The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (April 15, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307731499
• ISBN-13: 978-0307731494

Western North Carolina, 1787 ~ To escape a threatening stepfather and an unwanted marriage, Tamsen Littlejohn enlists the aid of Jesse Bird, a frontiersman she barely knows, to spirit her away from Morganton, North Carolina, west beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Trouble pursues, as the two men intent on seeing her recovered prove relentless in their hunt. Trouble awaits in the form of a divided frontier community. Across the mountains the State of Franklin has been declared, yet many settlers remain loyal to North Carolina. Chaos reigns, thwarting Tamsen and Jesse’s hastily cobbled plan to keep her safe. 

With her pursuers ever nearing, the region in turmoil, neighbors grown suspicious of her presence, Tamsen’s safety is soon put in greater jeopardy. Gaining the freedom she longs for will mean running yet again, to the most unlikely refuge imaginable—the Cherokees, a people balanced on the knife edge of war. 

But the biggest complication may prove to be Tamsen’s growing bond with her knight in greasy buckskins, Jesse Bird. Falling in love was never part of the plan.

My take on this book:

Tamsen Littlejohn's stepfather has plans for her, he wants her to bring his social standing up by having her marry into a wealthy family, but that isn't what she wants and decides to leave home and enlists someone she barely knows to help her. Falling in love is the last thing on her mind, but sometimes the heart has other ideas.

I loved the page turning adventure that pulled me in from the beginning with this story, but it was the strong characters that really kept me reading, because I really had to know what happened! Tamsen learns more than a few secrets about her family, but also learns a bit about herself as she decides to run instead of doing her step fathers bidding. Her unlikely hero is Jesse Bird, a character that was so atypical of my image of a mountain man! I really think he was my favorite character in the story. Anyone who enjoys historical romance, with a definite christian theme running through it will certainly enjoy this one,I know that I did!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.