Beloved Intruder

Beloved #4

by Joan Van Nuys

Fleeing scandal and tragedy, Hope Caldwell brings her medical skills to the proud native people of the Pennsylvania frontier. But danger surrounds the gentle healer in this savage, inhospitable land. And she trembles with fear and desire in the presence of a magnificent brave whose golden eyes burn with passion's hungry fire.

A warrior dedicated to driving the unwanted white settlers from Indian lands, Firewalker aches to possess the beautiful, midnight-haired maiden who stands defiantly before him. For she is his destiny, foretold in a sacred vision. And though scorn and peril threaten their union, he will defend to the death his cherished prize—to know the ecstasy of a bold and breathtaking love that the spirits decreed and his noble heart demands.

Genres: Historical Romance

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[Kris Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book at a senior retirement home where my grandmother lives. It was donated, among with many other books, for anyone to take and read. For some reason this book stood out to me, and after getting permission to borrow it, I took it and fell in love. I was surprised I loved it so much because I though it was just going to be some standard romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. Joan Van Nuys has done a remarkable job, with not only telling a very well researched historical story, but a very realistic portrayal at what it would have been like for a white woman and an Indian to have been in a relationship.

With every chapter she had me guessing constantly what might happen next, and never did I once feel as if the story was dragging along. To anyone who wants to read a great historical romance drama, this book is definitely right up your alley.

[**Sognatrice di libri** · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia molto accattivante e intrigante.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blamed for a patient’s death and labeled a quack and a murderess, Hope and her father move to the Pennsylvania wilderness to escape the hostility of Pittsburgh. While her father continues his practice as a physician, Hope begins teaching reading and writing English to a young Lenape girl named Flower. Flower’s older brother, Firewalker, initially disapproves of these lessons but eventually relents and decides he wants to learn too. He and Hope are attracted to each other even though they don’t get along.

Firewalker’s older brother, War Cloud, is a jealous drunk who trades with a Frenchman named Jacques. The two men both hate Firewalker. Jacques pretends to be a nice guy but he secretly hates Natives and wants to marry Hope simply because she’s pretty. War Cloud and Firewalker’s widowed mother Walks Alone has a vision of one of her sons dying while the other and Hope are present, and interprets this as one of her sons killing the other over Hope.

Hope visits the Lenape village when their chief, Firewalker’s uncle, is close to death due to tetanus. She is able to heal him and is given the protection of the Lenape and an open invitation to visit or live with them. War Cloud’s jealousy increases until he plots with Jacques to “get rid” of Hope.

Jacques proposes to Hope multiple times and gets pushy, but she rejects him. She eventually sleeps with Firewalker. Jacques attempts to sabotage Firewalker by destroying Hope and her father’s cornfield and putting the blame on him, and then spreading a rumor that Hope is Firewalker’s “squaw” and an “Indian lover” (without realizing she actually has slept with him).

Fleeing a hostile community yet again, Hope goes to live with the Lenape. Firewalker is initially not happy to see her as he is told by War Cloud, falsely, that Hope promised to marry Jacques after Firewalker “claimed” her. They eventually work things out and proclaim each other as husband and wife. War Cloud becomes even more jealous and vindictive towards Firewalker after he is stripped of his chance of becoming chief due to his drinking problem and plots with Jacques to hire a rival tribe to shoot the local farmers’ livestock with Firewalker’s arrows to frame him.

The plan works - except the rival tribe also shoots two children, which nearly gets Firewalker lynched. War Cloud has a change of heart and defends him. Hope is kidnapped by the rival tribe, the Mengwes, whose chief is a man named Stands Tall who raped Walks Alone and fathered Firewalker. Jacques had showed up to try to once again convince her to marry him and tries to abandon her but the Mengwes shoot him and kill him.

Firewalker goes to rescue her. He sees that Hope has been forced to run the gauntlet, and when Stands Tall strips her in front of everyone he starts to attack. Someone throws a tomahawk at him but War Cloud shoves him out of the way and is hit instead. Walks Alone’s premonition comes true and she initially blames Hope, but War Cloud uses his last breath to confess his betrayal.

There is a mourning period for War Cloud. Afterward, Hope and Firewalker go to one of the local farmer’s houses to help the wife during her childbirth. While they’re gone Walks Alone attempts suicide by sitting out in the snow at War Cloud’s grave to freeze to death, but Firewalker and Hope rescue her and tell her that they are having a child of their own. They have a son. HEA.

I’ll admit, I skimmed a lot - but the parts that were good, were REALLY good.