Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold

Mar 27, 2013 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish by: Autumn

Shelves: cheyenne, american-indian, black-sheep, half-breed, historical-romance-american-west, cowboys, format-kindle-or-kindle-compatible, gift-from-friend, recd-by-autumn, couldnt-put-it-down, cried-so-hard-it-hurt, bigotry-intolerance-prejudiced, small-minded-asshats, scared-by-what-they-dont-understand, violence-attempted-rape, violence-attempted-murder, horses-breeding-selling, horses-horse-racing, keepers, top-10-heroes, top-couples-of-all-time, angsty-emotional, happily-ever-after-beautiful, 2012-reads, 5-stars-or-higher, writing-not-flawless, emotional-rollercoaster, author-ellen-oconnell, first-read-of-an-author, author-must-buy, sweet-and-steamy, hero-take-home-and-love-better, heroes-id-do-ten-ways-to-sunday, heroine-smart-strong-gutsy, heroine-strong-independant-compassi, heroines-all-kinds-of-awesome, horse-ranching, ebook-own-have-read, crying-likely, tissues-a-must, best-book-ever, reviewed-by-me

As he finally stopped fighting sleep, he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her — for a while.

Wow! Where to begin... well, I'll start with that quote. It's one of my favorite hero quotes from any book I've read, and in just a few sentences shows us Cord's hope and hi...more

As he finally stopped fighting sleep, he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her — for a while.

Wow! Where to begin... well, I'll start with that quote. It's one of my favorite hero quotes from any book I've read, and in just a few sentences shows us Cord's hope and his heart. And reading it again for the umpteenth time, knowing what led up to it, I'm having a hard time holding back the tears.

Cord Bennett is an outcast, a savage, a pariah. He has no real friends, and even his family is afraid of him. Under different circumstances - that is to say, if he were like the other, 'normal' men in town, the things he’s done would be understandable, but his father was white and his mother was Cherokee, so Cord is – *gasp* – a half-breed, and nothing about him is the least bit acceptable.

Anne Wells isn’t the proper young woman her parents want her to be. She’s not a ravishing beauty or in the least bit biddable. She’s stubborn, and again– *gasp* – she thinks for herself, so when her father arranges her marriage to a man who is all kinds of repulsive, Anne not only makes her displeasure known, she does everything she can to make sure the wedding never takes place. When Anne’s father stoops to an all time low, thinking he can force her into agreeing, Anne knows that she needs to escape the hell that has become her life, before it’s too late. But when she chose to hide in Cord Bennett’s barn and ask for his help, she had never even considered that the hell she had escaped was nothing compared to that which she and Cord would have to endure together.

I really don't think I'll be able to explain why this story evoked such a deep, wide range of emotions… well, not and do it coherently, anyway. I was so angry at times, so heartbroken at others, sobbing so hard I was shaking and my chest hurt. Maybe it was just timing. Maybe had I read this another day, week or month, it wouldn’t have affected me the way it did, but honestly, I don’t think timing had anything to do with it. It was the characters, their story, their determination to live their lives in peace, their incredible strength of character and their pride. It was their unwillingness to allow others to break them, their ability to find happiness in the smallest things. But most importantly, it was what they found in each other; someone to share with. To share the work, the heartache, the joy, the secrets they'd kept buried for so long... someone to make being alone seem less lonely. And they saw in each other what no one else could see... Kindness. Honor. Generosity of spirit. And most importantly, through all the adversity, all the heartbreak and trials, they found in each other a happily ever after for the ages.

The bottom line - Cord and Anne captured my heart, and when their story broke it into a million pieces, they were there to put it back together again. The writing isn't flawless, but it's all of the things I mentioned... the sorrow, the joy, the sacrifice, determination and devotion... all of these things combined have made Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold one of my favorite stories ever, and Cord and Anne have more than earned their place of honor on my Top Couples of All Time shelf. If you love stories whose characters touch your heart, who pull you in and don’t let go… if you want their trials and triumphs to really mean something, then you’ll want to get your hands on this book as quickly as possible.

This is a beautiful story, one I won't soon forget. Thank you, Autumn. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, because without your encouragement and generosity, I probably would have never read this story, and what a horrible loss that would have been.(less)

54 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2011 ♡KarLynP♡ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, genre-historical, genre-western, loanable-kindlebooks, published-2010, read-2011, steam-mild, genre-american-historical

3.5 stars. I may clean this review up, but for now here are my initial thoughts.

I thought it was pretty good overall. It ended with a really good finish, and the narrative voice that was bugging me early on in the book was greatly toned down during the last third of the book. (The first half or so of the book felt like I was watching a movie where the actors rarely spoke, instead it was mostly narrated from the authors POV. It was frustrating and pulled me out of the story repeatedly.) But the c...more

16 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2012 Mimi Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 stars

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
-Leo Tolstoy

This was a truly unique and lovely story. But as much as it was a love story, it was a social story even more. The romance between Anne and Cord(which I LOVED) took a back burner to the family drama that was just a bit too much.

Clan Wells-racism, bullying and, in the end, sadistic tendencies

Her father a bully, her brother a sycophant and her mother not brave enough to stand up against them, Anne Wells...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2012 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hist-rom-western, hist-rom, favorite-hero, favorite-heroine, alpha-hero

4.5. I want to give it 5 stars- because it was amazing, and there's little I would change, but some technical flaws won't let me, however minor they may be.

I happened upon this author when her story,Dancing on Coals, hit everyone's fav list a little while back and everyone who read it raved over it. I, of course, had to try it for myself and, much to my delight, found it to be an incredible tale as well!

I actually think I like this story better...

As always with a one I truly love, I'm strugglin...more

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, historical-rom

3.5 stars for this fine author's first book. I enjoyed this eventful story, despite some quibbles. Ellen O'Connell is becoming a favorite for me in the western genre. She is the author of Dancing on Coals (engrossing and unique, reviewed here) and also Beautiful Bad Man (heartwarming love story, reviewed here). Personally, I prefer BBB and DoC to this rather dark book, even though EoSEoG is strong in terms of relationship development.

I totally felt the love between Cord and Annie!

Mild Spoiler...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-western, ellen-o-connell

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
- by Peace Pilgrim – (American teacher and spiritual leader and peace prophet, 1908 – 1981)

"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."
- by Bryant H. McGill –

********************************************************************
"His daddy had brown eyes, but those eyes of his are yellow, yellow like a wolf’s."
"The color don’t make no nevermind. What tells you...more

16 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Keri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, romance-historical, romance-western, e-book, 2010-read, various-authors

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What a beautiful love story. Can't believe this is Ellen's first book. This is the love story of a half white and half Native American man and a white woman, but it becomes so much more than that. It also shows deep prejudices of not only strangers, but that of one's own family.

All her life Anna has been a problem for her family, not quite fitting in and just following her father's orders. After her last engagement, that lasted 4 years ended, Anne's father has had enough. He has locked her in a...more What a beautiful love story. Can't believe this is Ellen's first book. This is the love story of a half white and half Native American man and a white woman, but it becomes so much more than that. It also shows deep prejudices of not only strangers, but that of one's own family.

All her life Anna has been a problem for her family, not quite fitting in and just following her father's orders. After her last engagement, that lasted 4 years ended, Anne's father has had enough. He has locked her in a room with very little food and water until she agrees to marry the man he has chosen for her. Annie manages to escape and ends up hiding out in a barn, not really knowing who's barn it is.

That is where the books starts, with Annie waking up with Cord watching her with those light golden eyes of his. He brings her up to the house and before they can finish eating, a group of riders comes up and proceeds to beat both Annie and Cord and force them into a sham of a marriage. Annie barely avoids being raped by the men and they almost beat Cord to death.

After they leave, Anne nurses Cord back to health and so begins their romance. Along the way they encounter extreme prejudice against their relationship, from the town and Cord's own family. His half-brothers raised Cord and his sister and loved them, but they never really understood Cord. He never saw or felt the need to explain any of his actions, so the gulf of misunderstanding was pretty deep by the time Annie came along.

She was a scrapper and refused to let Effram and Frank get near her husband unless they were going to be civil. I loved Annie and Cord, they were like the neighbors I always wanted. I wanted to knock all these guys in the head more than once. Cord wasn't convinced that Annie was going to stay with him, until one horrible instant when he realized, she had, but not of her own free will. Then his heart is able to convince his head of the truth. Hopefully he won't be too late to save the woman that he has possibly loved since he was 10 years old.

I felt sorry for Cord, he was a loner and he was made that way by his own family including his sister. Annie brought him back from the brink by her loving and shear determination that he and his family was going to believe in his goodness or she was going to shoot them all or at least put a few knees to some sensitive man parts. :-)

The book has a western setting, around the end of that 1800s, but if you are a stickler for period words and descriptions this book didn't have that. But what it did have was a whole lot of love story, the time span is almost three years and we get to see Anne and Cord's relationship fully develop and fall in love with one another. There is the threat of her father, but he is not a continual presence. The story is fully focused on their romance.

If this is an example of what Ellen can do for a first book, the next book is gonna be incredible and I think Rob, Annie's brother may have earned his own story. If you like Maggie Osbourn, you might like Ms. O'Connell's work. (less)

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2011 KatLynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-western-or-cowboy, g-historical-romance, keeper, heroine-i-loved, hero-to-die-for, kindle-lendable, favorite-treasures, 2011-reads, 2011-best-this-year

5+++++ stars

"Take him and cut him out in little stars. And he will make the face of heaven so fine - that all the world will be in love with night"...Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet)

This book should come with a Warning alerting its victims that once started you will not want to stop until you have reached the very last page!

How do I convey how much I loved this story? I was drawn to this book by a review written by one of my GR friends and purchased it immediately. However, I must confess that...more

17 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2012 Kristiej rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow!! Just Wow!! I just got this one yesterday and I started reading around 2:30-3:00ish and couldn't go to bed until I read the whole book. I finally finished at 1:06 am. Then I couldn't sleep - ack! I think the people at Wendy's substituted a regular coffee for the decaf I ordered. See, I couldn't take time away from reading to make supper so I went through the drive through - not to mention I love their new fries - but I'm getting off topic. So while trying to fall asleep, I kept going over t...more Wow!! Just Wow!! I just got this one yesterday and I started reading around 2:30-3:00ish and couldn't go to bed until I read the whole book. I finally finished at 1:06 am. Then I couldn't sleep - ack! I think the people at Wendy's substituted a regular coffee for the decaf I ordered. See, I couldn't take time away from reading to make supper so I went through the drive through - not to mention I love their new fries - but I'm getting off topic. So while trying to fall asleep, I kept going over this book in my head, trying to think of how to put down in words how much I loved it and how much it moved me.

It's been a while since I've loved a heroine as much as I love Anne Wells. I think I have a girl crush on her - in a strictly platonic way of course. I love how well written she is. She's open and honest and brave in such a refreshing way. And what I especially loved was how fiercely protective she is of the hero, Cord Bennett, against anyone who she thought was wronging him, including his rather thickheaded brothers. There isn't anyone she won't take on to protect him. There were so many instances when there could have been frustrating misunderstandings, but instead Anne meets the issues head on and handles them directly so there are no festering resentments.

And as much as I love Anne, I love Cord just as much. Although quite reticent at first due to the prejudice he has experienced most of his life, he's more accepting of it and not the bitter kind of hero he could so easily have been. He is matter of fact about his life and while it is a lonely one, he doesn't really expect anything different. That is until Anne comes into his life. They knew each other briefly as children and then their paths cross again when Anne stumbles across Cords farm when trying to run away from a forced marriage. Her father catches her and in order to 'punish' her for her obstinacy, he forces the two of them to marry, and then has his henchman almost beat Cord to death. But Anne stays and nurses Cord back to health and after discussing the situation matter-of-factly, they decide to remain married. Cord is convinced it will only be for a short while; that Anne is too good for the likes of him. But he doesn't count on her sense of honour and her growing love for Cord, and his for her.

This is a great story of two lonely people brought together and discovering they are perfect for each other. Cord has a rather dry sense of humour that I really enjoyed and as mentioned earlier, Anne is ferocious in her defense of Cord. As their love builds, so do the love scenes which makes them even more a vital part of the story. Anne and Cord are friends first so there is not a doubt that this is a couple that will last.

While Anne's father for the longest time seems to be a Very Evil almost cartoonish villain, the author gives an explanation towards the end that makes very good sense. And I quite enjoyed Cord's two older half brothers, Frank and Ephraim. Time after time they misjudged Cord, thinking him a wild man in some of his actions. But instead he had very good reason for all the violence. He just couldn't have been bothered trying to explain himself to his brothers. His attitude makes for some delightful scenes that had me smiling.

{I'm having to go through this and make sure everything in this review is in the current tense as I plan on going back and reading this book again soon, very soon, slower this time so as to savour it the way it deserves to be savoured}.

The only thing keeping this from being a perfect 5 out of 5 is a very small thing that bothered me but probably wouldn't bother most readers. When referring to some of the towns people who let prejudice and anger rule their actions, the author referred to them as 'haters'. This is very much a 2010 expression and took me out of the old west where I doubt this expression would have been used. And since this word and expression just drives me crazy, I wish the author had used another expression. But that is a very, very small niggle in what is almost a perfect book. There was a certain.... distance is the only word I can think of in the first part of the book, a slight failure to connect with the characters. But very soon the author hit her stride and I felt as if I was right along with them, taking the journey of their love story with them.(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2010 Maldivianbookreviewer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: some-violence, ellen-o-connel, forced-marriage, favorite-alpha-heroes, historical-romance, blacksheep-hero, emotional-wrangler, tortured-hero, unforgettable-hero, virgin-heroine, abused-heroine, brooding-hero, dangerous-hero, endearing-hero, endearing-heroine, explosive-passion, family-drama, favorite-endings, haunted-by-the-past-hero, haunted-by-the-past-heroine, hot-as-sin-hero, kitchen-smexing, loner-hero, not-your-average-heroine, opposites-attract, sizzling-sexual-tension, western-romance, favorites

A wonderful story, not to be missed. A definite winner of 2010!
My review: http://bit.ly/cTdQ6J

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 ValeriGail rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-kindle-read, favorites

I read this book in two days, only because I had to put it down the first night around 3 am to get a couple hours sleep. Wish I had started it earlier in the day! ;) This is by far my favorite genre, Historical Western Romance, but not all westerns fit into my favorite type of book. This one hit it dead center on the head. It was perfect! Enough motion in the side stories to keep you riveted to your seat, enough steam in the bedroom to burn your fingertips with out making you blush (slow till ab...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 22, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, historical, love-it-read-it-begin-again

“You know, Annie, a long time ago an old man told me beauty doesn't mean much in a woman. It disappears with age. But he said some women have something better. They have a special glow that lasts all their life and just gets richer. You're like that. You really shine.”

5 likes · like · see review

Nov 29, 2010 jessa ♥dhanger♥ EvilDarkSide rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, western-romance

Overall, this was a wonderful and heartfelt love story. Cord and Annie were a perfect match.....Two strong minded people who were able to turn something that began from shame and violence into something amazing and beautiful. This was close to a 5 star read (I did have a few issues with some writing and grammar problems, but it didn't take away from the love story). I enjoyed the book from beginning to end and wished that we had an epilogue to find out how Cord and Annie are dealing with their n...more

5 likes · like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: western-romance, historical-romance, best-of-the-best-2012, fugly-cover, girlies-i-would-take-for-a-tequila, hero-i-wanna-hug, hot-male-in-my-harem, pdf-kindle, plain-jane-blue-stocking-spinster, couple-made-in-heaven

Annie Wells has just run away from home. It may be a little late in life as she is 27, but after spending months locked in her room by her father with only scraps for food she finally manages to escape. Hiding for the night in a barn, she doesn't realize that it is Cord Bennett's, a man with a reputation of the devil as well as being half Indian, but Annie has never believed this and is proven right when he offers her food and shelter and money to escape. That's when the mob, led by Annie's fath...more Annie Wells has just run away from home. It may be a little late in life as she is 27, but after spending months locked in her room by her father with only scraps for food she finally manages to escape. Hiding for the night in a barn, she doesn't realize that it is Cord Bennett's, a man with a reputation of the devil as well as being half Indian, but Annie has never believed this and is proven right when he offers her food and shelter and money to escape. That's when the mob, led by Annie's father arrives, almost killing Cord, forcing them to marry and almost raping Annie.

No doubt about it, this book has a harrowing start, Annie and Cord's marriage is born in violence and blood, but something beautiful grew from it anyway. I know it is only two weeks in to January, but I still think by December this is going to be one of my favourite books this year.

With many romances what you have is a great amount of lust and passion which a few days later they interpret as love, in this book, you see them grow together from being friends to the realization that actually, they love each other to distraction and the passion grows with it. I liked this change of pace, it is both more realistic and was lovely to read.

As well as the relationship with eachother, there is also the relationship with Cord's large clannish family, who, like everyone else believe he is some kind of cold blooded killer, they still love him, but they are afraid of him. Annie's anger at his family and loyalty to Cord is one of the reasons I really liked her. But seeing the rift slowly and painfully healing as a whole lifetimes worth of misunderstandings on both sides is revealed was almost as good as watching Annie and Cord fall in love.

Perhaps this isn't the most well written book, although there are some lovely quotes, I found myself having to read sentences again and think about it before they made sense, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment of this book, as I really couldn't out it down and will be looking at more of Ms O'Connell's books.

Quote I loved...

As he finallly stopped fighting sleep, he wondered if maybe, just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, lover her better. Maybe they even let him keep her-for a while

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Romance fans, history buffs, action-adventure fans, fans of strong female leads

Shelves: pleasantly-surprised

Oh, why did I finish this so quickly?! Why?!

I'm going to be vulgarly blunt, I fucking love Ellen O'Connell. Love her. Admittedly, these books might be just a teensy bit melodramatic, but these stories are some of the most engaging I've read in a very long time. I didn't think I'd like this one more than I liked her other two books. Ha! I think the only reason I might like Dancing on Coals more is because I absolutely adored Katherine Grant in that book. Don't get me wrong, Anne Wells is no shrin...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2011 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-can-lend, damaged-scarred_hero, angst, hot_hero, favorites, second-read-worthy

Wonderful story set in Colorado in 1885. I absolutely loved Anne and Cord! She was a woman tormented by her cruel father who is trying to force her to his will. Cord is a quiet but dangerous half breed Indian. This story has so many aspects to it. Love, friendship, family, hate, prejudice, violence .. you name it! Anne is a very strong woman who will stand up for what she believes and stand up for who she loves under any circumstance. She does not waver! Cord was exactly the type of hero I LOVE,...more

7 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2012 Tina "coffee and books" rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, kindle-lendable

I don't even know where to start with this book. I loved it! I read a lot of romance and generally frivolous, easy reads. That's how I unwind at the end of a day working in the cancer industry.

This book offered the romance that I love, but added so much more. It showed the bigotry that people face, not only in the public's eye, but from the very people that should love them the most.

Cord was the son of a white man and Cheyenne woman. Even though that marriage was a love match and Cord was a pr...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Splage rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical Western Romance readers

Recommended to Splage by: KatLynne

Shelves: 2011-read, alpha, couldn-t-put-down, cowboys-ranching-farming, down-on-luck, families-hate-eachother, forced-marriage, friends-to-lovers, hero-heroine-native-american, hero-heroine-virgin-innocent, highly-recommended-by-others, historical-early-american, kidnapping, pregnant-at-end, sex-clean-very-mild, strong-gentle-hero, western

Loved the story and the main characters- they are ones that really stick with you; they don't go away a day after you have read about their lives, trials and love. It is one of those books that is more of a novel- lots of hardships, more than one villain, and a love that grows or rather is discovered over time.

Anne and Cord are both strong and proud people being raised on the late 1800's on the growing frontier. Cord personality had been hardened because of prejudice he receives from being half

...more Loved the story and the main characters- they are ones that really stick with you; they don't go away a day after you have read about their lives, trials and love. It is one of those books that is more of a novel- lots of hardships, more than one villain, and a love that grows or rather is discovered over time.

Anne and Cord are both strong and proud people being raised on the late 1800's on the growing frontier. Cord personality had been hardened because of prejudice he receives from being half Indian. He has older siblings from his father's first marriage who are full white and therefore do not receive the brutality or injustice Cord does. They love him and shelter him when he is younger, but it changes as he is exposed to the real world. Even though he is from a prominent family of the town he is even judged poorly by his family- this did bother me because they never really supported him until the very end- they never believed him or IN him. Cord chooses to live on his horse ranch alone trying to separate himself from the cruel discrimination. Anne's family is all about appearances and striving to be the pinnacle of society. She is 27 years old and after a few broken engagements because she knew they weren't right for her, her father is forcing her to marry a fat, gross older man. When she refuses he decides to lock her away and starve her until she gives in. Anne breaks free and ends up sleeping in Cord's barn for the night as she tries to run to Chicago. When he finds her, he remembers her as being one of the only girls who ever stuck up for him when he was younger and decides he will help her to the train station. But a lynching mob led by her father finds them instead and what takes place as a result is shockingly cruel. They are forced to marry immediately and then Cord is beaten so badly he is left for dead. Anne is molested by one of the attackers in front of the men and her father - made me sick- she is beaten as well. What is such a horrid event is transformed into something beautiful, as Anne doesn't give up on Cord and nurses him back to life. This brutal event is in the very beginning of the book and there is so much more story to follow.

I respected Cord, but I loved Anne! She was a fire cracker, a David among Goliathes and she never backed down from learning something new. Cord brought out the best in her and in return she taught him to let down his guard and trust in her love.

A few things didn't always add up for me such as why her father married her to Cord and then the whole time her father wanted her back in his house. Also Cord's family kept thinking Anne was being forced to live with Cord as he brutalized her. She proved over and over that that wasn't the case, you think it was clear, but they kept on thinking it. I ignored those little discrepancies because I just loved the story so much. It was a real page turner and a beautiful love story- a little reminiscent of Sarah McCarty's Promise series, which I loved, minus the more erotic sex scenes that McCarty is known for.

(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 April Wilkerson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Wow, is the first word that comes to mind after reading this book. I was reading through the kindle discussion forums on Amazon and saw this book recommended for a reader searching for something that was well written. I think myself lucky to have just stumbled over this treasure of a story.

Above all, this is a love story. Among love there is also faith, doubt, friendship, prejudice, raw toughness, growth, and hate. The characters are strong and consistent, but grow throughout the story. Anne is...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: western-romance, kindle-edition, 2013-5-stars, 5-stars, all-time-favorite, made-me-chuckle, made-me-laugh, made-me-cry, made-me-tear-up, historical-western, american-frontier, keep, keeper, one-of-the-best-ever, native-american, favorites, favorite-heros

This is one amazing book! Ms/ O'Connell sure knows how to dredge up all sorts of emotions from the reader with her story telling!

Cord & Anne's story had me captivated from the very beginning! They were so wonderful together! I loved their conversations, the knowing looks, the "talking" with out even speaking to one another! Cord was such a quite, solid, misunderstood man, where Anne was very vocal and pretty much everyone knew her thoughts and ways! Opposites attract is what they say! And th...more

1 like · like · see review

May 02, 2012 Yona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This is another book that i wanted to read for a while. And what can say the waiting was worthed.

I enjoyed reading about Cord and Anne, how they faced their demons, how they found each other and changed for better. I always love a happy ending and theirs was very hard to accomplish and that's what makes it even better.

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Alexis Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

HAHAHAHAHAHHA. Witness my hysterical laughter at having put off reading this book for so long because of its not-too-spiffy cover. I have wasted all this time on other writers, when I could've just stuck with O'Connell, because her writing is that good. Gentle readers looking for romance, don't judge this book by the cover. Don't judge it because its self-published. O'connell is one of those blue sapphire-grade gems surfing the tsunami wave of historical romances. And hey, blue sapphires are som...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Heliga rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, romance-contemp

2.5 stars.

The last book I finished reading was Dancing on Coals by the same author. While that book had a very clear structure, and all elements of it were very strong, this book was lacking that "tightness" in the storytelling. There was very little character development, it all felt pretty haphazard.

I did like the main characters, and I didn't hate the book by any means. But it was undeniably weaker than Dancing on Coals, both with regard to plot, pacing, time-period consistency and character...more

like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 jo mo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to jo by: katrina lumsden

Shelves: 2-stars, 2012, abuse, chick-lit, dramarama, animals, historic, kindled-it, moments-of-hilarity, non-caucasian-character, outsider-underdog-pariah, family, tough-heroine, reviews, recommended

2.5

main leads were likeable (though the female lead was a cross between tough and damsel-in-distress). the book itself was often cute, but then more often than not too corny. unfortunately, the excess of drama that was thrown into the mix, existed just for the hell of it. had it been toned down a bit, i would've gladly rated the book somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. as it stands, fans of the movie legends of the fall or maybe even little house on the prairie might like it, though! it's got civ...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 11, 2012 Jacek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finally! I have not been so lucky with books lately. I haven't read any good ones in a while and felt so excited amd satisfied to have stumbled on Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold.

I'm beginning to have a change of mind about adult romance books. I read of lot of those that revolved mainly about sex, dark-troubled-handsome hero, pathetic preverted heroine, and very boring cliche plot.
This book defies all that! Cord, a half Indian American whose sole existence provokes pure hatred in almost everyone...more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Maqluba rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, angsty-hero-with-cute-tendencies, annoying-side-character-s, big-family, big-giant-hero, cliche-done-right, cowboys-n-indians, emotions-galore, favorite-author, favorite-hero, favorite-heroine, first-time-reading-author, historical, kickass-heroine, lovely-romance, re-read-multiple-times, romeo-and-juliet-done-right, small-town, undercover-long-time-love, western, wish-more-people-knew-about

I HATED the writing style in this book but the story and the amazing hero and heroine were so good I forgave the author:)

So I'll start with what bugged me- only one thing actually: the writing style. I normally like dialogue more than surrounding descriptions and excess explanations when I read, and this book has given me something new to hate I haven't noticed before-- an entire story where in 75 percent of is being told to you rather than shown through actions or dialogue. There were so many p...more I HATED the writing style in this book but the story and the amazing hero and heroine were so good I forgave the author:)

So I'll start with what bugged me- only one thing actually: the writing style. I normally like dialogue more than surrounding descriptions and excess explanations when I read, and this book has given me something new to hate I haven't noticed before-- an entire story where in 75 percent of is being told to you rather than shown through actions or dialogue. There were so many points where I wanted to kick the author in the shins for continuously telling me "this happened and this happened" rather than going through the motions in the book. I LOVE LOVE LOVED the h/h so much but I know I would have given them even more love had I gone through the motions while they were going through them rather than past tense or third person point of view so many times. The most detailed part was the race which I didn't have the imagination to... well imagine... but it was so detailed it made me think "why didn't the author write everything else like this?". I got confused a few times over little things like timing (the weeks/months passing by weren't very distinguishable in first half of the book) and random background info that isn't explained until way later or not at all. I actually thought that this story was a spin off of a series of the Bennett family because of the random background info that kept popping up on the side characters that I honestly couldn't care less about. I think I hated his brothers more than I hated her dad because while he just goes crazy, they are well educated/trained males who seem to live normal lives but are so BLIND to our hero's actions its just down right ignorance. It really did feel like part of a series but I don't see any other books that might be it so I just have to say get used to feeling left out or being hit with too much info at once sometimes.

Even with all these misgivings I still gave this book 5 stars because that's how much I love the couple. I either hated or was lukewarm to every other character (and there were A LOT of other characters) but I loved the main couple so much that they are in my top three (Mr. Impossible and Dreaming of You couple being the other two). Cord is the strong silent type who falls hard and is so cute when you get to know what he thinks of Anne (would have LOVED more of that). Anne is so strong and really a joy to read. When they're together they seem so perfect I just wished that we got more of that then we did in the book. But alas it is what it is.

So all I have left to say is if you start reading and hate the writing style and think its going to change-- it won't. BUT I definitely recommend this book because the story and the h/h make up for it in the end!(less)

like · see review

Mar 15, 2012 Aestas Book Blog rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm so maybe it was because this was my rebound book after the epic and wonderfully intense love story of The Bronze Horseman triology but this story just kinda fell flat me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. In the mid-1800's Cord is a half Indian-half white guy who everyone is afraid of and Anne is a white strong willed girl who refused to marry all the dull prospects her father set for her. They end up being forced to marry each other after being beaten by her father's henchmen...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-all-time-favourites

Every once in a while you find yourself running low on reading material and then you pick up a random book (labelled as a “western romance novel”) thinking “well, it’s just 3 bucks. Most probably it’s a cheap romance story featuring cowboys and Indians, but it’s only 3 bucks – you might as well give it a try”. Then you download a sample of said book and start reading... And then you buy the book and can’t stop reading it despite the fact that it’s 5 am in the morning and your eyelids are heavy…...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 21, 2011 Ning rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance, kindle

ไม่แน่ใจว่า นึกอะไรถึงได้เลือกอ่านเล่มนี้
ไปอ่าน รีวิวที่ไหนมาซักทีนี่ล่ะ

ช่วงต้น ๆ ที่อ่านรู้ตื่นเต้น + สลดหดหู่อยู่เหมือนกัน
เพราะดำเนินเรื่องที่อเมริกา ช่วง 1880
และพระเอกเป็นลูกครึ่งอินเดียนอีกด้วย

ไม่แม่นประวัติศาสตร์ฝรั่ง
แต่ในหนังสือนี่บ้านป่าเมืองเถื่อนสุด ๆ

นางเอกหนีออกจากบ้านเพราะถูกพ่อบังคับให้แต่งงาน
บังคับอย่างเดียวไม่พอ คือจับขังไว้ในห้อง
แล้วให้อาหารวันละนิดเดียว .. นางเอกเลยคิดหนีดีกว่า
เพราะว่าวันหนึ่ง ตัวเองจะหิวจนทนไม่ไหวยอมแต่งงานเข้า
(ยอมรับว่าติดใจนิสัยนางเอกนี่ล่ะ นักสู้ดี)

แล้วดันหน...more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2010 Dana S rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: western-american-historical, ebook, forced-marriage, marriage-of-convenience

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one was hard to grade for me, I'm stuck between giving it a C/B.

Self-published books are very much hit or miss for me, but the price was decent, and I love a well written western, but those can be hard to find, so when someone recced this on Amazon I decided to give it a try. There were parts of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold that I really liked, but there were other parts that didn't work so well for me.

The writing was smooth and I really liked the author's voice. But there were POV switche...more

3 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold
avg rating	preview: Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold Goodreads rating: 4.23 (965 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8262550-eyes-of-silver-eyes-of-gold?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328172464l/8262550.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8262550-eyes-of-silver-eyes-of-gold?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell[/url]

Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Ellen O'Connell

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Eyes of Silver, E...

Quotes from Eyes of Silver, Eyes o...