In 1755 Albany, NY, Marisa Jameson overhears her step- uncle, John Rathburn, discussing with one of his henchmen plans to burn the fields and homes of a Dutch community. She then threatens Rathburn with her knowledge in order to take her maid, Sarah Strong, who is still indentured to him, to New Hampshire to find her a new position. Sarah became indentured to Rathburn after another of his schemes killed her parents, leaving Sarah to pay off the land debt to the wealthy financier.

Rathburn has raised Marisa since the death of her parents when she was young, but he has no loyalty to her. He responds to her threats by paying his henchman, Dick Thompson, to not only burn the fields but also to accompany Marisa and Sarah to New Hampshire and kill them before they arrive. Traveling through Indian territory is unsafe, especially during the war between the French and the English, so Dick hires Black Eagle of the Mohawk tribe as a scout. Dick doesn't know Black Eagle and Marisa have met and share a mutual attraction.

Trained in many English ways, Black Eagle sneaks into a going-away party before Marisa's journey to dance with her. She receives and relishes her first-ever kiss from him in the moonlight. After he has left, she seizes a small chance for freedom and runs after him. Thinking she will never see him again, she must take this chance for one night of passionate love. Black Eagle neglects to mention his position as scout for her morning's journey.

Gen Bailey delivers a solid debut novel with BLACK EAGLE, the first in the Warriors of the Iroquois series. Clearly the product of a well-to-do upbringing, Marisa has moments of imperiousness balanced with a generous heart towards her best friend and maid, Sarah. Not completely set in her ways, she has the willingness to change and grow once she understands what she values most. While Bailey portrays Black Eagle in typical Indian dress, carrying traditional weapons, she describes the Mohawk tribe with the respect it deserves. Many romances that include Indians require the heroine to "tame the wild savage," which sets my teeth on edge. Bailey, however, has done her research of the various Indian tribes and the time period, sharing Mohawk legends, beliefs and aspects of day-to-day life with the reader.

The plot moves at a steady pace, except for a few places where it lags before the journey begins. Gen Bailey (who also writes under the pen name of Karen Kay) does a nice job with dialogue and language, given the diversity of characters -- from those of Irish descent and the less-educated Dick Thompson. My one small gripe is Black Eagle's seeming worship of Marisa from the start, calling her Beauty, vision and enchantress, even after he knows her name. Overall, I enjoyed reading BLACK EAGLE, and I encourage any romance fans with an interest in history and/or Native Americans to pick up Bailey's novel.