Set in Missouri in the years following
the Civil War, beginning in 1870, this is the story of two people wounded in
both spirit and body. Jenny Leigh Colter was a plain girl in a family of
handsome men and beautiful women. It was a family she loved. But a brutal
Yankee colonel took her sisters from her and the war took her brothers. Without
funds and only her two former servants for companions, she answers an ad for a
schoolteacher needed in the Ozarks.
On the way to her new position, the
Morgan gang, former Confederate heroes who now make their as outlaws, robs
Jenny’s train. However, one of them, Luke Morgan, returns all the money they
took from those who served the South. Luke notices Jenny right away and her
plainness does not repel him having been married to an unfaithful beauty, but
he knows she has seen his face and can report him to the authorities. When he
discovers she is the new teacher in town, he considers marrying her to prevent
her testifying against him.
These two wounded souls help each
other. It’s an endearing romance and a story of healing and hope. Luke is a worthy hero and Jenny a compelling heroine, a true survivor. She includes some
great secondary characters, too. Brandewyne often tells the story from the perspective of the narrator. Be aware, the flashbacks to what happened
in the war are vivid and brutal.
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