Despite her initial rejection of Morgan Prescott's persistant advances, nineteen-year-old Sky Dancer, a breathtakingly beautiful Indian maiden, cannot long deny the blossoming desire she feels for him
Evelyn Gee was born on 1939 in Texas, USA. She makes her home in San Antonio with her husband, Jim and their son, Jason.
She signed her novels as Constance O'Banyon. She also wrote as Micah Leigh with Texan writer Emma Merritt. Her books range from historical to contemporary and include several novellas. Many of her books have been published in trade paperback.Among her many awards, she is the recipient of the 1996 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. There are eight million copies of her books in print.
She says: "I have always loved history, and I loved storytelling — it was only natural that I would one day put them both together. I must have lived in another life and time, because when I write, I can almost feel I was there. My favorite part of writing is the research. Whenever possible, I will go to the place I am writing about to walk the land and smell the air."
"Savage Summer" is the final book in Constance O'Banyon's "Savage Seasons of Blackfoot" series. While it's not as good as the other books in the series, it's still a good book.
The Story: The book begins the way "Savage Spring" ended, with a reminder that Joanna James and her husband, Blood Blackfoot Indian chief Windhawk, and Joanna's brother, Taggart "Tag" James and his wife, Alexandria, have made a promise to each other. That promise is that their respective daughters, Joanna and Windhawk's Sky Dancer, and Tag's and Alexandria's Danielle, will spend the summer with the other couple to learn about the other half of their heritage.
Fast forward. The book then commences when both girls are nineteen. Neither Sky Dancer nor Danielle is happy about the idea of spending the summer in an environment neither is familiar with. Sky Dancer, however, is open to the trip. Danielle, however, is not. She is a spoiled, obnoxious brat who pouts, whines, and tries to manipulate her way out of going. She also angers Tag by referring to her Indian relatives as "savages."
Sky Dancer is also having dreams-of a sexual nature-about a man whom she later meets. That is the hero of the book, Morgan Prescott, a doctor by trade and training and a Colonel in the U.S.Army. Later, when Sky Dancer arrives in Philadelphia, she and Morgan meet, become attracted to each other and fall in love. However, there are problems with their relationship.
Back in the Blood Blackfoot village, Danielle is having a miserable time; she is especially cold to her grandmother, Sun Woman, who only wants to see Danielle before Sun Woman passes away. One day, Danielle is kidnapped by a Piegan Blackfoot brave named Scar Face. (Backstory: Scar Face is the son of Running Elk, a Piegan chief who in "Savage Autumn" kidnapped Tag. Scar Face has kidnapped Danielle believing that she is Sky Dancer. Scar Face believes that Windhawk killed his father; in reality, it was Tag who killed Running Elk.) When Windhawk discovers Danielle has been kidnapped, he sends many braves to try to find her. The only one who succeeds is Windrunner. (This is NOT the same title character of a later Constance O'Banyon book.) Eventually, Windrunner rescues Danielle-who previously insulted him and called him a "savage." They manage to make their way back to the Blood Blackfoot village, but not before facing hardships, including injuries and attempts on both of their lives. Danielle kills Scar Face when he tries to kill Windrunner.
While that is going on, back in Philadelphia, Sky Dancer, or Skyler Dancing as she is introduced to Philly society, is falling in love with Morgan. However, she fears what he will think when he finds out she's half-Indian. Those fears are realized when Morgan makes disparaging remarks about Indians, which hurts Sky Dancer greatly. After hearing these remarks, Sky Dancer shuts off all contact with Morgan. Both spend a good chunk of time hurting before Sky Dancer gives herself to Morgan to know what it's like to be with the man she loves. Later, after Sky Dancer returns home to the Blood Blackfoot village, Alexandria tells Morgan why what he said hurt Sky Dancer so much and, with the help of a trip to Blackfoot country to see Sky Dancer, helps him open his heart and mind to the bigotry and hatred he held. Eventually, Morgan's views change and he realizes he loves Sky Dancer and accepts her for who she is.
At the same time, Danielle and Windrunner are falling in love with each other but they too have cultural issues to overcome. Their issues: Danielle is the niece of Windhawk, the Blood Blackfoot chief, whereas Windrunner, even though he is the son of Windhawk's best friend, Gray Fox, doesn't have the same status among the Blood Blackfoot and believes that he has no chance to be accepted by Windhawk as a potential nephew-in-law. However, like Morgan and Sky Dancer, Danielle and Windrunner find a way to get beyond their differences and find the love of their lives and live happily ever after.
This is not a five-star level book. It is a little dry and boring in spots, but it's certainly good enough.
Sex: As usual, Constance O'Banyon's love scenes are more focused on the feelings that the mechanics of the act.
Violence: After Danielle is kidnapped, Scar Face physically abuses her. Later, Scar Face nearly kills Windrunner with an ax. Danielle then kills Scar Face by stabbing him with a spear. None of these scenes are graphically described.
I enjoyed riding with the families q the families of the blakfeet tribet. Wind hawk and his many adventure s the people that touched his heart and the larger family that came from him and Johanna and Tag was one that will be with me always. This is a series that I will read many times .I thank the author for her great love of writing of the Indian nations. I love how she protests them in real life . the united states did a gave harm and injustice to the Indian nation which I'm a small part of.
Savage Summer KU 324 pgs *** 4/12/21 Wolfrunner & Danielle, Morgan & Skylar
3 stars. The first half was boring and drug on for me. The 2nd half was better but not great. I had to make myself finish this book. This series wasn’t like the other books I’ve read by this author. I felt like they were all the same book with some differences just to make a change up of places and names. The epilogue did bring some closure for me with Windhawk and Joanna though
What a great story of a battle that reaches within your soul on what you should do and what you wanted to do... Do you follow your head or your heart. It's a story of diversity, showing that if you love someone you love every part of them... Not just what's on the surface. You must be willing to make sacrifices for true love. This story is an excellent testament to that very thing... When a story leaves me wanting more, kudos to the author
I read the entire series in a little over a month. I was so intrigued, that I couldn't put it down. I wish the story continued with the two girls saga. I wonder if the baby was a girl or boy. LOL. The writing makes you feel like you are a part of the story. It is very well written.. please add more continue the story...
This author is an exceptional person. She is a very wonderful author and writes in such a way to bring honor to our people. We need more like her in this world.
Loved the detail in locations, not all that crazy about the intimate details but I have learned to skip ahead. The writing is wonderful and the story line warm and endearing.
Loved this book! The story of the two cousins trading places for the summer, a great idea, and the intertwining of both girls' stories. Please write another like this! Wolfrunner and Danielle were my favorite couple in this book. I'd like to read more of their love story!
Another of Constance O'Banyon books I could not put down. She is an incredible writer who keeps the reader entranced. I have read so many of her books and have reread many. Always interesting as the characters come to life..
ANOTHER 3.5 STARS! It saddens me to think that his book had a lot of potential but in the end, the feelings and emotions didn't come naturally as it should but as if it has already been decided that way and just written for the sake of it.
The characters involved are Danielle and Sky Dancer (the cousins) and Morgan and WolfRunner. The pairings are almost cliché but I still loved it.
Sky Dancer and Morgan's Story :
Sky Dancer is the more sensitive of the cousins and soft-spoken, although her bearing is of a Blackfoot Princess, proud yet kind. There is a refreshing quality about her that draws Dr Morgan's attention to her and he immediately is captured by her. Sky Dancer's destiny comes to her in the form of dreams and if not for Morgan's outspoken dislike for the Indians, they would have been long wedded. Somehow, Morgan is a fair better man than Sky Dancer condemns him for because once he loves her, he would do anything to win her back even traipse into Indian territory and confront Windhawk for his daughter's hand.
Danielle and WolfRunner's Story :
This is my favorite troupe and the couple was hate at first sight. They both resemble the kind of people they would never have fallen in love for. One too rough and dark, the other spoilt and useless. Circumstances happen whereby Danielle is kidnapped by an old nemesis seeking revenge on Windhawk but mistook her for Sky Dancer. WolfRunner offers to track her down on the excuse that it is for Joanna's sake. Pit together in the wilderness, both rely on each other and Danielle proves him wrong when she withstands it all. WolfRunner is more the fool here when he constantly denies his love for her and they were not meant to be. But Danielle stands firm.
OVERALL if you separate the stories, it would have been novella-like. Short but too unmeaning then the love happens too fast it is almost unbelievable, thus I am not that excited about this story.
This one was good, but still a little disappointing. They had a bunch of details for Morgan and Sky Dancer's first sex scene, but when it was Danielle and Wolrunner's turn to get it on, they got almost none. Even on their second and third time it was practically PG rated. They were the ones I was interested in and they totally got cheated. They weren't even in the cover picture, they weren't mentioned in the info thing on the back, and they had very little, almost no, sexual scenes. I just really wish they'd had a better cut if the book, cause I think it could have been A LOT better.
This one was good but still a little disappointing. They had a bunch of details for Morgan and Sky Dancer's first sex scene, but when it was Danielle and Wolfrunner's turn to get it on they had almost none. Even when they did it the second and third time it was like PG rated. They were the ones who I was interested in and they totally got cheated. They weren't on the cover at all and they had very little, almost no, sexuall scenes.