intended to buy a love story, which this is. However, it was tame and as proper as the protagonist, a strong young woman with several brothers and her widowed mother. Her Dutch childhood friend had been taken by Lenape Indians several years earlier, and handsome Colonel Tygart returned to the Fort, bringing long lost Ketura, whose family has left after the heartbreak of losing.their daughter. The story has drama amid the sweet telling of hard life on the then western frontier. I enjoyed it very much.
isylyaeleni's review against another edition
2.0
Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a frontier book. Sometimes you just need a book where the fate of the whole world is not at stake.
rosannelortz's review against another edition
4.0
Raised in the wilds of the Virginia frontier, Tessa Swan yearns for flounced petticoats, imported spices, and all the trappings of civilization in far-off Philadelphia. Cooking and cleaning for five brothers seems to be her lot in life, however, and ever since the Indian raid that killed her father, the Swan siblings have kept one eye on the forest and one hand on their rifles at all times.
When Colonel Clay Tygart, hero of the French and Indian War, comes to the nearby fort, he brings with him a blond-haired beauty that Tessa thought lost forever. Keturah, Tessa's childhood friend, stolen away by the Indians over ten years ago is back in body--but does her spirit long to be with her new family from the Lenape tribe? As Tessa tries to help Keturah remember her old life, the question is raised: who exactly is the "uncommon woman" of the title? Is it the Indian captive, Keturah, pulled between two worlds? Or is it the plainspoken but compassionate Tessa, determined to do right by her mother, brothers, and friend?
As Tessa learns more about Colonel Tygart, she discovers that his upbringing parallels Keturah's in far too many ways. Raised by the Lenape himself, his unique situation gives him the ability to mourn the injustices on both sides of the fighting between the settlers and the Indians. But at the same time, he has powerful enemies in the tribe he deserted, enemies far too close for comfort in the woods around the Buckhannon.
Amid the Indian sightings and festival days at the fort, Tessa and Clay forge a bond that makes Tessa question what she wants in life--is this buckskin-wearing Colonel worth giving up her dreams of town living?
This book was a slow starter for me. Despite the continual tension of the Swan family's proximity to danger, the story meandered along without too much happening. The West Virginia setting came alive like its own vibrant character, but the plot felt like a lot of back and forth from the homestead to the fort to the homestead again without a clear trajectory of what was going on (kind of like real life!).
Once Tessa was kidnapped by the Lenape (this is not a spoiler since it's in the book description!), the pace radically changed. Clay swung into action, showing why the Lenape considered him their best hunter and why they now had cause to fear him. This was my favorite part of the book and made the slow lead-in worth it.
As is typical with Laura Frantz's books, the story doesn't end with a wedding but explores more threads beyond a happily ever after. Even though I would have appreciated a little more structured plot, I really enjoyed the frontier setting and the descriptiveness of this story.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
When Colonel Clay Tygart, hero of the French and Indian War, comes to the nearby fort, he brings with him a blond-haired beauty that Tessa thought lost forever. Keturah, Tessa's childhood friend, stolen away by the Indians over ten years ago is back in body--but does her spirit long to be with her new family from the Lenape tribe? As Tessa tries to help Keturah remember her old life, the question is raised: who exactly is the "uncommon woman" of the title? Is it the Indian captive, Keturah, pulled between two worlds? Or is it the plainspoken but compassionate Tessa, determined to do right by her mother, brothers, and friend?
As Tessa learns more about Colonel Tygart, she discovers that his upbringing parallels Keturah's in far too many ways. Raised by the Lenape himself, his unique situation gives him the ability to mourn the injustices on both sides of the fighting between the settlers and the Indians. But at the same time, he has powerful enemies in the tribe he deserted, enemies far too close for comfort in the woods around the Buckhannon.
Amid the Indian sightings and festival days at the fort, Tessa and Clay forge a bond that makes Tessa question what she wants in life--is this buckskin-wearing Colonel worth giving up her dreams of town living?
This book was a slow starter for me. Despite the continual tension of the Swan family's proximity to danger, the story meandered along without too much happening. The West Virginia setting came alive like its own vibrant character, but the plot felt like a lot of back and forth from the homestead to the fort to the homestead again without a clear trajectory of what was going on (kind of like real life!).
Once Tessa was kidnapped by the Lenape (this is not a spoiler since it's in the book description!), the pace radically changed. Clay swung into action, showing why the Lenape considered him their best hunter and why they now had cause to fear him. This was my favorite part of the book and made the slow lead-in worth it.
As is typical with Laura Frantz's books, the story doesn't end with a wedding but explores more threads beyond a happily ever after. Even though I would have appreciated a little more structured plot, I really enjoyed the frontier setting and the descriptiveness of this story.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.