Set in Oregon in 1885,
this is the story of Indigo Wolf, daughter of Hunter of the Wolf and his white
wife, Loretta, from Comanche Moon and Comanche Heart. When she
was younger, Indigo fell in love with a young man who broke her heart and
betrayed her trust, telling her she was just a “squaw” and good for only one
thing. Though his attempted rape was thwarted by her uncle, Swift Lopez, Indigo
is still scarred by the experience and wary of men who are attracted to her. She
has become her own woman, tending to the wild animals of the forest, wearing
Indian dress and helping her father with the mine.
When a series of mine
accidents have her father, Hunter, laid up with injuries, along comes Jake Rand
to offer his hand at managing the mine (though he seems to spend little time
doing that). In reality, Jake is the oldest son of a wealthy owner of mines,
many of which were purchased when the mine owner was in trouble, as Hunter is
now. While Jake originally came to purchase Hunter’s mine, when he finds out
his father may be causing the mine accidents, he comes in disguise to learn the
truth. He didn’t count on meeting the bewitching Indigo who soon has him
forgetting he has a fiancé back in Portland. And he shakes Indigo’s world, too.
(“The moment she first saw him, she had sensed it—an inexplicable something, a
strange feeling of recognition—as if her destiny had finally come calling.”)
As with the first two
books in the series, Anderson has captured the time period and the Comanche
culture with practiced expertise. She makes it look easy when it isn’t. We see
Wolf’s Landing and it’s unusual blending of cultures from Jake’s point of view,
a stranger to this part of Oregon. Jake is impressed by the love he witnesses
in the Wolf family. He has known poverty as well as wealth, but he has never
known such simple joys as the Wolf family shares. So when an unusual happening forces a "shotgun wedding" to Indigo, Jake steps up to do the noble thing even though Indigo rebels at the idea of marrying any man.
Anderson tells the story of Jake and Indigo beautifully with elegant dialog and believable twists and turns. And wonderful secondary characters! I loved
the family priest, Father O’Grady. He and Jake have a very funny conversation about
Indigo that had me laughing out loud.
It’s a great read and I recommend it! I
do, however, suggest reading them in order.
The Comanche Series:
Comanche Moon, 1991
Comanche Heart, 1991
Indigo Blue, 1992
Comanche Magic, 1994
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