Twin Willows

“Twin Willows” by Kay Cornelius takes place in the Northwest Territory around 1782. It begins in 1764 with the birth of twin girls to a Delaware Indian woman, Silverwillow, and her husband, a white Scottish trader named Ian McNight. Silverwillow dies in childbirth. The Indian women who tended her decide to keep one of the daughters as her own and hide her birth from her father. Ian takes his daughter, Anna Willow, to his sister to raise since his trapping and trading keep him on the move. Anna Willow is sent to a girls’ finishing school in Philadelphia, where she stays until she graduates at 18. She is looked down on because of her Indian blood and is not considered a good match for any of the young men there. She meets the nephew show more of the headmistress, Stuart Martin. They fall in love, but Willow must leave and return to her aunt’s home and Stuart must continue his education. She is not wanted at the farm because of her mixed heritage and because her aunt has willed her the farm ground. Her father has claimed a piece of ground in Kentucky and must stay there to keep it safe from marauders. Willow decides to travel to her father at Bryan’s Station. Her purpose is to have her father travel with her to her mother’s village.

In the meantime, Anna Willow’s twin, Willow has been raised in the Delaware tribe and is also now grown. Her “mother” wants to travel to her home tribe, so Willow travels with her. Along the way, her mother sickens and they are given help by a Shawnee warrior, White Eagle. White Eagle takes Willow and her mother to his Shawnee camp where they are welcomed. Willow and White Eagle soon marry.

Because the girls look so much alike, they are mistaken for one another. Willow is taken by her father to Kentucky, but in the meantime, there is a raid on Bryan’s Station and Anna Willow is taken by an Indian back to his camp, thinking that she is Willow. Events continue from there, although to say more would give the ending away. Suffice it to say that this was an intriguing book. The historical period is quite interesting as the setting of the book is where I live. I think anyone interested in reading about the past will enjoy this novel.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book for my honest review from the publisher. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You can read my reviews on my blog at: http://wp.me/p2pjIt-4e show less

From Publishers Weekly
In this post-Revolutionary War story, the identical twin daughters of a fiery Scotsman and a beautiful Delaware woman are separated at birth. Anna grows up in Philadelphia, while Willow is raised in a Shawnee village. Once Anna finishes her studies, she joins her father in Kentucky, where he settled after the war. Meanwhile, Willow is anxious to leave her village because of an ardent suitor who won't take no for an answer. She's on her way to a sister village in Kentucky when she comes upon the Shawnee warrior White Eagle and it's love at first sight. They marry quickly, but their happiness is cut short by the ongoing war between the Indians and the whites. During an Indian raid, Anna is mistaken for Willow and show more ends up with the Shawnee; Willow, in turn, is mistaken for Anna and is left behind with the whites. And so begins the chain of events that draws the two sisters together at last. Unfortunately, despite the clever premise, Cornelius's newest (after Love's Gentle Journey) contains little conflict or believable romance.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Twin Willows is a richly textured novel, with delightful heroines and marvelous heroes that leap off the page and into your heart. Kay tells a unique love story that will keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens next!" -- Joan Johnston, author of Hawk's Way

"Twin Willows is terrific. It is storytelling at its best with characters that walk off the page and into your heart. I couldn't put it down. Kay Cornelius is a wonderfully fresh voice in historical romance." -- Patricia Potter, author of Starfinder show less