Through Rushing Water

Book description:  Sophia has her life all planned out—but her plan didn’t include being jilted or ending up in Dakota Territory.

Sophia Makinoff is certain that 1876 is the year that she’ll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a whim.

With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she’s being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can’t even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she’ll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known—and never expected—and ignites in her a passion for the people she’s sent to serve.

It’s a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When U.S. policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

My review:  I was excited to read another story about the Indians during the time of the treaties with the US government.  I have read two other books recently along this same line and have found these stories very interesting.  Once I received this book, Through Rushing Water, I realized the author, Catherine Richmond, is the lady that also wrote Spring for Susannah.  I really had no intentions of ever reading any more of her books, since I did not like the book Spring for Susannah.  Obligated to now read Through Rushing Water, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  Mrs. Richmond has chosen a very interesting story line, but her plot is not well-defined.  She has too many loose ends and the story jumps around too much.  Although her main characters have a lot of information attached to them, they do not have a lot of depth.  Mrs. Richmond does have a sense of humor which I enjoyed in this book.  She also introduced a group of Indians to me that I had never heard of before.  This has peaked my interest to read more about the Ponca Indians.  While I think this book is better than her last one, I have to say that I have no intentions of reading a third one by this author to see if she continually gets better.  There are so many other books that I would rather read by authors that I enjoy.  For Mrs. Richmond's sake, I'm sorry I could not give this book a more positive review.  I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their Booksneeze blogger program in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.