The Untamed

Philip Crown, Earl of Ashford, thinks he's rescuing Brighid Cassidy when he escorts her from the Indian tribe who kidnapped her. It turns out, however, that Brighid identifies with her tribe and resists returning to her aunt's home in colonial Pennsylvania. While romantic sparks fly, the unrealistic premise of this book unravels. Brighid's love for her adopted tribe remains indecipherable, as Michaels portrays the Native Americans as both the savage killers of Brighid's family and the wronged victims of white prejudice. Meanwhile a secondary plot introduces a Scripture-spouting villain who rapes women who have been held captive by Native Americans and provides further excuses for unsophisticated psychological detail that substitutes for character development. A cliche-ridden confrontation results in a hasty denouement. For the reader, the end couldn't arrive too quickly. (Nov.)