Review: WHISPERS THROUGH TIME by Rosetta Diane Hoessli

Fiction, Romance,

5*****

Blurb: The only man Sierra Masters has ever loved appears with a proposition that could alter her future. She turns him down, but then after experiencing a foretelling dream, decides to take a risk in order to uncover the truth. Hunter Davenport realizes the evidence he’s shared with Sierra could indeed destroy her—but it could free her as well. The decision is yanked from her hands when the past and present collide through a historical portal on sacred Native American land. Will she take the gift that is offered? And will Hunter do what he didn’t do twelve years earlier—stand by her? Only time will give them their answers.

THOUGHTS: This is a clever, well-constructed story that is part current time, part glimpses into the past. A past that is both true and tragic. Based in part on actual events that occurred in South Dakota in the 1880s and the 1970s, the story centers around the Pine Ridge Lakota tribe. As the daughter of a history buff, I grew up knowing about Wounded Knee and the events that transpired there.

In this book, Sierra Masters’ old flame, Hunter, shows up at her home one day with photos that shock her and change everything she ever knew. Hunter is a film documentarian. She discovers that she was adopted and that her parents were part of the fight between the Native Americans and corrupted government. The descriptions of the Badlands are beautifully done, putting you right there in that stark landscape. But what really draws you in are the descriptions of the massacres that took place and the awful treatment at the hands of the white men. The terror and devastation are real. And Sierra “sees” it all as it happened.

Meeting her “real” family for the first time has a profound affect on Sierra. In addition, she finds herself falling again for Hunter as he stands with her through all the action. The two of them uncover a crooked ring of black-market relic sellers and help restore some sacred relics to the tribe. Sierra finds her birth family while still staying close to her adoptive family and she and Hunter find each other again.

An evocative story with deeper meaning than just a good read – though it is definitely that. I also loved the reading list at the end so the reader can find out more information on this period of history.

Recommended.