Elise Laffont lives in fear of all men following the death of her physically and sexually abusive husband. Her scars leave her unable to ever submit to the touch of a man again... she thinks! While running her own farm with pride, tragic strikes as the Natchez attack Fort Rosalie in Louisiana killing French men, women and children and others in the area surrounding the fort, including Elise's property.
Since 13, Reynaud Chevalier, a half-Indian/half-French man of noble birth, has lived in France to be nurtured by his father, while his twin brother remained with the Natchez as the Great Sun and leader of the tribe. Infatuated with Elise, he bargains to lead the small surviving group to safety in New Orleans with the condition that Elise warm his bed and tend to his meals during travel. Many hazards confront the group as they fight their way in escaping, only to be separated. Elise finds herself caught in the war when Reynaud is called to duty to serve the Natchez as their war leader -- and she as a prisoner. Both recognize the feelings developing for each other and the sexual appetite they hold for one another as the atrocities of war again separate them. When Elise is rescued by the French, Reynaud is a prisoner being sold as a slave, and she is desperate to find a way to save her only love.
This story carries a great deal of history of the 1729 massacre of the French at Fort Rosalie and the incidents of torture, death and love surrounding both the French and the Natchez. The amazing transformation of Elise from a terrified woman to an imposing character of dedication, love and strength is portrayed with great skill on the part of Jennifer Blake. She writes a most intriguing and passionate novel.
Beautiful Elise Laffont seems too young and alive to be a
widow at the age of twenty-five. But she is not grieving the
loss of her husband. The man had been a complete cad, abusing
her delicate womanhood until she could not stand the thought
of a man's desire. And so, despite her youth she is quite
content to remain alone, managing her small Louisiana farm
undisturbed. Just when Elise has begun to seek out a small
bit of independence for herself, an uprising of the fierce
Natchez Indians forces her to flee the farm, which represents
all the happiness she has ever known. In order to escape
massacre, she must become the mistress of a frighteningly
commanding half-blood...
Reynaud Chavalier is the son of a French nobleman and a
Natchez princess. His imposing stature and rugged masculine
beauty prove irresistible to Elise. But with her history of
abuse at the hands of her late husband, will she allow
herself to be calmed by his reassuring caresses? All she
wants is to be left alone...until she feels the power of
true love.
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