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You know how sometimes you stumble across an amazing book that keeps you awake all night in order to read it? A book that takes over your life and has you creating free time out of thin air so that you can immerse yourself in it? That’s what I found in Without Words.
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Hassie Petty has not had an easy life. At the age of eight an accident rendered her mute, and since then most of the people she meets assume she must be dumb and think that they can walk all over her. She ended up married to Cyrus Petty, an old drunkard at least twice her age, because no one else would take her, and now that Cyrus is dead she’s not sure what to do with her life. She’s just thinking that Cyrus’ no-good son Rufus might help her out a little when a bounty hunter shows up on her property looking for Rufus.
Bret Sterling, bounty hunter and Southern gentleman, did not want to have to kill his target, but the scoundrel kept shooting at him and forced his hand. Now he’s left with a dead body and a mute woman to deal with. As a gentleman, Bret is not comfortable just leaving Hassie to fend for herself out at the farm, so he takes her into town and ultimately on to some friends of his in Missouri where she can stay for a while. While they’re on the road, Bret and Hassie develop a real friendship, one that keeps them bound together even after they make it to Bret’s friends’ place, and ultimately finds them married to each other.
So far, all of the books that I’ve read by Ellen O’Connell have been amazing, and this latest only solidified my opinion of her abilities. Even though much of the dialogue between Bret and Hassie is technically one-sided, Hassie still possesses clear opinions and manages to make herself heard. At the beginning, when she doesn’t even have a slate to write on, this is a difficult thing to do, short of giving the pair a magical psychic connection wherein Bret can hear Hassie’s thoughts. Ms. O’Connell manages by giving Bret a believable sense of empathy. He’s able to put himself in Hassie’s shoes with ease, and although he doesn’t always perfectly guess at what she’s thinking, he understands her well enough that they become friends.
The other lovely thing to see in this book, besides the growing connection between Hassie and Bret, is Hassie’s growing sense of independence. This is naturally a difficult thing for a mute woman to possess in the 1860s, but as Hassie experiences more of the world with Bret, she becomes more confident that she is able to handle what gets thrown at her. With each challenge she meets, she becomes a little more sure of herself and her capabilities.
Looking back on it, I’ve realized this book is a rare find for me. It was good enough that I have no complaints about it, good enough that I stayed up to a ridiculously late hour in order to finish it. Bret and Hassie were great characters, and it was my pleasure to spend time with them. I eagerly await Ellen O’Connell’s next book.
Grade: A
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 04/09/14
Publication Date: 2014/09
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
College student by day. Book enthusiast around the clock. With any luck I'll eventually be able to afford food AND books. But I've got my priorities straight.
Related Reviews
I make sure to keep up with Ellen O”Connell so I don’t miss reading her amazing books. They are all treasures.
I loved this book as well. If I recall correctly, Bret buys Hassie a slate to communicate on when they first set out together. He comes to understand her sign language as their relationship progresses.
This is really a charming book. I thoroughly enjoyed it when I read it. O’Connor is an author I have the readers/boards here to thank for recommending to me. She doesn’t have a huge backlist so I was parsing out her books to myself every so often. This was one of my favorites. She did an excellent job building the main couple’s relationship while Hassie’s strength and independence grows. This book is the opposite of the “insta-lust” books and I would recommend it for anyone interested in romances where the friendship builds along with the love.
Bret learns to sign so that he and Hassie can communicate better. Their romance is just so lovely. I really loved this book. It was the last that O’Connell has written, and she’s due for a new one and hopefully soon. This was my favorite romance of 2014.
I’m not sure how to explain it, she does a lot eith facial expressions and hand gestures. And Bret sure clues in when she’s not happy with him. I loved this one too. It seems a while since last book. Fingers crossed she has a new coming soon.
I haven’t read this book but I’m curious. How does the mute heroine communicate?