Book Review: To Tame a Wild Heart

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

To Tame a Wild Heart     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Tracy Forbes
Class/Genre:   Romance
Sonnet, Aug 2001, $6.50

In 1796 Scotland, the highwaymen chase after the carriage bearing the Duchess of Argyle, her little daughter Sarah, and their servants including another child. Trying to outrun their pursuers, the carriage goes off the side of a cliff. Everyone seems dead, but a local farming family finds a little girl wandering the moors.

In 1813, through the sale of a family ring, the Duke of Argyle hears about a feral female with an uncanny ability to talk with the animals. She is the right age and name to be his little girl Sarah. She possesses a panflute, which makes the Duke believe he found his daughter. He persuades her to accompany him to their home while asking his current heir Colin Murray to help him polish Sarah. If Sarah is the daughter of the Duke, Colin has much to lose, but that cannot stop him from losing his heart to her. She draws him into her world searching for the unicorn that she insists saved her life when she was injured during the nasty carriage incident years ago.

TO TAME A WILD HEART changes Mowgie’s gender and adoptive species (from wolves to humans) while placing him in a Regency Pygmalion. The story line is exciting, amusing, and fast paced as readers observe a tale on manners sort of like The School for Scandal. Though some fans will feel the subplot involving a unicorn search is unnecessary, it is well written and adds a charming twist to the novel. Still, this is Sarah’s story and she engages the audience whether she wanders the moors or the ballrooms.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner