Katherine Scott Crawford's Keowee Valley ~ Reviewed

KEOWEE VALLEY
By Katherine Scott Crawford
September 2012
Bell Bridge Books
ISBN  978-1611941722

Keowee Valley is the saga of one woman’s dreams, adventures and passions as she struggles to build a life for herself on the Appalachian frontier during the turbulent years leading to the American Revolution.

Heroine Elspeth Quincy MacFadden is an orphaned city girl living in Charleston with her Scottish grandfather. But the social constrictions of urban life is not for her. When word comes that her missing cousin has been captured by the Shawnee, she sets out on a dangerous journey to not only rescue him, but also to purchase some land she can claim as her own.

So begins quite an adventure—one that changes her life in ways she could never expect.

I’ll be blunt here…Pre-revolutionary war sagas are not usually my chosen genre from which to read. I accepted this one on a whim. And just like Quinn, my reading life changed in ways I didn’t expect. Translation: I LOVED this story! And I totally can’t wait for a sequel.

While I was sometimes annoyed with Quinn for her super independent spirit, I also love that it made her character unpredictable. I didn’t always relate to her, but that just made her more believable.

Hero Jackson Wolf is everything a hero should be. Strong. Courageous. Yet his love for Quinn—or Mac, as he calls her—is undeniable and sometimes very sweet and compassionate. He’s a complex man, with a fierce loyalty to family and his Cherokee people.

Disclaimer: this is not a “Christian” book. There are several steamy scenes that are pretty explicit, so if that’s a turn-off for you, you might want to skip a few parts.

KEOWEE VALLEY is a stellar debut novel for author Katherine Scott Crawford. She combines breathtaking description with passionate relationships amidst some intense action. Her writing is strong. Her history lessons are real and gritty. And I am anxious to get my hands on her next book!

Reviewed by: Michelle Griep