Beloved

The Hearts of Liberty #1

by Phoebe Conn

HE WAS DANGER

When Alanna meets the Seneca scout called Hunter, she sees only a cruel savage like the ones who killed her family. But the handsome warrior also exudes an aura of dangerous sensuality... and soon Alanna realizes that for this hunter, she is the irresistible prey.

HE WAS DESIRE

Then war rages across the land, sweeping Alanna from a sprawling Virginia estate to the rugged Ohio Valley. Here, in the deep forests of frontier America, she will find Hunter again - and discover a love as wild as it is forbidden...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Native American, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Westerns

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Phoebe Conn is the maiden name and pseudonym of Phoebe Jane Conn a best-selling American author of thirty-seven romance novels. She has also published three futuristic romances under the pseudonym Cinnamon Burke.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

According to my e-reader, I made it through 2% of this one. You know how sometimes characters get put in such ridiculous and obvious situations and then say such dreadfully foolish things you feel embarrassed for them even though they're not real? Yeahhhh. Also, the Indian's name is Hunter which made me wonder if his classmates were Connor, Aiden, and Kaylee.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author seemed to have a bias in the case of the indian. All the other men were seen as lacking. I found the indian harsh at times. The book was full of tradegy and I won't read another book by this author for that reason.

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Native American western. The male lead Hunter is the Native American in this lovely story & the female Alanna is Caucasian, this is such a beautiful story. Alanna really fell in love at first sight with mysterious Hunter, which is unusual. Typically, males fall in love at first sight & women take longer they are more emotional, but Alanna was different. Beautiful was to start off the Hearts of Liberty series.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel (formerly published as Beloved) turned out to be much better than I imagined from the hokey title and cover (What is with the 1960's hairdo and make-up--was this supposed to be Hunter and Melissa or Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson in Grease? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_%...) The shy, hard-luck, but compassionate Melissa was certainly more interesting than your average romance heroine and Hunter was far from your stock Indian Brave character (yeah, Melissa was neurotic and dowdy and Hunter was shallow and conceited, but the flaws just made the characters more human and interesting and gave them room to grow). This book had everything I look for in a romance novel: well-developed characters and plot, a host of interesting fully-developed secondary characters, attention to history and period detail, original elements to the story, and most of all, the obstacles keeping the lovers apart have to be real (not just a bunch of neurotic ruminations) and work for me, and all of the above elements did indeed work for me. I am still angry about one of the characters that she killed off, but I'll get over it, and this book does contain a higher level of realism and depth than your average sugary historical romance.

[Cherna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Allthough the author tried to give them distinct personalities and talked about their motivations, I did not feel a connection with the characters. They did not drag me into their world and it all felt very distant to me.

It took me a week or two to finish the book because I lost interest a couple of times. Especially the writing about the war was too detailed (names/places) for my taste and lacking the emotion I'd expect the characters to feel. I skipped parts of it.

The romance part was a bid odd. From one to the other almost instantly and seemingly without emotional involvement. I have no clue why the heroine fell in love with the hero or the other way around. Also the ending was very abrupt.

It wasn't badly written but I believe there is a lot of room for improvement.

[Shaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. Started off so dry, mostly consisted of a history background so I guess for history buffs this book will read like a wet dream, for me not so much. I skimmed through about the first 200 pages because quite frankly I was bored. The book got interesting once Alanna and Hunter's interaction and romance began, from there it flowed pretty well.

Melissa was a spoiled brat who enjoyed playing with people's emotions, her parents were just racist and ignorant, as were most of the characters in the book, but that was all part of the story. Alanna started off annoying but grew into a strong, courageous, young lady. I enjoyed her character the most. Hunter...well he was as alpha as they come.

Overall it was a good read, not just my cup of tea.

[Lauren Seiberling (Romance Novel Giveaways) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well-written. It's obvious that Phoebe did a lot of research on the time period, and it's a true testament to her talent that she was still able to incorporate her fictional characters into America's history.

The plot took several turns that just weren't my cup of tea. Again, everything about the book seemed appropriate for the time period, including the "not so sunshine & roses" parts of the story.

I would absolutely read another book by Phoebe. While Savage Destiny didn't quite turn out the way I thought, I still could not put it down until I knew how it ended!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Info
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone
Part of a Series?: Yes
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Meeting the Characters
Alanna Barclay
Hunter
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Final thoughts
Avoiding most of this review by deleting the 'What happens' I just can't be bothered to write a long review.
This book isn't for me. I need to stop trying this genre as I think I dislike the books more than I find any gems.
Would I read again?: No
Would I read this author again?: Doubtful

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written book! I bought it wanting a quick romance that took little brain power to read. However I was pleasantly disappointed! I found myself in a heartbreaking roller coaster right along with the characters. As well as having a well planned storyline the subject matter was well researched as well!!!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not as into this book as I thought I'd be. The Indian was not well liked by me. The male character I rooted for all of a sudden died only briefly after becoming a possible romance candidate. I even rooted for another male character other than the Indian. I love Indian romances, but not this one. Hunter was just not likeable in my opinion, and the lead female must be daft.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

Enjoyed the book very much. Lots of information about the war. Indians and soldiers. Don't know why, but I am partial to Indians. Any one that has ever day dreamed about living with Indians will like this book.

[Guadalupe Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story had a lot more dept than I expected. Adventure and a couple of turns, it over all was good and will read rest in series.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Couldn't put it down. Fast moving. Interesting. Great story line with a little history through out.

[Maria Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

'' I don't think love ought to be describe as disgusting''

[Lexie Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite book but it did provide an interesting perspective on the life of an Indian, working with the "white people" and those relations.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!!! LOVED IT.