The Endless Sky

By combining a broad scope with close attention to detail, the author of Bride of Fortune manages to play some fresh notes among the overly familiar themes of the Indian historical romance subgenre. It's the 1870s, and Chase Remington is the requisite half-breed, torn between his passion for Stephanie (Stevie) Summerfield and his fierce attachment to his Native American roots. Early chapters explore the wealthy world of their Boston families, before Chase obeys his mother's dying wish and returns West to fight for his people. After Stevie marries an officer who turns out to be a brute, a showdown with Chase becomes inevitable. Plot developments reveal many aspects of frontier life from an unsparingly honest perspective, without losing track of the romance. The most interesting twist here is an account of Little Bighorn, told from a Native American perspective. Through the intensity of her writing and her thorough research, Henke makes the most of a well-worked, narrowly defined genre. (Jan.)