To Tame a Rebel

by Georgina Gentry

Book Overview

Exacting his revenge against the Rebels by joining the Union cause, fierce Creek warrior Yellow Jacket takes a lovely Southern socialite as his captive, while Jim Eagle, a lieutenant in the Cherokee Mounted Rifles for the Rebel cause, succumbs to deadly passion with a beautiful Cherokee spy.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821774034
• ISBN13: 9780821774038
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Length: 350 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Another well researched respectful Native American Read

An original read involving the real life struggle among the Five Civilized Tribes during the brutal Civil War. Gentry really put her knowledge of Civil War history and Native American culture into this intriguing unique romance. The first romance is about Yellow Jacket, a traditional Creek warrior, who abhors the whites that had robbed his people of their southern homeland 30 years before. He stands strong for his people and urges them to fight on the Union side as he hopes Lincoln will fulfill his promise and officially grant Indian Territory a sovereign nation. Based on the real life epic flee where thousands of Seminole and Creek people journeyed to Kansas while battling Confederate troops on their tale leaving countless injured and dead men, women, and children behind. It was at the beginning of this plight Yellow Jacket abducts Twilight, a young southern belle, not to satisfy his lust but in order to keep her alive as she accidental over heard the tribe's discreet plans to flee from Oklahoma and join the Union. On this dangerous and heart wrenching journey Twilight sees Yellow Jacket not as a dangerous savage but as a desperate man and the red race as innocents caught in the middle of a devastating war. Yellow Jacket eventually learns that Lincoln, like the rest of government officials, had lied but also learns that not all whites are untrustworthy; Twilight is proof of this. Not only does Jim Eagle, a proud traditional Cherokee warrior, have to face his friend Yellow Jacket on the battle field but also his beloved older brother who has abandoned the Confederate cause and joined with the Union in hopes to put an end to the needless deaths and suffering the war has caused. Jim Eagle doesn't much trust any whites but like many of his people his loyalties lie with the Confederates. Somewhere on the bloody battlefield he meets April, a beautiful half Cherokee girl who would do anything for money, for only money could erase the stain of her red skin and earn her the respect of a white woman. Serving as a Union spy she is captured on the pretense that she is a frail boy soldier until Jim Eagle is forced to use any measure to gain internal information. She wonders if the valiant Cherokee soldier will abased himself or if he will cling to his honorable Cherokee roots. In return she questions her own morals and goals for life; is the life of a white lady really the path for her? In actuality Texas Confederate troops met Kansas Union forces in the mist of Indian Territory and all that lied in the way perished and suffered with no remorse. The Native Americans were torn apart and drawn into a war in which neither side intended to fulfill their promises to the Indian Nations. I would like to think that somewhere lost in time, that such romances could have prevailed and belief that each Indian soldier held fast to their traditional heritage and no amount of war could tame their red souls. I look forward to more mesmerizing Native reads from Ms. Gen

This is a difficult book to review!

This is the most usual book I have ever read. It is frontier-civil war era time period which I love.But it centers on the role of the indian nations in that conflict. That author herself notes that "the general public is unaware that Indian territory became a bloody battleground as the union foces in Kansas and the conferate forces in Texas met in the middle to fight over it." This historical romance is actually 2 individual stories in one. The first is set in early 1861 is about a Creek warrior, Yellow Jacket. His brother and niece are killed by whites so he is biased against all whites. But the Indians are starving and ill so he must accept the help of a southern white woman who he comes to admire...and kidnap. The indians decide to cross rebel lines and get to union safety in Kansas because President Lincoln has promised his support to them. The story itself is big on history (which is fascinating throughout the book) and short on romance. Yellow Jacket is macho and Twilight Dumont is missish. I could never come to care about either of them frankly. BUT in this story Yellow Jacket's life is saved by a confederate cherokee indian friend, jim eagle. and the second story in the book is about him. Towards the end of the civil war, Lt. Jim Eagle captures a union supply boat and finds that one of the young solders is a stunning cherokee woman...and a spy.Actually April doesn't care much who wins the war (she's caught in a blue uniform but carrying a new gray one), she took the job to make enough money to go east to live as a white woman and to forget that she is half cherokee. By finding out who is selling secret information she will achieve that goal. Jim Eagle is torn between his duty, his friendships, his brothers and this courageous beauty. This story is excellent. There's less history, more romance AND the characters are likeable, believable and enjoyable. The relationships are charged and everything is so real. I can not believe how much I learned about the civil war from this book. The author ends the book with a wonderful informational narrative that reflects her earnest research and love of the subject. In truth I would only read the yellow jacket story because it sets the stage for the second part, which can stand alone if you prefer. Georgina Gentry's books seem to be about the american indian which is not a genre that truly interests me but I am very pleased with this particular work.