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Into the Wild #1
Seduced
A gritty and emotional historical western romance by RITA-award winning and Bestselling author Molly O'Keefe.
Melody Hurst’s days as a Southern belle are over. Now she’s widowed and alone in the foothills of the Rockies, struggling to make a life in a dangerous world. She’s determined to secure a future by marrying – but love is out of the question.
Cole Baywood has turned bounty hunter after serving in the horrors of the Civil War, but the ghosts of the men and women he’s killed still haunt him. He’s drawn to the beautiful widow trying to seduce him, only the darkness in his soul forces him to reject her. Is it possible that Melody’s touch can heal the demons of his past? And how can he convince a woman who has lost so much to risk her heart?
Melody Hurst’s days as a Southern belle are over. Now she’s widowed and alone in the foothills of the Rockies, struggling to make a life in a dangerous world. She’s determined to secure a future by marrying – but love is out of the question.
Cole Baywood has turned bounty hunter after serving in the horrors of the Civil War, but the ghosts of the men and women he’s killed still haunt him. He’s drawn to the beautiful widow trying to seduce him, only the darkness in his soul forces him to reject her. Is it possible that Melody’s touch can heal the demons of his past? And how can he convince a woman who has lost so much to risk her heart?
171 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
372 people are currently reading
1082 people want to read
About the author
Molly O'Keefe
108 books2,135 followersThis author is also published under: M. O'Keefe.
Molly O'Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write.
She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn't looked back. She loves exploring every character's road towards happily ever after.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008. When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
Molly O'Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write.
She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn't looked back. She loves exploring every character's road towards happily ever after.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008. When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
July 10, 2023
I need therapy now. This was bleak.
Woof! This was one of the more depressing books I’ve read in awhile. The writing was good and the setting was well done, but my gawd, this was the grapes of wrath of romance novels. A very downtrodden group of characters find each other in a cabin in the foothills of the Rockies. They have all been ravaged by the civil war, from both sides and working to recover.
This story needed more uplifting moments to balance the heavy. The relationship development between Cole and Melody needed more depth and more sweetness and less desperation. Also this was entirely too short and the ending was abrupt, which made their connection actually feel on the insta-love side. Small note: if you are going to name a book Seduced, give me more than one short grope session, will ya? Don’t know if I recommend this, it’s too sad and doesn’t give you enough reason to root for anyone. But I am interested in reading about Steven and Annie.
Narration was ok but I wouldn’t look out for this narrator again.
TWs rape, domestic abuse, war, murder, acts of violence recounted in memories, detailed descriptions of public hair.
Woof! This was one of the more depressing books I’ve read in awhile. The writing was good and the setting was well done, but my gawd, this was the grapes of wrath of romance novels. A very downtrodden group of characters find each other in a cabin in the foothills of the Rockies. They have all been ravaged by the civil war, from both sides and working to recover.
This story needed more uplifting moments to balance the heavy. The relationship development between Cole and Melody needed more depth and more sweetness and less desperation. Also this was entirely too short and the ending was abrupt, which made their connection actually feel on the insta-love side. Small note: if you are going to name a book Seduced, give me more than one short grope session, will ya? Don’t know if I recommend this, it’s too sad and doesn’t give you enough reason to root for anyone. But I am interested in reading about Steven and Annie.
Narration was ok but I wouldn’t look out for this narrator again.
TWs rape, domestic abuse, war, murder, acts of violence recounted in memories, detailed descriptions of public hair.
February 4, 2024
the setup…
Melody Hurst’s life is nothing close to what she’d imagined it would be when she was living in Savannah under her father’s protection. She’d dreamed of marrying fiancé Christopher Hurst but ended up with his brother Jimmy instead when he died in the Civil War. It’s now the aftermath and the South is ravaged as is Melody at the hands of her cruel husband. They’ve reached a homestead near Denver, a clearing and cabin in the woods presumably owned by Steven Baywood, a man Jimmy is hunting and determined to kill. Cole Baywood, a bounty hunter, is also looking for Steven but for completely different reasons.
the heart of the story…
Melody may be completely changed by her losses brought on by the war and marriage to a horrible man, but she’s not lost her resilience to survive. She and her sister Annie are resourceful, managing to escape Jimmy’s madness. Melody looks to Cole, who’s also as damaged by the effects of the war on him and his family, to be her key to a better life. However, he still has hope for the future and she feels dead inside. He’s clear that he’ll only marry for love; she’s equally clear that she no longer has the capacity to do so.
the bottom line…
Even though I understand that war is hellish, stories like these still hit hard when the realities are so stark. The impact of the war on Melody and Cole was beyond harsh emotionally and I had a tough time imagining how I’d have survived in similar circumstances. This is much more than a romance, more an exploration of how one can still dare to dream and open your heart after so much heartache. Melody and Cole come at this from two directions and I liked how they found their way to common ground. I enjoyed the story, which was riveting from beginning to end.
Melody Hurst’s life is nothing close to what she’d imagined it would be when she was living in Savannah under her father’s protection. She’d dreamed of marrying fiancé Christopher Hurst but ended up with his brother Jimmy instead when he died in the Civil War. It’s now the aftermath and the South is ravaged as is Melody at the hands of her cruel husband. They’ve reached a homestead near Denver, a clearing and cabin in the woods presumably owned by Steven Baywood, a man Jimmy is hunting and determined to kill. Cole Baywood, a bounty hunter, is also looking for Steven but for completely different reasons.
the heart of the story…
Melody may be completely changed by her losses brought on by the war and marriage to a horrible man, but she’s not lost her resilience to survive. She and her sister Annie are resourceful, managing to escape Jimmy’s madness. Melody looks to Cole, who’s also as damaged by the effects of the war on him and his family, to be her key to a better life. However, he still has hope for the future and she feels dead inside. He’s clear that he’ll only marry for love; she’s equally clear that she no longer has the capacity to do so.
the bottom line…
Even though I understand that war is hellish, stories like these still hit hard when the realities are so stark. The impact of the war on Melody and Cole was beyond harsh emotionally and I had a tough time imagining how I’d have survived in similar circumstances. This is much more than a romance, more an exploration of how one can still dare to dream and open your heart after so much heartache. Melody and Cole come at this from two directions and I liked how they found their way to common ground. I enjoyed the story, which was riveting from beginning to end.
August 30, 2022
*3.5*
Next, you have two brothers. Both survivors of the war, having watched their friends and family die, they are also walking wounded.
“What if happiness and love is the reward for having survived what we've survived?” he asked.Written like an old fashioned western romance, but with loads of emotional pulls. First, you have two sisters.
“As long as we're together, we will be fine."The older sister was a quintessential southern belle, spoiled and entitled until the civil war crushed her. Wed to a brutal man who rapes and beats her, she's a shell of her former self. Her only goal in life is to see that her younger sister remains safe.
Next, you have two brothers. Both survivors of the war, having watched their friends and family die, they are also walking wounded.
He could no longer pretend not to be aware of what was happening to him in this clearing. Day after day, moment by moment, he was finding the man he'd been—battered, bruised, different in so many ways, but underneath the blood and the dirt, he was still recognizable to himself.The storytelling is poetic and very atmospheric. Wish it have dived a bit deeper, and had steam (there's one moment of oral, but no actual sex) which is a shame because I think these two characters could have really helped each other heal during intimacy.
"The darkness in you matches the darkness in me"
March 15, 2017
This was a surprisingly good story. I read just one contemporary romance by the author and liked it but it didn’t prepare me for the emotional buildup of this tightly paced, gripping post-Civil War story.
It’s not an epic post-war saga nor an action-packed Western. Instead, it’s an intimate story of survivors who must confront themselves with questions: Who were they before the war? Who are they now? What is their future? These are not the easy questions to answer for the war-wary protagonists.
Molly O'Keefe skillfully navigates the survivors’ tale without falling into predictability of black -and-white characterization. Its absence made the story so refreshingly different. The blurb calls it "gritty", and it definitely is. But it’s also an uplifting one, the story of renewal, of finding beauty in small things, of emotional thawing after a deep freeze, of finding love when the least expected.
It’s not an epic post-war saga nor an action-packed Western. Instead, it’s an intimate story of survivors who must confront themselves with questions: Who were they before the war? Who are they now? What is their future? These are not the easy questions to answer for the war-wary protagonists.
”If we had met before the war, I don’t think we would have found much to admire about each other.”
Cole and Melody. Ex-Union solder turned bounty hunter and a former Southern belle who struggles with emotional and physical abuse. Two strangers who have been through hell and fire and lost so much. Their experiences changed them to the point where they no longer recognize who they became. Their emotional numbness is a survival mechanism, a wall that they use to protect their hearts from what they saw and experienced.Molly O'Keefe skillfully navigates the survivors’ tale without falling into predictability of black -and-white characterization. Its absence made the story so refreshingly different. The blurb calls it "gritty", and it definitely is. But it’s also an uplifting one, the story of renewal, of finding beauty in small things, of emotional thawing after a deep freeze, of finding love when the least expected.
“I woke up this morning happy. For the first time in more than six years, I was happy. Because you were here. And I could see your face and make you smile.”
February 7, 2017
Lovely story. Quite angst. This took place a couple of years after the American Civil War. The heroine was a southern belle whose life had changed drastically after the loss of her parents, brother and fiancé. She married her fiancé's brother and he was basically a criminal. This story illustrates quite clearly how throughout most of history women needed men to survive. This heroine was doing the best she could to survive and protect her sister. She made realistic choices for that period in history. She understood her choices and made the best of them she could. No wallpaper history here.
The hero was not as well fleshed out but I liked him.
The hero was not as well fleshed out but I liked him.
December 23, 2017
5 STARS!
Wow, Seduced took me completely by surprise! Why haven't I read something by Molly O'Keefe before now? I loved how she began Cole and Melody's story under such an aura of post-civil war sadness and slowly shifted the feeling of the book to one of burgeoning happiness and love. It was such a pleasure to read.
At the end of the American Civil War, Melody marries in an attempt to save her parents' plantation. Instead of a loving husband, she gets an abusive monster who sells it and drags Melody and her sister across the continent to hunt down the man who he claims betrayed him.
The opening scene has them in the Colorado wilderness, arriving at the man's cabin - little does she know that this place in the middle of nowhere would completely change the trajectory of her life.
After years as a soldier, Cole returns home to find his mother, sister, and father are all dead. Now, his one goal in life is to find his two brothers who are still MIA. His search leads him to a cabin in Colorado.
Cole and Melody's love story may begin under tragic circumstances, but it soon evolves into a completely swoon-worthy journey.
Wow, Seduced took me completely by surprise! Why haven't I read something by Molly O'Keefe before now? I loved how she began Cole and Melody's story under such an aura of post-civil war sadness and slowly shifted the feeling of the book to one of burgeoning happiness and love. It was such a pleasure to read.
At the end of the American Civil War, Melody marries in an attempt to save her parents' plantation. Instead of a loving husband, she gets an abusive monster who sells it and drags Melody and her sister across the continent to hunt down the man who he claims betrayed him.
The opening scene has them in the Colorado wilderness, arriving at the man's cabin - little does she know that this place in the middle of nowhere would completely change the trajectory of her life.
After years as a soldier, Cole returns home to find his mother, sister, and father are all dead. Now, his one goal in life is to find his two brothers who are still MIA. His search leads him to a cabin in Colorado.
Cole and Melody's love story may begin under tragic circumstances, but it soon evolves into a completely swoon-worthy journey.
"But I find your beauty to be the least of your attractions," he continued. "I am compelled by your boldness and your strength. The darkness in you matches the darkness in me.This author sure knows how to bring the feels! There was a ton of emotion rolled into these pages - I cried, I laughed, I sighed with happiness. I definitely have a date with the sequel!
February 6, 2017
The Civil War took everything from Melody and left her with a violent and abusive husband. Dragged across the country, she and her sister find themselves at a small homestead near Denver. Her husband is there for revenge, to kill the man he blames for the deserter's brand that mars his face.
Cole arrives at his brother's plot only to find a bloodstain on the porch and two women acting suspiciously. He knows his brother is dead and will exact his measure of revenge on those who killed him. But Melody and her sister are hiding something.
Lovers of fiction set in the Wild West look no further! This is great. It's a gritty well told story about finding love at the very edge of civilisation.
Cole arrives at his brother's plot only to find a bloodstain on the porch and two women acting suspiciously. He knows his brother is dead and will exact his measure of revenge on those who killed him. But Melody and her sister are hiding something.
Lovers of fiction set in the Wild West look no further! This is great. It's a gritty well told story about finding love at the very edge of civilisation.
October 19, 2017
Classic Molly O'Keefe. This book is emotionally intimate exploring the cost of moral ambiguity after the Civil War. With the country in ruins, people engage in behavior that they never would've dreamed of prior to the war. Those kind of choices change people. It changed both Melody and Cole, two strangers who meet under dubious circumstances at the homestead of Cole's brother, Steven. Both have erected walls around their hearts guarding them from really feeling the world after suffering so much just to survive. Ultimately, this is a book about coming alive again through the small things - recognizing beauty, experiencing joys, and seeing life grow anew. Beautiful. Like I said, classic Molly O'Keefe.
January 7, 2016
2.5 stars
April 20, 2019
Post-Civil War. Heroine married to violent brute at the start of the book who forced her to be accessory to murder, only the victim survived aided by Melody and her sister. The hero didn't enter the scene until the 20% mark and soon after that the fiendish husband got loaded up with lead and was no more. And then there was four. Cole was a nice enough guy. He'd seen and done some pretty gruesome stuff during the war but it had not removed his honesty and decency. Melody was a self-confessed shallow, spoiled and conniving Southern Belle before the war. She willingly attached herself to her louse of a husband, because her first choice was no longer viable and for her, it was preferable to be with a second-rate husband than to be on her own. Except she had her sister, a smart and able woman who did not fear a man-less existence. Even with a maimed leg, the sister was far more confident in her own ability to survive than the much weaker Melody, whose only skill was to use her feminine wiles to attach herself to the best man within her vicinity. With her husband six feet under, she sets her sights on Cole, but he wants more than just a convenient and willing wife. Apart from Melody's inability to stand on her own two feet without a man to lean on, the writing was just average, the romance too rushed and what's with them getting all frisky on the grass in clear view of her sister and his brother?
September 3, 2017
4.5 stars. I adored this book. It's hard for me to say anything bad about it. I just couldn't quite give it 5 stars and I'm not really sure why. I may have to sleep on it. The biggest issue I had was that I wanted more! I typically shy away from short, novella types, but for the length, O'Keefe packed a punch! I was surprised how deep and emotional it was in such a short time.
I guess I'm into post Civil War stories right now, and each one has been amazing. Cole, oh how I loved you. Seriously, one of my favorite heroes of late. And I actually really liked Melody. She had her moments, but overall their chemistry was sizzling! The writing was really good. I'm not even sure how she pulled me in so quickly, but in a blink I was done. Luckily, the next book in the series tells the story of the secondary characters from this book, but the Kindle says it's unavailable :( ... I could cry! Like I said earlier, I want more, more, more! This book could have easily been 100 more pages. Oh well, guess I will have to wait to see what happens next. Maybe I'll read a CR next to mix things up a bit!
Ok that wasn't the best review. I suck at explaining why I enjoyed it so much :D
I guess I'm into post Civil War stories right now, and each one has been amazing. Cole, oh how I loved you. Seriously, one of my favorite heroes of late. And I actually really liked Melody. She had her moments, but overall their chemistry was sizzling! The writing was really good. I'm not even sure how she pulled me in so quickly, but in a blink I was done. Luckily, the next book in the series tells the story of the secondary characters from this book, but the Kindle says it's unavailable :( ... I could cry! Like I said earlier, I want more, more, more! This book could have easily been 100 more pages. Oh well, guess I will have to wait to see what happens next. Maybe I'll read a CR next to mix things up a bit!
Ok that wasn't the best review. I suck at explaining why I enjoyed it so much :D
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June 30, 2014I finished reading Molly O'Keefe's post-Civil War book, Seduced, this morning at 6:30am and I'm here to tell you that it is fucking fantastic. I haven't read a historical western in ages but this story *hooked* me. It's about two people slowly coming back to life after a long, dark time of violence and desperation and doing terrible things to survive, and the new challenge of having to make choices again after years of having none. It's gorgeous, it's gripping, and I can't wait for the sequel. HIGHLY recommended.
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July 5, 2016*3.5 stars*
May 31, 2022
I didn't think I'd enjoy a post civil war era setting but Molly O'Keefe just proved she can make me read anything. The writing and premise made for a riveting read, I loved the slow burn and was rooting for the characters the whole time. My only regret is that it was too short.
I immediately started the next book which centers on Melody's sister, Annie.
I immediately started the next book which centers on Melody's sister, Annie.
June 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this story, and loved the fact that it was a "gritty, lawless" western, as opposed to cutesy small-town western (more prevalent in historical romance circles these days). A heroine ill-prepared for a life that doesn't involve outrageous flirtation and coy manipulation. A bounty hunter hero haunted by the war and entranced by the heroine who makes him forget, even if only for a little while, that not everything in the world is ugly and desperate. A solid B+ on my personal scale, I'm anxious to read the next book in this series.
February 17, 2015
Ahhhhh, this is a really good Reconstruction Era historical, and it made me so happy to read a historical set in the US west. I love that it was pretty gritty--not Deadwood level gritty, but reasonably gritty nonetheless--and that the characters were all struggling with trauma in various forms. Molly O'Keefe writes very interesting men, and this one was no exception, and Melody was pretty unexpected as well.
September 23, 2016
See my review for the second in the series - Tempted
November 11, 2021
Absorbing and darker than I thought it would be.
July 15, 2017
You can find this review in English below.
¡Vaya historia bonita!
Ha sido preciosa, muy dura a veces, el tiempo en el que se desarrolla fue duro, muy duro y la autora no se corta a la hora de complicar los sentimientos de los personajes, pero al final el mensaje es precioso, al final el ser humano es humano por encima de todo y al final la esperanza y el deseo de prosperar ganan la batalla.
Me encanta este género y es tan difícil encontrar buenas historias que cuando te topas con una es un regalo.
Es 1867, dos años después de la guerra de Secesión y Melody y su hermana siguen intentando sobrevivir a la tragedia. Han pasado de tenerlo todo a tener nada y la vida sigue dándole malas cartas. Están a punto de sucumbir, de desaparecer cuando aparecen en sus vidas los hermanos Baywood. Ellos están en la misma posición. La guerra los ha dejado arruinados y solos y les ha robado hasta la última gota de humanidad o eso pensaban ellos.
A partir de aquí tienes una historia de gente que no sabe en qué creer o cómo salir adelante. Gente que tiene miedo de ser feliz porque el precio suele ser altísimo y la esperanza y los sueños no cumplidos son un lastre con el que no pueden continuar.
Ha sido increíblemente preciosa, y dura. Pero sobre todo ha sido realista y optimista. Me ha encantado.
Tan sólo he echado en falta un epilogo. Después de este viaje, Ms. O´Keefe, hubiese sido de agradecer un poco de margen para retomar el aliento. Pero esto no me ha hecho disfrutarla menos.
Gracias Lyuda por descubrirme esta joya.
:)
***
What a beautiful story!
It has been fascinating and so hard at times, the time in which it set was hard, tough and the author doesn´t shy away from complicating the MC´s feelings, but in the end, the message is encouraging, in the end the human being is human above all and in the end the hope and the desire to prosper win the battle to the hopelessness.
I love this genre and it's so hard to find good stories that when you come across one is a gift.
It is 1867, two years after the Civil War and Melody and her sister continue trying to survive the tragedy. They have gone from having everything to having nothing and life is still giving them bad cards. They are about to succumb, to disappear when the Baywood brothers appear in their lives. They are in the same position. The war has left them ruined and alone and has stolen them of the last drop of humanity or so they thought .
From here you have a story about people who do not know what to believe or how to get going. People who are afraid of being happy because the price is usually mile-high and hope and unfulfilled dreams are a burden that don´t allow them keep going.
It has been incredibly beautiful, and hard. But above all it has been realistic and optimistic. I loved it.
I've just missed an epilogue. After this trip, Ms. O'Keefe, it would have been kind of you give me a little room to catch my breath. But this has not made me enjoy it less.
Thank you Lyuda for discovering this gem.
:)
¡Vaya historia bonita!
Ha sido preciosa, muy dura a veces, el tiempo en el que se desarrolla fue duro, muy duro y la autora no se corta a la hora de complicar los sentimientos de los personajes, pero al final el mensaje es precioso, al final el ser humano es humano por encima de todo y al final la esperanza y el deseo de prosperar ganan la batalla.
Me encanta este género y es tan difícil encontrar buenas historias que cuando te topas con una es un regalo.
Es 1867, dos años después de la guerra de Secesión y Melody y su hermana siguen intentando sobrevivir a la tragedia. Han pasado de tenerlo todo a tener nada y la vida sigue dándole malas cartas. Están a punto de sucumbir, de desaparecer cuando aparecen en sus vidas los hermanos Baywood. Ellos están en la misma posición. La guerra los ha dejado arruinados y solos y les ha robado hasta la última gota de humanidad o eso pensaban ellos.
A partir de aquí tienes una historia de gente que no sabe en qué creer o cómo salir adelante. Gente que tiene miedo de ser feliz porque el precio suele ser altísimo y la esperanza y los sueños no cumplidos son un lastre con el que no pueden continuar.
Ha sido increíblemente preciosa, y dura. Pero sobre todo ha sido realista y optimista. Me ha encantado.
Tan sólo he echado en falta un epilogo. Después de este viaje, Ms. O´Keefe, hubiese sido de agradecer un poco de margen para retomar el aliento. Pero esto no me ha hecho disfrutarla menos.
Gracias Lyuda por descubrirme esta joya.
:)
***
What a beautiful story!
It has been fascinating and so hard at times, the time in which it set was hard, tough and the author doesn´t shy away from complicating the MC´s feelings, but in the end, the message is encouraging, in the end the human being is human above all and in the end the hope and the desire to prosper win the battle to the hopelessness.
I love this genre and it's so hard to find good stories that when you come across one is a gift.
It is 1867, two years after the Civil War and Melody and her sister continue trying to survive the tragedy. They have gone from having everything to having nothing and life is still giving them bad cards. They are about to succumb, to disappear when the Baywood brothers appear in their lives. They are in the same position. The war has left them ruined and alone and has stolen them of the last drop of humanity or so they thought .
From here you have a story about people who do not know what to believe or how to get going. People who are afraid of being happy because the price is usually mile-high and hope and unfulfilled dreams are a burden that don´t allow them keep going.
It has been incredibly beautiful, and hard. But above all it has been realistic and optimistic. I loved it.
I've just missed an epilogue. After this trip, Ms. O'Keefe, it would have been kind of you give me a little room to catch my breath. But this has not made me enjoy it less.
Thank you Lyuda for discovering this gem.
:)
January 11, 2024
I love being surprised by a book which is what happened with this one. I was expecting an old west story, but discovered a gem set in the period of time right after the Civil War. The writing, plot and characterizations are spot-on and I can't wait to continue with the next title to learn what happens with some of the characters. Highly recommended.
March 19, 2017
There were parts I liked and parts I didn't, but I don't know how much of that had to do with the audiobook narrator. This is the first romance I've listened to with a male voice. In the beginning I was thinking the story and writing were weak, but was I just disliking the narrator? Because by the sex scene...holy cow that shit was HOT!
June 21, 2017
This historical romance is set in post civil war and really gives a feel for the period. Melody is a heroin who is struggling with her choice between survival or human decency. She is flawed and makes bad choices but the author presented her dilemma in a compelling way and I could only root for Melody's HEA. The one thing I did not like
August 27, 2015
Hmmmmm. I’ve read some really good Westerns so far this year so far, Outlaw Hearts and Do Not Forsake Me by Roseanne Bittner being the crème de la crème and while Seduced was ok, it didn’t even come close to the Bittner books for me. I didn’t really warm up to either Cole or Melody that much. I get that Melody was beaten and warn down by an abusive husband and thinks were much worse in those days, but I just didn’t really get her willingness to go along the her husband’s evil plans. And if I couldn’t buy into that, the rest of the book fell somewhat flat.
I felt that Cole wasn’t really fully drawn as a character. This is rather a short story at 167 pages and I felt it could have been much better if the author had made it longer with more rounded characters. Also she brought in four characters right off the bat, Melody and her sister Annie and Cole and his brother Steven. I got confused for a while with so many characters all seemingly the lead characters until I managed to sort out who was who and who would be with who.
I bought the second book in the series, Tempted and I do believe there is a third book and I will also read both of them, just to finish off the story but *heavy sigh* alas, this author is just one I can’t get completely on board with. As I said, it wasn’t bad, but the ‘could have been’ knocked it down some in grades for me.
I felt that Cole wasn’t really fully drawn as a character. This is rather a short story at 167 pages and I felt it could have been much better if the author had made it longer with more rounded characters. Also she brought in four characters right off the bat, Melody and her sister Annie and Cole and his brother Steven. I got confused for a while with so many characters all seemingly the lead characters until I managed to sort out who was who and who would be with who.
I bought the second book in the series, Tempted and I do believe there is a third book and I will also read both of them, just to finish off the story but *heavy sigh* alas, this author is just one I can’t get completely on board with. As I said, it wasn’t bad, but the ‘could have been’ knocked it down some in grades for me.
December 22, 2015
I don't often do Civil War novels these days. I think Cold Mountain was the last one I read (and loved). One can only take so much crushing of one's soul in a decade. But. This Molly O'Keefe historical qualifies as Reconstruction Era. Also—it is completely lovely. Such a sweet and unexpected find this year.
August 16, 2014
*wipes tears* heart-wrenching. Broken people finding hope. Emotionally satisfying.
January 14, 2024
In my romance books, I like darkness. I like feelings. I like people clawing their way into the light and standing in their own power, especially if they can clutch the hand of someone they love while achieving it. I should have liked this book but I didn’t: It.Was.Too.Much.
Unremitting grimness. Every single sentence in this book beat the reader over the head with a club of cruelty, pain, despair, heartbreak, bleakness, until this reader became numb to all of it. It all became a sea of blackness, with no high’s or low’s, and it bored the crap out of me. The author eventually tried to introduce some moments of lightness but those moments were so overburdened with portentousness and shadowings from the past and hopelessness for the future that they simply disappeared into the fog of misery. I can intellectually grasp how people who had lost everything to the Civil War might have become mired in their memories of better times, but I don’t want to drown with them. I especially don’t want to be inside the mind of a woman comparing her past lover to the present one WHILE THEY’RE MAKING LOVE. Eeeewwwww.
This just wasn’t for me.
Unremitting grimness. Every single sentence in this book beat the reader over the head with a club of cruelty, pain, despair, heartbreak, bleakness, until this reader became numb to all of it. It all became a sea of blackness, with no high’s or low’s, and it bored the crap out of me. The author eventually tried to introduce some moments of lightness but those moments were so overburdened with portentousness and shadowings from the past and hopelessness for the future that they simply disappeared into the fog of misery. I can intellectually grasp how people who had lost everything to the Civil War might have become mired in their memories of better times, but I don’t want to drown with them. I especially don’t want to be inside the mind of a woman comparing her past lover to the present one WHILE THEY’RE MAKING LOVE. Eeeewwwww.
This just wasn’t for me.
April 24, 2017
Well...I really liked this little book. I started it Friday morning, just thinking I would read the sample on my Kindle phone app while I had a few minutes to kill and the story dragged me in right away. I bought the book and finished reading it Friday night. Not too many books have sucked me in like that lately so I figured this deserved a five from me for that alone. Another reason it deserved a five was that I actually liked both MC, Melody and Cole, two emotionally damaged individuals just trying to get on with their lives after the Civil War. The secondary characters were likeable as well and I look forward to reading their book soon.
Others have done a good job outlining this story so I won't bother but I am certainly glad this story came on my radar...it was just what I needed.
Others have done a good job outlining this story so I won't bother but I am certainly glad this story came on my radar...it was just what I needed.
Want to read
November 30, 201811/29/18 Currently FREE via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KO0G82A/...
October 6, 2016
Superb. Review to come.
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