When the historical romance went through its initial burst of popularity in the 1970’s it was tagged with the hated lable of “bodice ripper.” Historical romances have long way since then, and no one who reads an historical romance by Mary Jo Putney or Laura Kinsale can call their books “bodice ripper” – not if they’re honest. The one sub-genre of historical romance that has not changed much is the Indian romance. The basic plot is still the gently bred white heroine falling in love with a handsome Indian brave and they live happily ever after notwithstanding their totally opposite world views.

Night Thunder’s Bride tells of the Blackfoot Indian, Night Thunder. He had promised to protect a white woman, Rebecca Cothern. She is captured by Strikes The Bear and threatened with rape and perhaps death in retaliation for the murder of his wife. And so Night Thunder faces a dilemma – he is sworn to protect Rebecca, but he cannot raise a hand against a fellow tribseman. So Night Thunder says that he and Rebecca are married.

Rebecca is angry at first, but she sees that this is the only way to save her life and goes along with it. Night Thunder, Rebecca and the rest of the Blackfeet journey to a fort where Night Thunder will give Rebecca up. On the way, they have to share a buffalo robe and, of course, certain physical reactions kick in. Night Thunder confesses his love and Rebecca, deep down, loves him too. But Night Thunder and Blue Raven Woman when they were children, were promised to each other as husband and wife by their parents and Night Thunder will not break that promise.

No problem. Night Thunder simply proposes that Rebecca will be his sits-beside-him wife and Blue Raven Woman will be his secondary wife. To the Blackfeet that is a common practice, plural wives mean more hands to share the work, but Rebecca can’t agree. Yet when she meets Blue Raven Woman, she likes her – Blue Raven Woman is friendly and kind and doesn’t want to marry Night Thunder anyway. But there is still that matter of honoring one’s parent’s wishes.

Night Thunder’s Bride is a love story of course, but it’s also – well, I’d call it an earnest attempt to portray the Blackfoot Indian’s sense of the spiritual. There is a sub-plot involving a ghostly Indian who is looking for his lost bride. The ghostly Indian forsees nothing but happiness for Night Thunder and Rebecca. Given their so opposite upbringings and world views, I’m not as optomistic as the ghostly chief, and the spiritual sub-plot never really jelled with me.

Night Thunder’s Bride requires too much suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed. For instance, when Rebecca and Night Thunder are hiding from raiders in a hollow tree and their first sexual excounter takes place. Even though there are men out there who want to kill them, Rebecca can’t help but scream in pleasure (luckily Night Thunder is kissing her at the time). I mean, pleasure is one thing, but these guys want you dead, Rebecca! And then there is the matter of author Kay’s constantly saying how good both Night Thunder and Rebecca smell. Night Thunder’s bathing habits consist of a dip in the nearest body of water every morning. No soap. And Rebecca doesn’t bathe or change her clothes for a couple of days on the trip. I can’t believe she’s as daisy fresh as Night Thunder’s nose tells him.

The book is strewn with phrases from the Blackfoot language that are immediately translated every time they occur. After the umpteenth re-occurence of Aa, yes and Saa, no I was ready to scream, “I know what they mean already, just get on with it”!

I’ve read Indian romances from the 1970’s and from the 1990’s. They have not changed much. But I am hopeful that someday soon a writer will take the Indian romance to a new level. There are possibilities within that sub-genre that remain unexplored. Someday soon they will be – I hope.