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Kindred: An American Love Story
This is a revised re-release of a previous book with a new publisher. It now contains an extensive glossary and a bibliography. An herbalist and free woman of color, Kindred Twain and Lelaheo/Cassian Harkness, an Oneida Indian, had been inseparable since childhood, so it was no surprise to anyone when their childhood bond blossomed into love as they grew into adulthood. Neither suspected when they agreed to wait to wed until Lelaheo had completed his medical studies in Europe that they were poised on the eve of the American Revolution. Which will happen, could happen first? Raging battles sure to destroy the region? A bitter stranger come to settle debts with Dr. Twain and to rip asunder all he's built? Or will a young, British miss named Adeline determined to tear the couple apart forever, succeed?
***This book is a HISTORICAL. If you prefer your historicals without history, this book may not be for you.
***This book is a HISTORICAL. If you prefer your historicals without history, this book may not be for you.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
P.J. Dean
11 books9 followersP. J. Dean has always loved making up stories for as long as she can recall. Fiction book writing was a no-brainer. Scribbling stories since childhood, she put away the thought of becoming a published writer as she got older and as life’s responsibilities beckoned. Work, ill family members and other distractions of lesser urgency stayed her dream. But through it all she never stopped writing. Writing was her escape. It kept her dream alive. After a job loss and after the family illnesses ended, she concentrated on writing with an aim to be published. She finally did, at first on her own, then through an early e-pub and now with Extasy Books. She thanks Extasy for picking her up. The publisher has given her the freedom to create what she wants without pigeon-holing her into writing in a certain way, as many traditional Big Five publishers expected her to do.
She writes historical and paranormal romances with diverse characters. Her interest in history coupled with a B.A in French Civilization helped her write her first book, a historical romance set in late 16th century France with the court of Charles IX as the backdrop. The need to see people of color in more romance books led her to create her own paranormal romance series with an interracial duo and lots of different people. In addition to the aliens.
She hails from the mid-Atlantic USA and enjoys the change of seasons there. Sometimes. When heavy thunderstorms or 45-inch snowstorms or 100-degree summers with matching humidity hit, she dreams of Bermuda. Otherwise, the rest works for her.
She writes historical and paranormal romances with diverse characters. Her interest in history coupled with a B.A in French Civilization helped her write her first book, a historical romance set in late 16th century France with the court of Charles IX as the backdrop. The need to see people of color in more romance books led her to create her own paranormal romance series with an interracial duo and lots of different people. In addition to the aliens.
She hails from the mid-Atlantic USA and enjoys the change of seasons there. Sometimes. When heavy thunderstorms or 45-inch snowstorms or 100-degree summers with matching humidity hit, she dreams of Bermuda. Otherwise, the rest works for her.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 21, 2017
It's rare to come across a well-written historical featuring a black woman and Native American man. The pacing of Kindred was quick (but not at all rushed). This edition shows the book as being 100 pages, it's actually about 193. Moarrrr pages, yay!
Cons: None for me.
Pluses: Great characters in Lelaheo and Kindred. A good villain, Adeline will drive you bananas. Also, I loved the usage of Gullah dialect! I can honestly say I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Dean. Good job, a very enjoyable story!
Cons: None for me.
Pluses: Great characters in Lelaheo and Kindred. A good villain, Adeline will drive you bananas. Also, I loved the usage of Gullah dialect! I can honestly say I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Dean. Good job, a very enjoyable story!
March 31, 2015
* Rating: 3.5 stars
** Review originally published on WillReadForFeels.com
*** I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
When I first read the synopsis for this book, I wondered at the note about “historicals without any history.” Once I’d read the first chapter, though, I was no longer in any doubt. You’re taken straight into a very turbulent time in American history, right around the time the United States made its bid for independence from Great Britain. And while I’ve read more historicals set on the other side of the pond, I was instantly intrigued.
I’ll confess, though, that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I’d taken American history in the seventh grade, but outside of a few documentaries on notable figures like George Washington and various war stories (I’m not going to count alternate histories), I haven’t really had the opportunity to revisit American history. So for all intents and purposes, my knowledge of American history is very, very basic. Still of the three of us on the WRFF team, I was probably the one who was most familiar with American history, and I decided I’d be the one to read Kindred: An American Love Story when the author sent us a review request. I was worried my ignorance would hamper my enjoyment of the novel, but to my surprise, I was immediately sucked into the setting and politically tense atmosphere of the novel.
Dean’s descriptions of place and time are very rich and textured; while I can’t speak as to their accuracy, I felt like this aspect of the novel was well-researched, yet it didn’t come off as dry or academic. I also thought that the rather touchy issues of race and religion were handled matter-of-factly, in that they were relevant to the historical period and political climate that affected the story’s plot, but irrelevant to the love and sense of family that drove this novel.
I guess that’s what made this novel work for me: that I could identify with each of the characters and it made me better appreciate the chance they afforded me to get a glimpse of a period and culture I was unfamiliar with. I instantly felt drawn to the characters of Kindred’s grandmother, Rozita, and their savior and mentor, Dr. Twain. Getting to know Kindred, her foster brother Joshua, and Lelaheo as children and then later as adults really helped me get a feel for the characters. And while I’ll admit it took me a little longer to warm to Kindred as a character than it did with the rest of the Twain family, by the time the scheming Adaline came into the picture, I was so invested in her, I turned each page with a sense of dread and anticipation. Oh no, I kept thinking. What’s she going to do? What’s going to happen?
I really admired Kindred’s clear-eyed intuition, her fortitude in the face of pain, and her willingness to defy social convention. And while I wish Dean had explored more of the flaws that would have rounded her out as a character, I still enjoyed the idea of a woman of substance standing up for what (and who) was hers. One thing I would have liked to see, though, was a little more emotional tension and conflict between Kindred and Lelaheo themselves, rather than simply the conflicts brought upon them by outside forces.
This wasn’t an easy read for me. I don’t do very well with accents I’m not familiar with, so reading the lines of dialogue in ‘Zita’s heavy Gullah accent went a little slower than I’d like, but it gave a good sense of character to the story, and it certainly highlighted how extraordinarily educated the children were under Douglas Twain’s care.
The pacing also wasn’t what you would expect of a modern romance novel, and the lovemaking scenes weren’t as heated as what you might find in many of those “historicals without any history.” Still, this added to the charm of reading this novel for me. Despite having been published only recently, the writing style reminded me of the ones in the books I would sneak out of my mom’s library, stuff by authors like Colleen McCullough and Barbara Taylor Bradford.
So if you’re looking for a rich, textured historical read with a bit of romance sprinkled in, you might enjoy this novel. But if you’re after a bodice-ripping romp set in some past century, this probably isn’t something you should pick up. Which means that, as it turns out, that disclaimer at the bottom of this book’s synopsis was spot on!
** Review originally published on WillReadForFeels.com
*** I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
When I first read the synopsis for this book, I wondered at the note about “historicals without any history.” Once I’d read the first chapter, though, I was no longer in any doubt. You’re taken straight into a very turbulent time in American history, right around the time the United States made its bid for independence from Great Britain. And while I’ve read more historicals set on the other side of the pond, I was instantly intrigued.
I’ll confess, though, that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I’d taken American history in the seventh grade, but outside of a few documentaries on notable figures like George Washington and various war stories (I’m not going to count alternate histories), I haven’t really had the opportunity to revisit American history. So for all intents and purposes, my knowledge of American history is very, very basic. Still of the three of us on the WRFF team, I was probably the one who was most familiar with American history, and I decided I’d be the one to read Kindred: An American Love Story when the author sent us a review request. I was worried my ignorance would hamper my enjoyment of the novel, but to my surprise, I was immediately sucked into the setting and politically tense atmosphere of the novel.
Dean’s descriptions of place and time are very rich and textured; while I can’t speak as to their accuracy, I felt like this aspect of the novel was well-researched, yet it didn’t come off as dry or academic. I also thought that the rather touchy issues of race and religion were handled matter-of-factly, in that they were relevant to the historical period and political climate that affected the story’s plot, but irrelevant to the love and sense of family that drove this novel.
I guess that’s what made this novel work for me: that I could identify with each of the characters and it made me better appreciate the chance they afforded me to get a glimpse of a period and culture I was unfamiliar with. I instantly felt drawn to the characters of Kindred’s grandmother, Rozita, and their savior and mentor, Dr. Twain. Getting to know Kindred, her foster brother Joshua, and Lelaheo as children and then later as adults really helped me get a feel for the characters. And while I’ll admit it took me a little longer to warm to Kindred as a character than it did with the rest of the Twain family, by the time the scheming Adaline came into the picture, I was so invested in her, I turned each page with a sense of dread and anticipation. Oh no, I kept thinking. What’s she going to do? What’s going to happen?
I really admired Kindred’s clear-eyed intuition, her fortitude in the face of pain, and her willingness to defy social convention. And while I wish Dean had explored more of the flaws that would have rounded her out as a character, I still enjoyed the idea of a woman of substance standing up for what (and who) was hers. One thing I would have liked to see, though, was a little more emotional tension and conflict between Kindred and Lelaheo themselves, rather than simply the conflicts brought upon them by outside forces.
This wasn’t an easy read for me. I don’t do very well with accents I’m not familiar with, so reading the lines of dialogue in ‘Zita’s heavy Gullah accent went a little slower than I’d like, but it gave a good sense of character to the story, and it certainly highlighted how extraordinarily educated the children were under Douglas Twain’s care.
The pacing also wasn’t what you would expect of a modern romance novel, and the lovemaking scenes weren’t as heated as what you might find in many of those “historicals without any history.” Still, this added to the charm of reading this novel for me. Despite having been published only recently, the writing style reminded me of the ones in the books I would sneak out of my mom’s library, stuff by authors like Colleen McCullough and Barbara Taylor Bradford.
So if you’re looking for a rich, textured historical read with a bit of romance sprinkled in, you might enjoy this novel. But if you’re after a bodice-ripping romp set in some past century, this probably isn’t something you should pick up. Which means that, as it turns out, that disclaimer at the bottom of this book’s synopsis was spot on!
September 27, 2015
I discovered PJ Dean via Rivka Spicer’s Diverse Books Month posts in August. It was my first time reading Ms. Dean’s work, and I must say I absolutely loved it! Rarely, are there well-written interracial historicals with a Native American man and Black woman at the forefront. The premise is simple, but the weaving of the tale was well done. The historical references and research regarding Lelaheo’s tribe was fantastic! I learned a great deal. What I most enjoyed was the utilization of Gullah dialect by Kindred’s grandmother. It brought authenticity to the story line.
What’s the story about? Kindred, was raised by her grandmother in a free household in the North. Her grandmother escaped slavery and saved both Kindred and another young boy on the plantation after everyone was slaughtered. They were hidden away by a Good Samaritan and have been with him ever since. While living with this Good Samaritan, Kindred encounters Lelaheo. He has been sent away by his family to learn the ways of the white man and assimilate into the dominant culture. Don’t fret, his family had the best intentions. They simply wanted the best for Lelaheo, hoping the knowledge gained would serve his people at a later date.
Kindred and Lelaheo meet as young children and as they grow and forge a friendship, they fall in love. Of course, there’s always a twist in the plot. What’s the twist? Enter the young British woman, Adeline, who I wanted to throttle. This woman…ugh. UGH!
This was an enjoyable story. I have to say I was annoyed with Kindred when she held back from telling Lelaheo important information, but I understand why she chose to do so. LOL, everything can’t be perfect. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Dean’s work soon. I can say I highly recommend this tale if you’re looking for a sweet love story with a little bit of heat.
-Reviewed by Natalie
What’s the story about? Kindred, was raised by her grandmother in a free household in the North. Her grandmother escaped slavery and saved both Kindred and another young boy on the plantation after everyone was slaughtered. They were hidden away by a Good Samaritan and have been with him ever since. While living with this Good Samaritan, Kindred encounters Lelaheo. He has been sent away by his family to learn the ways of the white man and assimilate into the dominant culture. Don’t fret, his family had the best intentions. They simply wanted the best for Lelaheo, hoping the knowledge gained would serve his people at a later date.
Kindred and Lelaheo meet as young children and as they grow and forge a friendship, they fall in love. Of course, there’s always a twist in the plot. What’s the twist? Enter the young British woman, Adeline, who I wanted to throttle. This woman…ugh. UGH!
This was an enjoyable story. I have to say I was annoyed with Kindred when she held back from telling Lelaheo important information, but I understand why she chose to do so. LOL, everything can’t be perfect. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Dean’s work soon. I can say I highly recommend this tale if you’re looking for a sweet love story with a little bit of heat.
-Reviewed by Natalie
October 6, 2015
Lovely cover, but inside lies melodrama rather than historical romance, alas. And practically all telling, little showing.
In 1760's Maryland, plantation owners fear a slave revolt, and preempt it by slaughtering all their slaves. A cousin of one of the owners, disgusted by his relative's actions, returns to his northern home, rescuing one of the few enslaved to escape the slaughter, along with two young children, as he leaves.
Flash forward a few years, and the four have become a small family on a prosperous farm in the Mohawk River Valley. Another young boy, a member of the Oneida tribe, joins their small family.
Flash forward to 1776, to witness the former enslaved girl, Kindred, now a woman of 18, declare her love to the Oneida boy, Lelahalo, right on the eve of Lelahalo's departure for Germany to study medicine. The two vow their enduring love, and sleep together.
We get a few chapters of life for Lelahalo in Germany, and a few chapters about things back at home. Then Lelahalo returns, with a white wife in tow. But despite being married, he insists he still loves Kindred, and continues to have sex with her. Why he brought his white wife back with him if he was only going to ignore her and sleep with someone else is completely beyond me.
Melodrama ensues when the white planter cousin arrives for a visit...
Lots of interesting historical information about the period, and thumbs up for the interracial historical romance. But as a love story, this one falls majorly flat.
In 1760's Maryland, plantation owners fear a slave revolt, and preempt it by slaughtering all their slaves. A cousin of one of the owners, disgusted by his relative's actions, returns to his northern home, rescuing one of the few enslaved to escape the slaughter, along with two young children, as he leaves.
Flash forward a few years, and the four have become a small family on a prosperous farm in the Mohawk River Valley. Another young boy, a member of the Oneida tribe, joins their small family.
Flash forward to 1776, to witness the former enslaved girl, Kindred, now a woman of 18, declare her love to the Oneida boy, Lelahalo, right on the eve of Lelahalo's departure for Germany to study medicine. The two vow their enduring love, and sleep together.
We get a few chapters of life for Lelahalo in Germany, and a few chapters about things back at home. Then Lelahalo returns, with a white wife in tow. But despite being married, he insists he still loves Kindred, and continues to have sex with her. Why he brought his white wife back with him if he was only going to ignore her and sleep with someone else is completely beyond me.
Melodrama ensues when the white planter cousin arrives for a visit...
Lots of interesting historical information about the period, and thumbs up for the interracial historical romance. But as a love story, this one falls majorly flat.
December 8, 2014
I really enjoyed this. I read the current edition, I think the one pictured about is older. Historical romance with a African American woman and an Oneida Man. Well done characters. Really neat story.
July 28, 2017
I really wanted to like it more but it was starting at a disadvantage being set during the American revolutionary war because I'm a little over exposed to stories about that time.
I was really disappponted that I didn't get to watch the characters fall on love, because that's what I'm in romance novels for so I felt a bit cheated when they were just like yep in love now, isn't love grand.
Excellent villains though and I loved the inclusion of Joseph Boulonge.
I was really disappponted that I didn't get to watch the characters fall on love, because that's what I'm in romance novels for so I felt a bit cheated when they were just like yep in love now, isn't love grand.
Excellent villains though and I loved the inclusion of Joseph Boulonge.
May 24, 2022
Had me screaming, crying, and throwing up👍🏾.
But, honestly, it was so well written that I had to stop in some places to admire the prose itself. I also appreciate the historical, and cultural details that brought the story to life.
But, honestly, it was so well written that I had to stop in some places to admire the prose itself. I also appreciate the historical, and cultural details that brought the story to life.
August 30, 2021
2021 Interracial Romance A to Z Challenge
Round 2
Kindred - 3.5 stars
Round 2
Kindred - 3.5 stars
April 3, 2016
This book incorporated at least four cultures into one wonderful historical romance and I learned more than I’d anticipated.
I sighed at the end of this story (in a good way). So much emotion was poured into it. First of all let me say that anything that discusses slavery gets me a little angry. It’s the nature of the history of slavery and how the slaves were treated in such a sub-human manner. Add to the struggle of slavery, that of the Native Americans and I was more than upset with some of the characters in the book, and history in general.
Ms. Dean presented the past in an honest light, with the hope that some experienced during that time all with a unique love story. A friends-to-lovers novel that pulled at my heart and made me so happy that love could persevere during a time when hatred had a tendency to rule (Yes I realize this was a work of fiction).
I adored Kindred, her intelligence and her feistiness. And Lelaheo was perfect – just perfect. I will mention that there was one scene where I wanted to kick his behind, but I won’t expound upon it.
This was a fabulous novel. I give this book five out of five head scarf shaped chocolate bars.
I sighed at the end of this story (in a good way). So much emotion was poured into it. First of all let me say that anything that discusses slavery gets me a little angry. It’s the nature of the history of slavery and how the slaves were treated in such a sub-human manner. Add to the struggle of slavery, that of the Native Americans and I was more than upset with some of the characters in the book, and history in general.
Ms. Dean presented the past in an honest light, with the hope that some experienced during that time all with a unique love story. A friends-to-lovers novel that pulled at my heart and made me so happy that love could persevere during a time when hatred had a tendency to rule (Yes I realize this was a work of fiction).
I adored Kindred, her intelligence and her feistiness. And Lelaheo was perfect – just perfect. I will mention that there was one scene where I wanted to kick his behind, but I won’t expound upon it.
This was a fabulous novel. I give this book five out of five head scarf shaped chocolate bars.
November 4, 2009
I really didn't like this book. Don't bother.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews