Review and Excerpt: Untamed Hearts by Colleen O'Connell

June 25, 2018

UNTAMED HEARTS

Colleen O'Connell

Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: June 4, 2018

Two destinations lead to one destiny

Fleeing her wavering feelings for her fiancé, Taryn Ashford boards a westbound train to visit relatives. Her journey awakens unbridled passion with the dangerously handsome, Jared King. When Jared is accused of murder, she is faced with providing him an alibi at the risk of her own reputation. Did he use her to save himself or can she trust her heart – and him - to discover the truth? A truth they must work together to reveal.

Gunman, shooter, the brand is Jared King’s life. His skill with a gun creates an existence forever searching – searching every face for the bounty hunter in constant pursuit, for the settled life he is certain he will never find and for one woman’s love. Taryn Ashford jeopardizes his need to remain emotionally detached. She represents the happiness denied him, but if he pursues her, will he risk both their lives?

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Review

Untamed Hearts is a delightful Western historical romance. Both Taryn and Jared are great characters with sizzling chemistry. They came to life in the pages of my Kindle, and their first meeting was very exciting and memorable. I was glad i was there on their journey to their HEA, which took a lot of turns and trials. The plot is solid with a steady pacing, and compelling enough that readers will keep on turning the pages.

I have some issues though, such as too much initial description on the characters' physical characteristics. These could've been imparted to the readers in other ways, and in this case, dragged the story somewhat. There was also too much info dumping on Jared's past, which again, could've been imparted to the readers in other ways that didn't drag the story. Another thing i didn't like was the shifting POV, especially when the character was given only one paragraph.

If the above could've been made better with the help of a good editor, i wouldn't hesitate to give this 5 stars.

Rating: 4 stars

Excerpt

“I enjoyed the most interesting conversation over dinner tonight.”

Her mood was light. Jared’s annoyance grew with her lack of interest with his whereabouts during the stopover. “I was so enthralled with the conversation, I barely ate a bite.”

Annoyed with her chirpy disposition, he was harsher than he intended. “Who was he?”

She didn’t care for his tone of voice, her green eyes going a shade darker. “I don’t recall commenting on who I ate dinner with, but how the conversation was interesting.”

“It might be wise to pay more attention to those you are talking to, instead of how interesting a conversation might be.”

She took a deep breath to calm her outrage. “I resent your assumption I’m not capable of judging for myself a person’s character, Mr. King. I’m perfectly able to handle myself.”

“Like you did last night?” He lowered his voice when other passengers gave them curious glances. “You’re a woman traveling alone, and, to some, it constitutes an easy target, or do I need to make myself clearer for you, Miss Ashford?”

As the heat rose in her face, so too did the heat of her temper. “And I’m supposed to take the advice of a gunman?” Her voice lowered as well. “For your information, Mister King, and although it’s none of your business, I did know him. His name is Robert Michaels, a journalist. He is accounting the emigrants’ journey west. Our conversation concerned our experiences so far. He was a perfect gentleman, but perhaps, you’re unfamiliar with the concept.”

The muscle in his jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. Few men dared to test his temper the way this little minx did. His temper strained to its limit, his tone sharpened when he spoke. “You should know your facts before you make accusations, Miss Ashford. It only makes you look foolish and emphasizes your youth.”

Mute, fire burned in her gaze. She stared at him, stifling a sudden hostility stemming from an innocent remark.

Jared left his seat, and she was glad of his departure. She wanted him to stay away for good, and yet at the same time, she felt like bursting into tears.

Book Tour Schedule

Join our upcoming book tour from June 12 - 25, 2018.

Join us and visit each tour stop daily as we share more features, excerpts, reviews, interviews, fun facts and and other extras about the book! To check the latest tour schedule, visit the Untamed Hearts Book Page at Book Unleashed.

About Colleen O'Connell

Colleen has been an avid reader her entire life and has a particular love of the historical romance genre. Having enjoyed reading romances early on, she began writing them herself when she wanted the stories to take a different turn and determined the only way to achieve it was to craft her own. She currently lives in Northern Kentucky and has a background in Human Resource Management.

Website: https://www.colleenoconnell.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleen.oconnell.313371