From School Library Journal
YA?The turbulent life in the unsettled Florida of 1835 unfolds as Tara, running from a false accusation of murder, hastily marries Jarrett, an acquaintance who wins her in a poker game. He turns out to be wealthy plantation owner who befriends the Indians. She has trouble coping: war breaks out with the Indians, frightening her terribly. Her busy husband doesn't believe in explanations, and the newlyweds fight frequently, enjoying making up and falling helplessly in love. Their relationship is complex but characterization is realistic. Tension is relieved through subtle touches of humor especially with the pranks they play on one another. Her background remains a mystery, even to her husband, until almost the last chapter, an exciting climax that is nicely resolved. The attractive cover, the light plot, large amount of dialogue, and abundance of action make this piece of historical fiction an entertaining read.?Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A prolific author of historical and contemporary romances (e.g., Spirit of the Season, Delacorte, 1993), Graham here begins a new multivolume family saga. Set in Florida during the 1830s, the story follows Tara Brent, who is running from a murder charge. She meets Jarrett McKenzie, who rescues her from her pursuers by marrying her and taking her to his plantation on the Florida frontier. At first frightened by the wilderness and the natives she sees as "savages," Tara learns to love Jarrett, his home, and the people he loves. The story is predictable, and the narrative flow is often interrupted by brief vignettes of Florida history. In addition, Graham's superficially drawn characters are stereotypes of the stubborn lovers unwilling to communicate. Although this novel is not one of the author's best, expect demand based on her popularity and reputation.Barbara E. Kemp, SUNY at AlbanyCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Set in Florida in the early 1800's, this is a tale of the war between the Seminole and Osceola Indians and the white settlers. White man, Jarrett, and Tara, his wife, try to keep the peace with the Indians. But peace isn't forthcoming as Tara's past continues to haunt and terrify her until the startling conclusion in the cypress swamps. Juliet Mills reads the story in a light British accent. She has an evident lisp in the first half of the story, which distracts the listener. Also, the accents, particularly the French ones, aren't consistent throughout the story. In addition, the tone of Mills' voice doesn't always match the actions described, causing the listener to wonder how she feels about what she's reading. Despite all this, Graham's romantic historical fiction provides an interesting view of life on the Florida peninsula. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
A trumped-up murder charge sends Tara Brent running from Boston to New Orleans and into the arms of a gambler in a waterfront saloon. Little does Tara know--as she escapes into the night, pursued once again by the henchmen of the real murderer--that her rescuer will take her as his wife to his plantation deep in the wilds of Florida. Graham manipulates this exciting scenario to introduce Tara and Graham's readers to the Florida of the 1830s, where a battle rages between Seminoles and white settlers. Tara's gradual acceptance of her savage surroundings and her aggravating spouse occurs only after she accepts the Indians as individuals and friends. Graham promises that this story is the first in a series that will introduce the history of a state currently known more for Mickey Mouse than for its multicultural past. Denise Perry Donavin


From Kirkus Reviews
This big-time bodice ripper from Graham (One Wore Blue; And One Wore Gray, not reviewed) is the first in a five-part saga about Florida. With her dedicated libido, Graham lights up the sweet savage swamps of the middle peninsula circa the early 19th century. She handles all the compulsory elements well; it's a great trick to give readers exactly what they want and still present something fresh and exciting. Her hero, Jarrett McKenzie, the grandson of an Irish lord, wins Tara Brent in a New Orleans poker game. He wants her at first sight, when he spies her across the crowded room of a waterfront brothel. Virginal Tara is blond and perfect; Jarrett is dark and perfect (``He was as natural and assured as a beast in the wild. The moonlight fell upon the sleek bulge of his forearm and shoulder for just a moment. Oh, God!''). To hide Tara from villains who have accused her of murder, Jarrett undresses her (he is astoundingly good with early American underwear) and flings her naked into his bed. He can see her in the dark because he was raised by Indians (he also is called White Tiger). Impressed, he marries her and takes his reluctant bride to his wild but well- appointed plantation near Tampa, where she will never have to cook a meal (another reason this is women's fiction), just as the Seminole chief, Osceola, declares war on the American government. There is a plot where somehow Tara and Jarrett work out their problematic relationship and the reader learns about the Seminoles, including Jarrett's muscular half-brother, Indian chief James McKenzie, also called Running Bear. But it's ultimately beside the point. Jarrett is a bit pushy for the '90s: He has an obsidian-dark glare and no sense of boundaries. Or maybe he's just so big that his boundaries overlap everyone else's. Even so, in Graham's hands, phallic Florida rises. We pant for more. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

ANNOTATION

Tara has been framed for a crime she didn't commit. Jarrett is mourning the death of his wife. When their eyes meet in a New Orleans tavern, they see the potential to fill their empty lives. When Tara returns home with Jarrett as his new wife, she thinks she has found the perfect life with the perfect man--until her past threatens to ruin everything.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

His smoldering gaze claimed her long before a poker hand made her his. Tara Brent knew she could never escape this dark and brooding stranger who promised her safety, with a price: marriage - and life together in the lush, lethal wilderness of Florida. She didn't even know his name, only the promise of passion, and refuge in his arms...

Jarret McKenzie swept his ravishing bride away from New Orleans to his remote Florida plantation, determined to uncover the desperate secret from which she ran. He couldn't tell her of his own Seminole roots - or open her guarded heart - until his former commander, President Andrew Jackson, declared war on the Indians, and a powerful enemy from Tara's past found his way to their door...

In Runaway, the first of a magnificent five-book historical family saga, New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham recreates the tumultuous history of America's leas known frontier, Florida, and brings it vividly to life with a love story that burns with passion and truth.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This entertaining kickoff volume to a five-part series by bestselling author Graham (And One Rode West) is a swift historical drama set in the untamed, exotic Florida of the 1830s. In a New Orleans poker match, ``Black Irish'' plantation owner Jarrett McKenzie wins the services of gorgeous, fiery Tara Brent for a night (against her wishes) and winds up marrying her and taking her deep into the Florida jungles. Naturally, Tara and Jarrett fall in love and learn each other's secret: that she is fleeing a murder charge, and that he has strong ties to the Seminole Indians, through the tribe's leader, Osceola, who is about to make war with President Jackson's American forces. Crisis follows crisis, often separating Jarrett and Tara, but he proves his courage time and again while she grows to care for his Seminole relatives, even risking her life for them. Meanwhile, tension rises as Tara is pursued by evil Clive Carter, the son of the man she is accused of killing, and as the conflict between the U.S. Army and the Indians builds to a crisis. Graham is an indifferent stylist, but she knows what her readers want-tempestuous protagonists, titillation and just enough history to ground the plot. She delivers these elements with panache, and closes the book with an enticing prologue to volume two, The Undefeated. Author tour. (Sept.)#

Library Journal

A prolific author of historical and contemporary romances (e.g., Spirit of the Season, Delacorte, 1993), Graham here begins a new multivolume family saga. Set in Florida during the 1830s, the story follows Tara Brent, who is running from a murder charge. She meets Jarrett McKenzie, who rescues her from her pursuers by marrying her and taking her to his plantation on the Florida frontier. At first frightened by the wilderness and the natives she sees as "savages," Tara learns to love Jarrett, his home, and the people he loves. The story is predictable, and the narrative flow is often interrupted by brief vignettes of Florida history. In addition, Graham's superficially drawn characters are stereotypes of the stubborn lovers unwilling to communicate. Although this novel is not one of the author's best, expect demand based on her popularity and reputation.-Barbara E. Kemp, SUNY at Albany

School Library Journal

YA-The turbulent life in the unsettled Florida of 1835 unfolds as Tara, running from a false accusation of murder, hastily marries Jarrett, an acquaintance who wins her in a poker game. He turns out to be wealthy plantation owner who befriends the Indians. She has trouble coping: war breaks out with the Indians, frightening her terribly. Her busy husband doesn't believe in explanations, and the newlyweds fight frequently, enjoying making up and falling helplessly in love. Their relationship is complex but characterization is realistic. Tension is relieved through subtle touches of humor especially with the pranks they play on one another. Her background remains a mystery, even to her husband, until almost the last chapter, an exciting climax that is nicely resolved. The attractive cover, the light plot, large amount of dialogue, and abundance of action make this piece of historical fiction an entertaining read.-Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

BookList - Denise Perry Donavin