I would love to review these, talk about the intriguing dynamics, illusory metaphors and heart-wrenching relationships…
But I can’t – because
I HAVE NO PERSPECTIVE ON THIS!!!!
None.
Not even a bit.
I am shamelessly WALLOWING in the FEELS.
The FEEEEEEEELS
‘Her dream was utterly unrecognizable to her now. She looked at those broken pieces and didn’t know what she wanted. To eat until she was full? To have enough food so her sister’s stomach didn’t growl at night? To wake up in the morning without fear?
She’d married the wrong man for all of that.
But worse, perhaps she was the wrong woman for all of that. A soul not meant for dreaming and unable to hold onto happiness.’
‘Her sudden wry grin distracted him and he nearly sliced off his thumb.
“The key,” he said with a sudden smile, “is manure. And lots of water.”
“Finally, we are lucky in our horse shit,” Melody muttered, dry as a bone.
Annie smacked her sister’s arm but he laughed. And between the lack of laughter in his life and her surprising sense of humor, he was helpless and he laughed until tears formed in his eyes.
“What happens next?” she asked.
And Cole, breathing deep, breathing all the way down into the crippled and withered edges of his lungs for the first time in years, answered, “We wait.”
“What are you doing, Melody?”
Being brave. Caring for my sister. Securing my future. Trying to resurrect the dream for the third time. None of those were things she could say. There were, in fact, no words that would convey all the things she was doing.
So she kissed him.
~ Seduced, Molly O’Keefe ~
‘Anne did not like to think that at some point she’d fallen in love with Steven during that time in the cabin, because that would be foolish. Unwise. Like putting her hand right into the fire.
But what she felt for him was a different animal than friendship, and it did not come to heel when called. It ran wild through her.’
‘When he said it that way, she saw the raspberries were a love note. Bittersweet longing to see her sister filled her. She blinked away the sudden tears, knowing that he saw them. That he saw everything.’
“You don’t pity him, do you?” Doc whispered. Her face flooded with prickly heat. “If he had asked you the same question as me, would he have gotten the same answer?”
‘His eyes met hers, and for a brief moment—the briefest, because she wanted it to last—she saw him. The warmth and the humor he so rarely showed. Time just stopped, the wind, the birds, her heart.’
~ Tempted, Molly O’Keefe ~
NO PERSPECTIVE, PEOPLE, NONE!
PS: Have to add here – there are so many things in these books that I would usually dislike – BUT I just can’t. I wanted the HEA for them SOO BAD!! (which goes to show that excellent characters cover a multitude of sins…)
PPS: There is explicit scene/s(?) in each of the novels..and they were on the high-side for me… but – I can see the reasoning behind them — and to be honest, I was so totally cheering for both couples by this point, they could’ve done pretty much anything and I’d have given them a free pass.
Excuse me – I’ll just be back here – floundering about – in my HEA-induced high…waiting until the next one comes out. Damn you O’Keefe. Write Faster.
Valancy out.
🙂
Header Image: Frederic Remington, A Cold Morning on the Range, 1890
Blue Castle Considerations 
I know, right?! I firmly believe that every reader has the right to their opinion and that we all bring our own foibles and baggage with us whenever we read a book. That said, when I see reviews for these books that are either “Meh, it was OK….I guess” or “I no like this” I have to restrain myself from screaming WHY?!?!?!??! WHY?!??!!?! YOU ARE WRONGER THAN WRONG!! YOU ARE THE WRONGEST PERSON TO EVER WRONG IN THE WHOLE WRONGY UNIVERSE!!!!
Ahem.
But cooler heads prevail. Somehow. Glad you enjoyed these so much. I’m so looking forward to the next book (Redeemed) which needs to be published, like, tomorrow. Tomorrow would be good….
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LOL! I 268% agree with you – on both counts! When people ‘meh’ me on these – I will be doing this:
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oh dear, I REALLY hope I don’t meh then! 😛
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well…I maaay give you a free pass and not wave my angry hairbrush at you….maaaayybeee (but that’s just because you’re allowed individual book tastes – and I love your blog… 😛 )
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As my mama would say, the satisfaction runs so deep in me, I’ve gained a pound of flesh. You liked them, you really liked them! This is what O’Keefe manages every time: to challenge me, surprise me, and win me over … even when I know I would usually hate this. Exactly. That. Aren’t they sublime? My favourite was the cave resurrection metaphor in Seduced.
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I REALLY REALLY liked them! (that is such a great saying btw – very merchant-of-venice!) And it is as you say – they totally won me over, even though, in a lesser novel, with lesser characters, I wouldn’t have let half of it slip past. And that first cave part? It’s so powerful, even more so, because he calls him brother – not his name – creates such visceral feeling… which carries through to the second part – – gives me squee feelings just thinking about it. (See? NO PERSPECTIVE at all!) lol 🙂
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You’re fun without perspective. Well, actually, you’re always fun! 🙂
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Just as I had sworn to not add another book to my burgeoning TBR your review has just destroyed my plans. I am already deeply in love with the books just due to this post!
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Sorry, not sorry! lol – I really hope you do read them – they are a gloriously beautiful mash up between the gritty and the lionhearted determination to love. I kind of wish I was starting them all over again. (Le sigh…) 🙂
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I’m with shallowreader, absolutely, now cannot wait until I read them. The quotes have completely won me over for starters and I am getting ready to read. Hope nobody calls me!!
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lol – I am so glad! (I advise phone on silent…it saves the stupid-phone-interrupting-me-furrow which would inevitably occur 🙂 )
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I have been hearing about Molly O’Keefe forever and ever and ever. Of course, I had to read THIS POST and not even ALL of it just the first bunch of excerpts to realize that I REALLY NEED TO READ THIS! So this is what I shall read when I’m next hit by my I-NEED-A-HIST-ROM-NOW madness!
I shall have more intelligent things to say after I’m done reading these!
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TOTALLY the best to read when you need a Hist-Rom fix!
O’Keefe writes so beautifully in them (I’m not sure about her others, as I haven’t read any of them) – this kind of stark but slightly purple fashion – which I wouldn’t normally like – BUT these? Gracious I loved them!
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Also, totally using the pig in bliss for the next time I want to convey the juhi in bliss feeling 😀
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Oh please do! Isn’t it just the most smiley satisfied-looking thing? LOL – It was definitely how I felt after reading! 🙂
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You liked them, you liked them, you really liked them!!!
:happy Snoopy dancing:
Aren’t they great? So angsty, so gritty, so well written!
Perspective? What’s this perspective you speak of?
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LOL – oh – they are so wonderful — thank you for your oh-so-great review that finally made me pick them up!
🙂
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