Straight Reading from the Library: Savage Journey by Jessica Leigh

Savage Journey was supplied to The Library as part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jessica will be awarding a $15 Amazon GC to TWO randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other reviews on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

On the day of Katari's traumatic birth, a 12 year old orphaned boy named Nicholas Belline is caught stealing a beaver pelt by a merchant along the rough waterfront of Montreal. Guilty, he is forced into servitude as a French-Canadian Voyageur - an adventurer - with a band of uncivilized men within the wilderness along the mighty Saint Lawrence River. In a world fraught with peril at every step, he grows to manhood among the roughest of men, as a Coeurer de bois - a Runner of the Woods.

By the age of 17, Katari knows only one thing: she craves a life of adventure - outside the boundaries of her quiet, little family village. Although gifted with the talent of healing, passed on by generations before her, the restless Katari rejects her calling. When her twin brother, Grey Wolf, sets out on a journey of a lifetime to the bustling White trade settlement of New Amsterdam, Katari is by his side to experience it all. Little do they know that the eastern colonies are on the brink of war, and that their risk grows with every step.

On the very night of an English invasion, Nicholas Belline rescues an injured and unconscious Native girl from within the battered rigging of a horrendous accident brought about by the terror of the city's inhabitants. Little does he know that the keenly bright and passionate Lenni Lenape girl is about to change his life irrevocably, and set him forth on a fierce journey of his own. When Katari ultimately returns to her people, Nicholas must battle the demons of his childhood upbringing and change his untamed nature to win back the love of a woman like no other in a wild New World.

READ THE REVIEW

A special thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for bringing this talented author to The Library's attention. I had a hint that this book was the second in the series when Running Wolf spoke about Jenna's adventures, and I am excited to find I was right-- the story of Katari's parents is found in Savage Forest, the first book of the series. Savage Journey, however, is a completely standalone book, although I do want to get the first book.

This is a beautifully written story about a fated love. The characters are wonderfully drawn and I was really pulling for Katari and Nick to get together. He is definitely a man of honor, though, and it broke my heart when he sent her back to her people--thinking that because she was born of nobility and was a gifted healer that he was not good enough for her.

The action and adventure is page-turning and we find that Katari has more talents and gifts than even she knows. The book is relatively short (less than 300 pages) and I was able to read it in one sitting-- it was that good. I couldn't put it down and wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series and have plans to buy the first as soon as it's released on BN. 5 stars.


MEET THE AUTHOR

Jessica Leigh is an author, a professional freelance writer, and an environmental scientist with a degree from Penn State University (1993). Born and raised in Pennsylvania, she is an outdoorswoman, a nature enthusiast, and is an avid researcher into Native American cultural history in her state.

Jessica currently resides in Kempton, PA, with her four children and cat Rose Marie along a beautiful mountain stream near Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. She loves running, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and reading as much as possible.

Website ~ Facebook

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