This was Rogers’ first novel
and it became a best seller and an all time classic in modern historical romance.
Her writing is superb and her storytelling truly excellent. Published in 1974,
it was also one of the first to throw open the bedroom door and include subjects
like rape and violence against the heroine, all woven into an intricate plot.
Set in the late 1800s in the American West and Mexico (during the reign of the
Austrian who became Emperor Maximilian), it’s a fast-paced, moving story that will keep you reading
late into the night. However, there are some parts in this story where the hero
and heroine go through horrifying trials, so you have to be prepared.
Ginny Brandon was the French convent-raised
daughter of an ambitious US Senator from California who didn’t mind putting his
wife and daughter at risk to smuggle gold into Mexico to support the French
military working for Maximilian. On a wagon train from San Antonio to
California, Ginny and her stepmother will face more than the hardships and
Indians of the Western plains; they will face the schemes of men who want to
make sure Maximilian’s French troops never see that gold. One of those men is
Steve Morgan, a half-Mexican former Union Army officer who is working undercover
for the US government. Morgan has few scruples and almost no morals, taking women
when he wants them. Though he speaks French and lived in Paris for a time, he
also lived among the Comanches and has become a fast gun, so he can take care
of himself. Though Ginny is an innocent with many suitors, she is drawn to the
handsome Morgan who becomes the scout for her father’s wagon train. And Morgan
is all too willing to take advantage of the girl’s innocence.
With superb storytelling, Rogers
gives us a feel for the politics of the time and the life of the Mexicans and
those Americans who chose to live in the West while she weaves a complex tale
of a difficult, often combative, relationship between two strong-willed people.
Much of the novel is told through Ginny’s point of view as she and Steve ride
over the land, fleeing as escaped fugitives (she as his prisoner and plaything)
and then live in Mexico. Ginny is a courageous heroine, though at times
seemingly weak in moral fiber. Steve is a man deeply affected by his past, his
heritage and his many compromising decisions. Though he has some virtues (he is
courageous and loyal to his friends) he is very selfish and hedonistic and treats
Ginny badly.
It’s deep in the story before
there is any indication Steve feels more than lust for Ginny. Even then he
behaved the cad. It’s hard to consider him a “hero” under those circumstances.
(The real hero seemed to be his grandfather!) And unlike most romances that have
a happily ever after at the end, while the end is happy, it is not really the
end of the story of Ginny and Steve. Their story continues in DARK FIRES. The
whole series is listed below:
Morgan-Challenger Series:
Sweet Savage Love (1974) (Steve and Ginny)
Dark Fires (1975) (Steve and Ginny)
Wicked Loving Lies (1976) (Dominic Challenger
and Marisa)
Lost Love, Last Love (1980) (Steve and Ginny)
Bound by Desire (1988) (Steve and Ginny’s daughter)
Savage Desire (2000)
(Steve and Ginny)
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