"An Expedition to love for"

Nellie Sanders and her uncle, a renowned botinist, were travelling to the Utah territory in 1872 to go on an expedition to find new flowers and plants for the history books. Nellie's parents died when she was young and she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. When her aunt died, Nellie stayed on with her uncle as there was nowhere else for a single woman to go in those times. She wanted desperately to study botany at the University where her uncle taught, but he did not feel a young woman should partake in this line of work. Through pleading, she talked her uncle into allowing her to accompany him on this particular expedition.

The guide her uncle hired was the Knight in the Black Hat. He was Malachi Breedlove but because he had a reputation of being a "shootist", he changed his name to Malcolm Bradley to protect himself from being hunted down and put in a situation where he would have to defend himself yet again. He wanted to put that life behind him and never have to kill again, just live a peaceful life.

Malachi took this group -- with enough camping equipment, food, utensils for their plant search and all the workers that were to go along to help -- into an unexplored region where only gold miners had been before. They met up with wild animals and mosquitos that would drive anyone crazy, no humans other than their own party, which consisted of five men and one woman.

Later on in the expedition that Nellie met up with Gertie, a woman who had been left in the mountains by her husband who was out hunting for gold and did not come back one day. She was left to look after herself and her small daughter. Her daughter had wandered off and fallen down a ledge and was killed. Gertie suffered the loss so badly and always thought the angels came and took her daughter away. When she saw Nellie, she assumed the angels brought her daughter back. She wanted her and stole her away from the group. Gertie was so clever at hiding her trails that Malachi could not find her and he was frantic, as by now he had fallen head over heels in love with Nellie and she with him. Gertie was not cruel by any means and she eventually saved Nellie's life.

This book is full of suspense, as you never really know how it is going to end until you get there. It is a lovely story of a young couple who go through many endurances before they realize that they are truly meant for each other. The description of the land at this time is so well stated you can picture yourself there watching the story from a mountain ledge. A very enjoyable book.

Reviewed by Shirley Alguire
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted December 13, 2002