Captive Hearts, Volume II of the Buchanan Saga

Captive Hearts, Volume II of the Buchanan Saga


Featured Song: “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister
Also, “The Border” by Mr. Mister (this one might be harder to find)


This book is, as I mentioned last week, part two of “The Captain of Her Heart.” You really need both books to make a complete story, whereas the next two volumes will stand on their own.


I talked a little in my last entry about the historical aspects of this story. In this one I want to mention the emotional ones. I’ve written, as you know, about many social and emotional issues. Some such issues are timeless, and the emotional impact of them is the same no matter what century you live in, even though circumstances of a time period might vary. In this case, I’m referring to the domestic violence that Kyrah endured when she ignored her instincts and married the villain. One of the strong messages here is that we should never make a decision based on fear, or any other strong emotion. Important decisions should be weighed between the heart and the head. Kyrah learns that the hard way. In this time period, domestic violence was not treated as a crime, a man’s wife was considered his property, and she had virtually no rights. Divorce was extremely difficult, and so the situation is compounded by placing it in a historical time frame. However, the emotional impact of the abuse is timeless. What Kyrah experiences, and the time and effort it takes her to recover emotionally, are something that apply to women today.


One of my favorite passages in this book is when Kyrah lets Ritcherd have it, and she tells him exactly how he hurt her and how his bad choices impacted her. (End of chapter three.) I think it’s important in real life to realize that even the heroes in our lives make mistakes, and those things need to be addressed, not brushed under the proverbial rug. Kyrah’s speech to Ritcherd is a huge step in healing for both of them, and it took a lot of courage for her to say what needed to be said. It’s a great example of tough love.


The songs mentioned above had a huge influence on me, and contributed a great deal to the inspiration of the story. “Broken Wings” was popular when I wrote my first (and very terrible) draft of this book, and I became acquainted with “The Border” during revisions. They both have some powerful lyrics and Mr. Mister is to this day one of my favorite bands.

My late brother designed the cover for this book, and he did a great deal to help me with this self-publishing project. I never could have done it without him.