Karen Kay

The Eagle and the Flame is a romance between Wind Eagle, a brave from the Assiniboine tribe, and Luci Glenforest, daughter of an Army general, who has been brought up to be a skilled sharpshooter.
When Luci’s younger sister Jane becomes pregnant by a deceitful soldier who already has a wife, Luci challenges him to a duel. After she injures the soldier in the duel, as she intended to do, he shoots at her, against the strict rules of dueling. Knowing that they are in great danger, Luci and show more Jane escape in disguise to New York, where they join Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Luci dresses as a young boy, and Jane dons a dark wig to hide her blonde hair.
When Buffalo Bill sees the skill that this young sharpshooter has with a gun, he pairs “him” with Wind Eagle to perform in a daring show of skills between the two. Wind Eagle immediately recognizes that the young man is actually a beautiful young woman, and the attraction begins.
Author Karen Kay has carefully researched the culture of the Assiniboine tribe. She brings Wind Eagle and his friend Iron Wolf to life. I enjoyed her emphasis on the spirituality and traditions of the tribes, and the respect she shows for the culture. It is a thoughtful juxtaposition of the native culture against the white American culture of the 1880s.
The romance between the Luci and Wind Eagle is the heart of the story, and this is what Karen Kay does best. The two are attracted to each other in spite of their different cultures and the secrets that each carries from their pasts. Karen Kay is planning more in this series, and I am eager to find out what happens next to her characters.
(I received this book as an ARC) show less

I was given this book as it wasn't something I initially thought I'd be interested in...but I was wrong. Karen Kay does a great job at weaving together Indian Folklore, romance and a hint of magic. I felt an urgency to get to the end of the book and was rewarded with a very nice ending that allowed the story to come full circle. Well crafted story line while being informational about the Native American people.
My one complaint is that the woman in the story, Kali, was a bit too reluctant to show more accept Soaring Eagle. She also does a bit too much stuttering and stammering for the confident young woman she is supposed to be. A small complaint, I will be reading more of Karen Kay's books. show less

I wanted to scream at the author to MOVE the story along!! By page 150 I figured the plot wasn't moving out of the fort!
The best part about Indian/White romance is the tension between the races and the problem with acceptance. Usually it is the woman who must go be with the Indians, in this story the girl lives in the fort and the young, teenage Indians who are there to avenge a murder are forced to cousil with a white woman. (A slap in the face to the Lakota)
I did enjoy the authors show more knowledge of Indian culture and beliefs. I wanted them to fall in love and go off to the indian camp, to see how both interact, but alas we are not given that view and inticipation the book becomes long and borish.
Yes, there are several adventures and plently of belivable romance but it is more of a Junior/Teen read. Not for adults who want Historical Fiction with a bite. show less

Gosh, I don’t know where to start with this one. It started out reading like a typical harlequin cheesy romance novel until the end where it got really weird. I spent much of the time rolling my eyes while reading this one. I like cheesy romance novels, but with this one I felt like the language was forced which made it difficult for me to get into. The ending is where this one takes the cake. It went from typical white girl falls for Indian lover to some paranormal crap coming out of left show more field. There were some clues that there may be some paranormal activity at work, but not to the extent where it was taken at the end. show less