Secrets in Zarahemla

Secrets in Zarahemla by Sariah S. Wilson

From the back of the book:

As she hangs upside-down in a hunter’s snare, Kiah feels a wave of fear as her captor comes into view. By his looks, as appealing as they are, the tall Lamanite is the mortal enemy of Kiah and her people. She can’t hope that her father, Captain Moroni, and his Nephite soldiers will rescue her—the strong-willed young woman has wandered well beyond the safe borders of Zarahemla. However, she is determined to use her warrior training to fight the Lamanite called Jeran until the end, no matter how hopeless the odds.

The land of Zarahemla has long been under serious threat from its enemies. But recently, its worst foes come from within—including Corahan, a man who would stop at nothing to fulfill his desires. One of the things Corahan most wants is Kiah as his wife. Now Kiah and her new unlikely ally must call on all their faith and courage to save Zarahemla in a struggle that will bring either deliverance or death—to both of them.

Journey to 62 BC and discover adventure, intrigue, and romance in a story where evil must be fought against, no matter how high the cost.

I liked this book. I liked it for a number of reasons:

1. Kiah is not your typical "is my hair in place, look how great I can cook and clean, I gotta have a man to make me complete" girl. She is definately her father's daughter. She knows how to use a sword and is not afraid to. She is smart and knows how to use that as well. She reminded me a bit of Mulan.

2. Jeran is kind and considerate. He is not yor typical "I am the great man and all women should fall down at my feet and worship me" male. He has his insecurities as well. However, he is intelligent and knows his way around the jungle. That is a definate plus.

I do wish that there were a reference page or chapter notes. I found myself trying to find the section in the Book of Mormon where the story takes place. I needed to orient myself as to what was going on before and after the story. Don't get me wrong, Sariah S. Wilson does a great job of letting us know this information, but I always need more background to help me orient myself. I would have liked maps to help me see the places they were going, chapter notes about the history of that chapter or at least a reference page.

I know, I know, this is a story taken from a few chapters in the Book of Mormon. Only some of the people are mentioned in the scriptures and this really is a fiction story set in an historic setting, but I wanted it to be more. I guess I wanted it to be more like David Wolley's Promised Land series.
. Which brings me to a tangent rant. When is book four ever goingto be published!!! I have been waiting forever and a year for it. I know Harry Potter mania abounds right now, but I would camp out on David's front step (if I knew where that was) or maybe I need to be camping out at Covenant's door step if I thought it would get it published any time soon. Heck, I would even read the unpublished manuscript if I could. Even though I know how the story eventually ends (the Lamanites extinguish the Nephites, they do it everytime I read the Book of Mormon, never change) I still want to see my old friends in David's series and see how he gets them from point A to point B and reading his chapter notes is so intruiguing. I learn so much from them. I think I would love to take a Book of Mormon history class from him.

Ok, when did this post change from a review of "Secrets of Zarahemla" to a "I want the next book in The Promised Land series rant? I did't mean to do that. I really did like Secrects of Zarahemla. It was well written and the people were real and I love that the girl is the hero. I really don't like wimpy, can't stick up for myself, I need a man stories.