Savannah McKenzie married Tristan’s brother, Michael, soon after Tristan left for battle. Her love for Tristan never wavered but being pregnant made marriage a necessity and Michael had been willing to step in and marry her in his brother’s place. It was easier to allow everyone to believe that her son Billy belonged to Michael. Now through a twist of fate Tristan is once again in her life and Savannah is faced with the scary prospect of revealing the secret she's kept for the past ten years.
The life of a gunslinger is taking it’s toll on Tristan. He longs for a peaceful life - the kind he had before the war changed everything so drastically. He’d hoped for some semblance of normalcy when he came to Colorado, but even here his reputation precedes him. That’s why he’s standing on a dusty street preparing for a duel with a hot-headed kid. It’s while he banters with Johnny Muldoon that he notices a woman on the sidelines crying for Johnny. Tristan realizes that he has nothing to live for when obviously Johnny does. It would be so easy to let Johnny win and end his life. Decision made, Tristan turns his back on Johnny. Seconds later he hears Johnny's gun fire. Bang! Tristan falls to the ground after being shot in the back.
Tristan thought that his miserable existence was over but he was unaware that Savannah’s brother Joel witnessed the incident and is determined to save him. When he regains consciousness it’s to find himself in a bed in Joel’s home and Savannah is present. Tristan’s love for Savannah has never wavered but he felt he didn’t deserve happiness after his brother’s death and never returned for her. How will he react when he learns of the reason for her hasty marriage? Will he find a reason to live in the love of a good woman?
Diana Bold’s SAVANNAH’S HERO is sure to pull at readers’ heartstrings. We’ve all heard the stories about how brothers would face each other across battlefields during the Civil War and thought about how heartbreaking that would be but have you ever thought about what happens after the war’s over? All of the characters in SAVANNAH’S HERO have been effected by Michael’s death. Tristan blames himself for not recognizing Michael before he pulled the trigger. Joel feels guilt because all his skills as a doctor were unable to save him. Savannah regrets the fact that she married Michael knowing that she’d never love him. I absolutely loved how they each found a way to heal their own hurts with each other’s help. I had tears in my eyes when the contents of the note Michael wrote to Tristan are finally revealed. Ms. Bold’s powerful historical novels have quickly made her a must read author for me!
