Lakota Love Song

by Madeline Baker

Blush: This is a suggestive romance (love scenes are not graphic) Though she was born in the East, Kaylee Matthews took to the west like a duck to water. She loves the freedom of the wide open spaces, the beauty of the land. While riding with her neighbor, Randy, Kaylee discovers a wounded Indian. Against Randy’s wishes, Kaylee insists on taking the Indian to an empty line shack and nursing him back to health, the way she did with the all the wounded creatures she found. Wounded and left for dead, Blue Hawk is prepared to die even though it means abandoning all hope of avenging himself on the white men who betrayed him. While waiting for death, he receives a startling vision before losing consciousness. On awaking, he finds himself being tended by the white woman in his vision. When he’s strong enough to return home, Blue Hawk steals a horse and takes Kaylee with him, intending to trade her back to her family for weapons for his tribe. But somewhere along the way, distrust turns to love and attraction turns to desire, leaving them to wonder if they can heal old hurts and find a way to bridge the differences between them.

Genres: Historical Romance, Native American, Romance, Historical, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Indian Literature

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Madeline Ruth was born on 1963 in California, where she raised. She married her high school sweetheart and they have three sons, all handsome enough to be cover models. Growing up, her favorite pastimes were going to the movies and going horseback riding on Saturday mornings at Griffith Park. Madeline has always been "horse happy." A horse was the one thing she asked for on every birthday and every Christmas. Many years later, that dream came true when she bought an Appaloosa mare named Candy—because she was so sweet. Madeline loves animals. Over the years, she's had numerous dogs, cats, fish, mice, hamsters, turtles and birds, and her horse, of course. The most exotic pet was a crocodile that belonged to one of her sons. Currently, she has a terribly spoiled Pomeranian named Teddi, six goldfish, a catfish, and a betta. When she's not writing, Madeline enjoys going to movies and the theater. Her favorite plays are The Phantom of the Opera, The Scarlet Pimpernel and her all-time fave, Beauty and the Beast. She also loves reading, going to lunch with her best friend, collecting Star Wars, The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast memorabilia, and playing with the most beautiful, adorable, brilliant grandkids in the world.

Madeline started writing when her children were still at home, and she wrote for several years, finding time to write after her children were in bed and her husband was at work. In true cliché fashion, she wrote the books and put them under the bed, never telling anyone what she was doing, until one day she let a friend read one. Encouraged by her friend's comments, and armed with a copy of Writer's Market supplied by said friend, Madeline began sending out query letters. After six years and 31 rejections, Leisure Books bought Reckless Heart, and she's been writing ever since. After writing several Westerns, Madeline decided to try her hand at something else and wrote her first vampire romance. It was a short story titled "Masquerade" for an anthology. She loved writing that so much that she wrote her first full-length vampire romance, Embrace the Night, and thus Amanda Ashley was born. One of her dreams had been to write for Harlequin, and she accomplished that in 2003 with the publication of her Silhouette Romance novel, Dude Ranch Bride. Madeline loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her online at DarkWritr@aol.com or by mail at PO Box 1703, Whittier, CA 90609-1703.

Reviews

[MelissaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaylee Matthews is out riding with her friend Randy one day when she comes upon a wounded Indian. She cannot stand the thought of letting the Indian die, so she has the reluctant Randy help her take him to an abandoned cabin. The Indian has been shot a few times, so Kaylee gets her mother who knows about healing to help patch him up. She makes her mother promise not to tell her step-father because he doesn't like Indians and would probably kill him. As Kaylee helps the Indian recover, she feels a connection with him.

Blue Hawk was betrayed by a white man who promised to trade him guns that he wanted to use to feed and protect his people. While he was laying wounded, he saw a blonde white woman come to him in a vision and was told to follow her to find his way. When he wakes up in a shack tied to a bed, he sees the white woman from his dreams helping him. He doesn't trust white men but Kaylee's kindness shows him that she is different than other white people. He needs to return to his people so as soon as he is able to get up, he steals a horse and kidnaps Kaylee. However, he overestimated his ability to ride and soon passes out. Kaylee feels bad for Blue Hawk and will not leave him to die in the wilderness, so she promises to help him return to his people. Once they get to Blue Hawk's camp, he has decided that he wants to keep her and refuses to let her leave. They have a very powerful connection to each other, which helps Kaylee realize that she doesn't want to leave Blue Hawk's side.

Blue Hawk's Lakota tribe decides to meet up with Crazy Horse so he and Kaylee move with his tribe. Kaylee agrees to marry Blue Hawk as soon as they reach Sitting Bull's camp because she loves him. Blue Hawk feels that they are meant for each other because she came to him in a vision and they have a special connection that allowed her to call to him when she was in danger. Blue Hawk and Kaylee are part of the Lakota people that camp near the Battle of Little Big Horn where Custer is defeated. Blue Hawk rides against the whites, which causes Kaylee to search her heart and accept him as a warrior even if it means killing other whites. But despite the big Indian victory, Blue Hawk's people are being hunted and attacked by whites and he sees the future of his people getting grimer. He needs to build a new future with his beloved Kaylee and survive the death of his people's way of life.

I really enjoyed this western/Native American romance. The lead couple had a very nice romance story. They do decide they are meant for each other fairly quickly but the story follows their romance long after the initial I Love You's and marriage, so we get to see them grow as a couple. I like how much they love and respected each other, Kaylee always accepts Blue Hawk as the Lakota warrior he is and never gets mad a him for following the ways of his people. Blue Hawk loves Kaylee and does what he needs to make her happy, even when it causes great danger to himself. I thought it was cute that they were both virgins the first time they made love, it added a special note to their romance especially seeing a virgin hero.

This story has a sweeter romance, there is no angst or drama between Blue Hawk and Kaylee. Their biggest problems are overcoming the differences in their ways of life and finding a place to live together as a couple. Blue Hawk struggles greatly with the changes to his way of life, which seemed realistic and well-done to me. I enjoyed all of the story and would recommend it to people who enjoy a nice romance and a western setting with a strong Native American hero. The author did a great job incorporating historical events and bringing to life the Lakota camp where Kaylee and Blue Hawk lived for months. One word of advice: the book was just rereleased and is much more expensive because it was made into a trade paperback, so save yourself some money and get it used in the mass-market paperback size.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

++Spoilers++

4,5 stars

I really loved this book. Not quite a 5 star read for reasons I will later explain.

Tales of native Americans are always heartbreaking for me. There is no happy ending for these people. It breaks my heart how this beautiful race of people were treated, and thrown into virtual extinction.

Don't get me wrong, this book does have a HEA for the h & H romantically but I just felt so depressed about Blue Hawks people, even he knew there was no future for Native Americans.

But anyway..

The first half of the book I liked best. I loved reading about what life was like living with the Lakotas. I was so glad the heroine chose her heart and decided to stay with Blue Hawk and his people (if only for a while).

Their love was beautiful, fated. He just lived and breathed her and she him.

They were both vigins and each others firsts, and I have to say this author deserves a tremendous amount of praise on how she handled it. She did it PERFECTLY. How? By not making a big deal about it. For example, in the first loving scene she says to him.."I've never.." and he says "neither have I.. we will find our way together." PERIOD! He's not a virgin because he was tormented, cold, insane, abused, scarred, an outcast.. nor is he overly religious or pious. He just was a virgin. Why is it that authors nowadays feel that being a male virgin means something is wrong with him. I didn't question it at all. I totally accepted it as a reader. I also LOVED that there is absolutely NO mention of past women. In one instance, Kaylee asked.."did you ever court any women?" his answer.... "no." That was it! I Loved it!!! There was no jealousy of ex girlfriends or other women who wanted him or lusted after him. WELL DONE!!! A breath of fresh air!

There was however a question Kaylee asked Blue Hawk about having multiple wives. She asked if his people have more than one wife. He said yes. And basically it was said he only wanted her, and she said she didn't want to share him. He goes on to explain how she could, if she wanted, have more than one husband (not that he'd want it, it was just an explaination of his people's customs). Needless to say, they only wanted each other.

I started getting anxiety when Kaylee (heroine) thought Blue Hawk was dead and decided to go back home with the army. But fear not! All works out in the end. I wont give out too much, so as to not ruin it for you, but no worries. Trust me.

What brought down the stars for me was a combination of things. First, much of the book has the heroine acting exactly as I would have until about 65%. Until she wanted to go home. I couldn't fault her for wanting to make sure her mother was ok, but part of me was hoping they would stay with his tribe. They didn't. In truth, it was impossible, and the H & h knew that. It would have been a life of constant war for Blue Hawk, and as much as I wanted them to go back to the indians, it could have meant him being killed in a fight. So I guess I really can't lower a star because of this, it was logical for them to stay in the "white world." But I HAD to lower a half a star for how quickly the townspeople changed from lynching Blue Hawk to accepting him. It was too fast. I'm glad it was fast and that they did accept him, but it felt unrealistic. I also felt the heroine whimped out by giving into the sherriff. I wanted them to run off together, back to his tribe after escaping him the first time.

Well.. it all worked out in the end anyway.

On a technical note, the story has lots of wonderful history that is interlaced with the story as to not sound like a history lesson. I loved it but others may not. The pace was slow and steady up until about 90% and then we get slammed with all sorts of emotional issues that literally get resolved by the near end. The conflict was pretty good, mild at times but enough to keep me interested.

The epilogue was ok. I would have rather have had a few more chapters than this summary crammed full of what happened 2 years later. All good things! Happiness, babies.. etc.. but I still left this read with such sorrow about how Kaylee and Blue Hawks children will not be raised in indian fashion. The loss of his culture just weighed heavy on my heart, just as it did for him.
But logically he knew the world was changing and his children would have a better life raised in the white world.

Overall I loved this book, I would definately would recommend and will look into more of this authors work.


Safety

Hero-Virgin
Heroine-Virgin
OW-NONE WHATSOEVER
Cursing-No
Violence- Yes. Talk of scalping, mutilating, but not detailed in description.
Rape-No
Adultry-No
HEA- Yes for the romance, no for the Native Americans as a whole. But we already know this.
Marriage-Yes - In the traditional Native American fashion
Babies-Yes

[Lady Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 / 5

It's not often that I give an "all romance" novel a 5/5 rating, but, in this case, I quite had to.

The beginning is just as harlequin as you please--more or less insta-romance, and a general focus on getting the protagonists together.

But then, midway through the book, we shift gears and focus on what I love the most about any Native American fiction: the culture and the history.

Basically, after Kaylee and Blue Hawk are well underway with their romance and join up with his people, they meet the historical figure of Sitting Bull, and take part in the Little Big Horn battle. (Luckily, they're not chief players in it or anything, because, much as artistic and historical liberties are permitted, I don't think any author wants to take the chance of rewriting actual history.)

After that, the entire latter half of the novel, whilst having the familiar and comforting touches of romance here and there, also deals with the cultural boundaries between the two and how fitting into one another's worlds isn't the easiest thing. There's action and adventure and some moments that are really tense to get through, but the ending's worth it.

What I appreciated most about this read is that nothing was annoying as far as the characters' relationship went. Kaylee and Blue Hawk are a great couple because they are united in their decisions together. There are no instances of betrayal, misunderstandings, or any other romance cliches that keep characters apart; instead, it's the circumstances of their time and place that work against them, but they fight against this as a team in order to stay together. I really like how, even though they're stubborn, what they care about the most is each other, and that's the kind of couple that I can really support. It just goes to show you that you don't need things to be over-complicated for a romance story to be interesting. No third wheels, no "you're important but something else is more important", no leaving each other, and no other bullshit plot devices. It was, in short, a pleasurable read for what it was, and I truly appreciate that.

Recommended to Native American romance fans.

[CiCi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good representation of Native American frontier on a mild, sweet way of telling old stories about red-skinned injuns. Everything about this book is retold in such a mellow, saccharine fashion which the readers can't help but sigh along the way and let their hearts be melted by the delicious, brave, Lakota warrior named Blue Hawk. There's not so much brutality, no rape, no explicit detailed scenes about war, or even the sex scenes are so sweet.

This is retold on the eyes of a girl in love with an enemy, a Stockholm syndrome case is pronounced however with a good view of ugliness on both world, white men and red-skinned injun. This is a good book if you want to read the goodness of these savages and explore their culture, customs, loyalty, and their thoughts on everything on these world. I love their expression on continuity of life from the smallest to the biggest creature who live and left this place.

“The Power of the World is found in a circle. The nests of birds are round, our lodges are round because there is strength in a circle. The four winds circle the earth. The sun, the moon, the earth and the sky are earth. The sun, the moon, the earth and the sky are round. The bodies of plants and animals are round. Everything in nature, save Inyan, the rock, is round.”

Like Kaylee, I thought the same, Why I never noticed it before?

“Man’s life is a circle,” the old one went on. “When I was a child, my mother cared for me. When I was a young man, I cared for my children. Now that I am old, my children care for me. From life to death is also a circle. When we are born, Mother Earth nourishes us. When we die, our bodies nourish the earth, so that the next generation might have life.”

These people lived because they not think for themselves, but they take care of everything around them. They give what they've got and never ask for more than they need. They respect the creatures who lived before them and give prayers to their gods. They are not godless and not all of them were murderers. They just protect their own.

[Elise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was fairly engaging -- it did hold my attention until the end. I always like learning more about different cultures and this book gives a historical account of some Native American people/tribes. I also like the heroine, Kaylee a lot. Her character was well-developed and I could sense her love, dedication and compassion. While fictional the story is based on real life and it was heartbreaking to read of Blue Hawk's family and culture being stripped away due to violence and greed. Yet, Blue hawk was brave enough and sensible enough (not to mention in love) to see that, however painful, he must embrace a new way of life. I suppose in the end, love does, indeed, conquer all.

Whenever I read historical fiction, such as this, I am compelled to review it in light of modern day life. To see how much has changed and how much remains the same. In the end, I usually come to see that while some things have changed, we still have work to do.

I look forward to more from this author.

[Ana M. Román · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pesar de las ganas que le tenía no me ha defraudado. Me ha encantado ❤️

[heather ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, though a few things did irk me a bit. Mostly the fact that Kaylee was taken into the Lakota lifestyle with no resistance by the indians whatsoever. Blue Hawk was protecting her sure, but you'd expect at least some unfriendly looks at least. Otherwise I thought the story was very sweet, if a bit fast between the two of them.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I want to say that I am a big fan of Native American historical romances. There is something about these kind of stories that just speaks to me. I like how the hero, being a full blooded Native American man - or in some cases, half - falls in love with the heroine, whom is a white woman. Back in those times it was scandalous to love a Native, yet alone befriend one. I like how our hero and heroine comes from two entirely different worlds and cultures, learn to mesh both their worlds together to create something beautiful and learns to overcome the hate and prejudiced they may suffer at the hands of others whom condone their relationship. So it came to no surprise that I really, an I mean really LOVED Lakota Love Song by Madeline Baker. I have never read any of her books, but I have been 'eye balling' this one for months, which I didn't want a kindle version of it as I had a feeling I would want a physical paperback copy of it, which I managed to find, thank heavens!

Blue Hawk and Kaylee were drawn to each other from the very beginning. He had hate in his eyes for all white man, but when his eyes would land on Kaylee, you would see gentleness in them. From the start he was never hateful or cruel to her, never raising a hand or threatening her in any way - like some do in other books -, he was always kind and patient with her. Kaylee was just as taken with him as he was with her, she loved his dark mysterious mesmerizing eyes and long raven hair. Originally he was going to bargain with the white men for guns in exchange for Kaylee, but as fate has it, there is other plans in store, which brings Blue Hawk around to realizing that he wants to keep Kaylee, he wants her as his wife, and they marry the Lakota way. Throughout the book, Blue Hawk teaches Kaylee how to survive living as his people does and teaches her the Lakota language. As you get to know Blue Hawk, he comes across as a bit mischievous at times with Kaylee, how he can sneak upon her without her even hearing him approach her, how he teases her, and when he gets that mischievous spark in his eye when he wants some lovin' from his wife.

You can tell that he really cares deeply for her when he decides to return her back to her people and learn to live his life as a 'white man', even though he longs to live out in the open under the stars, he knows it is important for Kaylee to live near her family (he has lost many of his people due to war, starvation, and false promises from the American government) plus it would be safer to raise their family that way.

One thing I loved about the book is how the title is explained. Blue Hawk states that a young Indian brave will sit outside his loves tepee playing her a beautiful 'love song' melody on a flute while courting her. Kaylee finds the music beautiful and asks Blue Hawk if he would play her a love song even though they are married - which it never states he does, but he agree that he would. I for one, would love to hear the beautiful music of the Lakota's love song.

Another favorite scene of mine that I want to mention is when after Kaylee returns home, 2 young women come to visit her - technically they aren't really her friends but she is familiar with them. Their real purpose is to question her about her stay with the Indians, asking questions as if they really eat their young, what do they look like, and how they live. Kaylee is lost at words on what to tell them, when Blue Hawk sneaks into the house - which she sees him - and she goes on to telling them tales to startle them all the while Blue Hawk is in the background, mimicking the tales Kaylee is telling, while grinning and silently chuckling at the two womens' expressions of horror. I just loved that part, it had me chuckling, plus it shows his mischievous playful side as well.

While reading this, I was already familiar with some of the characters and places that Madeline penned - Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer, and Little Big Horn by watching the mini series on tv 'The American West', which really piqued my interest and made everything 10 times interesting. I for one, know I will be looking into more books by Madeline Baker in the near future as I absolutely enjoyed reading this Native American story.

For more romance book reviews, please visit Swoon Worthy Romances

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after reading Madeline Baker's Native American romance novel First Love, Wild Love. First thing's first, both books are great. But this book had more plot threads happening that tied up in a satisfying way than First Love, Wild Love did. I see First Love, Wild Love as a A-B love story. But Lakota Love Song was a love story with opening and closings in regards to concepts (Mato's vision) and character arcs (Shaun Randall).

Lakota Love Song is about a young woman named Kaylee who comes across a wounded Lakota warrior named Blue Hawk. She takes him into a nearby shack to dress and clean his wounds, despite the fact that her people and his people are at war. Blue Hawk is intrigued with her, mostly because he saw her once in a vision. When Blue Hawk attacks Kaylee's friend Randy, Blue Hawk threatens the young man's life, making Kaylee promise to return him to his people in exchange for Randy's life. During the time spent with Blue Hawk and the Lakota, Kaylee notices Blue Hawk's kindness and gentleness towards her, and they slowly discover feelings for one another, in the midst of constant strife between their people.

This story definitely had its tedious moments, like the detailed descriptions of the Native American way of life (which is okay in small amounts, but this book decided it wanted to be a textbook for a few pages instead of a novel) and the daily grind of an army recruit. But there were plenty of tender moments, sad moments, and intense moments. And the last quarter of the book was actually very well done! I was worried it would be like the last quarter of First Love, Wild Love, but thankfully it was not! Oh, and beware of repetition. Because this book and First Love, Wild Love are both about a Lakota male lead, the author practically copies and pastes plenty of details from one to the other, such as descriptions of the Black Hills, Crazy Horse, and the Sun Dance. That makes parts of the story skimmable. She did sneak a few new things, though, so there's that I guess.....

Would I read this book again? Sure! The love story was sweet and didn't rush itself. There were a lot of memorable moments, so I definitely recommend this to historical romance lovers!

Also...the ending was not something I would have predicted EVER. It's not a twist, but it's an event that almost takes place...scary!

[Malory · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if I can describe in how many ways this story went wrong. To start, I didn't begin the book with the expectation that it was going to be a work of art and one of the greatest literature of all time. I did expect a cute story with interesting and lovable characters with a heavy romantic theme. What I received was...less than stellar.

The character's were very flat, not much to them. However, that wasn't the main crux of the story. The plot went way too fast. She found the injured Indian on like page 5, couple pages later nursed him back to health, a chapter later he escaped with her as his captive, and then 1/4 way through the book they made love (in a paragraph and in the woods, what a great place for their first time!) I wanted to learn more about the characters, what made them tick, their backgrounds before they met. Her caring for Blue Hawk could have gone on for awhile, giving the characters time to overcome any hostilities toward one another. Then, the best moment was when they were out on their own between worlds, this is the moment where they can connect with each other, so who they really are outside of responsibilities and culture. But they were on their own for one night! And all of a sudden she's thrust into his world and having to cope and then they fall madly in love.

I couldn't even finish the book, I threw it down in disgust and contemplated re-writing the story to fit my own perception of how the book should have read. I would not recommend this book to anyone who has the faintest grip on reality.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lakota Love Song (Paperback)
If you like Indian history, you will love this book. If you are looking for a quick "Handsome Indian Grabs Beautiful White Maiden", you might be disappointed.

This was a real love story about two people of different customs and races, and the difficulties they found trying to fit into either world. In this book, you find yourself pulling for one side and then the other, only to discover that there really is no right or wrong side.

I personally found the book fascinating and would highly recommend it to all history buffs, who like a lot of hot romance thrown in. Comment Comment | Permalink

[Bruna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had problems with the writing . It almost sounded like the sentences were copy and pasted. No dimension, just flat. . I don't know how to explain...its just not captivating. In "Comanche Moon" the hero spoke with an accent and English was convincingly portrait as a second language. In this book, the hero sentences are so elaborated and perfect. Its just not convincing. A disappointment.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was something refreshing but also off-putting about this book, and I'm still not sure what it was. I appreciated the absence of too much unnecessary melodrama and shrewish behavior from the heroine, and I liked that the hero was actually a nice guy while also being a warrior badass...but it didn't really have any emotional tug. It was sweet and a pleasant way to pass the time, and there are parts I wouldn't mind reading again, but it lacked that certain something that would make me rank it higher. If you like Native American romances, though, it's a solid read.

[Lynsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off quite promising, but unfortunately after a while I found that it didn't really hold my interest. It was very predictable and formulaic, plus I think the author tried to pack too much into it.

[Maddux · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not connect with these characters at all. I wasn't given a chance to.

I felt more for the heroine's mother and step-father than I did for the hero and heroine.

The ending turned out nice, but I skimmed to get to it.

2 stars from me, but don't let that deter you from enjoying.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having a hard time staying interested in this book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite book in the world. its a good read.

[S.L. Barrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a well written romance, and well researched. There was a lot of interesting information relating to the Lakota culture, interspersed throughout.
I liked that the author didn't shy away from the harsh realities of how both native Americans and American settlers perceived one another and interacted, whilst not being too graphic for the genre.
I enjoyed the inclusion of Lakota language and cultural stories, which I felt added depth and further meaning to the story.
There were a few heartbreaking moments, which touched on depictions of historical events.
Overall, it was an engaging historical romance. One of the better ones I have read.

[Herma · Rating 4 out of 5]

cerita bermula saat Kaylee dan Randy, sepasang pria dan wanita kulit putih yang tengah berkuda dihutan secara tidak sengaja menemukan seorang lelaki Indian Lakota bernama Blue Hawk yang terluka dan tak sadarkan diri.

semula randy menolak untuk menolongnya, bahkan dia sempat bersikeras untuk membunuh lelaki indian tsb, namun usaha tsb dihalangi kaylee. akhirnya dengan berat hati dan tetap waspada ia terpaksa mengikuti kemauan teman wanitanya.

kemunculan Blue Hawk diareal ranch Double R bukan tanpa sebab. dia berencana melakukan barter dengan seorang wasichu - sebutan bagi kaum Indian untuk orang kulit putih, namun diketahui ternyata orang tsb mengkhianati perjanjian dengan merampas kuda kuda milik Blue hawk yang seharusnya akan dibarter dengan senjata. selain merampas, nyawa Blue Hawk pun menjadi taruhannya.

saat pertama kali membuka mata dan melihat Kaylee, Blue Hawk seperti melihat pertanda yang selalu dibisikan oleh Mato (barangkali Mato ini seperti dewanya kaum Indian. saya kurang paham juga sebenarnya) yang mengatakan: "ikuti wanita itu".

pada akhirnya meski belum sembuh benar, Blue Hawk berusaha membebaskan dan melepaskan dirinya dari kedua wasichu yang telah menolongnya. Kaylee disandera kemudian ikut dalam perjalanan kembali ke Lakota. sementara Randy ditinggalkan sendiri dihutan.

berbagai petualangan yang dialami kaylee dan Blue Hawk pada akhirnya menimbulkan benih kasih diantara keduanya. meski dengan segala perbedaan yang menelatarbelakangi mereka tak bisa melawan rasa ketertarikan yang kuat. romantisme yang terjalin pada keduanya terasa chemistrynya bahkan hubungan sex yang terjadi pun terasa indah untuk dibaca.

saya bisa setuju dengan review salah seorang pembaca disini yang mengatakan hampir tidak ada konflik berarti disepanjang buku berformat ebook yang berdurasi 198 halaman ini. masalah sebenarnya baru timbul setelah terjadinya penculikan Kaylee namun tindakan Shaun, ayah tiri Kaylee beseerta para koboi lainnya dalam usaha pencarian gadis tsb digambarkan dalam porsi yang terlalu singkat menurut saya. seakan akan penulis hanya memberikan detil sekedarnya mengenai Shaun dalam usahnya menemukan jejak putri tirinya dibandingkan porsi romantisme dan petualangan kaylee-Blue Hawk.

ada beberapa kejadian yang terasa memilukan bagi saya yang membacanya, yaitu ketika kelompok Shaun berhasil menemukan jejak Kaylee diperkampungan Indian dan mereka membunuh serampangan baik pria, wanita, tua dan muda demi membalas perbuatan Blue Hawk. begitu juga pada saat tentara union menyerang dan kaum Indian pun melawan balik. bulu kuduk saya terasa merinding saat membaca para wanita Indian menguliti kepala tentara union yang telah menyerah. entah sebagai balas dendam atau sekedar koleksi. namun bisa dibayangkan bagaimana horornya kejadian itu.

menjelang sepertiga akhir buku konflik mulai tertuju langsung kepada Blue Hawk. sekembalinya kaylee kerumah orang tuanya menimbulkan datangnya masalah baru namun juga membuka pintu misteri tentang hilangnya kawanan sapi. dengan bantuan Blue Hawk, Shaun belakangan mengetahui dalang sebenarnya dibalik semua itu tanpa disangka pencurinya adalah Garth Jackson

Lakota Love Song sebenarnya bukan buku pertama karangan Madeline Baker yang saya baca. beberapa tahun lalu saya sempat membaca Feather in the Wind yang mengambil tema roman dibalut time travel namun saya belum sempat menuliskan reviewnya disini.

untuk rating saya memberi 4 bintang pada novel historikal ini. masih belum sempurna dimata saya namun saya cukup menikmati dalam membacanya.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. It was a little boring and I skimmed quite a bit. The last part of the book was much better. It was told in 3rd person with multiple points of view. The thing is, if I had read this 20 years ago it would probably have been a favorite. It just reads like a much older book.

[Alessandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

[S— · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I thought we were were clear that I came out here to have fun reading ROMANCE GENRE expecting an easy instant HEA but I'm feeling so attacked right now. WELCOME BOOK HANGOVER which I'm having them double right now!

What the fuck am I crying

The thing is I thought I could get away with not reading something Little Bighorn or of Crazy Horse *cough the sequel of Hundred in the Hand cough* by reading a romance (which I thought it would give a secured HEA) set in that timeline instead because the sequel of Hundred in the Hand is rather angsty and I'm a sensitive fluff ball HOWEVER . . I AM DEAD WRONG BYE WORLD.

There's no future. There's nothing to look forward to except life on the reservation, which is no life at all.

Okay the angst level is satisfying and super cynical. I almost gave everything thumps up but the writing was done sloppily in the first half of the book not to mention how brief each chapter was, if an appropriate amount of details could fill in those gaps the book would be so good and dense at around 500~600 pages paperback. The first half of the book all characters also appear mechanical/robotic as hell meanwhile the second half illustrates pathos aspects so well so vividly that I see colours of depression and hopelessness.

With the sin of the first half 1 star is off (I'm picky), this is a solid 4.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this one :) this was my first madeline baker book that i had read but i was really impressed (and it makes me wanna read more of the NA book genres now)
i like the story .. and it seemed to flow really well .. i like the mix of action and adventure and the romance ... though wasnt heavy on the sex scenes was really lovely to read (and was enough to imagine)

the ending was a lil too quick and a lil too wrapped up for me but was nice when i read the epilogue
(wont say too much for the ppl that havent read it)
i then went to looked up another of her books apache flame and brought it on my kobo as well

would recommend to anyone that loves a good historical or a hot native american romance :)

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! From start to finish I was engrossed in it. I love how much effort Madeline Baker put into the book as far as Lakota history, values, their ways ect. Many authors would have just generalised the tribe as a typical Native American tribe. Not this author. Her style of writing is also just incredible.

The love story between Kaylee and Blue Hawk starts with her saving him from death, and in return, he kidnaps her. How adorable, right? They soon fall for each other and Kaylee quickly learns what it means to be Lakota, the good and the bad. Their journey will grip you until the very last page.

(Oh and by the way Miss Baker, very nice sexy scenes you put it in there! *wink, wink*)

If you haven't already, I thoroughly suggest you read this book!!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming heroic journey filled with love and the beginnings of an understanding of different people.
There are always two sides to a story. Young Kaylee was raised believing the Indians were savage and killed for the pleasure of it, but soon she learns it is not so. After saving Blue Hawk, she lives with his people and shares their pain and joy. Their people are accepting of her where her people shoot first and ask questions later. But the love these two share soon makes all the difference for their growing family.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

My first from this author and I really enjoyed her writing. I would have liked to see how the couple fell in love more, with more of them getting to know each other but that's just me. I still felt their love and really liked how strong the heroine was and never doubted blue hawk at all.

All in all a great Native American romance that kept a good pace and was not your average captive story.. in fact, she was willing from the get go for her own reasons, but it made sense. Will definitely look into more from this author!

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book

I enjoy learning more about Lakota history. Overall, the characters were engaging, especially Blue Hawk. The HEA is imperfect, bittersweet, underscoring the difficulties of this time in US history.

[Anuradha · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Abandoned the book*

I read 12 chapters & I really wanted to like this book. But nothing motivated me to go on. It's a textbook example of Native American - White romance. Old wine in a new bottle. I'm beginning to feel that once you've read a few, you've read them all.

[Taramisu · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 4%

I've read books with worse writing, so chances are I stopped reading too early. But this is all tell and no show. The characterization is superficial, leading you to not feel anything for these people. The dialogue is modern with a random "reckon" thrown in for effect.

[Jessa ♥ EvilDarkSide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic historical romance. Good story, sweet and mushy type romance that I really enjoyed.