REVIEWS FOR DAKOTA DREAMS

Night Owl Reviews said:

Score: 4.50 /​ 5 - Reviewer Top Pick
Nathan Elk is a Lakota descendant who was wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit. With a stroke of luck, he was able to escape the depravity of prison and the abuse from the guards, which landed him at Catharine Lyon’s front door. She is a Bostonian who migrated to the West with her family 5 years earlier. Surviving the difference of being an Indian, Nathan was able to trust and fell in love with the woman who’d saved his life. Their courtship didn’t start out as a fairy tale, but they have found a love so pure and so powerful that it healed all of Nathan’s emotional and mental injuries. For a man with numerous scars, he is now able to put down his guard and let go of the past that was haunting him for the last 4 years.
As a big fan of Madeline Baker's other pen name, Amanda Ashley, I’m not surprised that she has delivered another great book like Dakota Dreams. Dakota Dreams is absolutely captivating, addictive and dramatic. Western Historical romance was never my forte but with this book, I was unable to put it down until I finished the whole book. With each stroke of the pen, her exceptional writing skills kept me focused on the story at hand and the events that came with it. Needless to say, I was very intrigued in Nathan’s past and even developed feelings for him. Not personal feelings, but I felt that I can sympathized with him considering what he went thru to find himself and be happy with who he is at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to all romance readers, especially those who enjoy Historical Romance as their main genre.

Suzie Housley of Mystic Reviews said:

Madeline Baker is the queen of historical romance. It is hard to find another author who puts so much depth and emotion in her books that allows you to play out each scene she writes in her books in your head. She is an author who has always held a high place on my keeper’s shelf. DAKOTA DREAMS is an exceptional romance; you immediately fall in love with Nathan and Catharine. You will find yourself holding your breath as you turn the next page in anticipation to see what happens. A book such as DAKOTA DREAMS is a shiny example at what this author is capable of achieving.

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Tara at Fallen Angel Reviews said:
5 angels

For four-and-a-half years, Nathan Chasing Elk has been in prison for the crime of murdering his wife; a crime he did not commit. The only thing that has kept him going is that one day he will be able to escape and avenge his wife's death and be reunited with his lost daughter. When he finally escapes, it's almost for naught as he is shot during the attempt and nearly killed. It is only with the help of the woman who found him dying and took him in that he is still alive. The more time he spends with Catharine, the more he is starting to feel for her, and suddenly his quest does not seem as urgent as he previously felt, but he is afraid to act on his feelings. After all, what can an escaped convict possibly have to offer?

Ever since her brother left one month ago, Catharine Lyons has been alone, struggling to maintain the rundown ranch that is her home. Certain that her brother left her to go to their old home back east and under threat of being forced to marry an Apache warrior, she decides to make her own way back to Boston. She's hardly gone far when she comes across a dying Indian in convict clothes, and though she is tempted to leave him, her humanity convinces her to stay and take care of him. As she gets to know Chasing Elk better, Catharine realizes all her preconceived notions about Indians are false. She also realizes she is falling for him and is determined to help him get his old life back. The chances are not good for success, but is love not worth every possible effort?

Dakota Dreams was a heartbreakingly sweet romance that had my heart engaged from the very first page. Baker provides an excellent illustration of the life of Native Americans in the 1870's and the struggles of an interracial couple. Because the entire world was against them, I couldn't help but wish for Catharine and Chasing Elk's love to grow and succeed.

Catharine was an appealing heroine with strength greater than any woman has a right to have. She managed to take care of herself in a hostile land and was big-hearted enough to take in an escaped Indian convict because it was the right thing to do. She also had the courage to love a man the world didn't approve of. Chasing Elk had experienced some of the most tragic events that a human can live through and he came out with his humanity and goodness intact and that says something about the amazing strength of his character. I truly loved this book and I highly recommend Dakota Dreams to romance fans everywhere.

REVIEWS FOR UNDER APACHE SKIES

Night Owl Reviews said:

5 Stars
Madeline Baker has been around for a while and there is a reason for that! She is just plain good!!!! Known for her Indian romances, Ms. Baker has a gift for storytelling. Under Apache Skies tells of Martha Jean Flynn, a young woman who runs the household and is in charge of her younger sister Dani. When Ridge Longtree happens by on her homestead, her father comes up missing. When Ridge finds her father dead, it sets the two on a journey of love and loss.
With strong characters, and memorable secondary characters in the sister and the Apache Sanza, Under Apache Skies is a must read from a Top Notch Writer!

Happy Ever After Reviews said

Under Apache Skies was a wonderful book. Its characters' are strong heros and heroines alike. I like how Madeline made two love stories into one.

Martha Jean and Dani lived in the Wild West but they were sisters that were like night and day. Marty wore the pants in the family her father Seamus Flynn expected so much more from her than her sister Dani. Dani took care of the house and made sure meals were on the table she did everything a lady was suppose to. Marty could brand and castrate cattle with the best of them.

Then there was one fateful event where someone killed Seamus and left his daughters to fend for themselves. Marty made sure that she didn't fall apart— she had to be strong for her sister Dani just like she always did even when their mother took off years before and left the girls alone with their father. Of course Marty could have cared less but Dani stilled missed her.

Along came Ridge Longtree, gunslinger and half Apache. When she saw him comforting Dani after her father's death, Marty couldn't understand the emotions bringing them together. What she didn't realize is that Ridge didn't have designs on Dani, he only had eyes on her.

The events of this book had you reading and reading not realizing how engrossed you became in the storyline. Madeline has just the right amount of adventures and mystery to peak the interest of the reader. It is a book that makes you feel good and enriched in history. Loved the plot and the story! Wendy

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REVIEWS FOR SHADOWS THROUGH TIME

Melinda at Night Owl Reviews.com said ~

Kelsey and Reese are two people who so need each other. Madeline Baker did a fantastic job in this book. I cried in the end for I didn't want it to end. These two were perfect for each other and the story line was beautiful.

I fell in love with Reese for his tenderness, protectiveness, to his attitude of seeing things so bright. He is perfect in every way - from his ruggedness to his passion for Kelsey. His story though is sad but Kelsey is the perfect woman to heal him.

This is definitely a book I highly recommended. Madeline Baker did a fabulous job in creating a time-travel romance that readers will remember.
Shadows Through Time is a time-traveling romance with a rich and authentic background that will have any reader feeling as if they have stepped into the past. Kelsey is portrayed as a woman who does not know whether to break down and cry, or to celebrate her good fortune because she finds herself in the past. Hearing about the wild west from her storytelling Papa Joe was one thing, but as she relives it, the reader can feel her struggling with her emotions as they roller coaster from the highs and the lows. While T.K. is a wanted man, his soul is soft and gentle and leaves women feeling like putty in his hands. Ms. Baker has written a thoroughly engaging novel that will keep book lovers entertained for hours.
Danielle

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REVIEWS FOR LOVE'S SERENADE

Love’s Serenade is a compilation of two books both written by Madeline Baker. The first book is Loving Sarah followed by Loving Devlin. These poignant stories were so connected it was fun to read them. These emotionally charged characters were so fully developed that I actually felt as if I had been there as the actions took place.

In New Mexico, in 1869, Sarah and her family were attacked by Indians. Her husband sent her to hide but, before he and their six-year-old son Danny could get there, he was killed. The little boy was kidnapped. There was one Indian who was supposed to find and kill Sarah. However, when Toklanni saw her, he knew in his heart he couldn’t kill her.

Devlin, known by his Indian name Toklanni, was a half-breed. His father was an Indian who had taken a white woman as wife. He was raised partially in each world. Therefore, he could speak English and his native language. Problems arose when he started leaving food and clothing in baskets on her porch and fell in love with Sarah.

Baker presented us with two characters that were so different from each other but they were so compatible. These strong people were a study in survival. Both had lived through struggles and trials. They slowly fell in love with each other. The conflicts they endured were so realistic. When the books transitioned from Loving Sarah to Loving Devlin, the hardships escalated.

This book was uniquely different from most that I read. It was one that I will not forget. The myriad circumstances faced and the additional characters were interestingly captivating. I recommend that anyone who enjoys historical romance especially back in the age of Indians fighting whites and each other. You will definitely not be disappointed.

Overall rating: 4 1/​2
Reviewer: Brenda Talley

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I found these stories to be very readable which testifies to the fact that Ms Baker has produced stories that are, at the foundation, very well written. The plot is a common one and is rooted in our history. But the story line is creative and while kidnapping, Indian raids and such were not uncommon, the resolution of Devlin and Sarah's crises is very well crafted. This is a very nice historical anthology. I recommend it to those who enjoy historicals set in the Old West. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.

Judith Reviews Book Binge

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Tara at Fallen Angel Reviews said:Loving Sarah and Loving Devlin were two intertwining stories that captivated me from the beginning. Sarah and Devlin fall in love against all odds and teach us about the power of forgiveness, tolerance and love. You can't help but believe in two people who would brave prejudices and chance being outcasts so that they could be together. If only we could all be so lucky to know a love like that.

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REVIEWS FOR HEART OF THE HUNTER

Kelly McBride, the owner of a Montana ranch, is torn between two lovers: a Lakota spirit warriors who guards gold, and his flesh-and-blood descendent. There seems no way possible for Kelly and the ghostly spirit to make a life together.

Lee Roan Horse, an embittered ex-con, descends on the ranch to steal the gold of his ancestors, but finds in Kelly the love of a lifetime that he's afraid to acknowledge. As death comes to claim Kelly, the spirit and Lee form an alliance to protect the woman they both love, one that defies the laws of life and death. HEART OF THE HUNTER, by Madeline Baker, is a definite keeper.

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From Library Journal (refers to 1994 edition contained in ENCHANTED CROSSINGS)
Anthologies focusing on a wide variety of themes are becoming increasingly popular and are a good way to sample the works of various writers. In vastly different ways, these three stories by veteran romance writers defy time and space to ensure the romantic destinies of their characters.

Madeline Baker's "Heart of the Hunter" is the longest of the three and features a ghostly Native American hero. Anne Avery's "Dream Seeker," which explores the relationship between romance and imagination, and Kathleen Morgan's "The Last Gatekeeper," a sometimes violent story of love, duty, and sacrifice, are both short, though dissimilar, futuristic romances.

Heart of the Hunter is one ghost story destined to become a cult classic.

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REVIEWS FOR HAWK'S WOMAN

Joyfully Reviewed said:
Orphaned at a young age, Hallie McIntyre was raised by a group of nuns in a convent where she’d planned to eventually take her own vows of celibacy. Hallie never imagined how her world would change when she came across a wounded man in dire need of her help. Assisting John Walking Hawk while he recuperates from his wounds opens Hallie’s eyes to the possibility that maybe there is more in life than prayer and abstinence. John Hawk is not a simple man; he’s a man on a quest to avenge the rape and murder of his dead wife. A man who comes with the stigma of Indian blood flowing through his veins as he hands out his own personal brand of justice to the men responsible for tearing his world apart. Nothing will come easy for a mixed breed and a white woman in a land where justice isn’t given to everyone and sometimes the weight of a person’s past can be deadly.

Set in a world long since gone, Hawk’s Woman is the tale of an innocent young woman who decides to follow her heart to happiness. Hallie was too naïve in the way of the world to be afraid of a man who was surely running from the law which made for a sweet love to build and grow. Taking a chance on Hawk, a man who couldn’t see past his need for vengeance, Hallie showed a strength that belied her age and experience.

Madeline Baker’s novel will be considered by some a slow burning tale of romance. Outside of the instances of danger from varied enemies, human and animal, the story basically outlines a sweet and tender romance between a man who needs a reason to live again. A reason he didn’t realize he already had without the guidance of a young woman’s love. Hawk’s Woman is heart warming historical and one readers who like their romance to simmer before the big pay off will definitely enjoy.

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Literary Nymphs said:
Hawk’s Woman was not what I expected at all from the description of the genre but I was pleasantly surprised. This was a plus novel that kept me reading every opportunity to see what would happen with the two main characters and I was not disappointed. There was a lot of deceit on the part of others in telling Hallie the truth about her father and she was able to forgive him for deserting her. When the two lovers finally come together it is very explosive for them each time, and the end results were not what they wanted or expected.

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Madeline Baker has done a fantastic job of telling this story about two very different ways of life among the Lakota and white families. More often than not, there were a lot of similarities in the lifestyles that will have you wondering about it if indeed being the same. This book had me laughing and hoping that bodily harm was done to one or more of them but overall I would not change the innocence of a young girl blossoming into a new life.

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REVIEWS FOR LAKOTA LOVE SONG

Nite Owl Reviews Top Pick
Fans of Madeline Baker will rejoice at another award winning novel in UNDER APACHE SKIES. You can almost feel yourself being projected back to the Native American culture each time you pick up one of her books. Once again, she proves that she reigns supreme as the Queen of the Historical romance genre.

Madeline Baker is the queen of historical romance. It is hard to find another author who puts so much depth and emotion in her books that allows you to play out each scene she writes in her books in your head. She is an author who has always held a high place on my keeper’s shelf. DAKOTA DREAMS is an exceptional romance; you immediately fall in love with Nathan and Catharine. You will find yourself holding your breath as you turn the next page in anticipation to see what happens. A book such as DAKOTA DREAMS is a shiny example at what this author is capable of achieving.

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Reviewed by Kitty Duggan
booklady2002@​hotmail.com
LoveRomances

This reviewer was enchanted and swept up into this powerful romance from the first moment when the bullets felled Blue Hawk and the bear totem appeared, to the very last page of the story. Ms. Baker masterfully sweeps the reader along from one turn of events to the next. You will laugh and weep with Kaylee, survive the horror of battle, and share her powerful love for her Lakota higna (husband). You will find yourself torn by their conflicting love for their families and their love for each other. You will scream with Kaylee as she comes face to face with the deaths of those she has come to love, as well as the horror of the Lakota way of mutilating and scalping the bodies of the enemy.

As one of native American extraction this reviewer must give full kudus to Ms.Baker for the research she has done into this time period and especially for the honest, non judgmental portrayal she does of the Lakota Sioux. She paints, with her words, an accurate recreation of the native American way of life. Ms. Baker depicts the Lakota as a
dignified proud people, fiercely devoted to their family and struggling to hold on to their way of life in a changing world. She also honestly showed the more violent aspects of native life without over sensationalizing or sugar coating it. Seldom has this reviewer
seen a more sensitive respect for the native American.

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Literary Nymphs said:
5 Stars
Lakota Love Song is a story about love, devotion, family, forgiveness, and retribution. Madeline Baker brings us a heartwarming love story, set in a period when Indians were trying to keep what was rightfully theirs. Through the struggle, Kaylee and Blue Hawk found something most never get a chance to experience. They found love. This is an impressive story sure to please those who enjoy Wild West romances. Ms. Baker gives us a generous portion of history, and then adds sweet erotic encounters, suspense, and action to give Lakota Love Song and wonderful balance.

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Hariett Klausner said:
The warm romance between the stars of LAKOTA LOVE SONG is set amidst a panoramic look at the Lakota nation as only Madeline Baker could so vividly describe the era. The story line is exciting; never slowing down as the action continues non-stop throughout the plot. Though the characters are typical of the sub-genre in terms of extreme prejudice or tolerance, the lead couple is a charming pair. The author bakes a powerful novel that sub-genre fans will appreciate.

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REVIEWS FOR WOLF SHADOW

Contessa at Romance Junkies said:
WOLF SHADOW is the first novel I have read from author Madeline Baker. Ms. Baker is a fantastic storyteller, so this will definitely not be my last reading of her work. With her thorough research and well-expressed characters, Ms. Baker managed to bring an incredible story to life. Throughout the entire read, I imagined myself sitting right in the middle of all the exciting happenings. There were times where I cried or laughed out loud, and others where I was caught up in the romantic rapture of Wolf Shadow and Winter Rain. Not for one moment did I grow tired, or find my mind wandering away, as I flipped from one page to another. WOLF SHADOW was a tale filled with heartache, sorrow, betrayal, determination, love, trust and most of all, hope. This is one book you will not want to miss!

Booklist said:
Baker's thirty-seventh book will delight her legions of readers. After the stage she is riding in with her wealthy parents is attacked by Lakota warriors, seven-year-old Teressa Bryant is adopted by a Lakota couple and becomes Winter Rain, eventually forgetting her white family. Ten years later, Chance McCloud, the son of a white rancher and a Lakota mother, is desperately in need of money to keep his late father's ranch from foreclosure, so he accepts the Bryants' generous pay to recover their daughter. Chance, also known as Wolf Shadow, has always refused to fall in love because of his need to avenge his mother's murder, but when he meets Winter Rain, he remembers his mother's wishes for him to be happy. The two brave a torturous trail to be together, surviving capture by the Crow after a deadly attack, imprisonment, and Teressa's return to San Francisco society. Baker's depiction of Native Americans is respectful, and her Old West setting rings true. Diana Tixier Herald

Publisher's Weekly said: "Baker is justly renowned for her portrayals of American Indians."