Keowee Valley by Katherine Scott Crawford

Keowee Valley is an absorbing historical fiction read set in the year of 1768 involving Quincy MacFadden, who finds out that her cousin is being held captive by Shawnee Indians. She bravely decides to do something not many women of that time would even consider doing…leaving behind her home in Charlestown and searching for cousin in hopes of finding him alive.

“I was an unlikely adventurer, at least by all appearances. I knew what the people of Charlestown saw when they looked at me: a wealthy woman clad in the new fashions, small of stature but possessed of an unruly mane of yellow hair that made me seem taller—a bluestocking with a well-worn volume forever in hand, one who looked out at the world from a pair of disconcertingly direct blue eyes. The ladies, especially, would whisper “orphan,” and allow that the early demise of my parents could be reason enough for a man such as my grandfather to keep me a spinster at age twenty-five. The gentlemen viewed my person with vague calculation, surely wondering just how much—as the sole granddaughter of Campbell MacFadden, Esquire, and heir by marriage to a profitable rice plantation—I was worth. And so when the trapper arrived in the hour before dawn, smelling of wood smoke and the sweat of a hard ride, I was ready: ready to abandon Charlestown and my life there, to shutter permanently those judging, prying eyes.”

-Katherine Scott Crawford, Keowee Valley

Quincy is independent, a free spirit, and a dreamer. Literally. She has been haunted with visions that she believes are actually omens. Because of this she feels as if she does not fit in anywhere. She longs for a different and better life for herself. When she hears news about her cousin, Owen being captured she realizes that this is the opportunity she has been hoping for. A chance to go someplace different and start anew; and that while she is on her journey for a different life, she will also find Owen.

She ends up in the gorgeous surroundings of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she begins a settlement while she awaits the arrival of Jackson Wolfe a handsome half Cherokee/half Irish man whom she is told can help her find and negotiate Owen’s freedom.

When Quincy and Jack meet there is a connection between them and soon a romance begins to spark. The passion that they share is undeniable…and not to mention steamy.

Jackson is not only good looking, but also a strong, kind man who knows is way around the Appalachian Mountains and is an excellent Cherokee tracker. Because Jack was a translator for the British army, he is stuck in middle and has a tough choice to make on whether to commit treason and flee or begrudgingly obey a King he hates.

My favorite thing about this story is that it’s full of vivid descriptions about the world during the Revolutionary war era that Quincy is in. Its gives the reader a better picture about how things are and adds to the story. I could almost see Quincy’s world unfolding as I read. Keowee Valley is ideal for readers who enjoy history, adventure, and romance. It was a satisfying read, but the ending still left some questions unanswered, so I am hoping for a possible sequel to tie things together.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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** I received this ARC from Bell Bridge Books in exchange for nothing, but my honest review. Thank you.** 

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