It was cute, but if you’re not going to have an epilogue in the book and then you make people pay for a short story collection I’d want more 2.5 stars
It was cute, but if you’re not going to have an epilogue in the book and then you make people pay for a short story collection I’d want more than this haha. It didn’t really answer any lingering questions, but it was a sweet glimpse of them stress free and in love so I liked that. It felt like the perfect time for a heart to heart, apologies, etc. But as usual, things were left unsaid ...more
I enjoyed that. The reason I don’t rate these books higher is because I’m not a big fan of the writing. It’s very utilitarian and sparse. I w3.5 stars
I enjoyed that. The reason I don’t rate these books higher is because I’m not a big fan of the writing. It’s very utilitarian and sparse. I want way more description and feeling. As an example, there was a scene where someone dies and there was barely any description of struggle, pleading, emotion, like… I want more! The reason I round up to 4 stars though is because I do like the characters and it’s a very compelling read that keeps me turning the pages. I stayed up so late to read this and would’ve finished it at an ungodly hour last night but I left the last chapter so I’d have something to read this morning and so I wouldn’t try to write a review in the middle of the night ...more
That was interesting and kept my attention quite well. For the first time in a long time I wanted to stay up late to read and I finished it i3.5 stars
That was interesting and kept my attention quite well. For the first time in a long time I wanted to stay up late to read and I finished it in a day so that was nice. That being said this was very much a book 1…not a lot happens because gotta save all the fun for the next books or they’d be boring, right? Laurent has secrets, Damen has secrets and nothing has been revealed yet so not much has advanced. Laurent’s reasons for being the way he is are quite obvious from early on though so at least I’m in the know even if beautiful brute Damen is a bit slow on the uptake. There’s not even a hint of romance or tension or fondness between the two main characters yet so it’s a real slow burn which I wasn’t really expecting with words like “pleasure slave” in the blurb. There was a lot of debauchery and horrific shit going on but not an iota between the main characters. I wish there had been anything smutty at all in this book but seems like there will be a better chance for that next book with some forced proximity so that’s something to look forward to. I’m curious to see how the next few books unfold especially Laurent’s reaction to Damen’s true identity ...more
I liked this one quite a bit. One of my favorite fictional setups is a man being inconceivably and inexcusably cruel to a woman based on assumptions tI liked this one quite a bit. One of my favorite fictional setups is a man being inconceivably and inexcusably cruel to a woman based on assumptions that turn out to be untrue because she’s actually the sweetest, kindest person in the world and that’s exactly what went down in this book. Ideally I’d get a lot more groveling, but I’ll take what I can get. This was almost like a dark romance for Kristen Ashley, her Unfinished Hero series comes to mind with a similarly morally grey hero, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a KA book where the hero makes the heroine his paid whore ...more
This was a sweet historical western romance. I've only read a few HRs and my introduction to westerns was Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by E3-3.5 stars
This was a sweet historical western romance. I've only read a few HRs and my introduction to westerns was Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell which I absolutely loved and set the benchmark for all other historical westerns super high. So while I liked this one it wasn't a new all-time favorite. I will say I took a lot longer to read this than I normally would have because I'm on a little vacation for my birthday and I've been quite distracted and not able to read much so that could also factor into my overall feelings about this book.
I really liked our grumpy, silent hero, Carter. "Be my wife, all my life." ...more
I haven’t read very many HR books so I wasn’t sure what I’d think going into this one. Happy to say this is well loved for good reason. This 4.5 stars
I haven’t read very many HR books so I wasn’t sure what I’d think going into this one. Happy to say this is well loved for good reason. This was funnier than I was expecting and I loved the blend of comedy and seriousness. The push and pull with the H & h was cute and well done. They were mortal enemies united by marriage, but much more similar than either realized. I loved Jamie’s innocence, loyalty, grit and passion and how everyone she meets wants to protect and foster those traits of her’s as well once they get to know her (except her own family of course lol). Alec was also the perfect blend of overbearing misogynistic alpha male of the times and a swoony H so modern readers can still love him. I loved the concessions he made for Jamie and how he could never really say no to her even as she sneakily railroaded over everything. And I loved how his reluctance to care for Jamie was a battle he graciously lost. I’ve had this book in my TBR for a long time and with Julie Garwood passing away last month I thought it was time I finally read one of her books. I look forward to checking out more of her work in the future....more
First re-read: 1/4-5/2023 I didn’t love this quite as much as I did in 2020. I think I’d give this like 3.75-4 stars nFirst read: 6/6-7/2020 4.5 stars!
First re-read: 1/4-5/2023 I didn’t love this quite as much as I did in 2020. I think I’d give this like 3.75-4 stars now because I think I like it a little less than Without Words, another of Ellen O’Connell’s books that I just re-read. That said this was a page turner for me. At first when I remembered all the drama with Van Cleve I was doubting if I wanted to re-read this at all, but in the end a suicidal widow and a very bad man make for good reading. Caleb is the ultimate irredeemable, morally grey character with an extremely dark past that’s led him to be closed off, scary and what many might call a little evil, which admittedly I love ...more
So I don’t love this one quite as much as Ellen O’Connell’s novels featuring Native Americans, but readFirst read: 5/2-3/2020 First re-read: 1/1-4/2023
So I don’t love this one quite as much as Ellen O’Connell’s novels featuring Native Americans, but reading about a bounty hunter and a woman who can’t speak in a forced proximity/marriage of convenience situation on horseback chasing criminals all over western and midwestern America in the late 1800’s is pretty fun.
Something I feel dumb for not fully realizing during my first read is that Bret’s family isn’t only pissed at him for joining the union in the war when they full on supported the confederacy, but pretty sure they owned slaves…and that’s why they’re so bad off after the war ...more
First read: 3/22/2020 First re-read: 12/27-28/2023
I love this book so much. No idea why I put off a re-read for so long other than that it pains me EllFirst read: 3/22/2020 First re-read: 12/27-28/2023
I love this book so much. No idea why I put off a re-read for so long other than that it pains me Ellen O’Connell hasn’t written anything since 2017. No one seems to know what happened to her which makes so sad, I hope she’s okay. This book was my introduction to historical westerns, a genre I’d never had any interest in before (surprised as shit I actually ever gave this book a chance) and haven’t sought out from other authors since, so Ellen’s work is really it for me ...more