"Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier" is a stunning debut from author Lori Benton. Emotionally powerful, and historically rich, this ultimately uplifting story of survival is one you will long remember. Willa Obenchain and her family live on the New York frontier of the 1700's. At age fourteen, Willa is taken captive by Mohawk Indians, who rename her "Burning Sky". She must adapt to her forced existence or perish. Eventually, she becomes a wife and mother, blending into her Mohawk family, thinking she will never see her birth family again. The loss of her husband and children sends her on a sad journey to her homeplace. During the twelve years that Willa was gone, the Revolutionary War had been fought, and many tragic changes had occurred on the New York frontier. Just when Willa gets close to her family's land, she finds an injured Scotsman, Neil MacGregor, and his dog, Cap. She comes to their aide, and brings them both along with her to the cabin her father had built. Her family is nowhere to be found, and the home and land are both long-neglected. Soon after she arrives, she is greeted by an old friend and neighbor, Anni, whose brother, Richard Waring, had meant to marry Willa when she came of age. While Anni embraces Willa, and welcomes her home, Richard is cruel and denigrating of Will's time of captivity. Anni tells Willa that her parents and grandmother disappeared after being accused of loyalty to the Tory Party. Her home and land are to be auctioned, but Willa determines to fight for her land and find out what happened to her family. Neil MacGregor is a gentle man of deep faith, and he shows great care for Willa. She had planned a solitary life, and she tries to guard her heart from emotional attachment. Political unrest and the hatred and fear between settlers and Indians continue to threaten Willa's future and her chance of keeping her homeplace. Perhaps the biggest threat of all to Willa is Richard Waring--the youth who had hoped to marry Willa is now a vengeful and twisted man, scarred by the atrocities of war. As Willa struggles with her new life, her past returns in the form of her Mohawk "brother", Tames-His-Horse, who beckons her to return to his people. Where is Willa's true home? She has lived in two worlds, yet she now belongs fully to neither place. Can she find a way to open her heart and embrace both cultures, creating a whole-new, happier way of life? Will she allow herself to love and be loved in return? "Burning Sky" is stirring, poignant, and unforgettable, a beautiful example of historical fiction at its best. Highly recommended.

Book Copy Gratis WaterBrook Press ( )

When Willa Obenchain was fourteen years old, she was abducted by Mohawk Indians and renamed Burning Sky. Now she's come home to the village she once knew, to the land and homestead of her parents. Love and grief have changed her in the last twelve years, and the American Revolution has altered forever both the Mohawk community she left and the white community she's returning to. Willa has a plan: to live alone for the rest of her days, strong enough to resist love and therefore hurt. But her brother Tames-His-Horse wants her to return with him to their People. The man she finds injured on her land, Scottish botanist Neil MacGregor, wants to help her restore the home of her parents. Childhood friends and new enemies add to the tug-of-war over her heart. Willa isn't sure she belongs. Anywhere.

Yes, the bones of Willa's story have been told before. A white child abducted by Indians, raised as one of the People, returning home to suspicion and prejudice. A woman scarred by life, choosing to shut her heart away rather than feel its broken edges. A man who falls in love with her, seeing past all her walls no matter how high she builds them, speaking truth to her and waiting for her to listen and see him and receive his love. But here's the thing: those pieces of the story are familiar because they're compelling. They're told time and again because so many of us can relate--to alienation, to loss, to the desire to hide our hearts away while we simultaneously desire for someone to see us, jagged shards and all, and refuse to stop loving us.

In the hands of a skilled writer, those familiar characters can be given new life over and over again with the little details, quirks of voice and personality. Characters we subconsciously recognize can become unique individuals in the right writer's hands. And Lori Benton is that writer.

The setting of this book is brought to life with what must have been grueling research. I didn't notice a dialogue anachronism--not a single one--in this entire book. I loved everybody, main and secondary characters alike. I'm sad to see this is a standalone novel. I wish I could spend more time in this community. Yes, the plot elements are resolved, but then what happened? What happens next to Willa and Neil, and what growth is in store for them along the way?

This book deserves a special note on dialogue, because I found every word of it absolutely delightful, and I'm something of a dialogue snob (my definition: someone who will literally put a book down forever if the dialogue doesn't work).

My favorite voice was (of course) Neil MacGregor's. Oh, the lovely Scottish accent. I grinned when people misunderstood his vocabulary. I waited eagerly for him to return any time he was off the page. And his voice isn't the only reason for this. I truly loved this character. He's good, patient, kind, intelligent, educated, passionate about his calling as a naturalist, deeply devoted to his faith, not above griping at his horse and his dog, not above asking questions of his God. He's tenacious. He's vulnerable due to an injury that has left him with a life-altering debilitation. I'm usually drawn to darker characters, the ones who make questionable moral decisions and sometimes need someone else to voice truth to them. But Neil is often the voice of truth in this story, and I loved him for that too. At the same time, I loved that even Neil has lessons to learn. He isn't perfect, and he doesn't trust God perfectly.

Another testament to Benton's skill is that while questions of faith are discussed openly by the characters, the characters are not mouthpieces for the novel's themes. There is no "moral to the story" spoon-feeding here; there's only the story itself.

Do I have any gripes? Well, it's a historical romance and a Christian novel, so a few of the conclusions are foregone. But that's an issue I have with the genres, not with this particular book. This particular book is an excellent example not only of its genres but of fiction in general.

4.5 stars, and I guess I'd better go find everything else Lori Benton has written. ( )

This was my favorite book of 2015, without a doubt. One of my top scenarios -- a love triangle -- with all the richness and grit of a multi-layered frontier/colonial story. I'm now reading her novel The Woods Edge, and it will be a very close second. ( )

Historical Fiction.
A good read portraying courage, determination, and love inspite of its pain.
Burning Sky by Lori Benton

Willa returning from being captured by Indians struggles to find where she belongs. As the Indians are forced to lands, she returns to her white family's farm and lifestyle. Willa doesn't find acceptance ( )

This is not my typical choice but I certainly do not regret picking it.

"I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review."

Growing up, I loved the movie "Last of the Mohicans" probably more because of Daniel Day Lewis and the incredible music than anything else. But I do have Native American heritage so I hated most movies about "Indians" as most with Native blood do.

I also grew up reading Janette Oke's fantastic frontier novels and while this novel is less about gushy romance and more about the harsh reality, it does have a certain romance.

I think Lori Benton has done a fantastic job and I can't wait to read her next novel.

Well done!

The frontier period is a difficult one to write about. SO much of what we know about that time is more legend than actual fact but I get the feeling that Lori has done her homework.

And it is so refreshing, in a world that has such a strong focus on intense sexuality, to find a wholesome romance that is clean and decent. It's definitely a book I am comfortable passing on to my daughter.

Thank you for reading my review!

God Bless! ( )