Too Tough to Tame

Too Tough #1

by Deborah Camp

Shot by the marshal and framed for a crime Storm-in-His-Eyes didn't commit, the Indian brave must remain in seclusion for his own safety--and he does not need a white woman doctoring him. But an attraction develops as Tess Summar fights to save her reluctant patient's life. When she is attacked for her actions on his behalf, the brave rescues her and together they retreat into their love.

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

358 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Deborah Camp on Facebook!
Deborah's Personal Blog

Campy Romances!
Book #1: BEDDING MR. BIRDSONG is a flirty, fun contemporary romance. It's a friends to lovers plot and I promise it will tickle your heart along with other places! Go get it on Amazon. It's yours with one click for Kindle Unlimited members.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086KSSXZX?...

Book #2 NAILING MR. NASTY is sassy, snarky, and fun! It's a boss/employee story that will have you smirking, giggling, and rooting for Jack "Mr. Nasty" Nast and Samantha Striker to break the rules and nail each other! Get it on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Nailing-Nasty-...

For heaven's sake, go to my website and sign up for my newsletter. Get the first book in the Mind's Eye series FREE just by signing up. www.deborah-camp.com

Please write reviews of my books and/or send me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

Cheers!
Deborah

Reviews

[MelissaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tess Summar lives in a small Montana town named False Hope. She lives with her married brother John, who is the town's doctor, and helps him with his practice. One day a young Indian girl is brought to her brother who is dying from a gunshot. The town's Marshall says her brother accidently shot her while he was trying to get away while stealing horses. Before the girl dies, she tells Tess that the Marshall was the person who shot her, not her brother. She gets Tess to promise to help her brother, who she thinks was shot and probably went to a nearby cave injured. Tess thinks the girl is delirious but agrees to ease her mind. When the Indian girl's Blackfoot family comes to collect her body, she tells one of the warriors that the girl thinks her brother is injured in the hills.

A few days later, Tess is kidnapped by the Blackfeet warrior, Brown Otter, who she talked to before because he wants her to help the injured Storm-in-His-Eyes, the dead girl's brother. Storm is lying injured in a nearby cave and needs her help. Tess agrees to help Storm once she sees how injured he is because she feels bad for him and because she promised the dying girl. Storm is out of his mind with fever for days as Tess tries to save his life.

Once Storm wakes up, he is not happy to see a white woman attending him. He has spent some time in the white world, where white women have brought him nothing but trouble. Now white men have unjustly accused him of stealing horses and killing his sister. Tess sticks up for herself to Storm and lets him know just how hard she fought to save his life. Storm is attracted to Tess because she has two things he finds irresistible - pluck and freckles. Tess is also attracted to Storm but realizes that nothing can come of it because they are from two different worlds.

Storm's friend Black Otter shows up with the tribe's Medicine Woman to help heal him. Once Storm is feeling better they tell Tess that it is time for her to head home, which Storm agrees with because he doesn't want to bring trouble to her life. On the way back to town, Tess is accosted by two white men dressed as Indians but she is saved in time by Storm and Brown Otter. They bring her to the Blackfeet village to help her heal from wounds she received when she fell from her horse. While in the village, Tess starts to fall in love with Storm who is the strong man she has always dreamed of having. She likes living with the Blackfeet Indians because they treat her as an honored Medicine Woman, not as a helpless female like the white people in town do. Storm is also falling for Tess but he will not think about allowing anything between them because Tess does not belong in his world and he refuses to live in the white world again. Plus he plans on killing the Marshall in retaliation for his sister and hunting down the men who attacked Tess, so he wants Tess back in town where she will be safe.

After one night of hot loving, Tess goes back into town to live. But the passion between them refuses to go away, causing both Tess and Storm to take a hard look at what is important to them and try to find a way for them to live together. Storm has a lot to work through because he needs to consider if he is willing to be with a white woman and what that would mean to his place in the tribe. He also needs to find the white men responsible for the "Indian" attacks before trouble is brought to his tribe - plus he and the Marshall are heading for a showdown. Will Tess and Storm find a way to work everything out so they can be together and will they survive the men out to get them? (Hint: since it's Romancelandia, the answer is YES).

I enjoyed this western/Native American romance. The two leads were very likeable. Tess was a very strong woman who wanted more than the life she had - marginalized by her brother, who didn't appreciate her nursing ablilities and wanted to marry her off to any eligible man. She wanted to fall in love with a strong man who would appreciate her and give her children but she was a spinster to most of the town's people. Storm saw her as a very desirable woman from the start and he appreciated her medical skills (well they did save his life). They found a wonderful love together and were willing to fight for the right to live together. Storm was a very honorable man who treated Tess with respect and didn't want to bring danger to her life so he tries to stay away from her because he has been branded an outlaw by the corrupt Marshall - but he feels so strongly for Tess that he just can't stay away.

Overall, this was a nice western/Native American romance that was written well. The characters were likable and the story was interesting. Plus who can resist a hot hero who is named Storm-in-His-Eyes?

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Rating: 4.1 / 5

Rating: 3.9 / 5

Plot-wise, there's nothing unique about this story as far as romances go, but unfortunately, anything North-American-related in the "white woman + native man = love" category is my great weakness.

The beginning of this book is by far the cheesiest part. I don't mean the part where Tess Summar is kidnapped and forced(?) to heal Storm-In-His-Eyes, who has just been shot by the town marshal after being caught with the marshal's daughter. No, that's as fine as any beginning to any romance novel I've read. What I'm referring to is the sleep-delirium almost-sex of when Storm is technically in a fever dream, but this also transfer to reality as he literally jumps Tess and she responds to him. A minor plot-point in the grand scheme of things, but I didn't like it as the overall introduction to the spiciness of the romance in the story. If a guy hits on a girl, I think it's courtesy or at least common sense for him to know and be fully conscious that he's doing it. Just saying. Otherwise, it's just a cheap way for him to wimp out later and say he doesn't remember or something.

After we breeze over that mini-scene though, things progress much smoother. That being said, I've noticed that my favourite romances for Native-American romance novels aren't the ones that go smoothly all the way, but rather those that take a lot of work to get started. An instant attraction is all well and good and can happen in real life, but it makes sense to find admirable qualities besides the person's appearance, say. For instance, in Dancing on Coals, which I expected not to like as much as some of the other Native-American romances I've read but that's actually ended up being one of my favourites, the two protagonists get together only after much "wailing and gnashing of teeth"--*cough*unable to accept feelings for each other because of different backgrounds and bad blood between races *cough*. For the attraction to be almost instant, as it is in this novel, that's well and fine, but I expect a bit more "umph" for the start, if that makes sense.

All in all though, no complaints--just a pleasant read and future re-read to enjoy over a pleasant afternoon in.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that though I read a pretty fair amount of historical romance, I have never been particularly attracted to the Indian/White Woman thing. I get too wrapped up in the backstory, and always find it hard to suspend disbelief that in a society where Native Americans were stripped of their lands and dehumanized by European Americans and European Americans were taught to live in fear of Native Americans, real uncomplicated love could blossom. This book did a pretty darn good job of getting me past that issue. The heroine is smart and has skills that are valued by the Blackfeet and not taken seriously but the White townspeople because she is a woman. The hero is conflicted about Whites and persecuted by the townspeople who attack everything/everyone he loves. There is discussion of the mistreatment of the Blackfeet, and the heroine is asked, why would you want to go to them, not because the Blackfeet are bad, but because you know you will be victimized by the government and driven to unproductive land where you will be left to starve. Bottom line: I did not have to suspend disbelief because my questions were addressed. The hero and heroine are really good well drawn characters as are most of the supporting characters. (The villains are cardboard cutouts, but it turned out to not be too annoying.) Overall, a good read.

[Paniapita · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite trashy romance / smut book EVER!!! How can you not fall in love with a guy named Storm-In-His-Eyes!!! I've re-read this book more times than I can remember. :)

[Greeneyes Belle28 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great story. I like native American stories and this one was steamy and well written! Can't wait to read the sequel.

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reviews are honest & they contain spoilers. For more, visit:


I’ve become a fan of Deborah Camp’s writing since I read Solitary Horseman. She’s one of my go-to authors when I think of western historical and rightly so, cause her stories are generally engaging with hot heroes and adorable heroines. But this new series that I’ve recently started titled Tough Man/Too Tough, I have a very mixed feelings about book 1, Too Tough to Tame.

This series and it’s installments were first published in the mid 90s and it showed some of that dated scenario where things are sometimes rather over the top and you just have to come to terms with that it wasn’t written for the more contemporary readers. I’m not saying Too Tough to Tame is a typical bodice ripper. It’s not, because there are only a few murders and no rape at all (well nothing that actually happened in the story). Violence is very limited. In fact, the author’s writing is pretty good so it shows a consistency of her brilliance where her writing is concerned. But those over the top moments sometimes made things too cheesy for me. I don’t even know if it makes any sense but I laughed and eyerolled quite a bit at their gestures, banters and thought seesh how silly!.

But on the brighter side, I don’t remember about reading a hero with Native American heritage—not for quite a while at least—which was a breath of fresh air, a change of scenario for me.

Tess Summers lives in the town of False Hope, Montana which is rather closer to the Native American territory. The Blackfeet have always clashed with the local people for various reasons and the situation can be very tense at times. There were mention of other tribes but they seemed to be the prominent ones in this story. Maybe because our H is one of them. :) Now Tess is a spinster, though not without her own secret dreams and wishes. But in this backwater town, the type of men she daydreams about are hard to come by. She lives with his brother, John, who is the sole doctor of the town. She’s more like his helper; nurse and everything else that he might need when he’s working from patient to patient. He’s recently married but his wife is a showpiece rather than anyone practical, so Tess even had to work as their housemaid i.e., cooking, cleaning etc. Anything you can think of.

To say that Tess was unhappy was an understatement. She wanted to become more independent, be acknowledged for her contribution in her brother’s work and I saw nothing wrong in it. After all she’d also unofficially trained with him so she can assist, though John rarely acknowledged her contribution taking it all for himself. She also wanted to marry and have her own family to a man she can love and admire. The latter she’d almost given up hope for but she sure as hell didn’t want to live her life as a maid to John and Camilla, then later the governess-aunt when they have kids! So Tess had been trying to find a way to strike out independently knowing John will never approve of her decision. So far, she had no opportunity. But then it arrives as a Blackfeet warrior, when she’s kidnapped by one of his tribe members to take care of him. He was wounded and dying from a bullet wound.

Tess has had met Indians before but she wasn’t of a mind like the most around town; looking down at them and treating them as nothing but savages. It seemed she’d always been intrigued by them. One day, a young Indian girl is brought to John, heavily bleeding from a gunshot wound. The girl knew she’d die, so before her last breath she accuses a Marshall in the town for shooting her in cold blood. As she was confiding to Tess, she also made certain Tess promised to take care of her brother who had also been shot and needs medical attention ASAP. She even mentions the name of a place where he always goes when he’s in trouble. Tess couldn’t identify the area so when the girl’s family arrives to receive the dead body, Tess informs one of the men privately what she’d been told. If only she knew it’d dump her into a whole new world of trouble, as well as launch her into the most terrific adventure of her life! Oh boy!!

The man, Brown Otter, kidnaps Tess the next day when she was visiting a patient. Tess was terrified not knowing what was happening and why this man would do this to her. Then it all becomes clear when she’s taken to a mountainside hideaway and finds her ‘new’ patient quite badly injured even if he won’t let her touch him or check for his wounds. So far, I thought Tess was smart and practical, after seeing and doing what she had as a nurse. However, the moment she clapped her eyes on Storm In His Eyes, her thought process turned... I don’t know, silly? She was directly checking him out, how big and muscular and strong he was and how manly and virile he was as he lay wounded on the floor. Seesh girl! The practical Tess disappeared that day and never returned in the book, most especially anytime she was around or with Storm In His Eyes. -_-

From Brown Otter and Storm In His Eyes AKA Storm, Tess hears what happened, though she still had a difficult time believing that about the Marshall. It seemed Storm got entangled with his daughter which resulted into the Indian-hating Marshall shooting them both. Either way, Tess against all her misgivings decides to take care of Storm. She lives in the cave with him for a few days until Brown Otter returned with their elderly healer woman Minipoka. Even though Storm was doing much better than before, he needed to be taken to their camp. I was laughing when Tess was stomping her feet—something she did many times over in the story— thinking no one is again giving her credit for saving Storm’s life, as they decided that his healing would be handed over to Minipoka. But after meeting the healer woman she’s impressed by her tactics and becomes ever curious to learn more of the Native ways of healing. By then Tess was so enamored of Storm’s manly aura that she was unwilling to go back to her old life. But fate would have it that after an incident she’s forced to be taken to the Blackfeet camp after all.

Storm had moved with the Whites for a good part of his life when he wanted to explore the world outside of his tribe. He had white blood in him, his own grandmother being a white woman. And his gift (or curse however you see it) was having a pair of stormy grey eyes which became his namesake and instantly marked him as someone who was neither here nor there. He had trouble fitting into both worlds; something that had also shaped his life thus far. He never felt at peace with the Whites so he returned to his tribe for good. Later we come to learn that he’d always been enamored more of white women than his own kind, which had gotten him more than once into trouble. Though he swore off white women after the latest debacle, once again, when he sees Tess and he’s in lust, even in the middle of a raging fever and pain through his body from the gunshot wound. He calls her his ‘AnadaAki’ which literally means Pretty Woman (Tess had blonde hair and blue eyes). Yet somewhere in this fever-torn mind he knew it’s not good news. He knew it when he was feeling a bit better but he was still so in lust with Tess that he didn’t know how he can stay away. But that’s what he must do because he’s a wanted criminal for crimes he had not committed. There were some men terrorizing the people around here masked as Indians and the Blackfeet knew it wasn’t their men but Storm and Brown Otter, his cousin, were getting the blame. Storm knew he had a lot to do and he didn’t have the time or luxury to complicate things with a white woman again. But when Tess is attacked by those a$$holes, she was saved by Storm and taken to their camp for recovery. With that their fate was kind of sealed TBH.

In the Blackfeet camp, the few days she lived there recuperating, Tess learns quite a bit about them. She learns their ways of living, becoming envious of how they treasured and respected their women; something Tess never felt living with her own community. She also gets more and more entangled with Storm, but learns he maybe betrothed in the Indian way to one of the Blackfeet women. Mind you guys, it’s only been a few days and though they’ve been through quite a lot, I couldn’t see them already in love. But lust, oh sure! They both ‘the itch’ for one another. Tess thought finally she found a man she could love and create a family with, yet he’s so out of reach. Maybe that feel of the forbidden and Storm’s mixed heritage was the aphrodisiac for her I don’t know but I wasn’t convinced either of them was in love.

In the meantime, the tribal elders wanted Storm to decide on his own fate by engaging in one of their rituals. And in that dark room where he’s send to contemplate (kind of a solitary confinement though not as severe), through visions, Storm becomes somewhat assured that his life is entwined with Tess. Yet, he was one of the chosen ones for future leadership and their current leader wanted Storm to marry inside the tribe to take his ‘sits beside him’ AKA the main wife (it’d seem they had a penchant for polygamy, something I neither like nor support). But Storm, it seemed, had no interest in taking multiple wives or even a wife among the Blackfeet women, even if his semi-betrothed has been trying to seduce him since he’s been back. He decides to let her go so she doesn’t waste her life away. Storm more pressing business he needed to take care of; had a revenge to plan. But what of Tess? Storm was very insecure about that bit of his life. The future seemed very uncertain for them both and he couldn’t make any decisions.

Meanwhile, as Tess healed completely, she was becoming disappointed and rather heartbroken that Storm won’t say anything or act upon on their gradually burning attraction. They’ve kissed and such but he doesn’t look like someone who’d commit. Then again, can they even marry when it seemed the world is against them becoming a couple? She’d made good friends among the Blackfeet including approval from Minipoka, who held the highest of regards among the tribe members. But even the older women seemed reluctant to bless their match. But, despite all the odds, she and Storm decides to become lovers. TBH even I wasn’t sure where this was going seeing how fast things were moving for them. But I read on...

Despite her wishes to remain with the Blackfeet, Tess had to return to the reality of her life. Storm insisted she goes back, another thing that Tess doesn’t take lightly. And she knew that the words of her being with the Blackfeet would ruin her reputation. Which it does of course. But it also gives her the perfect opportunity to move out of John’s house who BTW wasn’t at all happy at the turn of things. Tess knew she may or may not see Storm again as he won’t commit to anything before he can take care of his business with the Marshall. Avenge his sister and make life safer again. But that wasn’t any consolation for Tess because she wanted only Storm. And the path to their courtship would be fraught with even more danger when she’s also targeted by the miscreants for being an ‘Indian lover’.

The last chapters had a lot of actions to keep one hooked. However, Tess was also being... uh, herself. At one point she makes it easier for their enemies to abduct her. Who goes out alone in the night ‘to get a bit of air’ KNOWING there’s danger out there? Only our Tess. Even when Storm specifically told her to be inside her uncle’s ranch where they were at that moment. *SMH* I even was saying ‘no, no don’t go out there alone!’ while I read that scene cause I knew what exactly can happen. -_- In the end I decided Tess was a lost cause. She’d always be a little dimwit and Storm a little oaf-ish. He wasn’t bad, just not the brightest bulb in the bunch, especially where women were concerned. And he was always horny. *facepalm* I’m not even going into the cheesy moments between him and Tess. It’s just that I found the writing entertaining and engaging which kept me going till the end.

In the end, to me, one of the best moments in Too Tough to Tame was probably Storm and his tribe’s gesture to request for Tess’s hand in marriage to John. I loooved it! It was a phenomenal gesture in front of the whole town and Tess deserved it after suffering months of heartache, no thanks to Storm who was always uncertain about their match. It was about time! That’s one scene where I was grinning like a fool, because by then I gave in and thought they deserved one-another.

Overall, I liked the story but that’s about it. But I’d suggest giving it a try for what bugged me may not bug you at all. 3.5 stars.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non so perché i romance ambientati nel vecchio West abbiano perso riscontri di recente, ma di certo qualche decennio fa andavano parecchio di moda e, soprattutto, le autrici sapevano scriverli.
Questo è un classico western con coppia interrazziale, attento a trattare con rispetto le tradizioni delle minoranze dei nativi nel Montana di fine ottocento.

Tess ha avuto la sfortuna di nascere femmina in un paesino di allevatori e contadini; per quanto sia sveglia, intelligente e abbia un'indubbia passione per la medicina, si ritrova a fare da mera assistente al fratello dottore, apprendendo con l'esperienza pratica ciò che lui si rifiuta di insegnarle per la solita discriminazione io uomo-tu donna-stai al tuo posto.
Non solo. Dopo la morte dei genitori, il fratello ha ereditato tutto e Tess è divenuta un'ospite nella sua stessa casa, tollerata come governante dalla cognata ingenua e bambolina, e considerata da tutti come una quasi zitella, carina sì, però anche stramba per il suo volere a tutti i costi studiare ed esprimere la propria opinione, al pari dei maschi.

Quando accolgono in casa loro una giovane pellerossa moribonda, Tess tenta inutilmente di salvarla e poi si ritrova rapita, portata a curare un altro guerriero dei Piedi Neri nascosto in una caverna.
Questo evento è una vera e propria rivelazione per lei: il contatto con una cultura ritenuta nemica, ma di cui invece non conosceva vari risvolti; il contatto con arti mediche apparentemente esotiche e invece fondate su una tradizione secolare; la vicinanza con Tempesta negli Occhi, uomo bellissimo e pieno d'onore, capace, dopo un'iniziale diffidenza, di fornirle risposte a molte domande.

Benché tutti considerino i Piedi Neri dei selvaggi sanguinari, la vita nella tribù presenta degli aspetti positivi per Tess, che, per la prima volta, si sente considerata e pronta a difendere le proprie scelte di fronte a parenti e concittadini. Anche a costo di fronteggiare agguati, pregiudizi e condanne ingiustificate.
Una narrazione molto piacevole, unita a descrizioni dettagliate ma non noiose, con una storia d'amore passionale, sospesa tra dura realtà, visioni oniriche e suggerimenti magici degli spiriti.
Continuerò senza dubbio la serie.

[Celestine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a review about this book that said "there were very few denials of love between the two." This statement alone made me want to read this book, and I was not disappointed. So often romance books get caught up in tired conventions like "she is too good for me" or "I'm just trouble" and the direction of the romance is full of twists and turns to avoid loving each other. But for once an author took a chance and had the hero and heroine actually fight for their love rather than against it. There was initial hesitation due to cultural issues and racial prejudices between a Native American warrior and a white medicine woman, but Storm and Tess wanted to be together body and soul.

A fair amount of time in the book is spent in the Blackfeet village, which was very interesting. The reader learns about village life and characters like Brown Otter and Minipoka play major roles in the story. The author also delves into the inequality between men and women of the late 1800s in the West, portraying Tess's frustration with her station in life as a spinster with medical ambitions in a poignant and understandable way. Storm was justified in being attracted to this proud and resourceful woman. She is someone I would have wanted to know and count as a friend.

Storm and Tess have a fair amount of lust for one another, and Camp doesn't shy away from the steamy scenes. Tess isn't a child and her medical experiences helping her brother have given her considerable maturity. She reminded me a little of Annette Bening in the film Open Range where she tells Kevin Costner that she isn't a girl anymore and knows what she wants. Storm and Tess had some chemistry, even in the kissing scenes.

One mustn't forget this is a western, so there are a few shoot-em-up scenes. They are well done and the action is easy to follow. While life in the town of False Hope and the Blackfeet village are well-documented, I didn't get a great sense of the majesty of frontier Montana. Camp's strength is clearly in creating very memorable characters.

This was my first Deborah Camp book, and it won't be my last. Next up will be the two sequels to Too Tough to Tame.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I happened upon this book, I was hoping to find another author like Ellen O'Connell, but it wasn't meant to be. The writing wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't for me. The h reads very young and I found her character very annoying. All the reader hears about is how she's not happy. She's not content living with her brother and useless sister in-law. She's tired of feeling like an intruder in her own home. She wants to be respected for her medical abilities. She wants a husband and family of her own. She has lots of emotions, and they're strong, gosh darn it! She's tired of being undervalued and generally ignored. Blah blah blah. And when she meets the H, Storm, for the first time, her reaction was so ridiculous. "I mean, I know he's hurt and nearly unconscious, but I can't stop checking him out. He's just so hot!" (Paraphrase of the ridiculousness that the h actually spouts.) Ugh.

I finished the story. Just barely. I sympathize with the H's plight. He's had a hard time of it, being part white and trying but being rejected by whites. He can't explain why he feels drawn to the very people who despise him. His story is compelling enough but the writing isn't. I couldn't find it in myself to care. If you want to read great western romance, try Ellen O'Connell.

[Bigedsgirl1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storm-in-his-eyes and Tess(White-Medicine-Woman) are star crossed lovers. Bigotry and greed threaten to keep them apart, but obstacles are made to be overcome when the will and love is strong.
Deborah Camp has created a spellbinding story filled with mysticism, sensuality, ritual, and a violent clash of cultures. Her words paint a vivid picture that stimulates the senses, touches the heart, and lifts the soul!

[Mary23nm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Tough to Tame is somewhat cheesy and unrealistic Native American romance, but I liked it.I would read more by this author.

[R Vincent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the worst but not good

The writing wasn't bad but repetitive. I also felt like the first half of the book started so strong but the second half was rushed and sloppy. It became a constant sex-fest loosely surrounded by plot. Believable characters became ridiculous caricatures. It just tried too hard to be something it's not.

I found it so hard to believe that Storm (the hero) was actually in love with Tess (heroine). The author rarely described his feelings as romantic; it genuinely felt like everything he felt for her was entirely based on lust. Whenever you were given insight into his perspective, all he thought about was how he was sexually attracted to her, how he wanted to have sex with her, etc. Tess was not much better, but she had her moments of her feelings being tied to his chivalry or kindness; you know, other things besides the fact that he was attractive and she wanted to have sex with him.

I also was very annoyed with how the author handled the differences between the Blackfeet cultural medicine and Western "white" medicine. There is a point in the book where a woman is delivering a baby being born breech, and Tess steps in and is able to deliver it when the Blackfeet medicine woman isn't; I seriously doubt that in the many decades that she has served as the tribe's healer that she has never seen a breech baby. In fact, I find it hard that no one other than the white woman has any idea what to do in that situation. People have been having babies since literally the beginning of time and I'm fairly certain that it's not only white people who figured out what to do if the baby was coming out backwards. There were other similar instances (such as the white woman criticizing the use of mold to treat a wound-- penicillin anyone???) that really irritated me throughout the book. Tess would disparage her lack of medical knowledge, but then turn around and act like a know-it-all. It was frustrating and annoying.

The book as a whole seemed like it was just a way for the author to write like twenty sex scenes (except not really because about 90% of the scenes went through the exact same pattern and wording) and maybe throw in some illusion of plot to justify it. I'm not at all criticizing the amount of sex, because hey, it's a bodice ripper romance novel, that's what it's there for, but I still like some genuine character development and plot to happen along with the sex.

I think my disappointment comes from this book being so highly rated, because it really had no reason to be.

[Jill M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be super irritating.
The h is the ultimate Mary Sue. Man she can fix any type a wound and even birth a baby. I don't think "okay" was used a lot in this time period, and there are a lot of okays.
But the book is far from okay.
As others have said, just the thought of the sex-ish scenes in the cave are repulsive.
This book seemed to drone on and on. I was relieved when it was finally over.

[Linda Brueggeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too Tough to Tame

This is a very good novel. It is full of romance, sacrifice, and family drama. It also has a lot of suspense. I found it had too many sex scenes...they seemed to be too close together and were repetitious. It could have had more character development instead of the same old sex scenes. Given these comments, I don't regret reading this book. It was entertaining.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "ick" was strong with this one. The h is an assistant to her brother, a doctor in Montana. Apparently, she's never seen "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman."
She meets Storm (Storm in his eyes is his name because his eyes are GRAY! Get it?) after he is shot while escaping after being caught with the marshal's daughter (it is unclear if the dude is the Marshal or his name is Marshall). His sister is killed in the process and the Marshal says Storm did it. The whole town believes this.
Storm's family comes to get the body and Brown Otter tells the h that the H is wounded.
The language of the Native Americans was a little too Old Hollywood Western for me.
Then the h (sorry I cannot remember her name) goes to help Storm and spends most of the time admiring how hot the guy with a bullet hole is. It was more ick. It was pages of descriptions of his sweaty body. Sweaty from the freaking infection.
The blurb made it sound like they had sex when he was delirious with fever (sexy?), but apparently he just makes her orgasm and she falls in love. I mean, I probably would too.
I started skimming at this point.
It didn't feel authentic. Like... would a Native American writer write this?
I did research on Camp and she is from Oklahoma, but has never claimed to be a Native American.
So the ick increased.
Apparently they end up living with his tribe and they love her and call her the White Medicine Woman. I skimmed (something about white men pretending to be Natives to steal stuff... which the most believable part of the plot).
At the end, there's shootout and Storm wins. He leaves for reasons and h goes home to cry, but WAIT! Storm and his family show up with blankets and buckskins and other gifts to trade for her. They get married in white buckskin. Which is, apparently, a thing that exists.
Storm also spends most of the time in a loincloth. Which... maybe it was really hot in Montana? But is it what they really wore? I just keep thinking of that scene in Back to the Future 3 where Marty shows up in the past dressed in a 1950s cowboy costume (with fringe!).

A few years ago I would have eaten this story up. The Native man falling in love with the white woman and she goes off to... live on a reservation. Storm's tribe is Blackfeet, who also lived in Idaho, where I grew up. But now, well, it makes me uncomfortable. Maybe because I'm reckoning with the fact that it's romanticizing a culture that white people love to claim (I was told from a young age I was part Cherokee -- I am not) because we did our best to destroy it and can mold it how we want to now.
It's just hard to find romance in a white person's take on a culture. I know some authors do that (Rick Riordan and I admire it, because then he turns around to give the authors from those cultures a voice). I just... this felt like a white person's fantasy.

[Earlene Click · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storm in his eyes and Tess

This is the tale is a handsome young half bred Indian man, that has by town folks have branded him an outlaw killer. He tried making his way in town but it doesn’t seem to ment for him, He meets his match in the doctors sister and she is shortly smitten and a short time later so is he. They town is tormented men dressed as warring Indians and the local Blackfoot tribe gets blamed for everything. You will enjoy discovering all of their adventures and troubles along with how they discover their happily ever after.

[Annemarie Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this series in order. I don't know why I hadn't purchased this one first, because I love stories about the love between an Indian warrior and white woman. It actually doesn't matter because the only people who are in all three books are Buck and Cassie -- who is a twelve year old child in this book. Book 3 is adult Cassie's book. Although I loved the other two books, this is my favorite in the series. I will definitely read them all again.

[Malika-Liki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. I loved the strong character of the heroine, tess, who fought for hat she believed in, faced her brothers narrow mind, and refused to be just the spinster sister to her brother. I loved the way Tess and Storm in his Eyes, loved and respected each others I also loved the fact that she wabted to live among his people where she was free to be who she was. I would have loved an epilogue.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

An older version of interactions of Native American and white Americans. I loved the main characters although there was not a lot of depth to their characters. The story and the communications were fun.

[Terryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. I couldn't put the book down. Will probably read again.

[Sharlet L Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love story

The enjoyed this story of Storm and Tests. Their challenges between whites and Blackfeet. I will be checking out other book written by Deborah Camp.

[Julia Leftwich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, cute romance. Never read any REAL romance books so it was a fun experience. I think it was worth the read.

[Data · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know since I haven't read it

[Lois Mezo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book .The Indian and white did mix .My great great grand mother was Indian.This book is about helping someone to live,Love and action.