Eden

by Carolyn Davidson

Book Overview

Something about the woman hit John Roper hard, right in the gut. She was frightened, her face bruised, yet her inner beauty and bravery were immediately apparent. And there was no way in hell he was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373773625
• ISBN13: 9780373773626
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Hqn
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Another good Davidson book.

This is a great, yet slightly different story and I like it enough to be reading it for the second time.

My Favorite Carolyn Davidson Book

I loved this book. I have read many Carolyn Davidson book's, and while I have enjoyed the majority of them, this one is by far my favorite.

Good but some flaws

I like Carolyn Davidson's books and have read a number of them now. I enjoyed Eden very much and thought the two main characters were worthy and interesting people; ditto the secondary characters. The story takes place in the Dakota Territory in the 1890s and is about ranching and small town life. Our heroine, 17 year old Katie, is the victim of abuse and has had a very sad and difficult life. She runs away and is rescued by John, an upright and kindly ranch foreman who takes her home with him to be his housekeeper. That is Flaw #1 - I wasn't convinced by his motives as they were mixed and unclear. John seems, sometimes, too good to be true. He is so understanding of Katie and her needs and is always ready with a kind word and light touch. However, Flaw #2 - two thirds through the novel, he loses it and turns on Katie in a most unexpected way that seems totally out of character. We know he had a bad first marriage but up until that point, he seemingly had moved past it. There were some good secondary characters - good people and very bad people and all of them add to the story. One, in particular, however, caused me some concern. I am sure that the author is planning another book to accompany this, featuring Katie's younger sister and a Dakota Indian named Grey Wolf. Flaw #3, for me, is that at the time of Wounded Knee, etc, is it likely that an Indian such as Grey Wolf would seem to move through the world much admired, treated as an equal without question, and make up to a white woman (a very young girl, in fact) without raising a few eyebrows? This was, considering the historical timeframe, rather unrealistic. Maybe a subsequent book will address this. The author writes a good story and this was well told. However, the three issues above kept it from being a 5 star keeper for me.

excellent western romance

In 1890 in Eden, Dakota Territory, when she entered his Dogleg Saloon, John Roper knew instantly the bruised young girl did not belong there. Instead of offering her work there as she desperately asked, feeling sorry for the waif, he hires as his housekeeper. Katie fails to inform her kindhearted employee that she is a runaway. For a dozen years Katie has been an abused slave to her odious adopted parents Jacob and Agnes Schrader. For the time in a long time, she feels safe and somewhat contented working for John whom she has fallen in love with. However, she also feels survivor guilt for her adopted sister, Jane still enslaved by the mean-spirited Schrader's who have found Katie. Putting aside statehood dates (no instant messenger from DC), EDEN is an excellent western romance due to the lead couple. Roper is terrific as a reluctant hero who cannot stop himself from being a knight in shining armor. Katie is the more fascinating protagonist as she recognizes reality as a person with no rights or legal recourse a saloon is better for her than the Schrader house while also filled with guilt for Jane. Fans will appreciate this strong late nineteenth century romance as the heroine escapes from hell to find a haven filled with love in EDEN. Harriet Klausner

Good historical romance

Katie was the daughter of a prostitute. Her father sent her to live with a family thinking this was a better life for her. It wasnt. She was abused at the hands of that family. She wanders into town to escape the adoptive father's wandering hands and stumbles into John Roper. He sizes up her plight and takes her home with him to live as his housekeeper. He has had a tough life but her open spirit guides him. It's a sweet story that starts with such tradgedy. I always like Carolyn Davidson's books and this one was no exception. It was just a little slower than her other books but I still liked it.