Editorial Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Captive: Book 2 of The Mender Trilogy
This is book 2 of The Mender series. Eva is a time traveler, originally sent to this world to “correct its timeline.” In this installment, Eva has abandoned her original mission, set for March 1836, and is living with her new husband, Jim, among the Comanche. But while she tries to adapt to tribal life, she knows her old partner, Tophe, will be coming to complete her original task—kill Francisca Alavez, the “Angel of Goliad,” and change the result of the Texans’ war for Independence from Mexico.
This is a well-researched novel set mostly amid a Comanche tribe in 1835 and 1836. Marchman has done a good job of portraying the way the Comanche lived at that time. The customs, language, and practices of the tribe are very well described. Eva’s struggles include living in a polygamous society, dealing with the fact that women were mainly relegated to taking care of the home, and observing that captives were not always well treated. Her biggest challenge is knowing the possible future and not using her ability to change current events or remove herself from that time altogether. Her romance with Jim, who was raised by the Comanche and sees things very differently than she does, is complex and intriguing. Her ultimate decisions and the plans she makes set the stage for the final book in the trilogy. As always, the author is very honest about the brutality people can inflict on each other and the imperfect nature of every human being. Recommended to fans of time travel fiction, Native American history, and US history. This book is not a standalone, and the series should be read in order.
Love or Duty: An Assassin’s Choice
No longer a time-traveling assassin, Eva is desperate to start a new life with her husband — but her conscience has other plans.
When enemies attack the wealthiest plantation in Austin’s Colony, she and her husband, Jim, must flee a vengeful mob to take shelter with his family. The only problem is, Jim hasn’t seen his Comanche village in three years. And he’s not sure he’ll be welcome, especially with an Anglo-looking wife.
For Eva, their escape heralds an end to their honeymoon and takes her farther from her former mission partner, Tophe — a sworn sword, just like she was. While she’s had a change of heart, he has not, and if Tophe completes their mission, eighty men will be massacred.
In this second exciting installment of The Mender Trilogy, Eva must find a way to stop him — without starting a war with the time-traveling cult, Lux Libera.
Available in eBook, Paperback, and FREE with Kindle Unlimited!