The Redemption of Micah

Plum Creek #2

by Beth Williamson

Plum Creek, Colorado 1875

ONCE UPON A TIME, THEY LOVED EACH OTHER

Nothing about the room that Eppie awakens in feels like home—not the furnishings, the ill-fitting clothes, or the Colorado sunlight streaming in through the windows. And certainly not the stranger with long dark hair and silver eyes who claims to have been waiting for her for three long years.

Micah Spalding has spent each day hoping that Eppie would open her eyes and return to him. Yet the Eppie he loved was spirited and outspoken—utterly different to this reserved, aloof woman. Since her injury, Eppie has no memory of Micah or their daughter, or of a passion that was powerful enough to defy every convention. And though his scent and touch trigger something deep within her, Eppie can’t bring herself to believe in him.

Once, when war between his countrymen had almost broken him, Eppie brought Micah back to life. Now he must find a way to reach through the distance between them and remind her of everything they once shared, and prove that he has belief enough for both of them…

Genres: Westerns, Historical, Historical Romance, Erotica, Western Romance, Romance, Erotic Romance

267 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, because I really enjoyed its predecessor, The Education of Madeline, but unfortunately this one never went beyond liked for me. I'm not quite sure why I didn't love it. Maybe it was because it was a little slow to take off, maybe it was the fact that I didn't know enough about the characters (until the half way point of the book) to truly believe in their love story, or maybe the hero was a little bit too much of a "tortured hero"--wow, did he have his demons! But for whatever reason(s), I struggled to keep going with this one, and I never really fell 'in love' with the characters like I'd hoped. Luckily though, by mid-book the pace started to pick up--the plot developed, explanations of the hero's past were given, the H/H's love story was explored, and out of the blue, there was a suspenseful plot twist at the end that I did not see coming! So if you can get through the kind of slow first 100 or so pages, you'll get a pretty good story the rest of the way.

The book picks up soon after where "The Education of Madeline" left off in post-Civil War Colorado. (You really should read that book first). The hero, 32 year old Micah Spalding, is taking care of his lady love, the beautiful, sassy, 18 year old mulatto, Eppie Archer. Eppie has been in a coma since being shot (and losing a lot of blood) while trying to protect Micah from being killed by the town's crooked sheriff. Eppie's pregnant with his child and is about to give birth--will she and the baby survive?

Fast forward three years. Eppie is still in a coma after giving birth to her baby daughter Miracle. Good daddy Micah has been taking care of the adorably precocious Miracle and hoping that Eppie will one day wake up and come back to him. Well, she does eventually wake up but not only doesn't she remember Micah, but she doesn't remember being pregnant and she doesn't remember her own name. She remembers nothing. Nada. This is a possibility that Micah never considered, and he worries that all he once had with Eppie will be lost. Will she give him a chance to show her the passion that they shared and the future that they could have with their baby daughter? Or will Eppie want to start fresh with her life since she doesn't remember anything about her past?

So, the first half of the book is spent with Eppie trying to figure out her past and where her future will take her. Who is this Micah? Why does he feel familiar to her heart if not her head? And what about baby Miracle? Why does she feel nothing for her? Can she open her heart and let this sweet child in? And why does Micah look so sad all the time--what has he gone through? Will he open up and share what's been bothering him for years?

Micah was a real tortured hero, but it takes a long time for the author to reveal just what it was that made him that way. He battles the booze, he gets down on himself a lot, he worries if Eppie will still love him, he has bouts of anger and depression--yeah, this guy really needed a psychiatrist. At times I was getting a little miffed with him--not my favorite kind of hero to read about. Eventually the author spills all, and I thought to myself "No wonder he's the way he is!" Then I started thinking that it was a wonder he was still alive! So yeah, Micah's been through a lot and has quite a past, and I wanted him to get his act together, forgive himself, and find some happiness with Eppie, since that (and his love for his daughter) was what seemed to be keeping him going.

I'm not sure that I felt all I needed to know about Eppie. She was a secondary character in the previous book, and a little of her past was revealed there, but I wanted to know more. We get snippets of her secret previous relationship with Micah, how he wanted to marry her but she refused, where she was originally from and how she ended up in Colorado, etc.--but I wanted to find out more. And since she had no memory the reader doesn't get a chance to find out more, except from what she had already revealed to Micah and her friend Madeline. So I felt like I didn't know her as well as I did Micah, and therefore wasn't as invested in her happiness as I would have liked to be. There were a few things about her that irked me too. I didn't like how she sort of lead Micah on by letting him make love to her (giving him false hope that she was ready to resume her life with him) and then hiding from him like she made a big mistake. She did this twice, and I can't say that I blamed Micah for getting mad and storming out. She did start to grow on me by the end of the book though, and I was glad to see that she was willing to fight for her family's future.

So, not the best I've read by Beth Williamson, but not the worst either. There were parts that were very well done, and parts that were so-so. The love scenes were hot, but not quite erotic. The characters were likable, but not quite loveable for me. "The Redemption of Micah" is mainly about self-forgiveness and hope, and it does a good job of conveying that message. I will be looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which I believe is Micah's sister Sarah's story. 3.5 stars--4 stars

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

(as posted on my blog)
Up front: one of the things that we frequently do as readers of romance is to suspend disbelief. I found that I needed to do that in order to accept the main premise of this book – that of a woman waking up after 3 years comatose and, though weak and somewhat wasted, still being able to have full use of her muscles. I had to believe she could have gestated and given birth successfully to a healthy baby while comatose. All in the 1800s. I was happy to do so, fully trusting Beth Williamson to take me on an emotional journey with my hero and heroine.

The premise:
While I don’t usually advocate reading series in order (you know I usually don’t care if I do or not), I highly recommend reading The Education of Madeline before this book. Why? Continuity. It gives a feeling for who Eppie is, because I never truly got a sense of that from this book. Granted – it’s one of the reasons I rarely read amnesia books. It’s very difficult to gain an understanding of the character when they, themselves, don’t really know who they are. Here’s what I had to say about Eppie in my review of The Education of Madeline: "Also terrific are the two main secondary characters, Eppie, Madeline's mulatto best friend and housekeeper, and Micah, a Rebel soldier. Eppie has a fantastic mouth on her, and a wonderful sense of humor, and her outrage in certain situations is almost comical. Micah has his own demons to slay."

In writing characters with amnesia, I imagine the hardest thing to do is to keep them true to their real character while still letting them evolve into who they’ve become. Eppie is still outspoken, although understandably more hesitant, but seems to have lost most of that wonderful sense of humor. The humor comes from the characters around her, when they all notice that she’s picked up Micah’s accent (presumably from him reading to her while she was comatose). I think it’s difficult to give that person connections with people from their past – especially if they don’t remember them – ding! Light bulb! That’s the huge challenge here. And, I think, a reason why so many people dislike amnesia stories.

Micah:
Where Beth Williamson does excel is in writing tortured heroes. And how. Micah is the epitome of the tortured heroes. His love for Eppie is palpable. You can feel him willing her back to life. Yet you can also feel his despair that she will ever come back to him. His strong sense of urgency and the need to bring his daughter up in a loving, nurturing, good environment shine through. And he is a wonderful father.

As always with Williamson, some of the best scenes with Micah are done with his need for alcohol. I’m sure this was a very common theme with Civil War vets, and his revelations later in the book reveal why he was so haunted. But even before he reveals why, the reader understands that he is so unhappy, so tortured by the war, what he has seen and done, that his only refuge is to forget. Yet the alcohol never really offers him the safe haven he seeks. Williamson excels at this. You want to hold these men and make them all better. Stroke their hair and tell them it will be all right. And make it all right for them. She literally puts you in their head. Perfectly.

Eppie:
I thought she did the same with Eppie. I felt Eppie’s confusion and dismay; her suspicion at discovering she had lost 3 years of her life, discovering she had a daughter, her anger at always being coddled yet unsure herself at the next step to take. All extremely well done. Her feelings for herself and inward. There's a great scene where they are in the bank to sign some papers when all of a sudden Eppie realizes that she isn't sure she knows how to sign her name. She's becoming this confident woman and this moment of insecurity brings home to her that she really isn't a whole person yet - still dependent upon others. It was really well done.

The romance:
The only part I felt was lacking in any way was the romance, and I think that Williamson wrote this about as well as it could have been done without writing adding an additional 1-200 pages more. When one is trying to recreate the relationship on a shared past that the other doesn’t remember, it makes for an awkward coming together, and that is how I felt that this romance was. Awkward. They said and did all the right things, but I never truly felt the strong bond and connection that I so wanted to feel. It’s the trope – amnesia storylines simply don’t lend themselves well to strong connections, IMO. Especially with past lovers/family/acquaintances – when the victim doesn’t ever truly remember them.

There are flashes in the book where Eppie remembers feelings and she always feels like her body remembers Micah, which makes her uncomfortable – those were very well done.

They also grow to accept each other in a new light – a must for any relationship to grow and not remain stagnant. When Micah reveals himself and his past to Eppie, she had already admitted to herself that she loved him, but she now needed to fully accept him. On a new level. It brought their relationship completely to a new plane – where it had never been in the past, and with that, Williamson moved them fully forward.

Their family:
They have a daughter. A precocious almost 3 year old. With a very advanced vocabulary, who has incredible insight. One might think this virtually impossible, but having had a child myself who spoke in full paragraphs at 18 months, this was possibly the most believable part of the story to me, LOL. Miracle was adorable, but I did find myself wanting her to throw a tantrum or two, LOL. I liked that Eppie was uncomfortable, unwilling to call herself Mama, and took a long time to feel maternal. It made it feel more real, especially given that Eppie was only 21 herself. I liked the resolution for them.

The suspense:
There’s always an element of suspense in Williamson’s stories, as if the emotion isn’t enough to wring you out. This involved a kidnapping of Miracle – the premise of which was actually believable given the time frame for the story. The resolution of this was sad, but thankfully, quick. And solidified the relationship for Micah and Eppie.

Final thoughts:
So, what I loved was the characters themselves. I thought, unfortunately, that the romance was the weakest part of the book. But I still recommend this book without reservation. Highly emotional (as I knew it would be), and beautifully written. The premise IMO, is what held the romance back, as opposed to the writing, the characters themselves, or the author's voice. Another 1-200 pages, and I think it could have been done.

[Sherry Crew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main characters were just flat out irritating. Wasn’t near as good as the first book in the series.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining western tale with a hero who remained dedicated to the care of his lady love while she was in a three-year coma and even after she woke up with amnesia. So we see a lot of his angst and jealously while he tries to help her remember him, their daughter, and their love for each other. There's a lot going on here and sometimes it's a little disjointed seaming these course of events together, but I felt Micah was a well-developed character and I thought much of this story was from his point of view making it a nice change from the typical format. I didn't connect so well with Eppie, though. She was too removed from the equation, but I guess that's because of her amnesia. Frankly, I was still drawn more to refamiliarizing myself with Madeline and Teague from The Education of Madeline. Nevertheless, it's still an interesting sequel if you want to keep up with the characters of Plum Creek. Micah's long lost sister, Sarah, gets her story in The Stranger's Secrets. 3.5 stars.

[Bet Lantaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to agree with Auntee's review on this book. (If you want to read what she thought, click on this title and scroll down through the comments/reviews.) I loved the first book "The Education of Madeline" and the characters from that book made a return visit to Plum Creek, CO in this book. I really liked this book too. But there was just something about it that I didn't like. After a while, I just wanted to say 'get over yourself' and slap both main characters up beside their heads. After the first half of the book, the storyline got really interesting and it began to take you on a roller coaster ride. Just when you thought it was over, something else happened. I liked that. But that is as good as it got. Still, I would recommend this book and Ms. Williamson's other writings. Can't wait to read the next installment, too.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had 2 problems with this book. The first is the 'scandalous' relationship between the two main characters. The author hints at it but never comes out and states what it is. I hate trying to decipher the meaning in things and just wish the author would have stated the supposed problem. It would have made the story more cohesive and would have made certain parts more understandable.

The second problem I had with this book were certain words used in it. I'm all for a good boddice-ripper from time to time, but certain words the author chose to use had me dropping my jaw. I don't think folks in the 1800's would have used that language!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heat Level: 3 out of 5
Kink: vanilla


I have read 2 from this series and loved them so when I got it from Half Priced Books I was really excited. I didn't like it though as much as the others. Micah was a good tortured Hero, Miracle was cute, and Eppie's growth from no memory to loving Micah was believable. I just felt something was missing that I couldn't put my finger on. The sex was a little tame for me and the story came across as very sweet rather than erotic, at least to me. While it didn't live up to what I was expecting it did entertain me and I will check out more by this author.

[July · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these books a little out of order. But they were very,very good. Micah is such a great guy you find out about his past and you just are in awe about him. And Eppie well the book will have to do her justice she just seems like someone you want on your side. Whether it was before or after her memory. Loved, Loved it...

[Rylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im not sure what to think of this book. I enjoyed the story, but maybe it would have been improved with a bit more detail about the setting, and maybe a little less of the awareness of scent... not sure what the go with that is. But overall... i think i would read it again.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great storyteller! This is my second series by Beth Williamson and she just grabs me with a good story. Micah and Eppie's story was something that I won't forget for some time.