Review: A Surprise Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 25, 2013
Simply Heaven was such a wonderful surprise. Having been in my Kindle since the start of the year, I finally got around to reading it and was I glad I did. What an amassing saga of racism, love, sorrow, regrets, lies, and resentments for past mistakes and current situations. Lies that come back to haunt a man for choices made in an era where there was little choice.Based on a dying white mans (Ned) wish, when racism ran high to be reunited with his half Tonkawa daughter (Raven), to explain his desertion of her and her mother, give her what is rightfully her inheritance, a plantation named Halcyon and hopefully get her forgiveness and love in the process.A love also grows between Raven and a white man (Steve) who is chosen by Ned to track Raven and return her to him, that at the time was frowned upon and completely unacceptable to proper 19th century society.Upon her defiant acceptance to go to Halcyon with Steve, Raven having had a upbringing full of struggle and hardship, wants to hate a white father that deserted her then pregnant mother, appeasing his guilt with dirty money sent, realises all was not all it appeared to be. A reunion follows that is heartbreaking, full of misunderstandings and life events that kept them apart to only give them a second chance, if only for a short while.When Ned passes Raven again is forced to fight, to be accepted in a rich white mans world where two spoilt stepsiblings and resentful staff, want her gone. The world’s weight is on her shoulders having to run the plantation with so much going against her.Steve being her only salvation when the two come together in secret to keep Raven’s virtue and respectability intact, with secrecy and deception tearing them apart with Raven deciding life at Halcyon is not for her, planning to start a new life elsewhere as being half white and half Indian is accepted in neither society.A wonderful ending to a wonderful book, a story very different to the usual mixed race romances of Indian man/white woman. Patricia Hagan is a wonderful author as I have read Starlight, which I loved and plan to purchase and read Say you love Me which I know I will read a lot sooner than I did Simply Heaven. What an amassing author that draws you in without the need for either gratuitous language or scenes.