Tennessee Bride by Rosanne Bittner

Narrated by Loretta Rawlins

Some of my earliest romances were those written by Rosanne Bittner. I was captivated by her stories of brave men and women, struggling to make something of themselves in nineteenth-century America. When I discovered that Audible Inc. had released some of Ms. Bittner’s books in audio for the very first time, I was elated. I eagerly requested Tennessee Bride for review.

Life has not been kind to Emma Simms. She lives a hard-scrabble existence on a run-down farm with her mother and stepfather. Luke Simms married her mother when Emma was a young child, but he feels no love for his wife or stepdaughter. He treats them both with extreme cruelty, and Emma dreams of leaving one day and starting over in Knoxville.

Emma has grown up hearing stories of a man known as “the White Indian”. River Joe was raised by the Cherokee Indians, and, even though he’s white, his heart belongs to the people who took him in as a boy. He hates the way whites treat his people. Each year, he leaves his village to trade with the white settlers. It is during one of these trading expeditions that he catches sight of sixteen-year-old Emma Simms. From that moment on, he knows he must have her for his own.

When Emma’s mother dies in childbirth, Emma’s choices are completely gone. Her future lies in the hands of her stepfather, and she’s sure she won’t like anything he has in mind for her. Luke, always ready to make a few bucks, decides against marrying Emma off to Tommy Decker, a young man from a neighboring settlement. At first, Emma is relieved, but, once she learns that Luke plans to sell her to a Knoxville brothel, she knows she has to get away.

Help comes in the form of River Joe, and under the guise of a terrible flood. The two flee back to River’s home among the Cherokee, intent on making a good life for themselves. They don’t count on two men who will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

Narrator Loretta Rawlins has a reading style that’s hard to get used to. She often sounds stilted, as if she could stumble over a word or phrase at any second. Her narration has a kind of sing-song cadence to it that I found very distracting. The book sounded rhythmic, something that simply isn’t necessary. Rhythm should be found in music, not in romance audio.

Ms. Rawlins did an average job of differentiating one character from another. Emma spoke in a girlish voice, with a tinge of a southern accent. Other female characters sounded similar to Emma, but without the drawl. River’s sisters sounded identical, which made dialogue tags essential in order to understand the story.

Ms. Rawlins did a slightly better job with the men in the story. River sounds very calm and serious. Tommy Decker is given a whiny sound that fits the author’s description perfectly. Luke Simms sounds similar to Tommy, but less whiny, and much meaner. The Cherokee men all sounded the same. Again, I had to rely on dialogue tags.

A good bit of the story shows Emma and River alone together. These scenes were very well-done and were my favorite parts of the story. It was easy to tell Emma and River apart. Ms. Rawlins did a wonderful job showing the devotion these two feel toward one another.

Sadly, Tennessee Bride lacked some of the magic of Ms. Bittner’s other books. The love between River and Emma wasn’t something I could really get behind. Emma was grateful to River for saving her, and her love seemed to stem from that gratitude. For his part, River seems to love Emma just because she’s blonde and beautiful. He knows nothing about her when he decides to make her his wife, and, as the book goes on, the romance seems forced. They’re not a natural-seeming couple.

As always, I loved Ms. Bittner’s portrayal of the Native American people. She neither romanticizes nor villainizes them. Instead, she allows us to see them as people, something many authors are unable to do. I think Ms. Bittner wants us to sympathize with their plight, and she makes this easy by creating compelling characters. However, she doesn’t shy away from the brutality that took place as the Native Americans fought for their rights.

Tennessee Bride was originally published in 1988. In some ways, it has withstood the test of time. I was plunged back in time to a rougher, harsher world. Ms. Bittner is a masterful storyteller. I might have enjoyed the listening experience a bit more if a more skilled narrator had been chosen, but I suppose there’s something to be said for that old saying: “Beggars can’t be choosers”. So, I won’t beg. I’ll just hope for something a little better for my next Bittner listen.

Shannon

Narration:  C

Book Content:  B-

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Domestic, escalated fighting

Genre:  Historical Romance, American West

Publisher:  Audible, Inc.

Tennessee Bride was provided to AudioGals by Audible, Inc. for review.