Queen of Swords

Kate Reading's lively narration pulls listeners into the fourth adventure of the Bonners. Personal and global conflict takes the Scottish family from the Caribbean to New Orleans in 1814. Negotiating accents, including lilting Carribean and French-toned Creole, Reading portrays a large cast of characters, taking listeners from the dramatic rescue of Jennet, the wife of Luke Bonner, to the recovery of her son from a controlling New Orleans matriarch. Reading depicts Jennet's Scots lineage with accent and fiery spirit and captures the strengths of a second strong female character, Luke's Mohawk half-sister, Hannah. Hannah risks much to rescue Jennet's son, plies her medical knowledge to good effect, and manages to fall in love several times. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

August 21, 2006
The fourth in Donati's popular Wilderness series (Into The Wilderness
, etc.) takes the Scott family on a perilous journey to New Orleans on the eve of one of the War of 1812's climactic battles. The action begins with the dramatic rescue of Jennet Scott from captivity in the French Antilles. Her saviors include her husband, Luke, a prominent Montreal merchant, and Luke's Mohawk half-sister, Hannah, a physician. Jennet had given birth to a son, Nathaniel, during her captivity and enlisted Honoré Poiterin, a shady Creole merchant, to smuggle him to safety. The Scotts trek to New Orleans after discovering Poiterin and his grandmother have taken the child there and are claiming him as their own. In a city surrounded by two opposing armies, the Scotts find an ally in Ben Savard, the well-connected half-brother of a plantation owner. Out of a surfeit of characters (there are over 30 "primary characters" listed at the book's beginning), Hannah is the star—surviving two brushes with death, saving countless lives and still finding time to fall in love. The conclusion is predictable and the pacing uneven, but fans of epic historical adventures will be captivated by the exotic setting and intriguing story line.