Nineteenth-century historical fiction is and always has been my favorite genre, one which I never tire of reading. While much of the subject matter may remain similar, skillful authors will develop unique sets of circumstances and create enough nuances to set their stories apart. Angela Couch accomplishes this with her novel “Heart of a Warrior,” which is a tale of survival, romance, and faith in the Rocky Mountains in 1859. This is the first of her works that I have read, and it won’t be the last. She draws readers in from the startling opening chapter and continues to pepper the novel with suspenseful scenes interspersed among the more domestic ones.

Rife with the struggles of the western frontier, “Heart of a Warrior” nevertheless remains a predominantly character-driven story. All of the primary events in the novel serve to promote interaction between the characters, especially Christina and Towan. Towan is the first to suspect that God made their paths cross for a purpose, and with him as the starting point, Couch goes on to overturn stereotypes from that era right up to the very last page. While it may seem an unnecessary and antiquated point at first glance, the firestorm of race relations this year suggests otherwise. Christina describes Towan as “A most peculiar mix of the Rocky Mountains and civilization. As refined as any gentlemen, yet as wild as nature itself. He was a living, breathing, walking paradox.” She is the one who had a Bible in her possession, but Towan is the one who reads and believes it, and he wrestles with the anger and bitterness he carries toward the white race.

Both Towan and Christina grow in unexpected ways as the story progresses. They each soften their erroneous views of the other’s culture while not abandoning their own. Their names, too, are noteworthy; Towan means black fox, which I researched and found to be a rare genetic variant of the red fox, and therefore a very apt title. He repeatedly exhibits a sacrificial, Christ-like love for which he seeks to gain nothing. On the other hand, I admittedly was not fond of Christina for the majority of the story due to her seeming lack of gratitude and trust and her prejudice. However, it occurred to me that we are all Christinas (and her name is, fittingly, an anagram of Christian) who fail daily. No matter how many times the Lord proves His goodness, we still distrust Him at times, and we still complain when we should be thankful.

For readers interested in Shoshone life, survival in the Rocky Mountains in the nineteenth century, historical romance, or inspirational historical fiction, I recommend “Heart of a Warrior.” The only issues I had were with Towan’s acknowledgement that “There is only one God. Only understanding of Him differs. Knowledge about Him. Where knowledge lacks, men form opinions, some true, some false.” I am a bit unclear on this because the views of his tribe were never mentioned, and from what little I know about Native American religion, they do not believe in the Christian God, so I wonder if he is trying to reconcile the Shoshone religion with Christianity when he speaks of having a different understanding of God, which I do not agree with. Also, I would have liked to see Christina’s moment of truly accepting Christ because as it is, I am unsure as to where exactly she stands. Overall, however, I truly enjoyed this novel, and I particularly loved the final scene.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )

What I think you should know:
Heart of a Warrior by Angela K. Couch is a Historical Christian Fiction. The story is set along the Oregon Trail in 1859. It is a standalone novel.

What you might need to know:
Christina’s husband was murder at the start of the book along the Oregon trail.Christina has very skewed views about Native People. Towan has suffered in both the English and Shoshone worlds because of his parentage.

What I think about this book:
What a story, full of adventure, hardship, heartache and love. Christina was a sheltered rich girl who is suddenly stranded on the trail, pregnant and alone. She has a hard time learning that not all is as it seems. I don’t feel like she was designed to be a lovable character at first, instead she grew on me slowly as her strength and determination to keep her son safe won me over. Towan in contrast in a character that I loved immediately for and loved more and more as the story progressed. I love how Towan clung to his faith in Christ and used the word to draw closer to Christina. Couch did a beautiful job of writing a story that captured my mind and my heart.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own ( )

A story unlike any other I’ve read, this adventurous love story takes readers on an incredible journey into a culture not often explored by this genre. The story begins with a heavily pregnant woman on the Oregon Trail with her husband who disappears amidst a violent attack on the wagon train. From there the question of whether the hero can be trusted is constantly in play and the reader can’t help but feel compassion for both hero and heroine. Together they face trials and challenges that seem insurmountable on both the physical and psychological levels. Never predictable beyond the required love match, this story kept me guessing and turning pages all the way to the end. I may have shed a tear or two along the way as well. I thoroughly appreciate the author’s courage in taking on the love story of an interracial couple in the 1850s. Her writing is rich in detail and filled with layered characters. In short, I highly recommend this historical Christian romance to anyone interested in a unique, highly entertaining, emotional adventure. ( )