Harlequin Historical #222: The Fugitive Heart

In her second historical romance for Harlequin, Belmont ( Missions of Mercy ) paints a vivid picture of the famed Underground Railroad that carried so many slaves to freedom. Posing as husband and wife, abolitionists Sarah Randall and Jeremiah Sloane travel to a Southern plantation to rescue former slave Elijah Hastings, a man of property and standing who has been remanded to bondage under the Fugitive Slave Act. Sarah, an activist since the age of 11, will do anything to further the cause. But as she and Jeremiah move slowly into the South, she finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her guise of empty-headed bride while dealing with Jeremiah's arrogance. At the plantation, a bungled rescue attempt puts Jeremiah and Sarah in jeopardy and nearly derails their efforts. The narrative that precedes their journey is often tedious, focusing on characters who have little to do with the actual story, and the recounting of of their travels--broken by tales of heinous crimes against slaves--is also occasionally overlong. Personal histories of individual slaves and the in-depth description of the slave system are infinitely more interesting than the rather dull romance between the protagonists. (May)