Wild Swan by Celeste De Blasis (1984)… renamed A Wild Hope (kindle edition 2020), is the first book in the Wild Swan Trilogy.

A wonderful read. I read the entire Swan series when it first came out in the 1980's and had to read it again this year. Unfortunately it is out of print but if you can find it online you must pick it up. Great saga spanning the civil War era. Truly enjoyable.

This is a fun, light romantic piece of historical fiction. Not strong on substance or style, but the characters are charming enough to keep you reading. Sure our heroine, Alex, leans a little towards that idealized perfect woman ... Beautiful, petite, feminine, but charmingly independent and spunky, but this didn't bother me too much because she fit well with this style of book. Not the type of book to read if you actually want to learn a lot of the history of the American Civil War and England's war with France, but it is a fun, light love story.

Excellent from beginning to end. I highly recommend.

What a story,it keeps on keeping on with all its different and varied facets each one as gripping,making it difficult to put down.

I loved this book! i have not read the other two books in the series. This is somewhat of a historical piece. A great love story, and a book that you just don't want t o put down. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

She’s 12 years old and her 20 year old cousin keeps thinking about her “long, lithe body”. No. Just, no.

An epic saga about family, love, betrayal and hope. I loved the characters of Alex and Rane and felt emotionally attached to them throughout the whole story. I laughed and cried along with Alex through her successes and losses. Can’t wait to read the next instalment.

Disappointed

And there I was unexpectedly in the room where the deed was done. It was such a disappointment. I love her story till she came home again. Scrolling over scenes was the last straw for me. TMI PMS….nope.

Great Storytelling & Love Among Smugglers in Devon & Racehorses in America

Set in the first part of the 19th century and spanning many years, this is the story of Alexandria Thaine, who, at her grandmother’s urging, leaves her home in Kent to live with her cousins in Devon. Her mother doesn’t like her but her relatives in Devon love her. Smugglers, ship owners and farmers by trade, the Falconers are a warm family Alex willingly joins.

In Devon, Alex forms a bond with the youngest son, Rane, who not only looks like her in coloring but is also like her and cares for her. Over the years, Rane falls in love with Alex and plans to make her his wife. But with the death of her sister (who married a man named St. John), Alex returns to Kent to care for her sister’s motherless twins. St. John takes advantage of the situation and makes her his common law wife. Eventually, they come to love each other.

Alex and St. John immigrate to Maryland with St. John’s dream of raising racehorses. And there they create “Wild Swan”, a center of famed racehorses and a sanctuary for a runaway slave, a lost girl and many others.

This book is hard to review. Without given too much away, let me say that the writing is excellent and the story is solid but unless you are really into horses, and particularly early race horsing in America, you might find yourself skipping passages. The smuggling in Devon was fascinating and the budding relationship with Rane and Alex heartwarming. Once St. John enters the picture and makes Alex his wife, there are many graphic love scenes which, given the timespan of the story, might be realistic but I skipped some of those. Rane’s appearances in Alex’s life were too brief for me. He was the man I wanted to see.

In the end, Rane and Alex come back to their love but getting there took a long path. This is book one is a 3-book saga.

The Wild Swan Trilogy

A Wild Hope
A Wild Heart
A Wild Legacy

The Wild Swan Trilogy are in my top five all time reads. The story of Thoroughbred Horse racing in early 1800s United States is very interesting. Following two main characters and their growth in a relatively new country and the trials and victories they have. I laugh, I cry, I fall in love with them all over again every time I reread it. Originally published as the book Wild Swan in 1985, A Wild Hope was renamed and republished in 2020. If you love historical fiction this is the series for you!tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

I am saddened that Ms. DeBlasis has passed. Her writings are among my most favorite. I have read this swan trilogy three times and it is time to read again. She writes about things I love, horses, romance, England, the South and historical fiction. Her stories pull you "in" and you fall in love with the characters, the time and the places she takes you. I've read everything she has written and wish there were more....