Rarely do I wander across the border into the land of romance, but I
must say I've enjoyed the few romantic novels I've read - and that
definitely includes Magnolia Belle's Black Wolf: Lakota Man. One thing
I've learned is that there are different levels of romantic fiction. I
personally could never go for that mushy Harlequin kind of romance, but
this is nothing like that. Black Wolf: Lakota Man is just a good little
love story between two well-defined characters that come across as very
real - and the whole thing is set against a rich and exciting backdrop
that effectively lays a solid foundation for future novels.
It all starts with a kiss. I think I speak for men everywhere when I
say that a sudden kiss from an attractive female stranger is a most
welcome form of introduction. One minute, Caleb Black Wolf is just
standing around in the studio with his brothers/fellow musicians, and
the next minute this gorgeous young woman appears from out of nowhere
and lays one on him - just because she thought he looked like he could
use a good kiss. It should come as no surprise that Caleb soon begins
pitching woo to her. Having kissed the guy and all, you'd think the
woman would be agreeable to a date at the very least, but Sara Bradford
proves fairly resistant to Caleb's attention. The fact that he has a
propensity for saying stupid things at the wrong time doesn't help
matters. Eventually, though, she gives in and the two commence what
will be a rather rocky relationship.
Caleb and Sara have several things in common. They are both
musicians, for example; Sara's an up-and-coming blues singer, while
Caleb and his brothers have just landed a record deal for their
rock/R&B group, the Black Wolf Band. Both also have romantic
skeletons in their closet that tend to pop out from time to time. In
many ways and for many reasons, the two are very good for one another.
The road to eternal love, however, is marred by some pretty big
potholes. There is, for example, the cultural difference between them.
Caleb's family basically expects him to find a nice Lakota girl to
settle down with - especially his parents, who are still deeply rooted
in the Lakota culture and tradition. It doesn't matter to Caleb or Sara
that she is white while he is Lakota, but Sara's got a long row to hoe
when it comes to winning over the Black Wolf family. Even bigger
problems lie ahead, though, as scorned lovers on both sides set out to
sabotage their budding romance.
Lakota Man is the first in a series of books revolving around the
rocking Black Wolf brothers. Therefore, when I say I would have liked
to have learned more about Lakota culture in these pages, it's really
not an issue at all, as I'm sure that the cultural aspects of the Lakota
will be incorporated more and more into the series as it proceeds.
Black Wolf: Lakota Man really serves as an introduction to both the
Black Wolf brothers and to Lakota culture, which we basically look upon
from the outside through the prism of Sara's Anglo-Saxon heritage. It's
the love story between Caleb and Sara that really takes center stage in
this first Black Wolf novel, especially in the latter stages when it
looks like the buds of love have been clipped off and the entire plant
ripped up and cast aside. As Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe sang in
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, "when love goes wrong, nothing goes right." I
daresay you'll find yourself heavily invested emotionally in everything
that happens. This story wouldn't really impress without good, strong
characters all around, and Magnolia Belle has really delivered in this
regard -it will be most interesting to follow the whole lot of them as
the series progresses.
5 stars
