A bloody massacre and a merciless reprisal.
Survival comes at a cost.
About the first book in the series, Wounded Spirits:
When a distant war among the Natives spills over into a nearby skirmish,
Adela McGirth’s life takes a perilous turn. Deep in enemy territory she’s
challenged to keep her mother alive, her sister sane, and her new-found love
from growing. A loyal Creek warrior, Totka is forced to align with the
extremist Red Stick faction whose goal is to eradicate the Whites from Creek
soil. In the midst of battle, Totka is assigned to protect those he is expected
to hate–and kill. Life was simpler before his enemy became a beautiful face
with a quiet strength and dignity he cannot resist.
Read my review below. And the Good News following!
CURRENTLY ON SALE E-BOOK FOR $1.99; PRINT $6.58
About April:
April W Gardner resides in Georgia with her USAF husband and two sweet
kiddos. She is the author of the historical romance series, the Creek
Country Saga, as well as the children’s adventure series, the Channel
Islands Resistance. She is the founder and senior editor of the fun
literary website, Clash of the Titles.
In her free time, April enjoys reading, organizing, and DIY. In no particular
order, she dreams of owning a horse, visiting all the national parks, and
speaking Italian.
Review Of Wounded Spirits:
April Gardner's debut novel Wounded Spirits is a heroic story about a little-documented era. In the early 1800s America was suffering. European and expanding white settlers and the native tribal people were at an impasse. Only the superior numbers and weapons of the whites, along with their dread diseases, forced the tribal peoples to give up their land and way of life. April tells the story of a Creek clan versus white settlers in what is now Georgia and Alabama.
Before you pick up this wonderfully-told debut novel, be warned that it is book one of a projected series and you will be left aching for more when you get to the last page.
Adela McGirth and her family farm near a small settlement that is at uneasy peace with a Creek tribe. In fact, Adela's father's first wife was a member of the tribe and he taught his second family to respect everyone. It's a respect that comes with a terrible price when an uprising of Creek warriors, the Red Sticks, battle the American settlers for their right to maintain their way of life and tribal territory. Adela's sister is killed and so, perhaps is her intended, a young soldier. Adela, a surviving sister, and their mother who is expecting a baby, are taken as slaves by one of the Creek, a man who had spent part of his childhood with the McGirths. Adela's father had been away while the skirmish took place and seeks revenge on his former friends when he presumes his family are all killed.
In the several months that Adela and her family live with the clan, strange things happen to sway her sympathies in directions she cannot understand, especially when a young Creek protector, Nokose, makes it clear he wants her as his wife. Adela's faith becomes a matter of survival and a means of coping with her sister's increasing hostility and grief and her mother's difficult and every-obvious mortal pregnancy.
Nothing is easy in Aprils' story. Life and loyalty mingle with death and revenge in blurry lines. I find myself replaying events and motivations, reliving the story long after I finished reading. A Reader's Discussion Guide is included.
SO... The Great News is that WARRING SPIRITS IS soon to be yours too! Watch for the upcoming special release.
