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Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is a story of romance and family conflicts set in Colorado in 1885. Anne Wells has embarrassed her rigidly proper family since she was a child with occasional but grievous lapses from ladylike behavior. They blame those lapses for the disgraceful fact that she is a spinster at 28. Cord Bennett, the son of his father's second marriage to a Cheyenne woman, is more than an embarrassment to his well-to-do family of ranchers and lawyers - they are ashamed and afraid of their black sheep. When Anne and Cord are found alone together, her father's fury leads to violence. Cord's family accepts that the fault is his. Can Anne and Cord use the freedom of being condemned for sins they didn't commit to make a life together? Or will their disapproving, interfering families tear them apart?
406 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2010
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March 4, 2023
Time for yet another re-read of one of my all time faves...STILL Better Every Time...
Re-read: 3/4/23
Re-read: 7/25/19
Re-read: 5/20/19
Re-read: 3/7/17
Re-read: 7/4/15
Review:
ALL the Stars
This book really took me by surprise.
Western/historical romance is one of my all time favorite genres, but I had never read or heard of this author before. I don't even remember what prompted me to read this, but it was just outstanding.
The writing and storytelling was fantastic and the characters were so well fleshed out and truly tangible in a way I haven't experienced in a while.
Annie and Cord were both original, unique characters.
They went through so much that brought them together...
...and then they fought to stay together.
Their quiet love story was so enjoyable to read and I loved every moment.
This is definitely going my my All-Time Favorites list.
Re-read: 3/4/23
Re-read: 7/25/19
Re-read: 5/20/19
Re-read: 3/7/17
Re-read: 7/4/15
Review:
ALL the Stars
This book really took me by surprise.
Western/historical romance is one of my all time favorite genres, but I had never read or heard of this author before. I don't even remember what prompted me to read this, but it was just outstanding.
The writing and storytelling was fantastic and the characters were so well fleshed out and truly tangible in a way I haven't experienced in a while.
Annie and Cord were both original, unique characters.
They went through so much that brought them together...
...and then they fought to stay together.
Their quiet love story was so enjoyable to read and I loved every moment.
This is definitely going my my All-Time Favorites list.
March 17, 2018
**Spoilers**
I discovered this little gem of a book from reviews by Danielle Lori and Val ⚓️ Shameless & Bitchy Skanky ⚓️ Steamy Reads Mrs. Danvers-Tate-Snow. Thanks, ladies.
Where to start with this book.
First off, I savoured the reading of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold, prolonging the experience as much as I could. Secondly, everything I thought I knew about racial prejudice, this story amplified to a thousand degree.
Annie and Cord, our MCs. Annie is white and Cord is half Comanche, living in 1880s Colorado. Theirs is a love that survived the most arduous of circumstance.
Annie was subject to a misogyny so evil, it left her little choice but to rebel. Cord was regarded as less human and more beast, all because he was half Native American.
What this book most illuminated, to me, is the mindset of the racist individual. How prejudices are formed without logic. How, even with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, racists feel justified by their beliefs. Actions that are judged innocuous if done by a white person, have different nuances when done by a POC.
Ms O'Connell writes in the 3rd person omniscient, giving this story a depth that would have been absent from a single perspective. Placing the reader in Colorado, making us wish we could reach in and slap some of the characters from their stupidity.
Despite EVERYONE's disbelief, their love trumped all the hate (thanks, Hilary C.) Annie was unwavering in her love for Cord. She believed in him fiercely and slowly, Cord relented, becoming less aloof and loving her with his all.
Eventually, the haters were silenced, realizing that it was indeed possible for a white woman to love a Comanche "half-breed" (Gaaaaaahhh).
This was a great love story and Ellen has just gotten herself a new fan.
November 22, 2015
As he finally stopped fighting sleep, he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her — for a while.Wow! Where to begin... well, I'll start with that quote. It's one of my favorite hero quotes from any book I've read, and in just a few sentences shows us Cord's hope and his heart. And reading it again for the umpteenth time, knowing what led up to it, I'm having a hard time holding back the tears.
Cord Bennett is an outcast, a savage, a pariah. He has no real friends, and even his family is afraid of him. Under different circumstances - that is to say, if he were like the other, 'normal' men in town, the things he’s done would be understandable, but his father was white and his mother was Cherokee, so Cord is – *gasp* – a half-breed, and nothing about him is the least bit acceptable.
Anne Wells isn’t the proper young woman her parents want her to be. She’s not a ravishing beauty or in the least bit biddable. She’s stubborn, and again– *gasp* – she thinks for herself, so when her father arranges her marriage to a man who is all kinds of repulsive, Anne not only makes her displeasure known, she does everything she can to make sure the wedding never takes place. When Anne’s father stoops to an all time low, thinking he can force her into agreeing, Anne knows that she needs to escape the hell that has become her life, before it’s too late. But when she chose to hide in Cord Bennett’s barn and ask for his help, she had never even considered that the hell she had escaped was nothing compared to that which she and Cord would have to endure together.
I really don't think I'll be able to explain why this story evoked such a deep, wide range of emotions… well, not and do it coherently, anyway. I was so angry at times, so heartbroken at others, sobbing so hard I was shaking and my chest hurt. Maybe it was just timing. Maybe had I read this another day, week or month, it wouldn’t have affected me the way it did, but honestly, I don’t think timing had anything to do with it. It was the characters, their story, their determination to live their lives in peace, their incredible strength of character and their pride. It was their unwillingness to allow others to break them, their ability to find happiness in the smallest things. But most importantly, it was what they found in each other; someone to share with. To share the work, the heartache, the joy, the secrets they'd kept buried for so long... someone to make being alone seem less lonely. And they saw in each other what no one else could see... Kindness. Honor. Generosity of spirit. And most importantly, through all the adversity, all the heartbreak and trials, they found in each other a happily ever after for the ages.
The bottom line - Cord and Anne captured my heart, and when their story broke it into a million pieces, they were there to put it back together again. The writing isn't flawless, but it's all of the things I mentioned... the sorrow, the joy, the sacrifice, determination and devotion... all of these things combined have made Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold one of my favorite stories ever, and Cord and Anne have more than earned their place of honor on my Top Couples of All Time shelf. If you love stories whose characters touch your heart, who pull you in and don’t let go… if you want their trials and triumphs to really mean something, then you’ll want to get your hands on this book as quickly as possible.
This is a beautiful story, one I won't soon forget. Thank you, Autumn. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, because without your encouragement and generosity, I probably would have never read this story, and what a horrible loss that would have been.
August 10, 2024
˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚
When I first picked this book up I was a little skeptical no doubt. Westerns are just...not my thing? Look, lol. My moms husband has Westerns running on tv 24/7 in their house. Even on Christmas Day he's trying to keep them going and has seen them a billion times- you could say that because of that I honestly have no interest in Westerns. But then I read through some reviews and they're all GLOWING so I gave it a chance and dove in.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ This book did not disappoint. I stayed up until a little after 5am with tears of sadness, fear, anger and joy streaming down my face reading this book. And I've gotta say, I can't remember the last time I lost sleep in order to finish a book.
In Colorado 1885, we follow Anne who may be a spinster but is hell bent determined not to marry the man her father has chosen for her to marry. So determined and adamantly refusing to the point that her father had her kept locked in her room, barely feeding her any food or providing her any water in order to 'teach her' that she would abide his wishes.
In an escape from her home Anne ends up falling asleep in the barn of local rancher Cord Bennett while hiding. Cord is the half-Cheyenne son of a wealthy rancher and considered by many to be the very devil. She awakes to see him thoughtfully gazing at her; he clearly sees she's in a state of disarray and offers her some coffee and breakfast.
Not long after, Anne's father and some hired gunmen show up at Cord's home on the search for her. His fury at finding her there leads to vicious, brutal violence against both Cord and Anne and everyone, save Anne, believes the worst of Cord.
_/﹋\_
(҂`_´)
<,︻╦╤─ ҉ - -
_/﹋\_
╰┈➤ Cord 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ is one of those heroes who no matter what life throws at him, and the horrible way people talk about him, he still manages to keep his honor and defend the weakest, even at great cost to himself.
The author has a way in which she draws us into his mind- seeing the world in the same way in which he does- as his enemy. All of the terrible mistreatment he suffered-it made me want to scream! But I digress. He's solid, strong and unmoving to the general public, but with Annie he's soft, tender and loving. He would go into hell itself to save her.
“...he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her - for a while.”🥹
⋆｡° ✮𓃗𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
╰┈➤ Annie 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ is an amazing heroine. She is feisty, honest, and blunt. She just tells it like it is and damn the consequences. Quite the tigress. She has a way about her that she pushes Cord but only in ways to get him outside of his comfort zone.
The longer she is in his life, the townspeople start to see Cord in a respectable way. No longer viewing him as a violent monster to be feared. She shows him that he doesn't have to have a constant wall up, that he is a good and honest man and people should see that. She's determined, fearless and has a heart of gold.
“…Anne believed she would in the end hear the words she, like all women, longed to hear, but if he never spoke of it, she would be content with this. He loved her, and she knew it, and he was capable of such tenderness it left her trembling, overwhelmed by her own love for him.” 🥹
╰┈➤ This scene 🤭🤺
"...I'd like to beat him worse than Meeks did. I'd like to shoot him so full of holes he could be a sieve. I'd like to cut off his head and bury it somewhere far away from his body, but I'll get over it. We'll work it out and life will go on, and in the meantime, its none of your business."
Frank actually looked shaken as he asked, "Does she get like that often?"
"Nope, you seem to rile her."
Cord knew quite well how very few women had ever disconcerted his brother.
"I rile her? She wants to kill you, dismember you, and disperse your body parts, and I rile her?"
"You kind of rub her the wrong way."
Though they were an unlikely couple, brought together from the cruel and vicious acts of Annie's father; they are one of my favorite couples. It takes them time but they see that compliment each other so well and are in fact perfect for each other.
He helps her to see that not all men are terrible, and being a wife and having a husband doesn't have to be an obligation in the way she's always thought it to be- not much of a surprise there when you look at her parents.
He’s the kind of hero any “real” woman would love. Anne is feisty and courageous, a heroine worth cheering. She breaks down his walls and gets him to be himself, shows him that life doesn't need to be a cold and lonely abysmal trek.
╰┈➤ A couple that quotes Shakespeare together, stays together.
'She turned around, held out one hand, and said:
"'Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with the night...'"
It should have had him so embarrassed he'd be walking out of the shop. Instead he looked her right in the eye and replied, "You, woman, are 'Past hope, past cure, past help!'"
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Words can not express how much I loved this book! Everything- I loved every single thing about it. I loved the journey of Annie and Cord as well as all of the side characters. Some, like Frank took a while for me to warm up to, he's a cold and hard as steel man but towards the end you see a glimmer of a soft heart and love that he has for his brother.
Let me not end this review without saying that I LOVE THE HORSES in this book- lol. I know some people are confused by my Red Horse update. It's one of the first times anyone outside of Annie gets a peek at who this amazing man really is- during a unwinnable horse race. So intense - I had tears the entire time and was on the edge of my seat! Such an emotional and invigorating ride!
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
'She was out of a cage and finding her wings. No one would cage her again, and he admired her courage and determination.' 🏞
"That woman's changed a lot in the last months, although I guess you don't get tempered steel out of the fire unless what goes in is steel first." 🏞
'Anne floated effortlessly through the warm night, carried by raw male power and grace. This was not just a dance, but a prelude, and the heat of his hands on her flesh was but a hint, a promise of raging fire to come.' 🏞
'Tears scaled down Leona's cheeks. Sometimes God listens. Sometimes He sends a miracle. This was her own.' 🏞
"You know, Annie, a long time ago an old man told me beauty doesn't mean much in a woman. It disappears with age. But he said some women have something better. They have a special glow that lasts all their life and just gets richer. You're like that. You really shine." 🏞
When I first picked this book up I was a little skeptical no doubt. Westerns are just...not my thing? Look, lol. My moms husband has Westerns running on tv 24/7 in their house. Even on Christmas Day he's trying to keep them going and has seen them a billion times- you could say that because of that I honestly have no interest in Westerns. But then I read through some reviews and they're all GLOWING so I gave it a chance and dove in.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ This book did not disappoint. I stayed up until a little after 5am with tears of sadness, fear, anger and joy streaming down my face reading this book. And I've gotta say, I can't remember the last time I lost sleep in order to finish a book.
In Colorado 1885, we follow Anne who may be a spinster but is hell bent determined not to marry the man her father has chosen for her to marry. So determined and adamantly refusing to the point that her father had her kept locked in her room, barely feeding her any food or providing her any water in order to 'teach her' that she would abide his wishes.
In an escape from her home Anne ends up falling asleep in the barn of local rancher Cord Bennett while hiding. Cord is the half-Cheyenne son of a wealthy rancher and considered by many to be the very devil. She awakes to see him thoughtfully gazing at her; he clearly sees she's in a state of disarray and offers her some coffee and breakfast.
Not long after, Anne's father and some hired gunmen show up at Cord's home on the search for her. His fury at finding her there leads to vicious, brutal violence against both Cord and Anne and everyone, save Anne, believes the worst of Cord.
_/﹋\_
(҂`_´)
<,︻╦╤─ ҉ - -
_/﹋\_
╰┈➤ Cord 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ is one of those heroes who no matter what life throws at him, and the horrible way people talk about him, he still manages to keep his honor and defend the weakest, even at great cost to himself.
The author has a way in which she draws us into his mind- seeing the world in the same way in which he does- as his enemy. All of the terrible mistreatment he suffered-it made me want to scream! But I digress. He's solid, strong and unmoving to the general public, but with Annie he's soft, tender and loving. He would go into hell itself to save her.
“...he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her - for a while.”🥹
⋆｡° ✮𓃗𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
╰┈➤ Annie 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ is an amazing heroine. She is feisty, honest, and blunt. She just tells it like it is and damn the consequences. Quite the tigress. She has a way about her that she pushes Cord but only in ways to get him outside of his comfort zone.
The longer she is in his life, the townspeople start to see Cord in a respectable way. No longer viewing him as a violent monster to be feared. She shows him that he doesn't have to have a constant wall up, that he is a good and honest man and people should see that. She's determined, fearless and has a heart of gold.
“…Anne believed she would in the end hear the words she, like all women, longed to hear, but if he never spoke of it, she would be content with this. He loved her, and she knew it, and he was capable of such tenderness it left her trembling, overwhelmed by her own love for him.” 🥹
╰┈➤ This scene 🤭🤺
"...I'd like to beat him worse than Meeks did. I'd like to shoot him so full of holes he could be a sieve. I'd like to cut off his head and bury it somewhere far away from his body, but I'll get over it. We'll work it out and life will go on, and in the meantime, its none of your business."
Frank actually looked shaken as he asked, "Does she get like that often?"
"Nope, you seem to rile her."
Cord knew quite well how very few women had ever disconcerted his brother.
"I rile her? She wants to kill you, dismember you, and disperse your body parts, and I rile her?"
"You kind of rub her the wrong way."
Though they were an unlikely couple, brought together from the cruel and vicious acts of Annie's father; they are one of my favorite couples. It takes them time but they see that compliment each other so well and are in fact perfect for each other.
He helps her to see that not all men are terrible, and being a wife and having a husband doesn't have to be an obligation in the way she's always thought it to be- not much of a surprise there when you look at her parents.
He’s the kind of hero any “real” woman would love. Anne is feisty and courageous, a heroine worth cheering. She breaks down his walls and gets him to be himself, shows him that life doesn't need to be a cold and lonely abysmal trek.
╰┈➤ A couple that quotes Shakespeare together, stays together.
'She turned around, held out one hand, and said:
"'Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with the night...'"
It should have had him so embarrassed he'd be walking out of the shop. Instead he looked her right in the eye and replied, "You, woman, are 'Past hope, past cure, past help!'"
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Words can not express how much I loved this book! Everything- I loved every single thing about it. I loved the journey of Annie and Cord as well as all of the side characters. Some, like Frank took a while for me to warm up to, he's a cold and hard as steel man but towards the end you see a glimmer of a soft heart and love that he has for his brother.
Let me not end this review without saying that I LOVE THE HORSES in this book- lol. I know some people are confused by my Red Horse update. It's one of the first times anyone outside of Annie gets a peek at who this amazing man really is- during a unwinnable horse race. So intense - I had tears the entire time and was on the edge of my seat! Such an emotional and invigorating ride!
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
'She was out of a cage and finding her wings. No one would cage her again, and he admired her courage and determination.' 🏞
"That woman's changed a lot in the last months, although I guess you don't get tempered steel out of the fire unless what goes in is steel first." 🏞
'Anne floated effortlessly through the warm night, carried by raw male power and grace. This was not just a dance, but a prelude, and the heat of his hands on her flesh was but a hint, a promise of raging fire to come.' 🏞
'Tears scaled down Leona's cheeks. Sometimes God listens. Sometimes He sends a miracle. This was her own.' 🏞
"You know, Annie, a long time ago an old man told me beauty doesn't mean much in a woman. It disappears with age. But he said some women have something better. They have a special glow that lasts all their life and just gets richer. You're like that. You really shine." 🏞
May 28, 2018
Wow words can express how much I enjoyed this book. Anne and Cord were amazing together. I loved how strong and brave they both were. Anna had such a cute, outgoing personality. Cord was the strong silent type but had a sweet side that he mostly only let Anne see. There was such a great build up to their relationship that it felt real. I will say that I wished for more blood when it came to the bad guys getting what was coming to them. I felt they got off the hook to easy. But that is just me. I'm bloodthirsty! I wanted Cord or Anne to get to kill them, and nothing else would have been good enough for me. I think Ellen O'Connell did such a good job of building up the town, characters, and relationships that I was total invested in, not just the main couple but their families as well. I am so glad I try this book!
October 26, 2023
Hands down the best historical western romance I’ve ever read!
What a ride! (I’m not being cheesy, he is a horse trainer). This book started out a bit melodramatic for me, with Cord and Anne’s forced marriage at gun point with lots of violence and malevolence brought on by her own father. But as the book went on it made sense and fit with the challenges this couple had to go through. This book touched on a lot of heavy things; racism, the subjugation of women, the treatment of native Americans and classism. I personally felt that it dealt with them realistically and even fatalistically at times. Cord was a very well developed and complex MMC. He was born to a wealthy ranch family, but from the rancher’s second wife who was Native American. Cord faced racism every moment of his life, it shaped every part of his world even including how his own family saw him. It was heartbreaking. He had resigned himself to living on the periphery of society and of his family, when Anne came along.
Anne was so strong, she thought herself unladylike because her strength of will and character was looked down upon by her family and by society. But she came in to her own and Cord’s love and support and his unwillingness to engage with those who put him down, brought out Anne’s fierce nature. She refused to agree to ‘obey’ in her wedding vows -which were done at gun point mind you- and Cord never tried to dominate her or change her “I don’t reckon I have time to boss you around all day”. These two were a perfect foil for each other. Granted, Anne brought Cord tonnes of trouble, but in the end, her fierce love of him and her drive to fight for him to be seen and heard by his family helped him to reconnect with them after they doubted and assumed the worst of him his entire adulthood.
This had a slow burn feel, although they did have physical intimacy early on, their love was slow to build and the passion between them didn’t really come to fruition until later in the story. So the sex was mechanical at first. I thought this felt very real. This whole story was gritty and frustrating and painful to read at times. I was frustrated by Cord, by Cord’s brothers, by Anne’s family and often by the entire world, but these feelings were needed to truly know these characters and what they went through to be together. I feel that the author was very good at painting a horrible picture of humanity while juxtaposing it with a heartwarming and sweet love story.
Yes, some moments were melodramatic, Anne’s father, the true villain of the story, was likely mentally ill and his actions were pretty insane. But this was an epic love story that ran the gamut with kidnapping, rescues, several attempted rapes, gun fights, physical fights, face slaps and an epic cross country horse race. It was an old school western and I was here for it. I’ve been trying to get a decent cowboy read in for the longest time, and this was more than decent, this was epic.
Anne ❤️ Cord forever.
What a ride! (I’m not being cheesy, he is a horse trainer). This book started out a bit melodramatic for me, with Cord and Anne’s forced marriage at gun point with lots of violence and malevolence brought on by her own father. But as the book went on it made sense and fit with the challenges this couple had to go through. This book touched on a lot of heavy things; racism, the subjugation of women, the treatment of native Americans and classism. I personally felt that it dealt with them realistically and even fatalistically at times. Cord was a very well developed and complex MMC. He was born to a wealthy ranch family, but from the rancher’s second wife who was Native American. Cord faced racism every moment of his life, it shaped every part of his world even including how his own family saw him. It was heartbreaking. He had resigned himself to living on the periphery of society and of his family, when Anne came along.
Anne was so strong, she thought herself unladylike because her strength of will and character was looked down upon by her family and by society. But she came in to her own and Cord’s love and support and his unwillingness to engage with those who put him down, brought out Anne’s fierce nature. She refused to agree to ‘obey’ in her wedding vows -which were done at gun point mind you- and Cord never tried to dominate her or change her “I don’t reckon I have time to boss you around all day”. These two were a perfect foil for each other. Granted, Anne brought Cord tonnes of trouble, but in the end, her fierce love of him and her drive to fight for him to be seen and heard by his family helped him to reconnect with them after they doubted and assumed the worst of him his entire adulthood.
This had a slow burn feel, although they did have physical intimacy early on, their love was slow to build and the passion between them didn’t really come to fruition until later in the story. So the sex was mechanical at first. I thought this felt very real. This whole story was gritty and frustrating and painful to read at times. I was frustrated by Cord, by Cord’s brothers, by Anne’s family and often by the entire world, but these feelings were needed to truly know these characters and what they went through to be together. I feel that the author was very good at painting a horrible picture of humanity while juxtaposing it with a heartwarming and sweet love story.
Yes, some moments were melodramatic, Anne’s father, the true villain of the story, was likely mentally ill and his actions were pretty insane. But this was an epic love story that ran the gamut with kidnapping, rescues, several attempted rapes, gun fights, physical fights, face slaps and an epic cross country horse race. It was an old school western and I was here for it. I’ve been trying to get a decent cowboy read in for the longest time, and this was more than decent, this was epic.
Anne ❤️ Cord forever.
June 29, 2018
Wish it weren’t so, but I am in the minority camp with my rating.
It has been a long time since I read a story set in the Wild West. Colorado, 1885, to be exact. I have been seeing five star reviews pop up on my feed for quite sometime.
Cord Bennett! The name just oozes confidence, strength, and sexiness.
"His daddy had brown eyes, but those eyes of his are yellow, yellow like a wolf's."
"The color don't make no nevermind. What tells you he's the devil's own is there's nothing behind those eyes. They're empty, empty, savage, and cold."
Anne’s family, the townsfolk, even his own blood relatives believe Cord is as mean as a rattlesnake. But Anne ... no when Anne looks into Cord’s eyes, all she feels is the heat that makes her body flush from her face downwards.
Cord and Anne are thrown together in marriage under horrendous circumstances, and despite the odds they try to make it work seeing as they have known each other since age ten and always got along. Their relationship is fraught with challenges.
So ... I tried mighty hard, and sure wish I would have loved this book like most others have. The first 20% of the book was pure fascination and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but then the storyline began to really drag for me. Thought many times of calling it quits, but wanted to see how it ended.
Maybe if the writing was more cohesive and flowed better, it would have been a much more satisfying read. An editor was certainly needed.
Like I stated earlier, I am in the minority camp. Mostly, you will find glowing, five star reviews for this book, so I would encourage you to read those. I did fall in love with Cord and Anne though. They are strong, willful, endearing characters who faced extreme hatred. I truly routed for them!
It has been a long time since I read a story set in the Wild West. Colorado, 1885, to be exact. I have been seeing five star reviews pop up on my feed for quite sometime.
Cord Bennett! The name just oozes confidence, strength, and sexiness.
"His daddy had brown eyes, but those eyes of his are yellow, yellow like a wolf's."
"The color don't make no nevermind. What tells you he's the devil's own is there's nothing behind those eyes. They're empty, empty, savage, and cold."
Anne’s family, the townsfolk, even his own blood relatives believe Cord is as mean as a rattlesnake. But Anne ... no when Anne looks into Cord’s eyes, all she feels is the heat that makes her body flush from her face downwards.
Cord and Anne are thrown together in marriage under horrendous circumstances, and despite the odds they try to make it work seeing as they have known each other since age ten and always got along. Their relationship is fraught with challenges.
So ... I tried mighty hard, and sure wish I would have loved this book like most others have. The first 20% of the book was pure fascination and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but then the storyline began to really drag for me. Thought many times of calling it quits, but wanted to see how it ended.
Maybe if the writing was more cohesive and flowed better, it would have been a much more satisfying read. An editor was certainly needed.
Like I stated earlier, I am in the minority camp. Mostly, you will find glowing, five star reviews for this book, so I would encourage you to read those. I did fall in love with Cord and Anne though. They are strong, willful, endearing characters who faced extreme hatred. I truly routed for them!
September 9, 2019
That was so awesome!
I was really wondering why all my friends in goodreads think that this is a very good book – especially because most of them do not share the same tastes in books and especially in romance books.
I think the main reason for the love for this particular book is that it is the book full of small satisfying victories.
Anne Wells and Cord Bennett have survived being different in a world of average people until they reached their late twenties.
Anne at this age is considered an old spinster and weird. She has already broken up her relationship with a descent (for the standards of that society) man and destroyed their engagement without hesitation. Now she refuses to marry the old, unloving, disgusting man that her father wants her to marry. She is locked in her room and starved for weeks until she manages to escape and end up in Cord’s farm asking for help.
Now, Cord is considered an outlier in the respectable society of that small town in Colorado. The son of a rancher and a Cheyenne woman; he is someone that almost everyone fears – including his own half brothers and sisters. He has almost killed a few men, he has almost killed his own brother, he left the small town and apparently killed more men; until he came back looking like a savage and started looking after his farm and his horses alone.
When Anne and Cord met the morning of Anne’s getaway; Anne understood how brutal her father is; how much people do not care and how many hypocrites are around.
Anne and Cord almost died that morning.
Anne and Cord were reborn after a few weeks. Mainly depending on each other.
And then the problems begin:
-Cord thinks that Anne is too good for him.
-Anne thinks that Cord cannot love.
-The small town thinks that Cord holds Anne hostage.
-Anne's father wants Anne back and locked up.
-Anne's mother wants Anne happy and back home.
-Cord's family thinks that Cord is a savage and can snap any moment.
-Eveyone is afraid of Cord.
-Everyone ignores and feels sorry for Anne.
-Gossips and insults everywhere Anne and Cord go.
-Not enough money to survive the winter.
-Too much pride to ask for help.
As I have said before this is a book of small victories that if you add them up you will have an out of proportion joy when you finish this book.
While the civilized, well-mannered citizens and role models of the small town are busy hating; Anne and Cord are busy falling in love and gaining more and more friends.
The pages were flying when I was reading the book. Although it is a fairly long book, I could not put it down.
Anne is one of the most likable heroines: Fierce, determined, lovable. She radiates warmth and light. Under the hesitant protection and unspoken love by Cord, her inner strength will be multiplied and be offered freely to all the living creatures (men, women and animals) that need her help.
Cord is definitely husband material. He is loyal, protective and brutal with the people who threaten the peace of his family. He can only love once and forever.
Highly recommended book by almost everybody!
I was really wondering why all my friends in goodreads think that this is a very good book – especially because most of them do not share the same tastes in books and especially in romance books.
I think the main reason for the love for this particular book is that it is the book full of small satisfying victories.
Anne Wells and Cord Bennett have survived being different in a world of average people until they reached their late twenties.
Anne at this age is considered an old spinster and weird. She has already broken up her relationship with a descent (for the standards of that society) man and destroyed their engagement without hesitation. Now she refuses to marry the old, unloving, disgusting man that her father wants her to marry. She is locked in her room and starved for weeks until she manages to escape and end up in Cord’s farm asking for help.
Now, Cord is considered an outlier in the respectable society of that small town in Colorado. The son of a rancher and a Cheyenne woman; he is someone that almost everyone fears – including his own half brothers and sisters. He has almost killed a few men, he has almost killed his own brother, he left the small town and apparently killed more men; until he came back looking like a savage and started looking after his farm and his horses alone.
When Anne and Cord met the morning of Anne’s getaway; Anne understood how brutal her father is; how much people do not care and how many hypocrites are around.
Anne and Cord almost died that morning.
Anne and Cord were reborn after a few weeks. Mainly depending on each other.
And then the problems begin:
-Cord thinks that Anne is too good for him.
-Anne thinks that Cord cannot love.
-The small town thinks that Cord holds Anne hostage.
-Anne's father wants Anne back and locked up.
-Anne's mother wants Anne happy and back home.
-Cord's family thinks that Cord is a savage and can snap any moment.
-Eveyone is afraid of Cord.
-Everyone ignores and feels sorry for Anne.
-Gossips and insults everywhere Anne and Cord go.
-Not enough money to survive the winter.
-Too much pride to ask for help.
As I have said before this is a book of small victories that if you add them up you will have an out of proportion joy when you finish this book.
While the civilized, well-mannered citizens and role models of the small town are busy hating; Anne and Cord are busy falling in love and gaining more and more friends.
The pages were flying when I was reading the book. Although it is a fairly long book, I could not put it down.
Anne is one of the most likable heroines: Fierce, determined, lovable. She radiates warmth and light. Under the hesitant protection and unspoken love by Cord, her inner strength will be multiplied and be offered freely to all the living creatures (men, women and animals) that need her help.
Cord is definitely husband material. He is loyal, protective and brutal with the people who threaten the peace of his family. He can only love once and forever.
Highly recommended book by almost everybody!
November 8, 2021
Re-read and revised rating
Revising to a 5 star because Annie and Cole are just two wonderful for words. The re-read just got better. Listen here authors, this is how you write a love story that holds your interests and has characters that have more than one brain cell. The characters are distinct, mildly flawed, but the conflict is external and comes from the other rotten secondary characters not some ridiculous BS drama for drama's sake.
Annie is one of the best heroines ever. She'sover emotional, loving and her anger and protection for Cole are both hysterically funny and heartwarming. Fine. I cried. I'm having a Roy Kent moment here. And Cole! Poor Cole. Shut down emotionally without being the typical navel-gazing-romance-novel idiot about it is just as loving and protective to Annie but without the humor.
Just read it. My review is not worthy.
First review
I can not believe how much I loved this book. I mean REALLY loved it. I have had it on my Kindle since October but have pushed off reading it as the cover is a little cheesy, and some of the reviews implied it was very amateurish.
Eyes..is old school in the sense that is an old-fashioned romance with a capital R. No silly quirks, no gimmicks, no BDSM (not that I'm opposed to it), but just a story of the subtle and sweet development of love between two fun and honorable characters. Very character driven. I read until 2:00 a.m. to finish it.
Anne is an awesome heroine. Honorable, feisty, loving sweet and very funny: example she goes to church just to glare down the wimpy preacher, and has no problems running off her new husband's obnoxious alpha big brother.
And, Cord. Oh my. I am a sucker for the tortured hero as long as they are not too Heathcliff. Cord is half Native American and has been shunned by the community as well as his family to a certain extent. To say he is a man of few words is putting it mildly, but the author did a great job of showing his struggles and his love for Anne without making him sound like a wimp.
It's not a perfect book. I wanted to strangle some of the secondary characters, primarily his half-brothers. Frank, I'm gunning for you, you SOB, and her father needs to die a slow, agonizing death. No insta forgiveness from Anne.
A lot of the story deals with the fact that Cord is part Indian and the incredible prejudice against him and Anne as his wife. In 2016 it's easy to dismiss how harsh life could be. I thought the author did an excellent job showing how tough it was even with family and legal support.
I hate reviews that are as long as the book, and mine is getting into dangerous territory.
Bottom line: if you like a true romance, multi-dimensional characters, steamy romance scenes with minimal graphics (insert tab a into slot b), a decent plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat the give Eyes a try. If you're not hooked by the third chapter then you're done.
Revising to a 5 star because Annie and Cole are just two wonderful for words. The re-read just got better. Listen here authors, this is how you write a love story that holds your interests and has characters that have more than one brain cell. The characters are distinct, mildly flawed, but the conflict is external and comes from the other rotten secondary characters not some ridiculous BS drama for drama's sake.
Annie is one of the best heroines ever. She's
Just read it. My review is not worthy.
First review
I can not believe how much I loved this book. I mean REALLY loved it. I have had it on my Kindle since October but have pushed off reading it as the cover is a little cheesy, and some of the reviews implied it was very amateurish.
Eyes..is old school in the sense that is an old-fashioned romance with a capital R. No silly quirks, no gimmicks, no BDSM (not that I'm opposed to it), but just a story of the subtle and sweet development of love between two fun and honorable characters. Very character driven. I read until 2:00 a.m. to finish it.
Anne is an awesome heroine. Honorable, feisty, loving sweet and very funny: example she goes to church just to glare down the wimpy preacher, and has no problems running off her new husband's obnoxious alpha big brother.
And, Cord. Oh my. I am a sucker for the tortured hero as long as they are not too Heathcliff. Cord is half Native American and has been shunned by the community as well as his family to a certain extent. To say he is a man of few words is putting it mildly, but the author did a great job of showing his struggles and his love for Anne without making him sound like a wimp.
It's not a perfect book. I wanted to strangle some of the secondary characters, primarily his half-brothers. Frank, I'm gunning for you, you SOB, and her father needs to die a slow, agonizing death. No insta forgiveness from Anne.
A lot of the story deals with the fact that Cord is part Indian and the incredible prejudice against him and Anne as his wife. In 2016 it's easy to dismiss how harsh life could be. I thought the author did an excellent job showing how tough it was even with family and legal support.
I hate reviews that are as long as the book, and mine is getting into dangerous territory.
Bottom line: if you like a true romance, multi-dimensional characters, steamy romance scenes with minimal graphics (insert tab a into slot b), a decent plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat the give Eyes a try. If you're not hooked by the third chapter then you're done.
December 21, 2022
RE-READ 2021 - in the mood for the best western historical romance EVER!!!
RE-READ 2019 - no idea how often I've read this book - loving it as much as the first time....
And I should definitely write a review one of these days...
Until then, the book is one of my beloved re-reads, I usually read her books once a year, go through them all in one go, and afterwards I have the biggest book hangover.
RE-READ 2019 - no idea how often I've read this book - loving it as much as the first time....
And I should definitely write a review one of these days...
Until then, the book is one of my beloved re-reads, I usually read her books once a year, go through them all in one go, and afterwards I have the biggest book hangover.
November 11, 2020
5 stars
Fabulous story and characters. One of the best historical romance novels I've ever read. This is not a fluffy, barely accurate to the times story, nope! This felt authentic but not too much that it takes away from the romance. (Anne and Cord are my new favourite book couple)
I just loved it, the end.
Fabulous story and characters. One of the best historical romance novels I've ever read. This is not a fluffy, barely accurate to the times story, nope! This felt authentic but not too much that it takes away from the romance. (Anne and Cord are my new favourite book couple)
I just loved it, the end.
June 6, 2021
⭐ 2.3 "🎶 Hello darkness, my old friend 🎵" stars ⭐
After encountering a few raving reviews and hearing some of my pals’ opinions, my hype for this book was reaching astronomical digits. So when Elena and I decided to buddy read it, the excitement was genuine!
Alas…
Graphic depiction of what reaching the ending felt like. Saying things took a turn for the worse would be an understatement.
********************
If you were to scroll up to the beginning of my chat with Elena, you’d see that the amount of praise we exchanged for the book was STAGGERING. Even in our earlier updates here on GR, it was pretty clear we were initially on board and having a great time.
Yet considering the rating above, I imagine it won’t come off as much of a shock to hear the sentiment did not last.
We really went from...
To...
Real quick.
But I’ll still try to remain somewhat impartial and attempt to point out both positives and negatives, since I never intend to full-on bash a book and I believe that if some parts were enjoyable, then they should be discussed as well.
HIGHLIGHTS
— A Great Start.
A lot™ was happening from the get-go, in rapid succession, and without sparing any punches. From Anne escaping her abusive family, to her running away to Cord’s farm, to her family crashing their little meeting and then a beating, an attempted sexual assault, and a surprise wedding all taking place in the span of a few pages. Quite the frantic start indeed.
Regardless of the fact that it was a bit much for me to digest originally —I admit I had to re-read a few paragraphs a couple of times, considering my attention span is the equivalent to a 5-year-old high on skittles, it did ultimately serve the purpose of piquing my interest! The potential was very much there.
But that’s the thing about expectations, isn’t it?
You either get pleasantly surprised or burnt to a crisp.
(Foreshadowing? Perhaps I've heard of her.)
— The Farm Life.
As someone who thrives on domesticity and those small moments of intimacy between leads, I was giddy reading about Cord and Anne slowly adjusting to both their new marital status and shared life. While the couple began warming up to each other, the backdrop of the animals and household chores provided for a united struggle and bonding experience.
Plus, cute animals.
👇 Simply put 👇
— The h Anne.
She was a welcomed breath of fresh air amidst the surplus of subservient heroines so often seen in the genre (nothing wrong with them, just not my particular cup of tea). Instead, Anne was resilient, independent, and unwilling to comply with the societal and familial expectations trusted upon her. Even if being her authentic self meant risking her freedom or life, Anne was never willing to compromise her convictions.
Plus, it was also incredibly satisfying to see her not only playing the role of romantic heroine, but of a protector as well. Defying the gender roles we usually encounter in historical fiction, Anne was always quick to be the one defending both her marriage with Cord and the man himself. If anyone were to even whisper something remotely negative about her husband, this woman was willing to go to war (and threaten the devil himself with a shotgun).
Basically…
Anyone: *talks shit about Cord, their life together, or even tries to imply Anne isn’t happily married*
Anne:
So yes, of course it was hard not to like her.
But all good things must come to an end, which means we should swiftly move on to the next section of this review…
WARNING: (Down) Here Be Spoilers
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
MY ISSUES
— Miscommunication.
The literarymonster plot device I cannot escape, and
probably my biggest pet peeve of them all.
This doesn’t mean I’ve never seen it done well before, but just that, for me, it usually needs lots of character work to excuse its implementation and a satisfactory conclusion to make it all worthwhile.
Here though? Well, that was not the case at all.
While Anne fought for their love and made it clear on repeated occasions how much better her life at the farm was (because hello, her family had been abusing her for years before she managed to escape), Cord kept refusing to believe her and continued to assume she would inevitably leave. Something that, considering the discrimination and harsh judgment the man had faced throughout his life, made sense at first. After all, he was a guarded individual, and allowing someone to break through his walls, even if it was his new wife, meant showing a vulnerability that would devastate him if damaged.
Nevertheless, if you fast forward to chapter 40+ and neither of them has yet dared to address the clear issues and misunderstandings? If even Anne, who had been so open to communicating and making her opinion known before, is suddenly hiding secrets (🤰🤰🤰) and feelings too?
As every other time miscommunication is overused in a story, I promptly found myself over here like...
My soul really said YEET.
— The Big Bad Guy's Big Dumb Plan.
Anne’s father, Edward, was not-so-subtly hinted at being the villain of the book from the very beginning… only to then be relegated to the back of everyone’s mind until the last possible second. The book was filled with POVs of side characters, yet the one time Edward the Baddie got his? Barely a page filled with completely inconsequential (and reiterated) commentary.
But what ended up being his masterful plan, you ask? Kidnapping Anne, coercing her to leave a note for Cord (assuming the man was idiotic enough to believe it, too), and then bribing a doctor so he could force her to have an abortion (Because of course this book ended up involving a surprise miracle pregnancy too, despite Cord being supposedly infertile. The philosopher's stone ain't got nothing on Anne's coochie 💅). Either way, what I'm saying is that this old flatulence of a man really stayed away scheming for MONTHS only to come up with the laziest possible strategy ever.
@ Anne's father:
And maybe this is just a personal issue, but if you’re going to try and sell us on a villainous guy for the entirety of a story, then you BETTER DELIVER. And deliver this did not.
Let’s now advance to my very last point though...
— Cord lacking any real motivation (or depth) beyond Anne.
The truth was that while we see Anne gaining confidence, developing agency, and becoming the brave and outspoken woman we know her to be, Cord was… just kinda there. We hear of the racism and prejudice he faced as the child of an interracial couple, of the tense relationship with his own family, and his impression of not being able to ever truly fit anywhere. However, all of this serves as a backdrop for his character. A context for what I originally expected to be a satisfactory arc.
In reality, when all was said and done his entire existence ended up revolving around servicing Anne and not much else. Even while starring in his own story, Cord still felt like a supporting character, someone to be guided and instructed (and there is something to be said about him only being able to sort out his affairs once his white wife showed up… but that’s another take for another day). To sum things up, however, as much as I enjoy an H who worships and pines for his love interest, in this particular story Cord just ended up falling completely flat for me.
Paired with Anne, who was written to have such depth, their interactions came across to me a bit like...
This kind of one-sided love story if you catch my drift.
(And no, I’m not sorry for the nightmares that picture will conjure up.)
***********************************
By now, I’m feeling so drained that I can’t even gather the strength to write some proper closing thoughts. So all I will add is that from all the nitpicks I listed above, the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that I just ended up being incredibly bored by the end.
Which, at least in my eyes, is the worst outcome of them all.
Although to everyone who adored the story, considers it a favorite, or even has plans to read it in the future, as always I’ll reiterate that you shouldn’t be deterred by this review or feel ashamed of your own views!
As the saying goes:
After encountering a few raving reviews and hearing some of my pals’ opinions, my hype for this book was reaching astronomical digits. So when Elena and I decided to buddy read it, the excitement was genuine!
Alas…
Graphic depiction of what reaching the ending felt like. Saying things took a turn for the worse would be an understatement.
********************
If you were to scroll up to the beginning of my chat with Elena, you’d see that the amount of praise we exchanged for the book was STAGGERING. Even in our earlier updates here on GR, it was pretty clear we were initially on board and having a great time.
Yet considering the rating above, I imagine it won’t come off as much of a shock to hear the sentiment did not last.
We really went from...
To...
Real quick.
But I’ll still try to remain somewhat impartial and attempt to point out both positives and negatives, since I never intend to full-on bash a book and I believe that if some parts were enjoyable, then they should be discussed as well.
HIGHLIGHTS
— A Great Start.
A lot™ was happening from the get-go, in rapid succession, and without sparing any punches. From Anne escaping her abusive family, to her running away to Cord’s farm, to her family crashing their little meeting and then a beating, an attempted sexual assault, and a surprise wedding all taking place in the span of a few pages. Quite the frantic start indeed.
Regardless of the fact that it was a bit much for me to digest originally —I admit I had to re-read a few paragraphs a couple of times, considering my attention span is the equivalent to a 5-year-old high on skittles, it did ultimately serve the purpose of piquing my interest! The potential was very much there.
But that’s the thing about expectations, isn’t it?
You either get pleasantly surprised or burnt to a crisp.
(Foreshadowing? Perhaps I've heard of her.)
— The Farm Life.
As someone who thrives on domesticity and those small moments of intimacy between leads, I was giddy reading about Cord and Anne slowly adjusting to both their new marital status and shared life. While the couple began warming up to each other, the backdrop of the animals and household chores provided for a united struggle and bonding experience.
Plus, cute animals.
👇 Simply put 👇
— The h Anne.
She was a welcomed breath of fresh air amidst the surplus of subservient heroines so often seen in the genre (nothing wrong with them, just not my particular cup of tea). Instead, Anne was resilient, independent, and unwilling to comply with the societal and familial expectations trusted upon her. Even if being her authentic self meant risking her freedom or life, Anne was never willing to compromise her convictions.
Plus, it was also incredibly satisfying to see her not only playing the role of romantic heroine, but of a protector as well. Defying the gender roles we usually encounter in historical fiction, Anne was always quick to be the one defending both her marriage with Cord and the man himself. If anyone were to even whisper something remotely negative about her husband, this woman was willing to go to war (and threaten the devil himself with a shotgun).
Basically…
Anyone: *talks shit about Cord, their life together, or even tries to imply Anne isn’t happily married*
Anne:
So yes, of course it was hard not to like her.
But all good things must come to an end, which means we should swiftly move on to the next section of this review…
WARNING: (Down) Here Be Spoilers
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
🚨
MY ISSUES
— Miscommunication.
The literary
Here though? Well, that was not the case at all.
While Anne fought for their love and made it clear on repeated occasions how much better her life at the farm was (because hello, her family had been abusing her for years before she managed to escape), Cord kept refusing to believe her and continued to assume she would inevitably leave. Something that, considering the discrimination and harsh judgment the man had faced throughout his life, made sense at first. After all, he was a guarded individual, and allowing someone to break through his walls, even if it was his new wife, meant showing a vulnerability that would devastate him if damaged.
Nevertheless, if you fast forward to chapter 40+ and neither of them has yet dared to address the clear issues and misunderstandings? If even Anne, who had been so open to communicating and making her opinion known before, is suddenly hiding secrets (🤰🤰🤰) and feelings too?
As every other time miscommunication is overused in a story, I promptly found myself over here like...
My soul really said YEET.
— The Big Bad Guy's Big Dumb Plan.
Anne’s father, Edward, was not-so-subtly hinted at being the villain of the book from the very beginning… only to then be relegated to the back of everyone’s mind until the last possible second. The book was filled with POVs of side characters, yet the one time Edward the Baddie got his? Barely a page filled with completely inconsequential (and reiterated) commentary.
But what ended up being his masterful plan, you ask? Kidnapping Anne, coercing her to leave a note for Cord (assuming the man was idiotic enough to believe it, too), and then bribing a doctor so he could force her to have an abortion (Because of course this book ended up involving a surprise miracle pregnancy too, despite Cord being supposedly infertile. The philosopher's stone ain't got nothing on Anne's coochie 💅). Either way, what I'm saying is that this old flatulence of a man really stayed away scheming for MONTHS only to come up with the laziest possible strategy ever.
@ Anne's father:
And maybe this is just a personal issue, but if you’re going to try and sell us on a villainous guy for the entirety of a story, then you BETTER DELIVER. And deliver this did not.
Let’s now advance to my very last point though...
— Cord lacking any real motivation (or depth) beyond Anne.
The truth was that while we see Anne gaining confidence, developing agency, and becoming the brave and outspoken woman we know her to be, Cord was… just kinda there. We hear of the racism and prejudice he faced as the child of an interracial couple, of the tense relationship with his own family, and his impression of not being able to ever truly fit anywhere. However, all of this serves as a backdrop for his character. A context for what I originally expected to be a satisfactory arc.
In reality, when all was said and done his entire existence ended up revolving around servicing Anne and not much else. Even while starring in his own story, Cord still felt like a supporting character, someone to be guided and instructed (and there is something to be said about him only being able to sort out his affairs once his white wife showed up… but that’s another take for another day). To sum things up, however, as much as I enjoy an H who worships and pines for his love interest, in this particular story Cord just ended up falling completely flat for me.
Paired with Anne, who was written to have such depth, their interactions came across to me a bit like...
This kind of one-sided love story if you catch my drift.
(And no, I’m not sorry for the nightmares that picture will conjure up.)
***********************************
By now, I’m feeling so drained that I can’t even gather the strength to write some proper closing thoughts. So all I will add is that from all the nitpicks I listed above, the thing that bothered me the most was the fact that I just ended up being incredibly bored by the end.
Which, at least in my eyes, is the worst outcome of them all.
Although to everyone who adored the story, considers it a favorite, or even has plans to read it in the future, as always I’ll reiterate that you shouldn’t be deterred by this review or feel ashamed of your own views!
As the saying goes:
December 4, 2020
5 stars
Anne believed she would in the end hear the words she, like all women, longed to hear, but if he never spoke of it, she would be content with this. He loved her, and she knew it, and he was capable of such tenderness it left her trembling, overwhelmed by her own love for him.
I've been meaning to read this one for ages, especially because so many of my peeps loved and/or recommended it. I flew right through it. It wasn't always an easy journey, sometimes infuriating, sometimes heartbreaking, but it was also funny, beautiful, and moving.
I adored Annie and Cord, both as individuals and as a couple.
He shook her gently. "Listen to me, listen, there's nothing anybody could do to you that would make me not want you - no hurt, no scar, nothing. These past days I've been afraid they broke you, ruined all the fire. I'd mourn, Annie - I don't want you different - but I'd still want you. I love you.”
Watching their relationship develop and grow into something deeper was a pleasure.
ETA (from one of my comments below):
These two went through their definite share of hell dealing with hatred, racism, misogyny, and painful betrayals from loved ones, but Annie and Cord both had a deeper strength, maturity, and wisdom of spirit that was reflected beautifully in each other as their relationship bloomed.
I loved how they had each other's backs, how they stood together and united against the ignorance, and found so much healing, support, love, freedom and joy with one another, even as they eventually taught those who mattered in their lives (by word and by actions) a number of needed lessons.
They truly are the heart of this tale.
Still thinking about them and various scenes in this book.
I know I will definitely read this one again.
Her hands cupped his face, thumbs caressing his cheekbones. "I love you, Mr. Bennett."
"Good thing. Hate to be the only one afflicted.”
(This is my first novel by this author, but it certainly won't be my last.)
Anne believed she would in the end hear the words she, like all women, longed to hear, but if he never spoke of it, she would be content with this. He loved her, and she knew it, and he was capable of such tenderness it left her trembling, overwhelmed by her own love for him.
I've been meaning to read this one for ages, especially because so many of my peeps loved and/or recommended it. I flew right through it. It wasn't always an easy journey, sometimes infuriating, sometimes heartbreaking, but it was also funny, beautiful, and moving.
I adored Annie and Cord, both as individuals and as a couple.
He shook her gently. "Listen to me, listen, there's nothing anybody could do to you that would make me not want you - no hurt, no scar, nothing. These past days I've been afraid they broke you, ruined all the fire. I'd mourn, Annie - I don't want you different - but I'd still want you. I love you.”
Watching their relationship develop and grow into something deeper was a pleasure.
ETA (from one of my comments below):
These two went through their definite share of hell dealing with hatred, racism, misogyny, and painful betrayals from loved ones, but Annie and Cord both had a deeper strength, maturity, and wisdom of spirit that was reflected beautifully in each other as their relationship bloomed.
I loved how they had each other's backs, how they stood together and united against the ignorance, and found so much healing, support, love, freedom and joy with one another, even as they eventually taught those who mattered in their lives (by word and by actions) a number of needed lessons.
They truly are the heart of this tale.
Still thinking about them and various scenes in this book.
I know I will definitely read this one again.
Her hands cupped his face, thumbs caressing his cheekbones. "I love you, Mr. Bennett."
"Good thing. Hate to be the only one afflicted.”
(This is my first novel by this author, but it certainly won't be my last.)
September 2, 2020
4 STARS!!
Plot in a nutshell: An outcast due to his mixed heritage, Cord has developed a reputation as an uncaring and violent man . . . one that's not completely undeserved.
I swear, there's no way a person can read the first few chapters of this book and not continue! They were gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and soul-uplifting. And they set the stage for the rest of the story perfectly.
Despite their differences, Cord and Anne were wonderful together.
If you're a fan of historical westerns, I can't imagine you not enjoying this one. I highly recommend!
Too much strength could be a curse, leaving a person unable to bend, only break.I've been meaning to read this one for so long! Thank you Birjis for convincing me to finally take the plunge. What a story!
Plot in a nutshell: An outcast due to his mixed heritage, Cord has developed a reputation as an uncaring and violent man . . . one that's not completely undeserved.
Too much of his life had been lived in a withdrawn and silent way.Anne doesn't fit with her family either and when they try to force her to marry a man she despises, she runs. DISASTER ensues.
She had been condemned for a sin she had not committed and was surprised to realize it only set her free.Cord and Anne are thrown together, and against all the odds, these two attempt to build a life for themselves.
I swear, there's no way a person can read the first few chapters of this book and not continue! They were gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and soul-uplifting. And they set the stage for the rest of the story perfectly.
Despite their differences, Cord and Anne were wonderful together.
He suppressed every emotion. She suppressed none.My only complaint was that a couple of times, the story was pushed too far into unbelievable territory. However, that didn't take away from some of the incredible highs found within the narrative.
If you're a fan of historical westerns, I can't imagine you not enjoying this one. I highly recommend!
May 1, 2023
It was time for a re-read.
I forgotten how tender this love story is, how slowly it moves and how captivating the characters are.
“Grown man walks around with his eyes shut tight, he shouldn’t be surprised if he bumps into something he didn’t see.”
Filled with horrific physical and verbal violence, at the beginning (just get through that part), soon becomes a story of redemption with beautiful character growth. It’s one of the best historical westerns out there.
The prejudice of the West towards Native Americans/Indians is written depressingly well.
Cord is a one-of-a-kind hero. Anne is a perfect match for him. First meeting at the age of 10, when she helps defend his sister from bullies. They have both survived so much when they meet again in their 20s.
It’s because of Anne’s strength that their relationship survives. She refuses to give up and eventually her tenacity, joy of life, and her unfailing support of him allows him to realize he is worth loving. I loved the writing here so much. You get to see each pov, how they each feel after a disagreement, and how it’s resolved.
Maybe occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her—for a while.
I forgotten how tender this love story is, how slowly it moves and how captivating the characters are.
“Grown man walks around with his eyes shut tight, he shouldn’t be surprised if he bumps into something he didn’t see.”
Filled with horrific physical and verbal violence, at the beginning (just get through that part), soon becomes a story of redemption with beautiful character growth. It’s one of the best historical westerns out there.
The prejudice of the West towards Native Americans/Indians is written depressingly well.
Cord is a one-of-a-kind hero. Anne is a perfect match for him. First meeting at the age of 10, when she helps defend his sister from bullies. They have both survived so much when they meet again in their 20s.
It’s because of Anne’s strength that their relationship survives. She refuses to give up and eventually her tenacity, joy of life, and her unfailing support of him allows him to realize he is worth loving. I loved the writing here so much. You get to see each pov, how they each feel after a disagreement, and how it’s resolved.
Maybe occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her—for a while.
September 3, 2024
In my romantic era as I absolutely love western romance vibes 🤌 the title, plot and cover got me convinced 👀
February 29, 2024
This was one of the highest quality romances I’ve ever read, I adored this book!
The beginning of Anne’s and Cord’s story is a heartbreaking and infuriating picture of white men dominance.
This not only a romance novel, it’s a story about racism, sexism, prejudice and family values. The characters are complex, beautifully written and very human. Obviously the focus is on Anne and Cord but Cord’s siblings and their families are an important element of the story.
I loved reading about his brothers, their relationship was truly fascinating. They were both white men who had accepted their little half-Cheyenne brother in their family and raised him after his mother’s death. However, even though they loved him they were not immune to racist prejudice and were often very unfair towards him. They were absolutely not a perfect family but it was so believable and raw!
Anne’s father was a true villain, but her mother and brother were both complex characters who grew throughout the story.
Last but not least the slow burn romance. It was not perfect from the beginning either but again it was much more believable that way. I loved their dynamic and their banter and how their relationship developed into an absolutely swoon worthy romance.
I could keep going about the reasons why this book is amazing but I have to stop somewhere, I don’t like long reviews. So just read for yourself, you won’t regret it!
The beginning of Anne’s and Cord’s story is a heartbreaking and infuriating picture of white men dominance.
This not only a romance novel, it’s a story about racism, sexism, prejudice and family values. The characters are complex, beautifully written and very human. Obviously the focus is on Anne and Cord but Cord’s siblings and their families are an important element of the story.
I loved reading about his brothers, their relationship was truly fascinating. They were both white men who had accepted their little half-Cheyenne brother in their family and raised him after his mother’s death. However, even though they loved him they were not immune to racist prejudice and were often very unfair towards him. They were absolutely not a perfect family but it was so believable and raw!
Anne’s father was a true villain, but her mother and brother were both complex characters who grew throughout the story.
Last but not least the slow burn romance. It was not perfect from the beginning either but again it was much more believable that way. I loved their dynamic and their banter and how their relationship developed into an absolutely swoon worthy romance.
I could keep going about the reasons why this book is amazing but I have to stop somewhere, I don’t like long reviews. So just read for yourself, you won’t regret it!
September 19, 2020
3.5 stars
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the beginning of this book. I read the first chapter and I was like “whoa, so we’re going to start like that?!” I mean no slow introduction and a few descriptions and all of that? No it just pushed me right into a brutal hard to read scene.
I felt so sad and angry because of all the misogyny and racism that those characters have to go through! It just made me so mad! Still I loved to see Annie and Cord character’s growth and development. Everything they went through shaped them to who they become.
I think this is my first western historical romance and it felt different than the other HRs I read even in the writing style. Thank you Melanie for putting this book on my radar. I truly enjoyed it.
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the beginning of this book. I read the first chapter and I was like “whoa, so we’re going to start like that?!” I mean no slow introduction and a few descriptions and all of that? No it just pushed me right into a brutal hard to read scene.
I felt so sad and angry because of all the misogyny and racism that those characters have to go through! It just made me so mad! Still I loved to see Annie and Cord character’s growth and development. Everything they went through shaped them to who they become.
I think this is my first western historical romance and it felt different than the other HRs I read even in the writing style. Thank you Melanie for putting this book on my radar. I truly enjoyed it.
June 14, 2020
Re-read 12th - 14th June 2020.
Re-read 23rd - 24th June 2018
This is one of my favourites. In the eight or so years since I first read this I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve returned to it.
When I originally read this. I used to read historical romances exclusively. Now my reading tastes are wide open but this is still a classic and still one of my favourite books ever.
Anne Wells is twenty-eight year old spinster and her father has decided its past time she was married. George Detrick has her father’s blessing. The problem is Detrick is not only older than her father but he’s a dreadful man with horrible sons older than her.
Anne has refused. After locking her in her room didn’t work. Her father started withholding food. Anne escapes before she’s hungry enough to agree to the wedding. She finds herself in a barn belonging to Cord Bennett.
The Bennett’s are a large family but the youngest two Cord and Marie are half Cheyenne and the prejudice they live with everyday is sickening.
Cord and Anne find themselves thrown together and find that they suit each other very well.
In the beginning it’s a case of them against the world even his family don’t help or approve.
I LOVE this book. It’s a beautiful romance but it’s also funny.
Anyone familiar with my reviews will know I’m a complete sucker for a man who loves his partner so completely.
Maybe occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her—for a while.
Cord swallowed to control the lump in his throat several times before risking speech. If he lived to be a hundred and tried every day of the time, he’d never deserve to have this woman, not for an hour, day, or week, much less this whole past year.
Re-read 23rd - 24th June 2018
This is one of my favourites. In the eight or so years since I first read this I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve returned to it.
When I originally read this. I used to read historical romances exclusively. Now my reading tastes are wide open but this is still a classic and still one of my favourite books ever.
Anne Wells is twenty-eight year old spinster and her father has decided its past time she was married. George Detrick has her father’s blessing. The problem is Detrick is not only older than her father but he’s a dreadful man with horrible sons older than her.
Anne has refused. After locking her in her room didn’t work. Her father started withholding food. Anne escapes before she’s hungry enough to agree to the wedding. She finds herself in a barn belonging to Cord Bennett.
The Bennett’s are a large family but the youngest two Cord and Marie are half Cheyenne and the prejudice they live with everyday is sickening.
Cord and Anne find themselves thrown together and find that they suit each other very well.
In the beginning it’s a case of them against the world even his family don’t help or approve.
I LOVE this book. It’s a beautiful romance but it’s also funny.
Anyone familiar with my reviews will know I’m a complete sucker for a man who loves his partner so completely.
Maybe occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her—for a while.
Cord swallowed to control the lump in his throat several times before risking speech. If he lived to be a hundred and tried every day of the time, he’d never deserve to have this woman, not for an hour, day, or week, much less this whole past year.
June 22, 2018
3.5 Stars
Overall Opinion: So many people have raving reviews about this! I'm glad I read it even if I didn't seem to love it quite as much as everyone else. I've never read a western type hr before, so this was something new to mix everything up in my tbr list. I found the characters to be really likable, and I was definitely rooting for their HEA. My issues are with the pacing (felt a little slow at times), Cord's brothers (hated them), and the ending (what WAS with that ending?!). Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and can see where this might be a reader's go-to when looking for a re-read.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Anne and Cord's story. This is set in the late 1800s in Colorado. Cord is a half Native American and Anne is a lady that doesn't always act like a lady, so neither of them are easily accepted by others and often discriminated against. They formed a friendship of sorts when they were young, and when Anne find herself on the run from her father she ends up on his ranch. Circumstances and some violent acts later, they find themselves married to one another. There is a lot of unhappy people about their union, some funny moments, a few sexy times, some suspenseful scenes, and some sweet moments...and they get a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between focusing mainly on Anne and Cord in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good for the most part. I never skimmed, but I did have moments where it felt a little slow.
Instalove: No, they've known each other since they were kids.
H rating: 4 stars. Cord. I liked him. I felt horrible for all he had to go through (especially with his family). I did want him to speak up for himself a little more at times though, and not just remain quiet.
h rating: 5 stars. Anne. She was pretty darn amazing! I have zero complaints about her. She was smart, sweet, protective, and so strong! Awesome h.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Decent. They have some decent scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story, and I think it was more about their emotional connection than the physical.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Physically yes, but not in the typical to-add-drama way.
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had a kind of abrupt ending to where I was even thinking "that's it?!". I would still call it a HEA ending though
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Overall Opinion: So many people have raving reviews about this! I'm glad I read it even if I didn't seem to love it quite as much as everyone else. I've never read a western type hr before, so this was something new to mix everything up in my tbr list. I found the characters to be really likable, and I was definitely rooting for their HEA. My issues are with the pacing (felt a little slow at times), Cord's brothers (hated them), and the ending (what WAS with that ending?!). Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and can see where this might be a reader's go-to when looking for a re-read.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Anne and Cord's story. This is set in the late 1800s in Colorado. Cord is a half Native American and Anne is a lady that doesn't always act like a lady, so neither of them are easily accepted by others and often discriminated against. They formed a friendship of sorts when they were young, and when Anne find herself on the run from her father she ends up on his ranch. Circumstances and some violent acts later, they find themselves married to one another. There is a lot of unhappy people about their union, some funny moments, a few sexy times, some suspenseful scenes, and some sweet moments...and they get a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between focusing mainly on Anne and Cord in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good for the most part. I never skimmed, but I did have moments where it felt a little slow.
Instalove: No, they've known each other since they were kids.
H rating: 4 stars. Cord. I liked him. I felt horrible for all he had to go through (especially with his family). I did want him to speak up for himself a little more at times though, and not just remain quiet.
h rating: 5 stars. Anne. She was pretty darn amazing! I have zero complaints about her. She was smart, sweet, protective, and so strong! Awesome h.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Decent. They have some decent scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story, and I think it was more about their emotional connection than the physical.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Physically yes, but not in the typical to-add-drama way.
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had a kind of abrupt ending to where I was even thinking "that's it?!". I would still call it a HEA ending though
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
November 29, 2018
I’m mentally kicking myself for taking too long to pick up this one. It was a very good and entertaining read! My feelings were all over the place, of course, in a good way. Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is one of those books that will stay with you for a long time after you’ve finished reading them.
This was a story of two people from completely different worlds who were thrown together under terrible circumstances, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. They both surprisingly found peace and comfort in each other’s company. In Anne, Cord found a strong, courageous, and compassionate woman who never gave up on her life. Not only did she make him a better man, but she also made him want to do more and be more just for her.
And in Cord, Anne found a good-hearted, quiet, honest, and dignified man who protected her with his life but wanted nothing in return. He made her happy and gave her freedom. She could be herself when she was with him. She saw how unfairly most of the townspeople treated him just because he was half Indian, and that made her wanted to do anything for this loner.
For them, it was a blessing that they ultimately found each other. Having someone who truly cared about them and someone they could confide in was more than they could ever ask for.
However, little did they know that the cruel fate that awaited them was about to step in and change everything they had together. But their love was worth fighting for, and they would never give up on each other no matter what.
I loved both main characters. They were totally made for each other. Cord is a very good man. I loved how he cared about Anne and how he was ready to do anything just to see her smile. I always admire men who speak less but do more, and Cord was no exception.
I was first shocked and confused and then upset that his brothers really believed that he could do such terrible things. How could someone who should know him better than anyone else thought the worst of him? At first, I didn't get why Cord didn't even say a single word. Why kept it all to himself all the time. I must admit I got a little frustrated with him, but the more I read, the more I understood him. He wasn't the kind of man who cared to explain himself to anyone for the sake of his reputation. It didn't matter to him whether people, including his family, would misunderstand him because the facts and his actions would speak for themselves eventually.
Cord is definitely the man of my dreams!
Anne is a strong, kind, considerate, clever, brave, and reasonable woman. I admired how she took care of Cord and never abandoned him, especially in his hour of need. I admired her strength, spirit, and courage. She’s such an inspiring female lead character! And I was so happy that she finally lived a happy and fulfilling life with a man she loved who loved her back with all his heart. Both of them deserved that after all what they had gone through.
I really enjoyed the romance aspect of this book. It wasn’t love at first sight but it was so romantic. It took some time for them to get used to being around each other. I loved how they developed the bond between them and it grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
Another thing that made this story work for me was the animals, especially the horses. I loved reading everything about them. The author did a great job of providing plenty of information about them (such as horse breeding, training, racing, and how to take care of them).
All in all, I enjoyed reading this one immensely. The story is quite long, but I can tell you that it’s definitely worth it! I would recommend this to fans of historical western romance.
I hope you enjoy it!
This was a story of two people from completely different worlds who were thrown together under terrible circumstances, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. They both surprisingly found peace and comfort in each other’s company. In Anne, Cord found a strong, courageous, and compassionate woman who never gave up on her life. Not only did she make him a better man, but she also made him want to do more and be more just for her.
And in Cord, Anne found a good-hearted, quiet, honest, and dignified man who protected her with his life but wanted nothing in return. He made her happy and gave her freedom. She could be herself when she was with him. She saw how unfairly most of the townspeople treated him just because he was half Indian, and that made her wanted to do anything for this loner.
For them, it was a blessing that they ultimately found each other. Having someone who truly cared about them and someone they could confide in was more than they could ever ask for.
However, little did they know that the cruel fate that awaited them was about to step in and change everything they had together. But their love was worth fighting for, and they would never give up on each other no matter what.
I loved both main characters. They were totally made for each other. Cord is a very good man. I loved how he cared about Anne and how he was ready to do anything just to see her smile. I always admire men who speak less but do more, and Cord was no exception.
I was first shocked and confused and then upset that his brothers really believed that he could do such terrible things. How could someone who should know him better than anyone else thought the worst of him? At first, I didn't get why Cord didn't even say a single word. Why kept it all to himself all the time. I must admit I got a little frustrated with him, but the more I read, the more I understood him. He wasn't the kind of man who cared to explain himself to anyone for the sake of his reputation. It didn't matter to him whether people, including his family, would misunderstand him because the facts and his actions would speak for themselves eventually.
Cord is definitely the man of my dreams!
Anne is a strong, kind, considerate, clever, brave, and reasonable woman. I admired how she took care of Cord and never abandoned him, especially in his hour of need. I admired her strength, spirit, and courage. She’s such an inspiring female lead character! And I was so happy that she finally lived a happy and fulfilling life with a man she loved who loved her back with all his heart. Both of them deserved that after all what they had gone through.
I really enjoyed the romance aspect of this book. It wasn’t love at first sight but it was so romantic. It took some time for them to get used to being around each other. I loved how they developed the bond between them and it grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
Another thing that made this story work for me was the animals, especially the horses. I loved reading everything about them. The author did a great job of providing plenty of information about them (such as horse breeding, training, racing, and how to take care of them).
All in all, I enjoyed reading this one immensely. The story is quite long, but I can tell you that it’s definitely worth it! I would recommend this to fans of historical western romance.
I hope you enjoy it!
June 29, 2021
Again I am the unpopluar reviewer.
What promised to be an intense Lorraine Heath-like western romance went downhill for me at about chapter 13.
Instead of giving a summary which is already provided by others, I'm going to list what I didn't like.
1. The writing was all tell no show.
2. Long strecthes of unnecessary descriptions of horses and gardening. I mean chapter upon chapter about it.
3. The romance was lacking to non-existant. There was no build up to affection. We are just told.. "she likes him" without any reasons for her feeling this way.
4. The hero's constant worrying that she's gonna leave him grew tiresome. Frankly, I didn't understand why he even liked her. Or she him for that matter. She likes his house and his appearance..that's it.
5.The author never showed the characters expressions. No subtle movements, eybrow raising, lip curls etc.. and there was no signs of tenderness.
6. The stream of consciousness of the characters was mechanical, as if they were reading a script... it felt unrealistic.
I tried, I really tried to like it but this writer is just not for me. There are far better HR's with the theme of racism out there. Some of my favorites are: Tabor's Trinket (Janet Lane) and Ella's Choice (Ruby Merrit).
Content concerns:
What promised to be an intense Lorraine Heath-like western romance went downhill for me at about chapter 13.
Instead of giving a summary which is already provided by others, I'm going to list what I didn't like.
1. The writing was all tell no show.
2. Long strecthes of unnecessary descriptions of horses and gardening. I mean chapter upon chapter about it.
3. The romance was lacking to non-existant. There was no build up to affection. We are just told.. "she likes him" without any reasons for her feeling this way.
4. The hero's constant worrying that she's gonna leave him grew tiresome. Frankly, I didn't understand why he even liked her. Or she him for that matter. She likes his house and his appearance..that's it.
5.The author never showed the characters expressions. No subtle movements, eybrow raising, lip curls etc.. and there was no signs of tenderness.
6. The stream of consciousness of the characters was mechanical, as if they were reading a script... it felt unrealistic.
I tried, I really tried to like it but this writer is just not for me. There are far better HR's with the theme of racism out there. Some of my favorites are: Tabor's Trinket (Janet Lane) and Ella's Choice (Ruby Merrit).
Content concerns:
November 7, 2024
Reread November 2024 - 5 stars
Nothing to see here, coming back to my comfort books whilst my TBR is overflowing is okay, right? 👀
Also.. 5 stars, it just had to be done. Cord and Annie… they’re just perfect.
Original Read November 2022 - 4 stars
I just loved this one so much. Anyone who loves western hr, cowboys and damsels in distress who turned out to be sassy af, PLS read this asap.
It was maybe because I was expecting zero when it came to this one, but it surprised me so much I couldn’t put it down and ended up not sleeping last night but I have zero regrets 🥺 ♥️
Nothing to see here, coming back to my comfort books whilst my TBR is overflowing is okay, right? 👀
Also.. 5 stars, it just had to be done. Cord and Annie… they’re just perfect.
Original Read November 2022 - 4 stars
I just loved this one so much. Anyone who loves western hr, cowboys and damsels in distress who turned out to be sassy af, PLS read this asap.
It was maybe because I was expecting zero when it came to this one, but it surprised me so much I couldn’t put it down and ended up not sleeping last night but I have zero regrets 🥺 ♥️
August 4, 2019
I feel like I found a secret treasure... Book cover looks so simple but the story itself was so powerful and deep. I LOVED Cord & Annie's story very much. ❤❤❤
Long story short, this book is one of my favorites now and I highly recommend it to you. 😉
Long story short, this book is one of my favorites now and I highly recommend it to you. 😉
January 2, 2012
"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
- by Peace Pilgrim – (American teacher and spiritual leader and peace prophet, 1908 – 1981)
"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."
- by Bryant H. McGill –
********************************************************************
"His daddy had brown eyes, but those eyes of his are yellow, yellow like a wolf’s."
"The color don’t make no nevermind. What tells you he’s the devil’s own is there’s nothing behind those eyes. They’re empty, empty, savage, and cold."
********************************************************************
Colorado 1885
This special love story between Cord Bennett and Anne Wells starts off with lots of pain, fear, humiliation, and blood. Don’t let it put you off.
One morning Cord finds Anne in his barn. She’s filthy, tired, scared, and extremely famished. Anne ran away from her home and came to him to ask for his help. Her father, Edward Wells, has been upset for years that she’s not married. He thinks having an old maid for a daughter is a reflection on him somehow. Moreover, he thinks that Anne is a disgrace to his family. He orders her to marry Mr. Detrick – a very repulsive man. When she declines multiple times, her father treats her like an animal – no, let me revise that…even an animal wouldn’t be treated like that! After her escape Edward Wells is searching for his daughter. But the search party turns into a lynch mob when they're arriving at Cord’s ranch. They’re beating him almost to death. What follows afterward is a long fight against small-minded people including their own families. It’s a long way until they finally find their happiness.
The relationship between Cord and his half-brothers Frank and Ephraim is irritated - to say the least. For a few years Cord was gone and his brothers never forgave him for the years of worry and fear, and Cord resented their attitude and would neither apologize nor explain. And the remaining love and loyalty were not enough to bridge the deep chasm of estrangement among the brothers.
Years ago Cord had to come to terms what it meant being a half-breed in a white man’s world. Anne is absolutely sure that the fright stories about Cord are not true, but the fact is he’s more often than not unemotional and uncommunicative. It’s difficult to get him to give a direct answer to a question. He seems unable or certainly unwilling to speak more than a few sentences at once.
It was striking to see how Cord and Annie had to struggle against a society filled with prejudice. I loved this quiet undertone that embraced Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold. Yes, there’s yelling, shouting, arguments, fighting, and violence. But overall it’s a beautiful and silent story. Maybe I feel this way because of Cord. Further, the ranch life is somehow lonely and silent. Don’t get me wrong – it’s never boring or uneventful by any means. Cord is a quiet man with a dry sense of humor, and he was so perceptive. I felt that his demeanor was his protective cover, and in order to not get hurt more, he became this emotionless, stoic, and withdrawn man.
On the other hand he acted a bit helpless at times when he didn’t know what to do with Annie when she was angry with him. Jeez, Cord had to learn how to interact with her. He had no clue at all what proper communication meant. Way to go, Cord! Even Annie wasn’t all that skilled when it came to communication. Overall it was kinda soothing to witness how their relationship evolved. Everything developed slowly but steadily. The main characters were always likeable and believable. Moreover, there were really good and witty dialogs as well! Anne was such a gutsy and strong heroine. At times she was so sassy – wonderful! I just had to admire this woman.
While reading this book my mind was flooded by many, many feelings. I was shocked, appalled, angry, disgusted. But I also felt relieved and happy, and I had to laugh quite a lot. Anne’s father (it’s a shame to call him father) was such a disgusting, repulsive, mean, and very, very EVIL piece of s*it. Such a vile creature of the human species. Oh, human race, my a*s!! Believe me, I wanted to massacre this guy inch by inch. He deserved a painful and slow death! And I am so a peaceful woman. But I was really close to cause self-harm (like tearing off my hair or smash my fist into a wall). My Kindle was extremely close to get thrown out the window! What her father did at the beginning of the story was unforgivable; what happened when I was about 72 % done with the story, however, that left me rather speechless! Jeez, that beats all! Bad, worse, worst doesn’t come close to what I was feeling!!!
I felt extremely relieved that Cord was helping Anne to get out of her cage and finding her wings. No one could ever cage her again and Cord admired her courage and determination. By the way...so did I! Loved how Cord called Annie his Ti-gress, and the Ti-gress suited Cord in a way that’s just beyond words!
What didn’t quite work for me:
1. PROPER COMMUNICATION
It’s so important to communicate and do it right and early. Gosh, Cord’s half-brothers were so frustrating! Oh, heaven forbid that they could use their brains!!! So difficult, huh? Being subtle and being able to anticipate is so not their forte either!
2. There were a few misunderstandings between Cord and Annie as well. And a few times I had to say to myself “Oh, Annie, just act and speak up already! Ask for his kisses, ask for his caresses!” This woman had a sassy mouth but sometimes it’d have been better to use it for different reasons.
3. I felt that the story needed better editing. Sometimes it was a tad distracting.
Despite my minor censure it's still a 5-star rating because this book touched me in a very special way right to my heart.
There were so many memorable "quotes"/lines. I put them in a spoiler. Feel free to read them, since there're no spoilers included!
Again...I could add many, many more!
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is a very beautiful and emotionally-charged love story. It’s well written and totally engrossing. Thank you, Ellen, for another wonderful story! Highly recommended!
I’d like to end my review of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by saying the following:
Cord’s eyes may have been cold as silver once, but when Annie came into his life, his eyes became a warm gold. Annie was able to fill his eyes with love, and the emptiness and coldness were gone eventually. Annie’s big grey/silver eyes melted with Cord’s golden eyes.
- by Peace Pilgrim – (American teacher and spiritual leader and peace prophet, 1908 – 1981)
"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love."
- by Bryant H. McGill –
********************************************************************
"His daddy had brown eyes, but those eyes of his are yellow, yellow like a wolf’s."
"The color don’t make no nevermind. What tells you he’s the devil’s own is there’s nothing behind those eyes. They’re empty, empty, savage, and cold."
********************************************************************
Colorado 1885
This special love story between Cord Bennett and Anne Wells starts off with lots of pain, fear, humiliation, and blood. Don’t let it put you off.
One morning Cord finds Anne in his barn. She’s filthy, tired, scared, and extremely famished. Anne ran away from her home and came to him to ask for his help. Her father, Edward Wells, has been upset for years that she’s not married. He thinks having an old maid for a daughter is a reflection on him somehow. Moreover, he thinks that Anne is a disgrace to his family. He orders her to marry Mr. Detrick – a very repulsive man. When she declines multiple times, her father treats her like an animal – no, let me revise that…even an animal wouldn’t be treated like that! After her escape Edward Wells is searching for his daughter. But the search party turns into a lynch mob when they're arriving at Cord’s ranch. They’re beating him almost to death. What follows afterward is a long fight against small-minded people including their own families. It’s a long way until they finally find their happiness.
The relationship between Cord and his half-brothers Frank and Ephraim is irritated - to say the least. For a few years Cord was gone and his brothers never forgave him for the years of worry and fear, and Cord resented their attitude and would neither apologize nor explain. And the remaining love and loyalty were not enough to bridge the deep chasm of estrangement among the brothers.
Years ago Cord had to come to terms what it meant being a half-breed in a white man’s world. Anne is absolutely sure that the fright stories about Cord are not true, but the fact is he’s more often than not unemotional and uncommunicative. It’s difficult to get him to give a direct answer to a question. He seems unable or certainly unwilling to speak more than a few sentences at once.
It was striking to see how Cord and Annie had to struggle against a society filled with prejudice. I loved this quiet undertone that embraced Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold. Yes, there’s yelling, shouting, arguments, fighting, and violence. But overall it’s a beautiful and silent story. Maybe I feel this way because of Cord. Further, the ranch life is somehow lonely and silent. Don’t get me wrong – it’s never boring or uneventful by any means. Cord is a quiet man with a dry sense of humor, and he was so perceptive. I felt that his demeanor was his protective cover, and in order to not get hurt more, he became this emotionless, stoic, and withdrawn man.
On the other hand he acted a bit helpless at times when he didn’t know what to do with Annie when she was angry with him. Jeez, Cord had to learn how to interact with her. He had no clue at all what proper communication meant. Way to go, Cord! Even Annie wasn’t all that skilled when it came to communication. Overall it was kinda soothing to witness how their relationship evolved. Everything developed slowly but steadily. The main characters were always likeable and believable. Moreover, there were really good and witty dialogs as well! Anne was such a gutsy and strong heroine. At times she was so sassy – wonderful! I just had to admire this woman.
While reading this book my mind was flooded by many, many feelings. I was shocked, appalled, angry, disgusted. But I also felt relieved and happy, and I had to laugh quite a lot. Anne’s father (it’s a shame to call him father) was such a disgusting, repulsive, mean, and very, very EVIL piece of s*it. Such a vile creature of the human species. Oh, human race, my a*s!! Believe me, I wanted to massacre this guy inch by inch. He deserved a painful and slow death! And I am so a peaceful woman. But I was really close to cause self-harm (like tearing off my hair or smash my fist into a wall). My Kindle was extremely close to get thrown out the window! What her father did at the beginning of the story was unforgivable; what happened when I was about 72 % done with the story, however, that left me rather speechless! Jeez, that beats all! Bad, worse, worst doesn’t come close to what I was feeling!!!
I felt extremely relieved that Cord was helping Anne to get out of her cage and finding her wings. No one could ever cage her again and Cord admired her courage and determination. By the way...so did I! Loved how Cord called Annie his Ti-gress, and the Ti-gress suited Cord in a way that’s just beyond words!
What didn’t quite work for me:
1. PROPER COMMUNICATION
It’s so important to communicate and do it right and early. Gosh, Cord’s half-brothers were so frustrating! Oh, heaven forbid that they could use their brains!!! So difficult, huh? Being subtle and being able to anticipate is so not their forte either!
2. There were a few misunderstandings between Cord and Annie as well. And a few times I had to say to myself “Oh, Annie, just act and speak up already! Ask for his kisses, ask for his caresses!” This woman had a sassy mouth but sometimes it’d have been better to use it for different reasons.
3. I felt that the story needed better editing. Sometimes it was a tad distracting.
Despite my minor censure it's still a 5-star rating because this book touched me in a very special way right to my heart.
There were so many memorable "quotes"/lines. I put them in a spoiler. Feel free to read them, since there're no spoilers included!
Again...I could add many, many more!
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is a very beautiful and emotionally-charged love story. It’s well written and totally engrossing. Thank you, Ellen, for another wonderful story! Highly recommended!
I’d like to end my review of Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by saying the following:
Cord’s eyes may have been cold as silver once, but when Annie came into his life, his eyes became a warm gold. Annie was able to fill his eyes with love, and the emptiness and coldness were gone eventually. Annie’s big grey/silver eyes melted with Cord’s golden eyes.
March 10, 2024
This is one of my all time top comfort books and I was in the need of comfort so…..
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
I’m never going to get tired of reading this book. It’s in my top three reread books and it was time to read it again.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
Yep, once again my yearly read. As I said, I can never read this book enough. It gets me every time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In keeping with reading books I’ve reread and loved, it was time to read this book again and it never tire of reading it.
*-*-*-*-
So this was my last book read for 2018 though I do have more to enter. I wanted to end with something very special. I stayed up until 2:30 am reading this one - and did it gladly. This is a book as already noted :-) I can read over and over and over and it never gets old and the love never lessens. It's still a 5+ stars and one of my top of all time reads. If you haven't read then you should, you really, really should
*****
This is another book that I recently read - yet again! I'm so glad I'm a rereader. I feel a bit sad for those who only read a book once no matter how much they enjoyed it.
July 29/17
****
I just reread this book for about the 5th time. It only gets better with each reading. It has become a real 'comfort read', a book to read when I still want to read but life seems to get me down.
****
Wow!! Just Wow!! I just got this one yesterday and I started reading around 2:30-3:00ish and couldn't go to bed until I read the whole book. I finally finished at 1:06 am. Then I couldn't sleep - ack! I think the people at Wendy's substituted a regular coffee for the decaf I ordered. See, I couldn't take time away from reading to make supper so I went through the drive through - not to mention I love their new fries - but I'm getting off topic. So while trying to fall asleep, I kept going over this book in my head, trying to think of how to put down in words how much I loved it and how much it moved me.
It's been a while since I've loved a heroine as much as I love Anne Wells. I think I have a girl crush on her - in a strictly platonic way of course. I love how well written she is. She's open and honest and brave in such a refreshing way. And what I especially loved was how fiercely protective she is of the hero, Cord Bennett, against anyone who she thought was wronging him, including his rather thickheaded brothers. There isn't anyone she won't take on to protect him. There were so many instances when there could have been frustrating misunderstandings, but instead Anne meets the issues head on and handles them directly so there are no festering resentments.
And as much as I love Anne, I love Cord just as much. Although quite reticent at first due to the prejudice he has experienced most of his life, he's more accepting of it and not the bitter kind of hero he could so easily have been. He is matter of fact about his life and while it is a lonely one, he doesn't really expect anything different. That is until Anne comes into his life. They knew each other briefly as children and then their paths cross again when Anne stumbles across Cords farm when trying to run away from a forced marriage. Her father catches her and in order to 'punish' her for her obstinacy, he forces the two of them to marry, and then has his henchman almost beat Cord to death. But Anne stays and nurses Cord back to health and after discussing the situation matter-of-factly, they decide to remain married. Cord is convinced it will only be for a short while; that Anne is too good for the likes of him. But he doesn't count on her sense of honour and her growing love for Cord, and his for her.
This is a great story of two lonely people brought together and discovering they are perfect for each other. Cord has a rather dry sense of humour that I really enjoyed and as mentioned earlier, Anne is ferocious in her defense of Cord. As their love builds, so do the love scenes which makes them even more a vital part of the story. Anne and Cord are friends first so there is not a doubt that this is a couple that will last.
While Anne's father for the longest time seems to be a Very Evil almost cartoonish villain, the author gives an explanation towards the end that makes very good sense. And I quite enjoyed Cord's two older half brothers, Frank and Ephraim. Time after time they misjudged Cord, thinking him a wild man in some of his actions. But instead he had very good reason for all the violence. He just couldn't have been bothered trying to explain himself to his brothers. His attitude makes for some delightful scenes that had me smiling.
{I'm having to go through this and make sure everything in this review is in the current tense as I plan on going back and reading this book again soon, very soon, slower this time so as to savour it the way it deserves to be savoured}.
The only thing keeping this from being a perfect 5 out of 5 is a very small thing that bothered me but probably wouldn't bother most readers. When referring to some of the towns people who let prejudice and anger rule their actions, the author referred to them as 'haters'. This is very much a 2010 expression and took me out of the old west where I doubt this expression would have been used. And since this word and expression just drives me crazy, I wish the author had used another expression. But that is a very, very small niggle in what is almost a perfect book. There was a certain.... distance is the only word I can think of in the first part of the book, a slight failure to connect with the characters. But very soon the author hit her stride and I felt as if I was right along with them, taking the journey of their love story with them.
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)
I’m never going to get tired of reading this book. It’s in my top three reread books and it was time to read it again.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
Yep, once again my yearly read. As I said, I can never read this book enough. It gets me every time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In keeping with reading books I’ve reread and loved, it was time to read this book again and it never tire of reading it.
*-*-*-*-
So this was my last book read for 2018 though I do have more to enter. I wanted to end with something very special. I stayed up until 2:30 am reading this one - and did it gladly. This is a book as already noted :-) I can read over and over and over and it never gets old and the love never lessens. It's still a 5+ stars and one of my top of all time reads. If you haven't read then you should, you really, really should
*****
This is another book that I recently read - yet again! I'm so glad I'm a rereader. I feel a bit sad for those who only read a book once no matter how much they enjoyed it.
July 29/17
****
I just reread this book for about the 5th time. It only gets better with each reading. It has become a real 'comfort read', a book to read when I still want to read but life seems to get me down.
****
Wow!! Just Wow!! I just got this one yesterday and I started reading around 2:30-3:00ish and couldn't go to bed until I read the whole book. I finally finished at 1:06 am. Then I couldn't sleep - ack! I think the people at Wendy's substituted a regular coffee for the decaf I ordered. See, I couldn't take time away from reading to make supper so I went through the drive through - not to mention I love their new fries - but I'm getting off topic. So while trying to fall asleep, I kept going over this book in my head, trying to think of how to put down in words how much I loved it and how much it moved me.
It's been a while since I've loved a heroine as much as I love Anne Wells. I think I have a girl crush on her - in a strictly platonic way of course. I love how well written she is. She's open and honest and brave in such a refreshing way. And what I especially loved was how fiercely protective she is of the hero, Cord Bennett, against anyone who she thought was wronging him, including his rather thickheaded brothers. There isn't anyone she won't take on to protect him. There were so many instances when there could have been frustrating misunderstandings, but instead Anne meets the issues head on and handles them directly so there are no festering resentments.
And as much as I love Anne, I love Cord just as much. Although quite reticent at first due to the prejudice he has experienced most of his life, he's more accepting of it and not the bitter kind of hero he could so easily have been. He is matter of fact about his life and while it is a lonely one, he doesn't really expect anything different. That is until Anne comes into his life. They knew each other briefly as children and then their paths cross again when Anne stumbles across Cords farm when trying to run away from a forced marriage. Her father catches her and in order to 'punish' her for her obstinacy, he forces the two of them to marry, and then has his henchman almost beat Cord to death. But Anne stays and nurses Cord back to health and after discussing the situation matter-of-factly, they decide to remain married. Cord is convinced it will only be for a short while; that Anne is too good for the likes of him. But he doesn't count on her sense of honour and her growing love for Cord, and his for her.
This is a great story of two lonely people brought together and discovering they are perfect for each other. Cord has a rather dry sense of humour that I really enjoyed and as mentioned earlier, Anne is ferocious in her defense of Cord. As their love builds, so do the love scenes which makes them even more a vital part of the story. Anne and Cord are friends first so there is not a doubt that this is a couple that will last.
While Anne's father for the longest time seems to be a Very Evil almost cartoonish villain, the author gives an explanation towards the end that makes very good sense. And I quite enjoyed Cord's two older half brothers, Frank and Ephraim. Time after time they misjudged Cord, thinking him a wild man in some of his actions. But instead he had very good reason for all the violence. He just couldn't have been bothered trying to explain himself to his brothers. His attitude makes for some delightful scenes that had me smiling.
{I'm having to go through this and make sure everything in this review is in the current tense as I plan on going back and reading this book again soon, very soon, slower this time so as to savour it the way it deserves to be savoured}.
The only thing keeping this from being a perfect 5 out of 5 is a very small thing that bothered me but probably wouldn't bother most readers. When referring to some of the towns people who let prejudice and anger rule their actions, the author referred to them as 'haters'. This is very much a 2010 expression and took me out of the old west where I doubt this expression would have been used. And since this word and expression just drives me crazy, I wish the author had used another expression. But that is a very, very small niggle in what is almost a perfect book. There was a certain.... distance is the only word I can think of in the first part of the book, a slight failure to connect with the characters. But very soon the author hit her stride and I felt as if I was right along with them, taking the journey of their love story with them.
November 24, 2019
3,5 Promising Stars
The first thought crossing my mind when I turned the last page of this book was the realisation I had just dealt with a rough diamond. It's a debut, so I think it has the natural right to be so in a sense and fortunately the lack of finishing did nothing to lessen the impact of a story vivid and powerful in its raw essentiality, like the love, the people, the land and the times it portrays.
Set in an 1885 Colorado still dominated by a blind and unapologetic white privilege and despite being a romance, the story is initially pervaded by a suffocating sentiment of hatred leading to the explosion of gut wrenching violence turning out to be the catalyst of the whole plot. Such destruction all at the hands of one man, Edward Wells, a misogynistic monster whose inhumanity has forced his daughter, Anne, to flee from home. Caught in a compromising position with Cord Bennett, a reviled half-breed, she is then forced to marry him.
What begins under dire circumstances, in the span of more than a year, develops into a credible love story, at times awkward, at times wary, at times touching like the protagonists, two people not used to affection and acceptance, one for always having been an outcast and the other for always having been caged by an unloving family. But the fragile bond forming is threatened by a prejudiced, petty town and a vengeful father (I use the term loosely referred to this individual) who won't allow such union to peacefully be.
If I had to rate this books according to how I felt when I was just about halfway through, the stars wouldn't have been a rounded-up four, possibly barely three, as while the punch in the story was there since the opening scene, the writing in the first part showed a wooden and stilted quality that truly hindered me from appreciating the reading. Around the middle mark though, the author seemed to gain confidence in what she was doing and became less mechanic, the pace speeded up shifting into a higher gear, the dialogues started to be more frequent and meaningful, the meticulous descriptiveness curbed and tightened finally taking advantage of some badly needed pruning. At the end, what prevents me from a higher rating is only the heavy tendency towards the telling without showing, too evident even for a debut, which traversed the entire narration, ruining also those two twists that were instead supposed to be the most thrilling scenes, making them fizzle out to anti-climatic recounts of previous events.
On the whole quite impressive for a first effort, Ellen O'Connell's rendition of the western historical setting is intense and engaging, capable of engendering strong emotions. It's a western epic that draws momentum not much from imposing cattle moves or breakneck outlaws' chasings, but from the everyday struggles, routine cores and difficulties. And strange to say about a romance, but for once, the toned down idealisation casted another kind of spell altogether, maybe less romantic or alluring at a superficial glance, though leaving me with the sensation I might have just witnessed a story really happened in a far time and place to flesh and blood people. I'm glad I read it just for this.
This won't be my last book by this author for sure; the potential growing within the space of the book itself was more than enough to make me want to visit her prose again, most likely further improved in her following novels.
The first thought crossing my mind when I turned the last page of this book was the realisation I had just dealt with a rough diamond. It's a debut, so I think it has the natural right to be so in a sense and fortunately the lack of finishing did nothing to lessen the impact of a story vivid and powerful in its raw essentiality, like the love, the people, the land and the times it portrays.
Set in an 1885 Colorado still dominated by a blind and unapologetic white privilege and despite being a romance, the story is initially pervaded by a suffocating sentiment of hatred leading to the explosion of gut wrenching violence turning out to be the catalyst of the whole plot. Such destruction all at the hands of one man, Edward Wells, a misogynistic monster whose inhumanity has forced his daughter, Anne, to flee from home. Caught in a compromising position with Cord Bennett, a reviled half-breed, she is then forced to marry him.
What begins under dire circumstances, in the span of more than a year, develops into a credible love story, at times awkward, at times wary, at times touching like the protagonists, two people not used to affection and acceptance, one for always having been an outcast and the other for always having been caged by an unloving family. But the fragile bond forming is threatened by a prejudiced, petty town and a vengeful father (I use the term loosely referred to this individual) who won't allow such union to peacefully be.
If I had to rate this books according to how I felt when I was just about halfway through, the stars wouldn't have been a rounded-up four, possibly barely three, as while the punch in the story was there since the opening scene, the writing in the first part showed a wooden and stilted quality that truly hindered me from appreciating the reading. Around the middle mark though, the author seemed to gain confidence in what she was doing and became less mechanic, the pace speeded up shifting into a higher gear, the dialogues started to be more frequent and meaningful, the meticulous descriptiveness curbed and tightened finally taking advantage of some badly needed pruning. At the end, what prevents me from a higher rating is only the heavy tendency towards the telling without showing, too evident even for a debut, which traversed the entire narration, ruining also those two twists that were instead supposed to be the most thrilling scenes, making them fizzle out to anti-climatic recounts of previous events.
On the whole quite impressive for a first effort, Ellen O'Connell's rendition of the western historical setting is intense and engaging, capable of engendering strong emotions. It's a western epic that draws momentum not much from imposing cattle moves or breakneck outlaws' chasings, but from the everyday struggles, routine cores and difficulties. And strange to say about a romance, but for once, the toned down idealisation casted another kind of spell altogether, maybe less romantic or alluring at a superficial glance, though leaving me with the sensation I might have just witnessed a story really happened in a far time and place to flesh and blood people. I'm glad I read it just for this.
This won't be my last book by this author for sure; the potential growing within the space of the book itself was more than enough to make me want to visit her prose again, most likely further improved in her following novels.
January 13, 2025
Reread 1/12/25
Reread 5/2/23
Reread 4/10/22
Reread 5/19/21
Reread 11/16/20
Reread 11/30/19
Cord and Anne have been whispering in my head since the moment I finished their story. It finally got loud enough and I gave in. My rating and original review still stands the same I loved this book from beginning to end. Cord and Anne are just such an amazing couple and I know without a doubt I will revisit them again.
Original review 3/23/19
I have recently started reading Historical/Westerns about Mail Order Brides and realized it's actually something that I really enjoy. So in my quest of finding more books that are not clean I came upon Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold and imagine my excitement when all my GR friends who have read it gave it 5 stars. I knew immediately this was a winner for me. So since I'm so late to the party as usual I will just say I loved it from beginning to end. Cord and Anne were amazing together. Their strength and love was beautiful. My only complaint is that there was not an Epilogue and I wanted to know so badly how Cord reacted to his new addition. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Reread 5/2/23
Reread 4/10/22
Reread 5/19/21
Reread 11/16/20
Reread 11/30/19
Cord and Anne have been whispering in my head since the moment I finished their story. It finally got loud enough and I gave in. My rating and original review still stands the same I loved this book from beginning to end. Cord and Anne are just such an amazing couple and I know without a doubt I will revisit them again.
Original review 3/23/19
I have recently started reading Historical/Westerns about Mail Order Brides and realized it's actually something that I really enjoy. So in my quest of finding more books that are not clean I came upon Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold and imagine my excitement when all my GR friends who have read it gave it 5 stars. I knew immediately this was a winner for me. So since I'm so late to the party as usual I will just say I loved it from beginning to end. Cord and Anne were amazing together. Their strength and love was beautiful. My only complaint is that there was not an Epilogue and I wanted to know so badly how Cord reacted to his new addition. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
February 25, 2011
I'll admit upfront that I read this book in response to its regular, suspicious pimping on the Amazon romance boards. No book out there has all five-star reviews, at least not legitimate ones, but I'd have to read it to know for sure. Now that I have read it, I'll say that maybe some of those accolades are honest. If you don't pay attention to writing skill or mind too much telling or info dump, the plot is compelling enough that a pure plot reader could enjoy a book like this just fine.
The action opens with a desperate, hungry and bedraggled Anne Wells on the run from her domineering father in 1880s Colorado. Determined to convince her to marry a much older man she finds repulsive, her father had locked her in her room and fed her starvation rations. Adamant that she will not relent, she'd taken off running the night before. She's just woken up on a pile of hay in a barn on Cord Bennett's horse farm and is ready to beg the man to help her escape.
Unfortunately for them both, her father arrives with a posse while she's in Cord's house. Enraged to find her with the half-Indian outcast, and with his chosen suitor's refusal to marry her because of it, he and some ranch hands explode in a fury of violence. Cord and Anne are married at gunpoint then savagely abused. While one man nearly rapes Anne, cutting her with a knife in the process, the other hands beat and kicked Cord before leaving him for dead. Content that he's left her a widow, Anne's father leaves her there to crawl back and beg for her family's help later.
Against all odds, Cord survived the beating, albeit just barely. Injured herself, Anne nonetheless musters the strength to drag him inside and nurse him back to health. Despite the inauspicious beginning and knowing their families and the community won't accept them readily, they decide to take the marriage vows seriously and try to make a go of it.
The plot itself is fairly compelling, although it relies almost entirely on external conflict. There's never a dull moment with these two. Between his loving but distrustful family, her openly disapproving and scheming one and a town full of naysayers, there's always some conflict they're fighting, sass mouthing or riding their way out of. It certainly doesn't want for drama.
Unfortunately, and I am honestly disappointed in this, what could have been a rather poignant tale of two people making it work despite the odds ends up being a lesson in poor writing and editing. Since the book is self-published, I don't know if she hired an editor. I'm going to assume she did not and ascribe many of the faults to that. A good editor would've recognized the potential in this plot while taking a red pen to the epic info dumps and the tendency to plainly tell instead of show.
As a result, the first third to half of the book is almost painful to read. I was so eager to keep reading it that I put it down for a month and a half, levelling my fishing and archaeology in WoW instead. It read like an extremely long and detailed synopsis rather than an actual story. She had a really exciting idea for a novel here, but took too long to start actually crafting it. Wooden characters vomiting bits of backstory do not an engaging story make.
Further bolstering my theory that this was unedited is how the writing changes and improves in the last third of the book. It was like I was reading someone's semester-long creative writing project rather than a cohesive novel. This was the author's practice run. She seemed to have trouble finishing it, lingering on a bit too long after the book-long father conflict arc concluded, but the writing was crisper, the dialog more natural and the characters more organic as the story neared the end.
The longer the book went on, the more enthralled I was with it. In the end, I liked the pairing of strong, quiet and gentle Cord with spirited, cheerful and determined Anne. The characters were generally well drawn, though I never did come to understand why Cord's brothers acted the way they did, beyond propping up the conflict arc. Ultimately, though, the dreadful first half drags the rating down. If you can look past amateurish writing for a good plot, then this book may work for you. As for me, if I didn't feel bound to finish and review it, I'd have quit a quarter of the way in.
The action opens with a desperate, hungry and bedraggled Anne Wells on the run from her domineering father in 1880s Colorado. Determined to convince her to marry a much older man she finds repulsive, her father had locked her in her room and fed her starvation rations. Adamant that she will not relent, she'd taken off running the night before. She's just woken up on a pile of hay in a barn on Cord Bennett's horse farm and is ready to beg the man to help her escape.
Unfortunately for them both, her father arrives with a posse while she's in Cord's house. Enraged to find her with the half-Indian outcast, and with his chosen suitor's refusal to marry her because of it, he and some ranch hands explode in a fury of violence. Cord and Anne are married at gunpoint then savagely abused. While one man nearly rapes Anne, cutting her with a knife in the process, the other hands beat and kicked Cord before leaving him for dead. Content that he's left her a widow, Anne's father leaves her there to crawl back and beg for her family's help later.
Against all odds, Cord survived the beating, albeit just barely. Injured herself, Anne nonetheless musters the strength to drag him inside and nurse him back to health. Despite the inauspicious beginning and knowing their families and the community won't accept them readily, they decide to take the marriage vows seriously and try to make a go of it.
The plot itself is fairly compelling, although it relies almost entirely on external conflict. There's never a dull moment with these two. Between his loving but distrustful family, her openly disapproving and scheming one and a town full of naysayers, there's always some conflict they're fighting, sass mouthing or riding their way out of. It certainly doesn't want for drama.
Unfortunately, and I am honestly disappointed in this, what could have been a rather poignant tale of two people making it work despite the odds ends up being a lesson in poor writing and editing. Since the book is self-published, I don't know if she hired an editor. I'm going to assume she did not and ascribe many of the faults to that. A good editor would've recognized the potential in this plot while taking a red pen to the epic info dumps and the tendency to plainly tell instead of show.
As a result, the first third to half of the book is almost painful to read. I was so eager to keep reading it that I put it down for a month and a half, levelling my fishing and archaeology in WoW instead. It read like an extremely long and detailed synopsis rather than an actual story. She had a really exciting idea for a novel here, but took too long to start actually crafting it. Wooden characters vomiting bits of backstory do not an engaging story make.
Further bolstering my theory that this was unedited is how the writing changes and improves in the last third of the book. It was like I was reading someone's semester-long creative writing project rather than a cohesive novel. This was the author's practice run. She seemed to have trouble finishing it, lingering on a bit too long after the book-long father conflict arc concluded, but the writing was crisper, the dialog more natural and the characters more organic as the story neared the end.
The longer the book went on, the more enthralled I was with it. In the end, I liked the pairing of strong, quiet and gentle Cord with spirited, cheerful and determined Anne. The characters were generally well drawn, though I never did come to understand why Cord's brothers acted the way they did, beyond propping up the conflict arc. Ultimately, though, the dreadful first half drags the rating down. If you can look past amateurish writing for a good plot, then this book may work for you. As for me, if I didn't feel bound to finish and review it, I'd have quit a quarter of the way in.
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