A River to Cross
by Yvonne Harris
About the Author:
Yvonne Harris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Hartford and has taught throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic. Currently she teaches writing at a local college. She is a winner and three-time finalist of the Golden Heart Award. Before turning to fiction, she wrote articles for magazines. Although Yvonne and her husband live in New Jersey to be close to family, she was raised in Alabama and still considers herself a Southern writer.
Book Description:
Elizabeth Evan’s brother paid the ultimate price as editor of a newspaper exposing the dangers along the U.S.-Mexican border. Determined to take up his cause, she’s targeted and kidnapped by a rogue Mexican general – Manuel Diego. It’s the job of Texas Ranger Jake Nelson to protect the border against rustlers and marauders. With Elizabeth’s photograph in hand – a dark-haired beauty with smiling eyes – Jake and his men ride across the great river to rescue her, to apprehend Diego and bring him to justice. But Diego and his renegades are not about to give up that easily. Amid the turmoil, Jake finds himself taken by Elizabeth. And she by him. Yet his life as a Ranger doesn’t fit with marriage and settling down. Not at all.
My Thoughts:
I am drawn to stories about the old West, and this historical fiction about a Texas Ranger and a kidnapped newspaper editor definitely caught my attention. Unfortunately, I feel this story would be better classified as a historical romance novel rather than a historical fiction. Yes, there was a good bit of information about the Texas Rangers of old and the various tensions taking place on the U.S. – Mexican border during this time period, but the focus was more on the budding relationship between Jake and Elizabeth. It was a bit too “romancy” for my personal taste given that I thought I was going to be reading a historical fiction. Another issue was that several things in the story did not line up with the time period; they were a little too modern.
Putting aside these two issues, I did enjoy the story overall. It was a quick, easy read, and I did want to read it to the end. The characters were well developed, and you really did want to see them overcome the past issues with which they were dealing. The book was well written and flowed well from beginning to end.
I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own.
