Wyoming Wildcat
Orphaned in Wyoming in 1866, Molly Ivins was rescued by the Cheyenne and raised to respect their ways as well as retain knowledge of her own culture and language. When they are asked to relocate to a distant reservation in 1877, the Chief knows that the pregnant, elderly, and weak will never survive the journey and Molly, now Moon Hawk, will be forced to reenter the white community. Molly chooses to hide and care for those left behind. Five years later, when she finds a white man half frozen in the snow, she realizes that saving him may endanger her small band, but is nevertheless drawn to him. Ryan Tolliver awakes with amnesia. Unable to remember his purpose, his frustration does not hinder his attraction to Molly. Eventually, Molly must do what is right for both her heart and her adopted people.
The premise of a young girl woman raised as Cheyenne gives promise of an entertaining story. Lane easily commands her readers’ emotions with her depictions of Molly’s tragedies as she loses her family and dear friends. However, believing that the conscientious Moon Hawk would immediately fall for a roguish “vehoe” is unrealistic. Ryan’s character also develops unexpectedly with little natural progression.
Second in the Wyoming trilogy, Wyoming Wildcat is a romance that delivers the required happy ending in an interesting setting. Readers willing to overlook character inconsistencies will enjoy it.
