About the Book
Will Ellis Lose All at the Alamo?
Ellis Dumont finds a man in New Orleans Grey unconscious on Dumont property in 1836. As his fevers rage, the man mutters strange things about treasures and war. Either Claiborne Gentry has lost his mind or he’s a spy for the American president—or worse, for the Mexican enemy that threatens their very lives. With the men of her family away, Ellis must stand courageous and decide who she can trust. Will she put her selfish wants ahead of the future of the republic or travel with Clay to Mission San Jose to help end the war?
Excerpt
A good soldier knew when to advance and when to retreat. Until he had sufficient weaponry or assistance, any rational man would consider retreat the best option. Clay should either move north up the trail and leave these three to whatever they were up to or cross the river and go south to Quintana.
But of all the things Clay Gentry had been accused of, being a rational man was not one of them. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then began quietly making his way toward the river’s edge where he could see exactly where the two Mexicans had landed their boat.
He found the craft, a crude dugout canoe much like the pirogues the people in Grandfather’s part of Louisiana used, but it was empty. Seizing his chance, he slipped into the river. Despite the warm October temperatures, the water was almost icy.
Stifling a gasp, he set to his task. Something that looked very much like a black snake zigzagged in front of him. Still he continued to move toward the spot where the strangers had departed their craft.
With care to keep absolutely quiet, Clay grasped the rough wood and gave it a strong pull in an attempt to haul it away from the bank. When that failed, he tried again.
“Did you hear that?” came the whispered Spanish words that signaled the men had not gone far.
Clay froze, his fingers still curled around the pirogue. The black snake slithered past again, this time closer than before. He closed his eyes and ignored it. Ignored the need to flee.
“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.”
“You’re imagining things, jefe,” the other said. “I will show you.”
Footsteps moved swiftly toward him. Clay took a deep breath and ducked under the water. The snake once again found him, this time swirling so close that the scales of its tail brushed Clay’s cheek as it swam past.
When his lungs burned with the need for air, he slowly resurfaced. Apparently the man’s point had been made, for neither of them was in sight.
Going back to his work, Clay tugged the pirogue free of the mud on the second try, and then gave it a shove that sent it toward the center of the river. Without their means of escape, the duo would be landlocked. There would be no returning to whatever location they set off from, at least not by means of the river.
Rather than risk meeting the Mexicans or the old man on the path, Clay swam as far as he could downstream and then cautiously climbed onto the bank. Teeth chattering and soaked to the bone, he hauled himself up to a standing position and listened for any signs of life. The surf roared to the south, and all along the banks frogs croaked softly.
A cracking noise split the night, echoing as white-hot fire slammed Clay’s shoulder and sent him reeling back into the river.
Review
It’s not often I feel ambivalent about a novel, but that seems to be the best word to describe how I felt when I finished this one. Which is a shame, because I didn’t start out that way.
The story begins with Clay setting out on a mission to find treasure buried by his grandfather so that he can deliver it to General Houston to assist in the Texas Revolution. Unfortunately, his mission is interrupted when he is injured and then found by the Dumont family. The tension built nicely throughout Clay’s nursing and recovery because Ellis wasn’t sure who Clay was and his ramblings seemed to hint at some kind of important mission. The question was, for which side?
The fact that Clay doesn’t remember any of these details once he regains consciousness only added to the tension, especially as the attachment between Ellis and Clay grew. On Ellis’s side, there were also fears about the growing unrest in the area and the unknown status of her father and brother, who joined the fighting but haven’t been heard from for some time.
I wouldn’t have said I was riveted by the story, but up until this point, I was engaged and anticipating what was to come. Where I think this novel lost traction for me—or perhaps gained too much traction—was in the last quarter, when Clay’s original mission, which seemed to be the point the story was heading towards for the majority of the novel, shifted to the background and became a “by the by”. Suddenly, the story had a new focus and, unlike the first three quarters of the novel where the story took its time advancing the plot, the action in the final quarter felt like watching scenery pass by a train window; there was plenty to see, but it all passed so quickly that I didn’t really have the chance to experience it or take it in, meaning some fairly dramatic events didn’t have the impact they could have had.
Overall, I would have said this was a four-star read, if only it didn’t feel like the story lost its grip on the reins there at the end.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than eighty titles with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. Her novel Sadie’s Secret was named the Romantic Times Magazine Inspirational Romance Book of the Year.
A certified paralegal and tenth generation Texan, Kathleen has also been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and several Top Picks by Romantic Times magazine.
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