Across the Sweet Grass Hills

By: Gail L. Jenner

Narrated by: Serena Travis

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Liza Ralston has had more adventure in her life than she ever wanted. Leaving her settled existence with friends and family in St. Louis to travel to the Big Sky country of wild Montana with her father, she soon wishes she could turn the clock back. When their scout is murdered and her father is severely wounded by thieves, the Pikuni tribe, led by Crying Wind, takes them in. But Liza wants nothing more than to return to St. Louis, despite her growing attraction for Red Eagle, the handsome son of a white trapper and Blackfeet mother.

Red Eagle has tried to help Liza and her father, but Liza has a mind of her own. She doesn't understand that the refined ways of civilized society in St. Louis have not yet reached the untamed land she is traveling now with her missionary father - a man who has secrets of his own that he is unwilling to share. She is left with no choice but to accept the help of Red Eagle's tribe to save the life of her father. But the events leading up to Baker's Massacre of 1870 force her to discover a new path for herself - a path leading to love, redemption...and revenge.

Will Red Eagle and Liza find the love they've been waiting for? Beauty, treachery, and danger lie Across the Sweet Grass Hills.

Across the Sweet Grass Hills won the 2002 WILLA Literary Award for Best Softcover Fiction, by Women Writing the West. It also placed as a quarter-finalist in the 2000 Chesterfield Film Project.

©2001, 2013 Gail L. Jenner (P)2017 Gail L. Jenner

Made a 12 hour car ride seem like 4

Any additional comments?

I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this book. My long car ride flew by. I did find the spots where it lagged just a bit but came out of them quickly. I had never read a book with a Native American theme and was surprised that I am looking for more.
I was given this audio book for free for an an honest review. With that said I would have paid to listen to this book.

Historic adventure of love, loss and life

Liza and her father find themselves in dire straights after they are attacked in the wilds of Wyoming just shortly after losing her mother to sickness. All Liza wants to is to return to St. Louis and forget the horrible journey that her father took them on. Now, they are rescued by the Pikuni tribe. Will her father die? Will the tribe turn them into slaves? Will she survive the wilds and adventures of Montana?

Red Eagle is a “half-breed” and speaks English. He finds Liza and her father and knows that his tribe will help this unfortunate family. What he does not count on is that this white woman is not the meek and mild type and he must not only teach her how to survive her new situation but he must also protect her from the coming war between the Blackfeet and the U.S. military.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. Gail L. Jenner paints a beautiful picture of the Blackfeet and the adventurous, yet hard life through the eyes of a white woman who is rescued along with her father after being brutally attacked. I was able to actually see the area, village, and people through my mind's eye from Ms. Jenner's beautiful descriptions along with the realistic and deep dialog between the characters.

My only disappointment was that the narrator was choppy in parts that should have been smooth and for me personally, it was distracting. That is my opinion though. Don't let this keep you from listening to this wonderful story.

This audible was given to me and I have voluntarily given this honest review,

A Sweetgrass Historical Romance

Across the Sweetgrass Hill was an interesting listen. At first I felt it had a Little House on the Prairie-ish sound to it. The story was good and I know this happened a lot back in those days. I liked the character of Liza as well as the character of Red Eagle. I thought the story a bit drawn out and lengthy though. Overall a decent listen.

Serena Travis did a wonderful job narrating the story. I think her voice made this book a lot better. She kept it interesting.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review."

Entertaining, but it took me a minute to decide

Where does Across the Sweet Grass Hills rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I wouldn't say it is the best, by any means, but it was entertaining enough to say I would rate it a good 5 or 6 out of 10. It took me a bit to get into it though...slow start...but this isn't exactly my genre of choice

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Meh...could have been better I suppose. I wasn't super impressed, but I wouldn't say I was disappointed either. Like I said--a good 5 or 6 out of 10...

What does Serena Travis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Okay, now I will say this...she actually did a pretty decent job. This is my first time to hear her performance, and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, but like I stated before, to be fair this isn't actually my genre of choice.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

great story!

I very much enjoy this story and a historical point and characters that it gives of you that it gives

What a wonderful story!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. It is filled with American History, memorable characters, and a wonderful story that doesn't disappoint. This author weaves a beautifully written tale of Liza and Red Eagle. Their journey across Montana is not just an adventure but a learning experience for both of them. It's a story that sticks with you long after it's completed. It's a clean read and is appropriate for all ages. 4.5 Stars!

Narration was nicely read. She is one of those narrators that grows on you as the story progresses. :-)

I highly recommend to all those who love Romances with American History.

My thanks to the author, narrator or publisher for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review. :-)

Across the Sweet Grass Hills

Across the Sweet Grass Hills
: Gail L. Jenner

This is a western, historical romance fiction. Liza ans Red Eagle meet and there is a spark between them. Liza is upper crust society from St. Louis, while Red Eagle was the son of a Blackfoot mother and a white trapper. The trip across Montana is filled with all kind of perils. Will they find love or will they be torn apart.
I did enjoy the fact this was a clean book.



The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Serena Travis gave each character a voice, even though I felt "read to," instead of a part of the story.



"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

An uncomfortable listen but well-written

Any additional comments?

This book was upsetting to listen to. The prejudices and hatred between the White settlers and the Native Americans was too well-written. I found myself squirming quite often and had to fight the impulse to stop listening. (Way too much truth.)

I did not stop listening, of course, and even though it was uncomfortable, this was a story that needed to be experienced.

The narrator was the best part of this experience. She handled the pettiness of early Liza incredibly well and as Liza matured, the narrators cadence changed to reflect the difference. The change wasn't so much noticeable as it was felt. Now that's perfect narration.

If you can get through the uncomfortable moments, this listen is well worth it.

Down To Earth

Where does Across the Sweet Grass Hills rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks somewhere close to the bottom. It was well written and so very true.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked several but the hero was my favorite. He was true to Liza from the beginning.

What does Serena Travis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She gives each character a voice but at times she does not seem to know how to make the Native Americans voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did

Any additional comments?

I got this book via audiobook boom. This is my voluntary review.

Wow! Great Native American Historical Romance!

This is a fairly new genre for me. I don't care for western movies but I wanted to give this book a try. It is such a well written book! It sucked me in from the beginning. It was tough to see how bad things were between the soldiers and Native Americans. The prejudice between them was so crazy and unbelievable.

It took awhile but Liza eventually figured out that not every soldier was honorable and not every Native American wanted to scalp people... There are good honorable people in every race. As there are evil doers...

The book is told in multiple POV. You really get a good glimpse at each character's feelings and behaviors.

Narration was well done and brought the story to life.

The author is extremely talented and she weaved such an amazing tale depicting how life was back around the 1800's... It is crazy to think how different everything was back then...

I'll definitely look forward to reading more books by Gail L. Jenner.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."