I was determined this year to find one indigenous historical romance written by an indigenous author from this century, and I found one. One! It’s a shame that it was less than stellar. It may be due to self-publishing so Kay didn’t have multiple eyes looking through the final product, and she’s relying on tropes she written back in the 90s, but I found it dull.

The writing can get repetitive (think “You Tarzan, me Jane” sort of thing), or purple prose, the characters don’t have much going outside of their romance (they have no hobbies or interests or interactions with people outside their immediate family), and five variations of white woman falling in love and fitting into the Pikuni tribe got old.

And I know it’s historical fiction, so there must be some suspension of belief, but when they have characters using lightning to strike a snake or share telepathy with each other (called mind-speak) I could not get past it. I know some tribes believed they had a connection with animals and could communicate with them, but never so far as telepathy. And they didn’t have telepathy with random white women to make up for the fact they didn’t speak the same language. I just couldn’t get over that.

Which is a shame because Kay does talk about her research in her notes like the common Plains Native sign language tribes shared even when they didn’t have the same verbal language, and incorporating myths about the Little People, the Big People, and such.

Like a said, a shame since there are no historical indigenous romances. Most I’ve found are from the 90s, written mainly by white women, and presumably very fetishized and inaccurate. Since there is the rise of several indigenous authors (Danica Neva, Sheri Whitefeather, Robin Covington) writing contemporary romance, maybe someday someone will venture into the historical romance genre.

Now onto the rankings.

She Brings Beauty to Me: This was enjoyable as it has a wholly unique protagonist with exiled Hungarian noble, Czanna, and skipped-over medicine man, Stands Strong. I say unique because Czanna’s culture is more laxed about sex outside of marriage which brings conflict with Stands Strong who will only do it if they marry. Obviously there’s some back and forth between them before the marriage but the conflict doesn’t stop there. Czanna retains her independence and pushes back against some of the double standards like not being allowed to talk to any man without a chaperone or asking for lessons in how to shoot a gun so he won’t worry over her. She also calls out his hypocrisy when he says he thinks they’re unfair standards on woman, but tries to impose them on her in the name of tradition. S yeah, this one has the more three-dimensional FMC although I still found that Stands Strong finding his medicine man spirituality through the power of love to be way too cheesy.

She Captures My Heart: Basically little sister, Amelia is determined to prove to Grey Falcon that she’s the one that he wants, and that’s it. There is other plots like Amelia’s alcoholic father and Grey Falcon learning to be a medicine man, but they’re not juggled well with everything else that’s happening. Also it has Grey Falcon wielding lighting like his Thor to vanquish marriage contracts. It gets second spot primarily on the strength of banter and chemistry between Amelia and Grey Falcon.

She Paints My Soul: This might be the most soap operatic one of the bunch as it has Sharon engaged to one man only to fall in love with Strikes Fast, and her ex-fiance blackmailing her about their sexual past. Meanwhile Strikes Fast was once in line to be a medicine man only he let his desire for vengeance to cloud his spiritual pureness. Of course, the love of pure and beautiful Sharon help eases his pain, but that isn’t why it’s stuck in the middle. The stakes are high, but the emotional moments were flat. For example, Strikes Fast tells Sharon why he cannot become medicine man, and why he fears others won’t love him because of his bloody deeds, fully expecting her to leave him. But such vengeance is considered more of a moral failing from the Pikuni side than Sharon. She sees it as not a big deal. That felt less of a great heartwarming moment Kay is writing it to be. More of clueless Sharon doesn’t really get the weight of what Strikes Fast is telling her, and he’s thinking she’s the most forgiving, good-hearted woman ever. Also the final battle scene has Strikes Fast make a tiny man fight a poisonous spider like something out of an acid trip.

She Steals My Breath: As the first novel in the series, it sets up the introduction of major characters, and does a good job in explaining major cultural norms that will follow throughout the series like the role of the medicine men, treatment between men and women, etc. But it’s also where I first read the mind-telepathy, and the two falling in love with each other in the space of three days during a blizzard strained credulity too much for me. Also there is much talk in the beginning that Layleh is a valuable asset to her family not only as responsible older daughter, but for her business-mind and math skills, but that goes no where. It was the 1800s, so I know it’s not like she’d be allowed to take over the business, but it points to my point before that the women don’t feel like they have lives outside of their romance. Also Eagle Heart’s big goal of finding his brother feels like an afterthought shoved in the beginning and the end of the novel. I do give points that I really like the cover models.

She Belongs in My World: As the final book, it falls flat. Maybe it’s because I had too read five variations of the same thing so I’m tired. Everything here felt too contrived. First Rider had been married to another women, who was presumably killed during a raid which is all fine and dandy for when he falls in love again with Lillian. But the twist that his first wife is still alive, and they’re agonizing over what to do when she comes back because Lillian refuses to be a second wife left a bad taste in my mouth. Pretty Woman was supposedly his childhood sweetheart, a woman he loved for years, and now that he knows she’s alive, he feels inconvenienced. No joy, no happiness at all! I didn’t like it in Jane the Virgin, and I don’t like it here. Then the resolution where Pretty Woman found a new husband and family with her captors and so lets him free of their marriage felt too convenient. As for Lillian’s abusive ex-husband following them around, turns out that wasn’t a real marriage either. Like, ugh, let some conflict remain grey and messy. It was wrapped up too neatly for me.