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Book Review By Sandra Calhoune
Night Song by Beverly Jenkins

Cara Lee Henson is an African American schoolteacher living in Kansas in 1882. Cara is a kind and sensitive woman who is haunted by the murder of her grandfather at the hands of US soldiers when she was a small child. When Cara attends a local parade in honor of the Tenth Cavalry she is shocked to see a face from her past - Chase Jefferson. Chase is a sergeant with the tenth cavalry, otherwise known as buffalo soldiers. These African American soldiers boldly fought in America's wars despite the fact that they were given inferior equipment and little or no recognition. As Cara lays eyes on Chase she thinks back to their previous meeting in which Chase attempted to read her the riot act for getting one of his soldiers in trouble. Cara is quite sassy with Chase and tells him that his soldier asked her for her hand in marriage and she flatly refused. In this feisty encounter Chase and Cara shared a mutual attraction, one that was interrupted by Chase's fiance. Now, Chase has shown up with the tenth cavalry in her town and Cara can no longer deny the way Chase makes her feel. Chase seduces Cara, who is inexperienced with men but already head over heels in love with Chase. But Virginia Sutton, the wealthy head of the school board, is keeping a close eye on Cara and Chase's actions and threatens to fire Cara for loose morality. When Cara becomes pregnant and starts getting morning sickness at school, word soons spreads throughout the township about the schoolteacher's pregnancy. As Chase weds Cara in order to stop the merciless gossip and the desecration of Cara's good name, the twosome find unexpected love.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Marriage/Married Yes
Marriage subplot:
If one lover chases another... - he chases after her
Children/Pregnancy Yes
Children/Pregnancy: - Get accidently pregnant

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Sex makes him
If he's not white he must be... - black

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Effect of sexing
If she's not white she must be... - black
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest
Misc setting - fort/military installation

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 90%
How explicit is the sex? - vague references only - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - actual description of sex - Boob talk
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 1-2 sex acts
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