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Safe Passage
It’s 1912, the beginning of the Mexican Revolution—and the Mormon colonists must flee to the United States. When his estranged wife is mistakenly left behind, Ammon Hancock goes back to rescue her. But when he finds her, he must coax her to follow him to safety… and maybe even love him again. This revolution could be the very thing that ends their war of hearts.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 12, 2013
25 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Carla Kelly
138 books804 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
November 2, 2013
I have enjoyed reading Carla Kelly's recent books. I must admit this one drug on for me a bit and I found myself putting it down and reading other books. I finally finished it though and did end up liking it. A clean love story with a bit of history thrown in the mix. Not one I would buy, but I'm glad I read it.
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August 9, 2017
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts... for more, visit Punya Reviews...
A full review of Carla Kelly’s Safe Passage would be kinda difficult to do for me, not because it’s a badly written book (I finished it in 2 days, a record for me TBH!) but because the historical facts integrated in this story. It’s very difficult to comment on war or revolution or whatever and the loss of the absurd amount of human lives in the process, to justify the horrifying affects it has on humanity. I’ll do neither in my review.
Carla Kelly has done amazing books where she included tales of war and its aftermath. But she’s always careful to be as subtle as possible while incorporating it with the storyline. Safe Passage is no different, yet there were moments where I felt like putting down the book and take a deep breath. This has a little different setting and background—Mexican Revolution of 1910 (setting here is 1912). The prologue introduces our h, Addie, who has been reminiscing about her past, and her marriage, which seems to be a done thing at this point. Addie lives in Mexico and was married to Ammon for 2 yrs. One sad incident, which led Addie to say some horrible things, had led to their break up. Ammon returned home from his freighting business where injured himself, only to find his wife enraged. He already had a broken leg to deal with, a broken heart now added to the mix. Addie, though, had a reason behind it, and I could try to understand her mental state, still the whole incident was really heartbreaking. Ammon left, heartbroken and in tears, not knowing what he’d done wrong. He had tried to communicate with Addie the first year but she was determined to keep her silence. I have no idea why she treated him so badly, but in the year since then she’d come to regret her action. So much so that she often thinks of Ammon but she doesn’t know how she can do anything to change their circumstances.
In the meantime, the Revolution has already begun, and people, especially Mormon colonists are told to leave ASAP or die. But it seems like Addie was left behind to look after her elderly, dying grandmother. I don’t know what to think of her parents but it didn’t seem like they cared much for her since she wasn’t the goodlooking daughter who could socially advance them in any way. That was Addie’s eldest sister Evangeline. Plus Addie’s marriage to someone as lowly as Ammon didn’t really do anything to advance their social status either. Ammon’s family is hardworking but they’re still farmers. Addie and Ammon knew each-other as children and their affection grew into young love soon enough. He father was amenable to the match also because Addie was mostly ignored in the family. But nothing mattered and they were very happy for the 2 yrs. they were together. What, then, triggered this horrible outburst that created a gap that seems too wide to ever mend?
Addie had a miscarriage and she couldn’t handle the aftermaths. She hated that Ammon wasn’t with her at that time. You can call her reckless, foolish, immature...even this Addie, after 2 years since the incident, doesn’t know how she could be so horrible to Ammon. Only now that she regrets it all, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever have a chance to think of a future with Ammon again.
When Addie’s family left Mexico, Ammon’s family leaves too. Ammon joins them some weeks later, yet he still got to experience a bit of the despair among the people, the death and the destruction around. But he was with the others who were also crossing the border so it didn’t seem that ominous. The day he reaches USA and reunites with his family, Ammon finds things were about to change for him. Addie’s frantic father (well, I thought the guy was frantic, even if he’s an a$$) comes and asks Ammon to go in search of Addie who hasn’t returned with the throng of people milling in from Mexico. Ammon wanted to ignore it knowing his marriage is already over, the only thing it now needed was a divorce paper. However, he couldn’t ignore the pinch of concern and the urge to go find her and bring her to safety. Ammon strikes a deal with Addie’s father to financially help his own family, now ruined since they had to leave everything, their farms, house, livestock, behind. Then he journeys towards Mexico again, this time all alone. This journey would prove to be a journey of a lifetime, as Ammon and Addie’s lives will change after witnessing the sickening effects of the Revolution on the common people. People they’ve called friends and family over the years.
I can’t really do justice to Ms. Kelly’s description, the terrible things Ammon had to witness and experience, until he finally reached Addie, who was waiting with the dead body of her grandmother, unable to go out and bury her because she was scared silly and had no one to help her. There was not a single soul out there she could trust and ask for help. Even in all that I’ve read, the death and destruction that left me speechless, two particular incidents struck me really hard. One was, before reaching Addie’s grandmother’s home, at one point, Ammon had to hide away in a stable full of rotting corpse knowing no one would venture near that area so he was safe for the time. It was enemy territory and he was duly afraid. I don’t know how he managed to fall asleep there, but riddled with hunger and exhaustion, seeing and experienced all he had...I can only imagine. No, actually I can’t and I hope I never have to. I don’t know how he kept sane after that but Ammon did push on and was able to reach Addie. The next one was how they had to hide away in Addie’s grandma’s house for 2 straight days in the scorching hot weather, with Grandma Sada’s body still in her bed. Lord I don’t even know how they did it but they managed. When it was apparent that the body can’t be kept in the house any longer is when they ventured out to finally bury her. They lived in a small attic area adjacent to the room knowing even if any soldier came in, they’d run away. Ammon was more attuned to the Mexican way of life than Addie, whose father was too snobbish to bother, so he knew Mexicans were superstitious that way. Despite all that it was gruesome, it did help Ammon and Addie. One group of men did come in, saw the dead body, and made sure with a sign posted in front of the house that every other group avoided that home. I’d find it quite funny, had I not been too overwhelmed by what I was reading. I’d like to note something here: though there were NO graphic descriptions of any kind, there was enough to make up the rest with your own imagination. So if you feel triggered by such imagery, I won’t recommend this book to you.
TBH, Safe Passage was a slow read, most especially because I thought it wasn’t really a Romance in that sense. There were just too much going on that’s decidedly NOT romantic. And despite that it wasn’t full-on Romance, this book was also a journey of self-discovery; a second chance Romance for a couple who’d thought they’d lost each-other already. But it was there, hidden away, because neither Addie nor Ammon was able to move on. So if you’re going in thinking it’s a fast-paced, usual historical Romance then you’d be sorely disappointed (as I read in some low rating reviews). But regardless of what anyone thought, I admired Ms. Kelly’s attempt to stick as close to the fact as possible. I did start this book thinking it’s a historical romance, but no matter what, I was hooked to the story and couldn’t put it down all credits to the author.
Safe Passage solely revolves around Ammon’s journey to save Addie. They finally decide to stay in Mexico and built a home and family there despite the fact that most of their family members settled in the USA. The epilogue gives you a short timeline of at least 7yrs after that, so you know what happened to them afterwards. Needless to say, the journey was anything but safe. There were times I didn’t know if they’d ever reach to safety cause danger was lurking at every corner with so many Rebel groups and their leaders doing whatever they liked, killing and pillaging unconscionably. But Safe Passage was also a sweet story of reconciliation between a couple who were torn apart by a tragedy of their own and a huge misunderstanding that followed. It’s worth a read only for that.
This is a LDS novel too, as Ammon and Addie were followers. I have no clear idea about Mormon ideology or about their Holy texts but in here, Ms. Kelly made amazing references from a story of The Book of Mormon and blended it with the context of Safe Passage so well, it didn’t read preachy or anything. It was just Ammon, trying to follow the path of his namesake whom he calls Ammon the Old (from the story), to gather courage to push on through. I’d say it was definitely needed after all that he’d had to experience. :( 4 stars.
A full review of Carla Kelly’s Safe Passage would be kinda difficult to do for me, not because it’s a badly written book (I finished it in 2 days, a record for me TBH!) but because the historical facts integrated in this story. It’s very difficult to comment on war or revolution or whatever and the loss of the absurd amount of human lives in the process, to justify the horrifying affects it has on humanity. I’ll do neither in my review.
Carla Kelly has done amazing books where she included tales of war and its aftermath. But she’s always careful to be as subtle as possible while incorporating it with the storyline. Safe Passage is no different, yet there were moments where I felt like putting down the book and take a deep breath. This has a little different setting and background—Mexican Revolution of 1910 (setting here is 1912). The prologue introduces our h, Addie, who has been reminiscing about her past, and her marriage, which seems to be a done thing at this point. Addie lives in Mexico and was married to Ammon for 2 yrs. One sad incident, which led Addie to say some horrible things, had led to their break up. Ammon returned home from his freighting business where injured himself, only to find his wife enraged. He already had a broken leg to deal with, a broken heart now added to the mix. Addie, though, had a reason behind it, and I could try to understand her mental state, still the whole incident was really heartbreaking. Ammon left, heartbroken and in tears, not knowing what he’d done wrong. He had tried to communicate with Addie the first year but she was determined to keep her silence. I have no idea why she treated him so badly, but in the year since then she’d come to regret her action. So much so that she often thinks of Ammon but she doesn’t know how she can do anything to change their circumstances.
In the meantime, the Revolution has already begun, and people, especially Mormon colonists are told to leave ASAP or die. But it seems like Addie was left behind to look after her elderly, dying grandmother. I don’t know what to think of her parents but it didn’t seem like they cared much for her since she wasn’t the goodlooking daughter who could socially advance them in any way. That was Addie’s eldest sister Evangeline. Plus Addie’s marriage to someone as lowly as Ammon didn’t really do anything to advance their social status either. Ammon’s family is hardworking but they’re still farmers. Addie and Ammon knew each-other as children and their affection grew into young love soon enough. He father was amenable to the match also because Addie was mostly ignored in the family. But nothing mattered and they were very happy for the 2 yrs. they were together. What, then, triggered this horrible outburst that created a gap that seems too wide to ever mend?
Addie had a miscarriage and she couldn’t handle the aftermaths. She hated that Ammon wasn’t with her at that time. You can call her reckless, foolish, immature...even this Addie, after 2 years since the incident, doesn’t know how she could be so horrible to Ammon. Only now that she regrets it all, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever have a chance to think of a future with Ammon again.
When Addie’s family left Mexico, Ammon’s family leaves too. Ammon joins them some weeks later, yet he still got to experience a bit of the despair among the people, the death and the destruction around. But he was with the others who were also crossing the border so it didn’t seem that ominous. The day he reaches USA and reunites with his family, Ammon finds things were about to change for him. Addie’s frantic father (well, I thought the guy was frantic, even if he’s an a$$) comes and asks Ammon to go in search of Addie who hasn’t returned with the throng of people milling in from Mexico. Ammon wanted to ignore it knowing his marriage is already over, the only thing it now needed was a divorce paper. However, he couldn’t ignore the pinch of concern and the urge to go find her and bring her to safety. Ammon strikes a deal with Addie’s father to financially help his own family, now ruined since they had to leave everything, their farms, house, livestock, behind. Then he journeys towards Mexico again, this time all alone. This journey would prove to be a journey of a lifetime, as Ammon and Addie’s lives will change after witnessing the sickening effects of the Revolution on the common people. People they’ve called friends and family over the years.
I can’t really do justice to Ms. Kelly’s description, the terrible things Ammon had to witness and experience, until he finally reached Addie, who was waiting with the dead body of her grandmother, unable to go out and bury her because she was scared silly and had no one to help her. There was not a single soul out there she could trust and ask for help. Even in all that I’ve read, the death and destruction that left me speechless, two particular incidents struck me really hard. One was, before reaching Addie’s grandmother’s home, at one point, Ammon had to hide away in a stable full of rotting corpse knowing no one would venture near that area so he was safe for the time. It was enemy territory and he was duly afraid. I don’t know how he managed to fall asleep there, but riddled with hunger and exhaustion, seeing and experienced all he had...I can only imagine. No, actually I can’t and I hope I never have to. I don’t know how he kept sane after that but Ammon did push on and was able to reach Addie. The next one was how they had to hide away in Addie’s grandma’s house for 2 straight days in the scorching hot weather, with Grandma Sada’s body still in her bed. Lord I don’t even know how they did it but they managed. When it was apparent that the body can’t be kept in the house any longer is when they ventured out to finally bury her. They lived in a small attic area adjacent to the room knowing even if any soldier came in, they’d run away. Ammon was more attuned to the Mexican way of life than Addie, whose father was too snobbish to bother, so he knew Mexicans were superstitious that way. Despite all that it was gruesome, it did help Ammon and Addie. One group of men did come in, saw the dead body, and made sure with a sign posted in front of the house that every other group avoided that home. I’d find it quite funny, had I not been too overwhelmed by what I was reading. I’d like to note something here: though there were NO graphic descriptions of any kind, there was enough to make up the rest with your own imagination. So if you feel triggered by such imagery, I won’t recommend this book to you.
TBH, Safe Passage was a slow read, most especially because I thought it wasn’t really a Romance in that sense. There were just too much going on that’s decidedly NOT romantic. And despite that it wasn’t full-on Romance, this book was also a journey of self-discovery; a second chance Romance for a couple who’d thought they’d lost each-other already. But it was there, hidden away, because neither Addie nor Ammon was able to move on. So if you’re going in thinking it’s a fast-paced, usual historical Romance then you’d be sorely disappointed (as I read in some low rating reviews). But regardless of what anyone thought, I admired Ms. Kelly’s attempt to stick as close to the fact as possible. I did start this book thinking it’s a historical romance, but no matter what, I was hooked to the story and couldn’t put it down all credits to the author.
Safe Passage solely revolves around Ammon’s journey to save Addie. They finally decide to stay in Mexico and built a home and family there despite the fact that most of their family members settled in the USA. The epilogue gives you a short timeline of at least 7yrs after that, so you know what happened to them afterwards. Needless to say, the journey was anything but safe. There were times I didn’t know if they’d ever reach to safety cause danger was lurking at every corner with so many Rebel groups and their leaders doing whatever they liked, killing and pillaging unconscionably. But Safe Passage was also a sweet story of reconciliation between a couple who were torn apart by a tragedy of their own and a huge misunderstanding that followed. It’s worth a read only for that.
This is a LDS novel too, as Ammon and Addie were followers. I have no clear idea about Mormon ideology or about their Holy texts but in here, Ms. Kelly made amazing references from a story of The Book of Mormon and blended it with the context of Safe Passage so well, it didn’t read preachy or anything. It was just Ammon, trying to follow the path of his namesake whom he calls Ammon the Old (from the story), to gather courage to push on through. I’d say it was definitely needed after all that he’d had to experience. :( 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2019
An unusual story based on the expulsion of Mormon settlers in the Mexican territory during the Mexican wars. It's a story of the fearsome violence and inhumanity of war to those people who opposed each other, or even to those who tried to remain neutral in it. Many settlers had lived in Mexico on ranches or towns for years and considered themselves to be Mexican. That did not matter to the warring sides. They did not have empathy for anyone, even their own soldiers. They burned homes, destroyed or confiscated cattle and pushed out anyone in their path.
When his estranged wife did not show up in El Paso after the expulsion, our hero Ammon journeyed back into war torn territory to find her. He suffered much privation on his journey and managed to help several helpless people and was in turn helped by an Indian several times.
I found this story to be of interest because I have relatives who lived in the Mormon colonies. Some of them left for good and others returned to their ranches after the wars were over. I now have a better understanding of their experience. And, the love story was great also.
When his estranged wife did not show up in El Paso after the expulsion, our hero Ammon journeyed back into war torn territory to find her. He suffered much privation on his journey and managed to help several helpless people and was in turn helped by an Indian several times.
I found this story to be of interest because I have relatives who lived in the Mormon colonies. Some of them left for good and others returned to their ranches after the wars were over. I now have a better understanding of their experience. And, the love story was great also.
October 18, 2013
Carla Kelly has done it again. I enjoyed this historical romance, about a woman who gets left behind when the Mormon colonists of Colonia Garcia, Mexico leave for the United States during the Mexican Revolution of 1912. Addie Hancock has been through devastating trials, and her heart is broken. Now she is in terrible danger as she hides in her house with her dying grandmother, hoping that the brutal soldiers will not discover her. Ammon Hancock, her estranged husband, is a good man who loves the outdoors and wishes things were different with his wife and his prejudiced in-laws. He buries his broken heart in his work and helps the Saints get back to El Paso, Texas. But when he discovers that Addie is still in Mexico, he returns to find her, rescue her, and win back her love. Their survival will depend on their courage and their kindness to others.
November 21, 2013
When it got down to it, I didn't really care what happened at the end of this book! I can't put my finger on what the problem was--I just didn't care. Maybe I'll go back and finish it some day. Or Maybe I'm just done trying to read Carla Kelly's books. As much as I loved a few of them, I have been unimpressed with the rest.
Read
May 21, 2021Great book, great love story and amazing history class all together in this sweet book. Loved it from the first word. Carla Kelly is for sure one of my favourites.
August 29, 2017
The setting of this book was what interested me. I didn't know much about the mormon settlements in Mexico and what happened to them. I found that aspect of this book interesting. I also liked that this book was mostly all told from the male perspective. The characters were likable and I thought their story was interesting. I found it hard to believe two people that loved each other and had even married in the temple would throw it all away not talking to each other for two years without making more of an effort to resolve the misunderstanding. They were able to pick right back up awfully quickly too, for people who held such a grudge. Not my favorite Carla Kelly but at least she kept the romance clean with only a few references to more explicit passion. She tends to make her writing, even those written for Cedar Fort publishing, more Harlequin than I would like.
September 12, 2017
Although a revolution is raging, Ammon is sent to Mexico to rescue his estranged wife, Addie. It seems like a straightforward mission until he runs into other people who need his help, and he has to walk a fine line to win back the wife he once lost. Addie is feisty but resourceful and compassionate. Although Ammon's main purpose keeps getting sidetracked, he begins to realize that the journey is part of the mission as well. I love that Ammon keeps comparing himself to Ammon of the Book of Mormon and applies his adventures to the ancient missionary. It's a fun read!
February 22, 2022
I really enjoyed this historical novel set during the Mexican Revolution and the involvement of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that had settled in that area. I had vaguely known some about it, and I was glad to learn more details of the terrible times endured by the common people. It was a hard and a sad time, but there were good things like service and gratitude and love to give some hope.
June 25, 2018
This book was slow. A few tense moments but mostly predictable and boring. I suppose also that its my own fault for reading a book spattered with religion as well . I'm not typically a fan of Christian fiction. It felt forced and a little peachy.
I have read other books by Carla Kelly and really enjoyed them but unfortunately this would not be my recommendation.
I have read other books by Carla Kelly and really enjoyed them but unfortunately this would not be my recommendation.
May 31, 2023
Generally I rush through the reading of one of Kelly's exciting novels. This one was a bit draggy with less of a plot. However, if you have an interest in the Mexican Revolution, the geography of Chihuahua, Mexico or have LDS relatives from the colonies in Mexico it may be an interesting read for you.
November 27, 2016
What an interesting read. Now I want to learn more about the Mexican revolution and the history of the Mormon pioneers in that country. The characters were likeable, interesting, and relatable; and, the plot has quite a few surprises with satisfying twists and turns.
August 27, 2018
Wonderful
I always love Carla's books, and this was no exception. It was different, captivating, and I enjoyed meeting some new friends. I speak Spanish, so I love her books with a Spanish background.
Well done, Carla.
I always love Carla's books, and this was no exception. It was different, captivating, and I enjoyed meeting some new friends. I speak Spanish, so I love her books with a Spanish background.
Well done, Carla.
October 26, 2021
Not to be missed
Carla Kelly can and does tell a story like no other. One can't help but enjoy the people who populate her books all the while learning a portion of history as they read, in this case, the Mexican revolution 1910-1920.
Carla Kelly can and does tell a story like no other. One can't help but enjoy the people who populate her books all the while learning a portion of history as they read, in this case, the Mexican revolution 1910-1920.
June 29, 2017
Kind of boring
August 22, 2022
I love Carla Kellys book. This however is not one of my favorites. I dont like war stories and this was about the Mexican Revolution. I struggled to finish this.
January 19, 2021
I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read by Kelly. I always enjoy the story and the glimpse into a different time of our history.
August 17, 2013
The year is 1912, revolution has come to Mexico and the Mormon colonists have been advised to leave their homes in the community of Colonia Garcia and the surrounding area and head to safety. Many of those leaving hope to come back and re-establish their lives as soon as things settle down. After all, some have lived in Mexico all their lives including Ammon Hancock, a young man in his twenties, who owns a small freight business in the community of Pearson. He was born in Mexico and speaks the language like the native he is.
Ammon Hancock and his wife, Addie, are estranged due to a situation which occurred two years previous to the evacuation of the colonists. Although Ammon has made attempts to reconcile with Addie by writing regular letters, Addie has always torn up the letters without reading them and simply mailed them back to him until finally, he has quit writing. However, Addie is still foremost in his thoughts, during and after the evacuation with other colonists. He finds himself trying to catch a glimpse of Addie when he arrives at his destination in El Paso, Texas. Ammon believes that Addie is safe with her parents until her father comes to him and requests that Ammon go back to Garcia to get Addie who was left behind with her ailing grandmother.
Unaware that Addie has some serious regrets about her part in the break-up of their marriage, Ammon has the sturdiness of heart and the courage to get on his horse, Blanco, and immediately heads back into danger to rescue her. Along the way Ammon has some interesting experiences involving Mexican soldiers, hungry revolutionaries and Indians. I was a little disappointed that he didn't actually reach Addie until about 1/3 of the way into the book. However, once Ammon gets to Addie's grandmother's home, in true Carla Kelly fashion, the romance and reconciliation part of the story takes off with the sweet, patient, plodding-along detail for which Ms. Kelly is known.
In my opinion, "Safe Passage" is not among the best of Ms. Kelly's books although it is very enjoyable. There are also some very endearing minor characters sprinkled throughout the story. I found a couple of things to be more than ridiculous such as the fox fur that Ammon wore around his neck - at first it was a joke but he continued to wear it throughout the story - a minor detail which didn't detract from the story line.
Some readers may be turned off by the Mormon-theme throughout this book. I am not a Mormon, however, two of Ms. Kelly's Mormon-themed books - Borrowed Light and Enduring Light are among my favorite books, period. When Carla Kelly decides to write a Mormon-themed story, she doesn't hesitate to come across as though she is prodding the reader to think about the validity of the religion, which of course is her right as an author. Since I enjoy her stories so much, I try and get past all of this by realizing that I regularly read romance stories with leading characters who have religious beliefs other than mine.
If it's written by Carla Kelly, I will read it - I love the way she writes.
Ammon Hancock and his wife, Addie, are estranged due to a situation which occurred two years previous to the evacuation of the colonists. Although Ammon has made attempts to reconcile with Addie by writing regular letters, Addie has always torn up the letters without reading them and simply mailed them back to him until finally, he has quit writing. However, Addie is still foremost in his thoughts, during and after the evacuation with other colonists. He finds himself trying to catch a glimpse of Addie when he arrives at his destination in El Paso, Texas. Ammon believes that Addie is safe with her parents until her father comes to him and requests that Ammon go back to Garcia to get Addie who was left behind with her ailing grandmother.
Unaware that Addie has some serious regrets about her part in the break-up of their marriage, Ammon has the sturdiness of heart and the courage to get on his horse, Blanco, and immediately heads back into danger to rescue her. Along the way Ammon has some interesting experiences involving Mexican soldiers, hungry revolutionaries and Indians. I was a little disappointed that he didn't actually reach Addie until about 1/3 of the way into the book. However, once Ammon gets to Addie's grandmother's home, in true Carla Kelly fashion, the romance and reconciliation part of the story takes off with the sweet, patient, plodding-along detail for which Ms. Kelly is known.
In my opinion, "Safe Passage" is not among the best of Ms. Kelly's books although it is very enjoyable. There are also some very endearing minor characters sprinkled throughout the story. I found a couple of things to be more than ridiculous such as the fox fur that Ammon wore around his neck - at first it was a joke but he continued to wear it throughout the story - a minor detail which didn't detract from the story line.
Some readers may be turned off by the Mormon-theme throughout this book. I am not a Mormon, however, two of Ms. Kelly's Mormon-themed books - Borrowed Light and Enduring Light are among my favorite books, period. When Carla Kelly decides to write a Mormon-themed story, she doesn't hesitate to come across as though she is prodding the reader to think about the validity of the religion, which of course is her right as an author. Since I enjoy her stories so much, I try and get past all of this by realizing that I regularly read romance stories with leading characters who have religious beliefs other than mine.
If it's written by Carla Kelly, I will read it - I love the way she writes.
July 18, 2016
My quest for historical western romance that doesn't suck will be ongoing, apparently. I couldn't even finish this nonsense. I've read another by the same author that wasn't unreadable, but the plot was thin and the characters poor, so I'm not really sure why I thought this one would be any better. I was lured in by the historical setting, I guess.
At any rate, I got through four chapters, 60 pages, which I think is a reasonable enough chance to give a book, and that was all I could do. Up to that point, the background is pretty much unexplained; there are guerillas and federales and they're fighting and that's pretty much all we know. Why are they fighting? What happens if one side or the other wins? It's a mystery! (I know some about the Mexican Revolution on my own, but not nearly enough to fill in the very significant blanks.)
Characterization is also not on good display here - the secondary characters walk on-stage, say lines, and then disappear. Ammon, the male lead, misses his wife, and beyond that he's a complete cipher. What are his hopes and fears, talents and weaknesses? What makes him a unique and memorable person? In sixty pages, apparently nothing at all. And unlike most romance, the book is solely from his POV - I scanned ahead to check. So we get nothing at all of Addie's inner thoughts except for the seven-page prologue.
If nothing else, a huge red flag right off the bat is that the entire romantic conflict stems from Ammon accidentally and unknowingly saying one insensitive thing, and Addie flying off the handle at him for it. And then they never even saw each other again for two years. What the hell kind of relationship is this? If that were a reasonable basis for a separation, my husband and I wouldn't have lasted a month. I absolutely cannot stand romances where the conflict is based on characters having outrageous overreactions to perfectly normal occurrences. Ugh, no thanks.
I also didn't realize going in that this was religious fiction - most of the "Christian" romance in my library is marked with a particular sticker, which this one didn't have, and it wasn't from any of the Christian publishers I'm familiar with, so I wasn't expecting it. I don't have a problem with religious romance in theory, but in practice it often seems to be an excuse for mediocre writing and sloppy historicity, sometimes seasoned with misogyny and/or racism, so I don't usually bother with it. The first two absolutely seem to be the case here; I didn't find any of the second two thus far, but I didn't read far enough to rule them out. Either way, pass.
At any rate, I got through four chapters, 60 pages, which I think is a reasonable enough chance to give a book, and that was all I could do. Up to that point, the background is pretty much unexplained; there are guerillas and federales and they're fighting and that's pretty much all we know. Why are they fighting? What happens if one side or the other wins? It's a mystery! (I know some about the Mexican Revolution on my own, but not nearly enough to fill in the very significant blanks.)
Characterization is also not on good display here - the secondary characters walk on-stage, say lines, and then disappear. Ammon, the male lead, misses his wife, and beyond that he's a complete cipher. What are his hopes and fears, talents and weaknesses? What makes him a unique and memorable person? In sixty pages, apparently nothing at all. And unlike most romance, the book is solely from his POV - I scanned ahead to check. So we get nothing at all of Addie's inner thoughts except for the seven-page prologue.
If nothing else, a huge red flag right off the bat is that the entire romantic conflict stems from Ammon accidentally and unknowingly saying one insensitive thing, and Addie flying off the handle at him for it. And then they never even saw each other again for two years. What the hell kind of relationship is this? If that were a reasonable basis for a separation, my husband and I wouldn't have lasted a month. I absolutely cannot stand romances where the conflict is based on characters having outrageous overreactions to perfectly normal occurrences. Ugh, no thanks.
I also didn't realize going in that this was religious fiction - most of the "Christian" romance in my library is marked with a particular sticker, which this one didn't have, and it wasn't from any of the Christian publishers I'm familiar with, so I wasn't expecting it. I don't have a problem with religious romance in theory, but in practice it often seems to be an excuse for mediocre writing and sloppy historicity, sometimes seasoned with misogyny and/or racism, so I don't usually bother with it. The first two absolutely seem to be the case here; I didn't find any of the second two thus far, but I didn't read far enough to rule them out. Either way, pass.
June 13, 2019
First, this is a well-crafted story that takes place in the early years of the 1900s during the Mexican Revolution. A colony of Mormons that had taken up residence in Mexico many years ago, were ordered off their farms and ranches because of the fighting. Most of the people left their homes when their religious leader ordered it.
However, Addie Hancock’s father begged her to stay behind with Grandma Sada Storrs, bed-ridden and having taken a turn for the worse. When all the travelers gathered in El Paso, Addie’s father came to Ammon Hancock (although married, Addie and Ammon had been estranged for 2 years at that point), and asked Ammon to go back for her.
Going back into the fighting was not a plan for continued health; Ammon prepares to go immediately. Ammon is truly a man to admire; he knows it is his responsibility to save his wife and he goes, even though the two have not spoken to each other for more than 2 years.
Most of the book recounts their adventures trying to get back to safety – and it certainly wasn’t the most direct route out of the country. I did have a problem with Ammon keeping Addie in war-infested territory beyond a time that seemed reasonable. I could see why Ammon, with their tenuous relationship rebuilding, would not want to deny Addie anything she asked. Going away from safety to pay a woman they did not know, money she did not expect seemed hard to take.
This book has stayed with me long after completing it; the story was unusual and engrossing. It seems to be ordinary people working together to do the nearly impossible.
However, Addie Hancock’s father begged her to stay behind with Grandma Sada Storrs, bed-ridden and having taken a turn for the worse. When all the travelers gathered in El Paso, Addie’s father came to Ammon Hancock (although married, Addie and Ammon had been estranged for 2 years at that point), and asked Ammon to go back for her.
Going back into the fighting was not a plan for continued health; Ammon prepares to go immediately. Ammon is truly a man to admire; he knows it is his responsibility to save his wife and he goes, even though the two have not spoken to each other for more than 2 years.
Most of the book recounts their adventures trying to get back to safety – and it certainly wasn’t the most direct route out of the country. I did have a problem with Ammon keeping Addie in war-infested territory beyond a time that seemed reasonable. I could see why Ammon, with their tenuous relationship rebuilding, would not want to deny Addie anything she asked. Going away from safety to pay a woman they did not know, money she did not expect seemed hard to take.
This book has stayed with me long after completing it; the story was unusual and engrossing. It seems to be ordinary people working together to do the nearly impossible.
December 29, 2024
My favorite Carla Kelly books are ones that have male character driven stories. And this book does not disappoint!! This hero cries, prays and loves with strength and courage!! There is a great journey through a war-torn country and a great romance between two people who changed –because they wanted to change and because they truly loved one another.
One aspect of this book was that Kelly never really described what the hero and heroine looked like. I love that - because I form my idea of their physical appearance – and I enjoy that (many Hollywood actors and actresses for my imagination to pick from!!) Besides, it isn’t what they look like that is important, but the courage and strength that they have to make the adventure and the romance work, IMO. Because the hero is very courageous and strong and the perfect romantic hero - Ammon Hancock is one of my sexy married cowboy heroes ! And because I loved reading about this couple and their story - they go on my favorite couples list. Also on my favorite book list.
BEST USE OF: Listening to the Holy Spirit and someone named President Romney!! Also, speaking Spanish and a friendly Indian friend.
ALPHA MALE 10
SPUNKY HEROINE 10
RUNNING THROUGH MEXICO 10+++
HOT SEX big 0
HEA(HAPPILY EVER AFTER) Oh yes, yes, yes – and a little history with that HEA
PROLOGUE/EPILOGUE Both – and the Epilogue was one of the best I have read in a long time!!
Rating System
10 - Perfect! - A keeper forever.
Heat Level
0 – A definite closed door policy. However – Kelly always makes that policy sexier then the most explicit sex scenes!! (And her Mormon cowboys are the sexiest men - ever)
COVER COVERS IT: Does the cover have a picture of the heroine? Yes and it is a very good representation.
HOLLYWOOD CALLING: This book would make a great movie!! Any attractive actor or actress would work and Mexico would make a great stage!!
One aspect of this book was that Kelly never really described what the hero and heroine looked like. I love that - because I form my idea of their physical appearance – and I enjoy that (many Hollywood actors and actresses for my imagination to pick from!!) Besides, it isn’t what they look like that is important, but the courage and strength that they have to make the adventure and the romance work, IMO. Because the hero is very courageous and strong and the perfect romantic hero - Ammon Hancock is one of my sexy married cowboy heroes ! And because I loved reading about this couple and their story - they go on my favorite couples list. Also on my favorite book list.
BEST USE OF: Listening to the Holy Spirit and someone named President Romney!! Also, speaking Spanish and a friendly Indian friend.
ALPHA MALE 10
SPUNKY HEROINE 10
RUNNING THROUGH MEXICO 10+++
HOT SEX big 0
HEA(HAPPILY EVER AFTER) Oh yes, yes, yes – and a little history with that HEA
PROLOGUE/EPILOGUE Both – and the Epilogue was one of the best I have read in a long time!!
Rating System
10 - Perfect! - A keeper forever.
Heat Level
0 – A definite closed door policy. However – Kelly always makes that policy sexier then the most explicit sex scenes!! (And her Mormon cowboys are the sexiest men - ever)
COVER COVERS IT: Does the cover have a picture of the heroine? Yes and it is a very good representation.
HOLLYWOOD CALLING: This book would make a great movie!! Any attractive actor or actress would work and Mexico would make a great stage!!
April 10, 2014
The history of the LDS colonies in Mexico intrigues me. It's been one of those topics I've been aware of for years, but haven't ever taken the time to research it, so I was glad for this opportunity to see it from the perspective of (fictional) Saints living there. My interest is definitely piqued enough to want to learn more.
That being said, I had a hard time getting into Safe Passage. Husband and wife Ammon and Addie have been estranged for a couple of years after her father deliberately neglected to inform Ammon, away at a logging camping, of Addie's miscarriage. Ammon was injured and unable to return home, all the time unaware of his wife's situation, but she interpreted it as a lack of caring on his part. When he finally did get home, on crutches and in terrible pain, the normally reserved Addie took her anger and pain out on him, yelling and throwing her wedding ring at him. He left their home and tried to reconnect through letters, only to receive them back torn into little pieces.
Fast forward a couple of years and the Mexican civil war has made it a dangerous place to live. Church leaders have strongly encouraged everyone to get out of Mexico, but when Ammon arrives with his family at one of the refugee camps, his father-in-law tells him Addie's still in Mexico caring for her grandmother. He asks Ammon to return and rescue her and Ammon agrees on the condition that he give Ammon's family $500 to help them start a new life in the United States and another $500 to Addie when they return.
And then it starts to get a bit more convoluted.
To read the rest of the review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
That being said, I had a hard time getting into Safe Passage. Husband and wife Ammon and Addie have been estranged for a couple of years after her father deliberately neglected to inform Ammon, away at a logging camping, of Addie's miscarriage. Ammon was injured and unable to return home, all the time unaware of his wife's situation, but she interpreted it as a lack of caring on his part. When he finally did get home, on crutches and in terrible pain, the normally reserved Addie took her anger and pain out on him, yelling and throwing her wedding ring at him. He left their home and tried to reconnect through letters, only to receive them back torn into little pieces.
Fast forward a couple of years and the Mexican civil war has made it a dangerous place to live. Church leaders have strongly encouraged everyone to get out of Mexico, but when Ammon arrives with his family at one of the refugee camps, his father-in-law tells him Addie's still in Mexico caring for her grandmother. He asks Ammon to return and rescue her and Ammon agrees on the condition that he give Ammon's family $500 to help them start a new life in the United States and another $500 to Addie when they return.
And then it starts to get a bit more convoluted.
To read the rest of the review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
September 9, 2014
As I come close to having read all of Carla Kelly’s books, I now find each one I read automatically is compared to all the rest. “Safe Passage” is well worth reading for all us Carla Kelly fans, but the 2 1/2 stars I give it puts it well down the list topped by many others that are favorites of mine.
I know nothing about the Mexican Revolution and still feel somewhat in the dark. I would have really appreciated a map (at the beginning) of the area covered in the book so at least I had some reference points. Obviously this time in Mexican history was pretty scary and dangerous. This reader, admittedly clueless on this particular part of history, had a harder time getting into the story for that reason.
Ammon and Addie were estranged for two years before Ammon searches her out in revolution torn Mexico. (A miscarriage and miscommunication was the reason for the estrangement.) The story chronicles their challenges as they travel in the heart of all the danger. One of my favorite characters was Joselito, the nearly invisible Indian. The sweet romantic thread happens as Ammon and Addie rekindle the original love they shared.
I did appreciate the “Epilogue” that gave further historic details. I’ll certainly keep this in my personal library, but probably won’t read it again…later in life…when I’m old…
I know nothing about the Mexican Revolution and still feel somewhat in the dark. I would have really appreciated a map (at the beginning) of the area covered in the book so at least I had some reference points. Obviously this time in Mexican history was pretty scary and dangerous. This reader, admittedly clueless on this particular part of history, had a harder time getting into the story for that reason.
Ammon and Addie were estranged for two years before Ammon searches her out in revolution torn Mexico. (A miscarriage and miscommunication was the reason for the estrangement.) The story chronicles their challenges as they travel in the heart of all the danger. One of my favorite characters was Joselito, the nearly invisible Indian. The sweet romantic thread happens as Ammon and Addie rekindle the original love they shared.
I did appreciate the “Epilogue” that gave further historic details. I’ll certainly keep this in my personal library, but probably won’t read it again…later in life…when I’m old…
November 16, 2014
I had a hard time rating this book. So hopefully my review will be more helpful. This book was a little more intense than the stuff I usually read; however, I read REALLY mellow stuff. Even so, I'm glad I read it because it gives me a greater appreciation for the people who lived through these events. I was surprised how things ended in the story but satisfied. These people were tough!
Things I liked:
History! Carla Kelly knows her stuff! It was fascinating to learn a little about Mormons and the Mexican Revolution.
Good story-telling. Each event in the story is unique and interesting. Each situation adds to the overall understanding of the setting and time.
Great characters. Particularly all the secondary characters. Really added so much flavor to the book.
Things i didn't like:
The relationship of the two main characters was really hard for me to understand. I didn't understand the long estrangement and the fact that they remained so uncertain about each other once they were reunited. Seemed weird to me.
Addie was so darned perfect she was a little hard to relate to.
The story starts slow. Took me a few chapters to get into it.
Things I liked:
History! Carla Kelly knows her stuff! It was fascinating to learn a little about Mormons and the Mexican Revolution.
Good story-telling. Each event in the story is unique and interesting. Each situation adds to the overall understanding of the setting and time.
Great characters. Particularly all the secondary characters. Really added so much flavor to the book.
Things i didn't like:
The relationship of the two main characters was really hard for me to understand. I didn't understand the long estrangement and the fact that they remained so uncertain about each other once they were reunited. Seemed weird to me.
Addie was so darned perfect she was a little hard to relate to.
The story starts slow. Took me a few chapters to get into it.
January 10, 2014
Not my favorite Kelly. The book was more about Ammon and the journey he takes to find out what he wants in life and the adventures he has while tromping around war torn mexico. The book is well written and put together in a way that made me want to keep reading even tho I was irritated by things. One of those things was the fact that he stayed in Mexico putting his life and then his wife's life in danger for reasons I did not think good enough. Maybe I like my life too much but I would have high tailed it out of that country so fast and then tried to find a way to pay the debts I owed but over and over these characters stayed in danger and instead of creating tension for me I just felt more irritated. SO ya not a fav. The LDS aspect of this novel is there but not a major part, no preachy or sermons, but someone reading this who does not know about us will be lost in a couple places. This is an adult novel, there is some violence, killing in a war zone is not pretty. There is sex implied but not detailed.
April 22, 2014
All the Mormons have been told to leave Mexico and their homes there, because the Mexican revolution has made things too unsafe. When Ammon arrives in the United States, he is approached by his Father-in-law to go back to Mexico to save his daughter, Addie.
Ammon has not seen or heard from his wife, Addie, in two years, ever since they had a terrible falling out and argument when she miscarried their first baby. He had no idea where she was, and never suspected she was still in danger in Mexico. Unsure of how she will receive him, he journeys back into danger to find her and save her. And along the way, he may be saving more than her life - he might also have a chance at saving their marriage.
A sweet, light read with a touch of romance. My favorite part was learning more about the revolution in Mexico, and how it not only affected the Latter-day Saint Colonies that lived there, but the every day people as well. It was sad that something that was supposed to help the people gain more freedom and wealth, in most instances, actually did the opposite.
Ammon has not seen or heard from his wife, Addie, in two years, ever since they had a terrible falling out and argument when she miscarried their first baby. He had no idea where she was, and never suspected she was still in danger in Mexico. Unsure of how she will receive him, he journeys back into danger to find her and save her. And along the way, he may be saving more than her life - he might also have a chance at saving their marriage.
A sweet, light read with a touch of romance. My favorite part was learning more about the revolution in Mexico, and how it not only affected the Latter-day Saint Colonies that lived there, but the every day people as well. It was sad that something that was supposed to help the people gain more freedom and wealth, in most instances, actually did the opposite.
Read
October 2, 2013I can rely on Mrs. Kelly to put out a well-researched and engaging historical romance. This was set during the Mexican revolution and it talks about the situation of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who lived in Mexico at that time. They had settlements that they had lived in for a generation or more.
Ammon was born and raised in Mexico, so when the Church leaders tell all members to get to the U.S. he feels like he's leaving home. And the trouble was, he was leaving his estranged wife behind as well. When he found out that his wife was still there, he went back for her. It seemed a really easy reconciliation after they'd been separated for two years of hurt feelings, but they have things to accomplish before going back to the U.S. Then they wonder if they should go to the U.S. at all.
Anyway, wonderfully researched. I feel as though I've learned a bit about a piece of history I didn't know about before and was entertained in the learning.
Ammon was born and raised in Mexico, so when the Church leaders tell all members to get to the U.S. he feels like he's leaving home. And the trouble was, he was leaving his estranged wife behind as well. When he found out that his wife was still there, he went back for her. It seemed a really easy reconciliation after they'd been separated for two years of hurt feelings, but they have things to accomplish before going back to the U.S. Then they wonder if they should go to the U.S. at all.
Anyway, wonderfully researched. I feel as though I've learned a bit about a piece of history I didn't know about before and was entertained in the learning.
April 30, 2014
This was an OK story. You might like it better than me. Ammon and Abi are married and living in Mexico, he goes off to work and earn money and is injured in a logging accident. He comes home to let his wife take care of him. Only she just had a miscarriage and is grieving and says some horrible things to him and he leaves. Something like 2 years pass and the Latter Day Saints are asked to leave home and move back to the United States because of the war. Ammon finds out his wife never left Mexico and he goes back to find her. Lots of things happen and there is danger. They risk a lot to be together but I think Ammon made a selfish choice in the end. He should have given Abi some better options. The story just didn't flow for me and many parts were in Spanish and left untranslated. No language, some violence (shooting, beating, talk of rape), Sex (but not any descriptions) and kissing.
February 2, 2014
This was a very sweet romance - not sappy at all. It takes place in a Mormon settlement in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Amon and his wife separate and he leaves for the states. She stays behind to take care of her elderly grandmother. Her father (also in the states now due to the war) sends Amon back to bring his daughter home, hopefully alive. When he finds her, their reconciliation is slow and fraught with dangers.
My favorite scene was where the couple confront a Mexican General at his home. His soldiers dump out their packs seeking money. Out falls The Book of Mormon and Amon's wife marches over, picks it up, dusts it off and says this is our holy book, we don't treat it that way. Kudos!
This is a pretty fast-paced action-adventure story as much as it is a love story. I have passed it on to several other librarian friends and they have loved it as much as I did.
Enjoy!
My favorite scene was where the couple confront a Mexican General at his home. His soldiers dump out their packs seeking money. Out falls The Book of Mormon and Amon's wife marches over, picks it up, dusts it off and says this is our holy book, we don't treat it that way. Kudos!
This is a pretty fast-paced action-adventure story as much as it is a love story. I have passed it on to several other librarian friends and they have loved it as much as I did.
Enjoy!
May 26, 2015
I liked this book better than my mom and my sister did. As a history teacher, the historical parts of this left me curious about the Mexican Revolution. I don't know that much about it,and now I want to learn more. I do wish I had understood more about it before I started the book. She used a lot of names and situations that confused me a little because I wasn't sure which side was which.
The thing I really didn't like about this book was all the "talking" he did to Ammon, the Nephite. I'm LDS, but even though I know better it almost sounded like he was praying to a Book of Mormon person. Someone who isn't LDS could get some serious misconceptions about our beliefs. We DON'T have saints. We pray to God. There are people in our history we relate to, but we don't pray to them. Other than that, I liked it. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I liked it. (Of course, that may be because I went into it with fairly low expectations because of what my family had told me.)
The thing I really didn't like about this book was all the "talking" he did to Ammon, the Nephite. I'm LDS, but even though I know better it almost sounded like he was praying to a Book of Mormon person. Someone who isn't LDS could get some serious misconceptions about our beliefs. We DON'T have saints. We pray to God. There are people in our history we relate to, but we don't pray to them. Other than that, I liked it. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I liked it. (Of course, that may be because I went into it with fairly low expectations because of what my family had told me.)
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