About the Book

Book: Texas Forsaken

Author: Sherry Shindelar

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: May 21, 2024

The man who destroyed her life may be the only one who can save it.

Seven years ago, Maggie Logan (Eyes-Like-Sky) lost everything she knew when a raid on a wagon train tore her from her family. As the memories of her past faded to nothing more than vague shadows, Maggie adapted—marrying a Comanche warrior, having a baby, and rebuilding her life. But in one terrible battle, the U.S. Cavalry destroys that life, and she is taken captive again, this time by those who call themselves her people. Forced into a world she wants nothing to do with, Eyes-Like-Sky’s only hope of protecting her child may be an engagement to the man who killed her husband.

Enrolled in West Point to escape his overbearing father, Captain Garret Ramsey has graduated and finds himself assigned to the Texas frontier, witnessing the brutal Indian War in which both sides commit atrocities. Plagued by guilt for his own role, Garret seeks redemption by taking responsibility for the woman he widowed and her baby. Though he is determined to do whatever it takes to protect them, is he willing to risk everything for a woman whose heart is buried in a grave? Or is there hope she might heal to love once more?

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About the Author

Originally from Tennessee, Sherry loves to take her readers into the past. She is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. When she is not busy writing, she is an English professor working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is an award-winning writer: 2023 Genesis finalist, Maggie finalist, and Crown finalist. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of thirty-eight years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

More from Sherry

The story of Cynthia Anne Parker, the most famous captive of the nineteenth century, haunted my heart for a couple of decades. Abducted from one world, adopted into another, and then stolen back, Cynthia Ann’s story of love and unrepairable loss captured my heart. All the more so since it was fact, not fiction.

I longed to give her a second chance. So I developed a character who was similar to Cynthia, started the narrative at the moment of crisis, and wrote a different trajectory. I couldn’t give Cynthia a happy ending, but I could give Eyes-Like-Sky a story of love and hope taking root in the midst of devastating loss.

Cynthia was taken captive by Comanches at age nine during an attack on her family’s fort in the Texas frontier in 1836. Her father and several extended family members were killed, and her brother John, her cousin Rachel, and a couple other family members were captured along with her.

Her Aunt Elizabeth was rescued a couple months after the attack. Her cousin Rachel, who had been badly abused by the tribe, was ransomed a couple of years later and died within a year of her return. John adopted the Comanche lifestyle and lived with the tribe for years before eventually leaving the tribe to farm in Mexico. But Cynthia became Comanche and became an integral part of the tribe for over twenty-four years.

She married an influential war chief, Peta Nocona, and had three children with him, including Quanah Parker, who eventually became a powerful Comanche chief. Several times over the years, Indian agents and traders attempted to ransom her, but she refused to go, and the tribe rejected their offers.

In December 1860, Texas Rangers, along with U.S. Cavalry troops, attacked her village and captured her and her baby girl, Prairie Flower (Topsanah), killing everyone else in the camp. (There has been significant historical debate about whether her husband was present at the time. Some accounts claim he died fighting to protect her. Other evidence points to him having been away on a hunting trip at the time of the attack and dying a couple years later from an old battle wound.)

Eventually, one of Cynthia’s relatives claimed her and took her to live with family, but she refused to accept this new life that was being forced upon her. Repeatedly, she tried to escape to the open plains, desperate to find her husband and her sons. One of her uncles eventually agreed to help her look for her people, but they’d have to wait until the Civil War ended.

Prairie Flower died, word came that Cynthia’s son Pecos had passed away, as well, and the Civil War dragged on. Cynthia lost hope of ever being reunited with the two remaining members of her beloved family, Nocona and Quanah. Overcome by sadness and longing, she sank into a deep depression and died of a broken heart.

Cynthia Ann’s story, the story of a woman torn between cultures, perplexed, intrigued, and haunted me. My heart ached for her loss, and questions flooded my mind. Some stories are like that. They stay with you, and this one was all the more indelible because it was true and filled with unknowns.

As I put pen to paper to begin Texas Forsaken, I sought to create an indelible story of heart-wrenching trials, forgiveness, and second chances. A story of love and hope born anew. A story of redemption.

MY REVIEW

Gripping, realistic and second chances bring this story to life. The author does an excellent job of describing clothes of this era. I could picture the war paint , turquoise necklaces and buckskin clothing worn by the Comanche people in in this story. This was a particularly intriguing story for me as I am part Comanche. I have heard how savage they can be even though it is difficult to read about. I appreciate the way the author writes a story about a very famous person in history.

Eyes-Like-Sky is excited when her husband comes home from a battle. Faded in her memory is the person she once was. After being captured she became accustomed to the new way of life and embraced her warrior husband. Their sweet little daughter was precious to both of them. When an attack happens Eyes-Like -Sky finds herself a widow. Once again she is captured but by soldiers. Her hatred toward the man responsible for her Dancing Eagle’s death is very evident.

Garret has his hands full while keeping a watch over Eyes-Like -Sky. He is still trying to figure her out but has this sense that there is more to her story. He regrets her husband’s death but now they must move on. Did he do the right thing by keeping her hostage? Garret is a good man who regrets killing her husband. Now he must do his best to look after her and keep her safe.

The author captures emotions well as both of our main characters deal with the trials ahead. I wonder how it felt to be taken from your home only to be paraded around while strangers come to see if you could be their missing relative? It may be hard to understand why Eyes-Like-Sky fights to be taken back to the Comanches. The author does a good job of keeping this story close to the true account of the person this book is based on. There are a few differences but it also shows how faith can help when struggling with your future.

As I read the book a thought came to mind. Why do people want to change others? Eyes-Like-Sky is Comanche and wants to remain that. Her heart desires to go back to her people. However others are trying to make her rejoin family she doesn’t remember. Her happiness seems to upset some when she fights to be herself. In comparison we do that at times to others. We don’t like the way they dress or their culture and try to change them. I like this sentence from the story which days, ‘A man should be judged for his own actions.”

I won’t tell you the rest of the story because readers need to see how God works in the main characters lives. This has been one of the best fictional accounts of Comanche I have ever read. It will stay with me forever.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.