This review is of “Comanche Bride”, a standalone from January 1989 by Emma Merritt.
The book starts at an undisclosed time-later stated as sometime after the Civil War-as a caravan is making its way from Chandlerville, Texas to Mexico on a humanitarian mission. (There is a cholera epidemic in Mexico). Seven people are in the caravan; six men and Dr. Zoe Ellen Randolph, the heroine of the book. They won’t make it to Mexico, however; the caravan is attacked by Comanche Indians, the six men are killed and Zoe is taken hostage. She is taken to a Comanche village, where two men will fight for her. One of the men is Matt Chandler, the hero of the book (Matt is half-white and half-Comanche). Matt wins the fight, but then he has to marry and make love with Zoe to seal his victory. Matt soon discovers that marrying Zoe has an added benefit; it helps him get revenge against Weber Fielding, a man Matt has a long history of bad blood with, and Zoe’s fiance.
Soon after their marriage in the Comanche camp, Matt takes Zoe to Candelaria, Mexico to complete her humanitarian mission there. A near-tragedy occurs when Zoe is bitten by a snake, falls and hits her head, suffering a concussion. Matt later takes her back to Chandlerville, Texas-named after his family-where she recovers. While there, Matt reconciles past issues with his stepmother, Dora, and grandfather, Uriah. We also learn why Weber wants to marry Zoe; it’s not because he loves her. When Zoe tells Weber she won’t marry him, he doesn’t take it well.
In the end, Zoe kills Weber after his henchman shoots Matt in a violent confrontation. Matt recovers from his wounds, and he and Zoe have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: When “Comanche Bride” was published. romance publishers were beginning to veer away from the-to use a Victorian term-”fresh out of the schoolroom” heroines and toward different types of female leads. Zoe is one of them. She is 29, a doctor, and very independent. Both she and Matt are developed, mature characters.
Downside: There isn’t a lot of hot passion or chemistry between Zoe and Matt. Having read several of Ms. Merritt’s books, I can say with some certainty that hot passion and chemistry between leads aren’t strengths of Ms. Merritt’s writing.
Sex: Three love scenes involving Zoe and Matt. They are mildly graphic.
Violence: Abduction, assault and battery, and multiple killings take place. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There are things to like about “Comanche Bride”, but also enough negatives to bring the book’s final grade down.