This brand new historical romance blew me away–
please tell me book #2 will be out soon, because OMG!
SEDUCED by Molly O’Keefe
Released May 26th, 2014
Historical Romance
BOOK SUMMARY:
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?
REVIEW:
Wow. Up until this point, I’ve only read Molly O’Keefe’s contemporary romances–which I loved. I was definitely open to reading a historical from her, though I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s Molly O’Keefe, though, so it’s got to be good, right?
Good doesn’t begin to describe it.
It did take me a little bit to really get into the story (for one thing, she’s not actually a widow for a good chunk of the novel, which threw me for a loop–that will teach me to read the blurb just before picking up a book), but once it grabbed me, it just didn’t let go. Thank goodness I didn’t have anything pressing to do that afternoon…
This book is gripping. This isn’t at all a “pretty” historical like most historical romances out there today, where the past seems sugar-coated and idealized–this one feels real. The blurb calls it “gritty”, and it definitely is. These characters are damaged. They’ve got pasts that could conceivably influence the rest of their lives in a highly negative way. There were times that I wasn’t at all sure that they could get to a HEA–especially since Cole was convinced that both he and Melody deserved more than a marriage of convenience and he was determined not to go that route.
(And at the time my response to this was GAH! Why, Cole, why? Most standard historical romance heroes are just fine with that–why not you?)
He was totally right, though. Giving into Melody’s desperation would have been shortchanging them both–thank goodness he held out for more.
Plus, it made for such an amazing story. I loved these two characters and their journey to find a new normal for themselves after Melody’s abusive marriage and Cole’s horrifying experiences in the war.
Their siblings–Melody’s sister Annie and Cole’s brother Steven–are the hero and heroine of book two. Though you could definitely see the beginnings of a relationship between the two here, I’m glad Ms. O’Keefe kept the focus on Melody and Cole in this one.
Plus–a second book in the series; so much to look forward to!
Rating: 5 stars / A rating
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
SEDUCED Buy Links:
AUTHOR LINKS:
Site – http://www.molly-okeefe.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MollyOKeefeBooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/223845.Molly_O_Keefe