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Her Smile
Sometimes people end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thanks to an impulsive request from Elizabeth Ann Everett, the Everett family from Omaha, Nebraska, become tourists on a vacation in newly created Yellowstone National Park. The year is 1877 and the weather is fine, . When the Nez Perce, fleeing the U.S. Army, charge into a tourist camp, pampered, wealthy Elizabeth Everett gets more than she bargains for. So do the Nez Perce.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2021
32 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Carla Kelly
137 books805 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 14, 2021
As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-1xw
Elizabeth (Liz) Ann Everett is living a comfortable life with her family in Nebraska, when she discovers that her mother is insistent that she attend Vassar in the fall, something Liz has no desire to do. Liz’s sympathetic father offers to allow her to select the family’s summer vacation, and she chooses Yellowstone Park, a choice that will change her life forever. The timing of the Everett family vacation coincides with the flight of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) tribe fleeing the U.S. army, and attempting to cross into Canada. Liz’s own foray on a somewhat stubborn, ancient horse, puts her directly in the path of the tribe, and this action spurs the aging steed to join them, much to Liz’s (and their) dismay.
In the confusion, Liz isn’t noticed until it’s too late to stop her, and they’ve gone much too far for her to turn back on her own. The tribe elders decide to take her with them until they find a safe place to leave her. Liz comes under the care of Blue Mountain Woman, and her son, Kaya, which means Hawk. The tribe, or, The People, have little food, but share what they have with Liz. She is treated with kindness and respect, but has to keep up a grueling pace, quite a change from her pampered life. Time and time again, plans to leave Liz in a safe place don’t come to fruition, and she ends up spending weeks with The People, coming to understand them, and even to love them. Especially Kaya.
As I was reading HER SMILE, I not only became immersed in the fascinating story, but felt as if I had actually gone back in time to visit that world, so vivid and realistic is the writing. The plight of Native Americans has been well documented, as has the shameful way our government treated them, but this story touches on the personal stories of a small group of families who only want to live their lives in peace. The telling of the story is a bit different, in first person, from Liz’s perspective, and it alternates between her current life as a forty five year old woman with a husband and children, back to the time of her adventure when she was just eighteen, in 1877. The romance between Liz and Kaya is poignant and believable, yet hopeless. When Liz is finally returned to her own family, many members of The Family have lost their lives, and the rest will be forced to live on reservations, far away from the land they love. Liz is settled back into her former life, and is eventually accepted back into society after some initial rebuffing, but she’s not the same girl. Her experience has made her stronger, better, and has given her a new purpose, that of trying to make a better world for her temporary Family, and others like them. HER SMILE is another beautifully written and captivating book by Carla Kelly, who is simply incomparable when it comes to combining historical events with characters showcasing both the weak and evil side of human nature, as well as those who love, are generous, and fight for right. Highly recommended.
Elizabeth (Liz) Ann Everett is living a comfortable life with her family in Nebraska, when she discovers that her mother is insistent that she attend Vassar in the fall, something Liz has no desire to do. Liz’s sympathetic father offers to allow her to select the family’s summer vacation, and she chooses Yellowstone Park, a choice that will change her life forever. The timing of the Everett family vacation coincides with the flight of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) tribe fleeing the U.S. army, and attempting to cross into Canada. Liz’s own foray on a somewhat stubborn, ancient horse, puts her directly in the path of the tribe, and this action spurs the aging steed to join them, much to Liz’s (and their) dismay.
In the confusion, Liz isn’t noticed until it’s too late to stop her, and they’ve gone much too far for her to turn back on her own. The tribe elders decide to take her with them until they find a safe place to leave her. Liz comes under the care of Blue Mountain Woman, and her son, Kaya, which means Hawk. The tribe, or, The People, have little food, but share what they have with Liz. She is treated with kindness and respect, but has to keep up a grueling pace, quite a change from her pampered life. Time and time again, plans to leave Liz in a safe place don’t come to fruition, and she ends up spending weeks with The People, coming to understand them, and even to love them. Especially Kaya.
As I was reading HER SMILE, I not only became immersed in the fascinating story, but felt as if I had actually gone back in time to visit that world, so vivid and realistic is the writing. The plight of Native Americans has been well documented, as has the shameful way our government treated them, but this story touches on the personal stories of a small group of families who only want to live their lives in peace. The telling of the story is a bit different, in first person, from Liz’s perspective, and it alternates between her current life as a forty five year old woman with a husband and children, back to the time of her adventure when she was just eighteen, in 1877. The romance between Liz and Kaya is poignant and believable, yet hopeless. When Liz is finally returned to her own family, many members of The Family have lost their lives, and the rest will be forced to live on reservations, far away from the land they love. Liz is settled back into her former life, and is eventually accepted back into society after some initial rebuffing, but she’s not the same girl. Her experience has made her stronger, better, and has given her a new purpose, that of trying to make a better world for her temporary Family, and others like them. HER SMILE is another beautifully written and captivating book by Carla Kelly, who is simply incomparable when it comes to combining historical events with characters showcasing both the weak and evil side of human nature, as well as those who love, are generous, and fight for right. Highly recommended.
September 14, 2021
Loved this latest book by Carla Kelly! Have you ever read a book where the character becomes so real that it’s hard to believe she isn’t? That’s how I would describe Elizabeth. The year is 1904 and Elizabeth Ann Everett decides to write a memoir for posterity about the most significant event of her life. She writes captivatingly about the time she spent with the Nez Perce Indian tribe or The People in their flight to Canada in 1877 to escape being forced on a desolate reservation.
On a trip to Yellowstone, a pampered 18 year old Elizabeth realizes her worst fears when her old horse Methuselah spooks and follows an Indian tribe fleeing from the U.S. Government. After several miles, Elizabeth and The People realize it’s too late to turn back and they must learn to deal with each other all the while continually looking for a safe place to leave her. With humor, courage, and an indomitable spirit, Elizabeth communicates her growth and changing feelings as she travels on this unexpected journey with the Nez Perce.
As she shares her thoughts and observations with her infectious humor, I grew to love this character who felt like an old friend whom I could listen to for hours. Her companions, most especially Hawk and Blue Mountain Woman, change her perception of what it means to love, accept, and survive. These characters became very real and endearing as the story progressed. Through starvation, bloodshed, and endless pursuit not only from the U.S. Government but from other Indian tribes as well, Elizabeth shares a unique perspective of what it was like for The People just trying to find a place on land they had dwelt on for centuries. She also finds love not just for The People, but for a man whom she grows to adore.
While sharing the trials of The People, Kelly doesn’t shy away from the disturbing details of war including descriptions of scalpings, and gunshot wounds. For those sensitive to language, there are a few mild swear words used very sparsely. There’s an attempted rape that is somewhat graphic. There are also a couple mentions of sex; one where Elizabeth overhears a prostitute in a room next door, another instance where she briefly observes an Indian couple, and brief innuendo in describing her wedding night with no graphic details. I would still consider this a mostly clean read, but would recommend it for adults just because the subject matter would be more relatable and understandable.
The writing is so captivating that it was a difficult book to put down. The historical aspects and descriptions are so well researched. It’s an epic story that is definitely worth reading. Highly recommend this to those who enjoy great historical fiction. Thank you Carla Kelly for sending me an advanced copy of this great work. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a review.
On a trip to Yellowstone, a pampered 18 year old Elizabeth realizes her worst fears when her old horse Methuselah spooks and follows an Indian tribe fleeing from the U.S. Government. After several miles, Elizabeth and The People realize it’s too late to turn back and they must learn to deal with each other all the while continually looking for a safe place to leave her. With humor, courage, and an indomitable spirit, Elizabeth communicates her growth and changing feelings as she travels on this unexpected journey with the Nez Perce.
As she shares her thoughts and observations with her infectious humor, I grew to love this character who felt like an old friend whom I could listen to for hours. Her companions, most especially Hawk and Blue Mountain Woman, change her perception of what it means to love, accept, and survive. These characters became very real and endearing as the story progressed. Through starvation, bloodshed, and endless pursuit not only from the U.S. Government but from other Indian tribes as well, Elizabeth shares a unique perspective of what it was like for The People just trying to find a place on land they had dwelt on for centuries. She also finds love not just for The People, but for a man whom she grows to adore.
While sharing the trials of The People, Kelly doesn’t shy away from the disturbing details of war including descriptions of scalpings, and gunshot wounds. For those sensitive to language, there are a few mild swear words used very sparsely. There’s an attempted rape that is somewhat graphic. There are also a couple mentions of sex; one where Elizabeth overhears a prostitute in a room next door, another instance where she briefly observes an Indian couple, and brief innuendo in describing her wedding night with no graphic details. I would still consider this a mostly clean read, but would recommend it for adults just because the subject matter would be more relatable and understandable.
The writing is so captivating that it was a difficult book to put down. The historical aspects and descriptions are so well researched. It’s an epic story that is definitely worth reading. Highly recommend this to those who enjoy great historical fiction. Thank you Carla Kelly for sending me an advanced copy of this great work. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a review.
April 7, 2023
Great story, but riddled with typos, goofy title, tedious run for the border
February 21, 2022
This book was not authentic enough for me. I have a great reverence for Native Americans. This was far too Anglicized for my taste and the agenda was blatantly obvious. Not my favorite.
September 26, 2021
Not as good as many of my older favorite Kelly novels, but it was a quick read with interesting historical background.
April 17, 2023
Carla Kelly, another good book. She has a knack to touch my emotions, stir them up than reorder them in a positive direction. Toward the end she had me. I wanted to know the ending but I didn't know if I wanted to start crying. I continued and was well rewarded. Another A grade, no A+ as as a teacher when I have given an A+ , the student usually faltered the next term. Sorry, you are not getting off that easy. I am expecting another great novel from you the next time.
What a combination: a young White daughter about 17 or 18 accidentally falls into the custody of the Nimiipuu or The People or as whitemen say, the Nez Perce. They can't take her back or risk getting killed. They found the white people on the trail are creapy with one guy raping Lizzie, only to be saved by Hawk, a Nimiipuu. The rapist got what he deserved. The Indians are going to Canada to escape the terrible treatment by the whitemen. I have long decided whitemen call Indians savages but it is really the whitemen that are. The Indians and Whites collide in America, unfortunately the Whites require more and more and there are so many of them the Indians cannot succeed.
Liz goes with the Nez Perce and finally at a place called Bears Paws in Montana meet the U.S. Calvary. Liz is taken back to her home in Omaha. Hawk, the Nimiipuu who helped her along the way, goes to Canada. Along the way, Hawk falls in love with this beautiful girl and she with him but neither had made love to the other when the Calvary came.
This book shows the plight of the Indians in America. In the end, Hawk comes to Omaha and he and Liz leave and end up in The Hot Spot in Oklahoma, where the Nez Perce are forced to live. Eventually, they get back to eastern Oregon, only to endure years of prejudice because he is an Indian. Toward the end, good things are happening but deaths of loved ones of both Liz and Duncan Stuart, Hawk's whiteman name, still rock them both.
A great book. It makes me want to be kind to others as best I can. One can only do so much as we also have constraints on our time, fortune, and lives.
What a combination: a young White daughter about 17 or 18 accidentally falls into the custody of the Nimiipuu or The People or as whitemen say, the Nez Perce. They can't take her back or risk getting killed. They found the white people on the trail are creapy with one guy raping Lizzie, only to be saved by Hawk, a Nimiipuu. The rapist got what he deserved. The Indians are going to Canada to escape the terrible treatment by the whitemen. I have long decided whitemen call Indians savages but it is really the whitemen that are. The Indians and Whites collide in America, unfortunately the Whites require more and more and there are so many of them the Indians cannot succeed.
Liz goes with the Nez Perce and finally at a place called Bears Paws in Montana meet the U.S. Calvary. Liz is taken back to her home in Omaha. Hawk, the Nimiipuu who helped her along the way, goes to Canada. Along the way, Hawk falls in love with this beautiful girl and she with him but neither had made love to the other when the Calvary came.
This book shows the plight of the Indians in America. In the end, Hawk comes to Omaha and he and Liz leave and end up in The Hot Spot in Oklahoma, where the Nez Perce are forced to live. Eventually, they get back to eastern Oregon, only to endure years of prejudice because he is an Indian. Toward the end, good things are happening but deaths of loved ones of both Liz and Duncan Stuart, Hawk's whiteman name, still rock them both.
A great book. It makes me want to be kind to others as best I can. One can only do so much as we also have constraints on our time, fortune, and lives.
October 19, 2021
Carla Kelly has done it again! She has pulled me into a story that hooked me to my very soul. Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth Ann Everett, of Omaha, Nebraska, has convinced her family to go on a trip to Yellowstone Park during the summer of 1877. Sounds like a great idea so Liz, her parents, little sister and brother head west and hook up with a couple guides for their memorable adventure.
The visit coincides with a group of Nez Perce Indians that are being chased north by the US Army. Somehow Liz and her horse become entangle with the Nez Perce group and ends up traveling with them on their escape toward Canada. She is adopted into family, half-breed Kaya and his mother, Blue Mountain. They are kind to Liz as she lives and travels with them; ultimately understanding their plight. The story chronicles the Nez Perce tribe as they try to stay ahead of the army tailing them. Life with the Indians is not easy, nor is anywhere near normal for a society-born daughter of a Union Pacific Railroad baron. But Liz learns quickly and grows up in ways she never would have given a thought to before. The plight of the Native Americans verses the United States issue Liz with challenges, as well as compassion and love.
There are cringe-worthy moments as well as some gory stuff, plus plenty of tender, compassionate moments. Carla doesn’t sugar-coat history. I admire her diligence in researching accuracy on the stories she writes about. Her characters touch my heart and soul and I love when that happens! BTW, my favorite sentence from the story is at the end of Chapt.27: “…I’ll pack my bags.”
I love her writing and can say I’ve learned much from her 43 novels. Yes, there’s one I haven’t read yet… (And several of my favorites I’ve read more than once!) Another winner Carla!
The visit coincides with a group of Nez Perce Indians that are being chased north by the US Army. Somehow Liz and her horse become entangle with the Nez Perce group and ends up traveling with them on their escape toward Canada. She is adopted into family, half-breed Kaya and his mother, Blue Mountain. They are kind to Liz as she lives and travels with them; ultimately understanding their plight. The story chronicles the Nez Perce tribe as they try to stay ahead of the army tailing them. Life with the Indians is not easy, nor is anywhere near normal for a society-born daughter of a Union Pacific Railroad baron. But Liz learns quickly and grows up in ways she never would have given a thought to before. The plight of the Native Americans verses the United States issue Liz with challenges, as well as compassion and love.
There are cringe-worthy moments as well as some gory stuff, plus plenty of tender, compassionate moments. Carla doesn’t sugar-coat history. I admire her diligence in researching accuracy on the stories she writes about. Her characters touch my heart and soul and I love when that happens! BTW, my favorite sentence from the story is at the end of Chapt.27: “…I’ll pack my bags.”
I love her writing and can say I’ve learned much from her 43 novels. Yes, there’s one I haven’t read yet… (And several of my favorites I’ve read more than once!) Another winner Carla!
September 16, 2021
Once Again, Carla Kelly Does Not Disappoint!
Carla Kelly delivers a captivating, courageous and harrowing historical journey of the Nimiipuu’s attempt to escape the incarceration of The People to reservation existence, while her characters come to self-revelations of their own.
She masterfully balances the stark realities of starvation and the humiliating threat to end a proud civilization’s way of life with wry and even witty verbal and internal dialogue.
The romance element of the story is threaded subtly, humming beneath the surface, while we witness the courage and suffering of The People; and is satisfyingly accelerated when and where it is emotionally appropriate.
An extremely satisfying and even educational read!
Carla Kelly delivers a captivating, courageous and harrowing historical journey of the Nimiipuu’s attempt to escape the incarceration of The People to reservation existence, while her characters come to self-revelations of their own.
She masterfully balances the stark realities of starvation and the humiliating threat to end a proud civilization’s way of life with wry and even witty verbal and internal dialogue.
The romance element of the story is threaded subtly, humming beneath the surface, while we witness the courage and suffering of The People; and is satisfyingly accelerated when and where it is emotionally appropriate.
An extremely satisfying and even educational read!
January 18, 2022
HER SMILE IS BEAUTIFUL AND MOVING
I enjoyed this book so very much. The storytelling is finely crafted and the characters rich and memorable. The story surrounds the family trip an Omaha family makes to the newly designated Yellowstone Park in 1877, and the disappearance of the family's eldest daughter, aged 18 years, when members of the Nez Perce tribe are chased by the U.S. Army as they fled toward the Canadian border to escape the abuses of The U.S. Army and the failure of the Army to honor it's treaty with the New Perce , signed by U. S. Grant in 1855. The story is thrilling, sad, inspiring, and devastating. The heroine Elizabeth changes a great deal during her ordeal, as her eyes are opened to what being civilized really means.
I enjoyed this book so very much. The storytelling is finely crafted and the characters rich and memorable. The story surrounds the family trip an Omaha family makes to the newly designated Yellowstone Park in 1877, and the disappearance of the family's eldest daughter, aged 18 years, when members of the Nez Perce tribe are chased by the U.S. Army as they fled toward the Canadian border to escape the abuses of The U.S. Army and the failure of the Army to honor it's treaty with the New Perce , signed by U. S. Grant in 1855. The story is thrilling, sad, inspiring, and devastating. The heroine Elizabeth changes a great deal during her ordeal, as her eyes are opened to what being civilized really means.
July 16, 2023
Enjoyed this a lot! This is about the Nez Perce Indians and their treaties with the U.S. government.
1877, the Everett family go on a vacation to Yellowstone National Park. This family is camping in the same area where the Nez Perce Nation is fleeing the U.S. army. Elizabeth Everett, 18, is on her horse ( a bag of bones she calls him) gets caught up with the Indians. She isn't happy about this but neither are the Indians. They can't just leave her out on the plains, they have to take her! This is where her adventure begins!!
1877, the Everett family go on a vacation to Yellowstone National Park. This family is camping in the same area where the Nez Perce Nation is fleeing the U.S. army. Elizabeth Everett, 18, is on her horse ( a bag of bones she calls him) gets caught up with the Indians. She isn't happy about this but neither are the Indians. They can't just leave her out on the plains, they have to take her! This is where her adventure begins!!
December 28, 2021
Once again Kelly brings to life and remembrance horrible parts of history. I remember learning about Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce in school and wondering why the US couldn’t just let them leave and go to Canada. This is a fictional story containing a first-person account of that tribe’s flight to Canada and their hardships along the way. Contains: a couple instances of graphic violence and a case of sexual assault (not explicit but it would be a trigger to some people).
October 11, 2021
Such a good book
I love Carla Kelly’s books. I love that they are woven upon the frame of history. This is an exciting story of a young white woman caught up in Chief Joseph’s band of Indians flight for freedom in Canada. It’s filled with danger, war, adventure and romance. You’ll love it
I love Carla Kelly’s books. I love that they are woven upon the frame of history. This is an exciting story of a young white woman caught up in Chief Joseph’s band of Indians flight for freedom in Canada. It’s filled with danger, war, adventure and romance. You’ll love it
October 31, 2021
Excellent!
What can I say? No one writes like Carla Kelly! She is a. Class into her own. This was such an interesting and informative story that made me laugh, and taught me. I just love the depth and warmth which she is able to infuse this story with. Thank you so much for writing it!
What can I say? No one writes like Carla Kelly! She is a. Class into her own. This was such an interesting and informative story that made me laugh, and taught me. I just love the depth and warmth which she is able to infuse this story with. Thank you so much for writing it!
February 15, 2022
A remarkable white girl is captured by a band of native americans fleeing the US cavalry. As she tells her awful story (based on historical events) I was forced to see a little of what our taking the country from the native americans cost them. This is not an easy story to read but the insight is worth the discomfort.
March 19, 2022
This novel had burrowed into my heart and couldn't be dislodged for a long while. It's a sad historical account of how the Nez Perce people were being treated so unfairly by the US government in the late 19th century. But against the backdrop of all the cruelty that was going on, it's a sweet love story between a rich white woman and a Nez Perce warrior.
Read
September 17, 2021Loved every minute of it
I couldn't put it down once I started it . The story is compelling and the characters are so believable it's hard to think of it as fiction. I just want it to be true. Carla never disappoints!
I couldn't put it down once I started it . The story is compelling and the characters are so believable it's hard to think of it as fiction. I just want it to be true. Carla never disappoints!
September 19, 2021
I liked the style of this book…I could totally imagine Elizabeth writing the story in real life. It made her come alive and her vibrant personality came through. Avery good historical fiction that doesn’t shy away from the ugly aspects of how the United States dealt with the Indians.
September 21, 2021
A sad history but a happy love story.
Carla Kelly has done another marvelous writing of historical happenings intertwined with a story about lovable, memorable characters. A story I will read again and again.
Carla Kelly has done another marvelous writing of historical happenings intertwined with a story about lovable, memorable characters. A story I will read again and again.
May 6, 2024
I’ve read almost 20 of Carla Kelly’s books. I think this is the best of all her books! Excellent historical fiction, different writing style than her other books, not her typical romance book.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
January 12, 2022
Such a good book - probably 4.5 stars.
February 21, 2022
Another 5*
A very personal book by an exceptional author. Up until this book, I have limited myself to her European novels.I am now going to treat myself to the rest.
A very personal book by an exceptional author. Up until this book, I have limited myself to her European novels.I am now going to treat myself to the rest.
October 1, 2023
There were far too many grammatical editing errors for this book to be given five stars. The publishing company needs to employ a better proofreading editor before publishing books.
May 10, 2024
Liked the writing style. Fascinating but very gritty story: rape,war, murder, starvation and cruelty.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2024
Lovely reading
I enjoy Kelly’s historical writings. Though I moved to Torrington, WY after she had gone, I was privileged to meet her through a mutual friend (no relation) Kate Kelly. I don’t read her Harlequin novels as they are a tad racier than I care for. This book and her others set in WY and UT are first rate.
I enjoy Kelly’s historical writings. Though I moved to Torrington, WY after she had gone, I was privileged to meet her through a mutual friend (no relation) Kate Kelly. I don’t read her Harlequin novels as they are a tad racier than I care for. This book and her others set in WY and UT are first rate.
August 11, 2024
Elizabeth Everett is a bit of whiny poor little rich girl, parents don't not very much on the same page, spoiled and typical teenager who doesn't understand them either in 1877 Omaha,Nebraska. Kelly has been a National Parks Ranger and it is wonderful to see Yellowstone before the tourists come. Amazing events take place in and around the park, and I was up all night with her through her growing into a caring and loving young woman. She becomes attached to the group we know as the Nez Perce on their tragic journey to find peace in Canada. Their way of life is lovingly depicted, yet with vivid recounting of the shameful disaster that was the US treatment of the indigenous peoples.
If you are like me , you know that anything Carla writes will be intriguing and well written.
If you are like me , you know that anything Carla writes will be intriguing and well written.
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