Apache Conquest by Theresa Scott

by Theresa Scott

Sent to the New World to wed a stranger, beautiful Carmen is prepared to love the man chosen for her, but finds her plans waylaid when, en route to Santa Fe, she finds herself attracted to Puma, a fierce Apache warrior. Reissue.

Genres: Historical Romance, Native American, Romance

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1993

About the author

Theresa Scott writes historical and contemporary romances.

Theresa especially loves to write about human relationships gone terribly awry before being set to rights. Ignorant blunders get her characters into trouble. Tiny, gradual awarenesses, mixed with the occasional epiphany move them out of trouble. A dollop of love always helps, too.

Theresa continues to believe that loving relationships lead individuals to transform their lives, and maybe even the world, for the better.

Theresa Scott’s historical and contemporary romances can be found at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and GooglePlay.

Her 20 romance novels have sold over 600,000 copies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Holland, and Taiwan.

Reviews

[MelissaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apache Conquest was interesting to me because of the setting and time period - the Mexico territories under Spanish rule in 1690. The heroine, Carmen Yolanda Diaz y Silvera, is a young Spanish noblewoman from Seville who travelled to Mexico to marry a man she has never met. She needs to travel through Apacheria to get to Santa Fe and finally meet her intended husband. Along the way she meets Puma, the half-Apache half-Spanish hero. Puma was brought up by his Apache mother but was betrayed by a tribeman into slavery with the Comanche then traded to the Spanish. He was in jail for a year until a priest released him and other prisoners to become soldiers. He is riding along with the same caravan as Carmen but plans on leaving to find his Apache tribe once he makes it to Apacheria. Once he sees Carmen, he is tempted to take her along with him.

A rogue band of Apaches attack the caravan along the way, taking horses, Carmen and her duena (a maidenly female chaperone). Puma goes after Carmen to save her because he knows only another Apache can track his people. He finds Carmen relatively unharmed and is able to get away. But instead of taking her to Santa Fe, he decides to keep her and take her to his Apache tribe. The rest of the story follows their adventures as she adjusts to the Apache way of life and he tries to get used to the idea of falling in love with one of the Spanish he hates for taking over his homeland.

I enjoyed this story because of the unique setting, I haven't read many that deal with the Spanish settlement of Mexico and the interactions with the local Apache and Comanche tribes. The story was pretty fast paced and changed scenery often. The heroine was a bit immature at first but she rose to the occasion and found strength when she needed it, which is something I admire. The hero was pretty conflicted between his Apache heritage and the fact he hated the Spanish for putting him in jail but was himself half Spanish. Puma and Carmen start to build a life together in his Apache camp but have some problems with communication. She is a bit impulsive and quick to argue, while he blows hot and cold for her as he fights his feelings for a Spainaird. Once they start making love, they find somewhere where they got along and the differences don't matter. They eventually figure things out and realize they love each other.

If you want a fast paced historical romance with a Native American hero and a different setting, this book fits the bill.

[Courtney Sheets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four hundred pages of a plot that hinges on a misunderstand and a lack of communication.

[Tegs · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - skipped over to many pages. A pity as the prologue looked really good - sadly the rest if the story didn't follow.

[Greeneyes Belle28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent