This novel evokes the hardship of travelling in the later years of the Civil War, following a wagon train from Savannah to Arizona as the families try to escape the turmoil of the times. To begin with the people carry civilisation with them and organise themselves according to the rules they have lived by; but as the journey progresses survival becomes the priority and the unthinkable becomes reality.

MY SAVAGE HEART brings together Julie Marshall, driving a wagon after her brother's family Conestoga, and the wagon train leader Derek Arnhardt. Myles, Julie's brother, feels responsible for the girl and they all struggle through river crossings, heavy snow and family discord. Pregnant women and children work hard and the wagon train has already been reduced by sickness. Giving birth in the back of a wagon is difficult but there is no other option, and a man who seems just a loner on the trail reveals himself as crazed when he enters San Angelo and gets whisky. A ball is held here to welcome the pioneers, showing us the last remnant of their previous lives.

The times are well evoked with a continuous drip-feed of war news as the pioneers reach each town or fort. The South is gradually losing and they would have no homes to return to. One coloured man has accompanied his former owner as a servant, but she treats him badly and when he vanishes her automatic reaction is to demand that he is fetched back to be whipped. The 'lady', a clearly unsympathetic character, has a similar attitude to a squaw who aids the train, calling her an animal and a savage.

The landscape is a major element in the tale, with mountain passes, caves, saguaro, chaparral and Joshua trees, swollen rivers and defiant forts. When the travelers feast on a javelina they are delighted with the change from beef jerky, cornmeal and potatoes. By the time the news that the South has surrendered and Lincoln is dead reaches Julie, she has been through Indian massacres carried out by Cochise and the Chiricahua Apaches, and all she has left is her love for Derek.

For those who love the outdoors, history or a romance packed with danger, THIS SAVAGE HEART is a must-read.