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Dancing on Coals
After escaping robbers intent on murder, Katherine Grant says, "I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.
Rage against the enemies of his people has consumed Gaetan from boyhood. The only use he ever found for any white was to test the sharpness of his knife. Forced by his brother to endure Katherine's company, Gaetan tries to deny what he sees—the white woman has a man's temper and a lion's courage. She has an Apache heart.
In spite of hate, distrust and fear, surviving in the rugged country of southern Arizona and northern Mexico forges a strange bond between Katherine and Gaetan. When the bond turns to love, can they admit it? Can they bear the consequences?
Rage against the enemies of his people has consumed Gaetan from boyhood. The only use he ever found for any white was to test the sharpness of his knife. Forced by his brother to endure Katherine's company, Gaetan tries to deny what he sees—the white woman has a man's temper and a lion's courage. She has an Apache heart.
In spite of hate, distrust and fear, surviving in the rugged country of southern Arizona and northern Mexico forges a strange bond between Katherine and Gaetan. When the bond turns to love, can they admit it? Can they bear the consequences?
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 526 reviews
January 25, 2013
Well, as usual, I’m late the game. So many of my friends have read this book and raved about it. They’ve nudged me, telling me it’s amazing and that I had to read it. Every so often I’d get a reminder that I had it sitting here, just waiting for me to pick it up… and still, I put it off. But, I finally did it and, as usual, my friends were right.
From the cover:I’m just going to share a few thoughts with you, since there are already so many wonderful reviews on this book.
After escaping robbers intent on murder, Katherine Grant says, "I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.
Rage against the enemies of his people has consumed Gaetan from boyhood. The only use he ever found for any white was to test the sharpness of his knife. Forced by his brother to endure Katherine's company, Gaetan tries to deny what he sees—the white woman has a man's temper and a lion's courage. She has an Apache heart.
In spite of hate, distrust and fear, surviving in the rugged country of southern Arizona and northern Mexico forges a strange bond between Katherine and Gaetan. When the bond turns to love, can they admit it? Can they bear the consequences?
When I read a book I want the time I spend to be worthwhile, so I’m always looking for stories that make me forget that I’m just reading a book. I love it when I’m swept away to another time and place, living a life very different from my own, a life I’d never otherwise get to experience. That’s what Dancing on Coals was like for me.
For the few days I spent reading this story, I’d close my eyes and try to imagine what it was like to be a lone woman in an unfamiliar land, finding myself living with a people whose traditions and ways of life were completely foreign to me. What it was like to have the wind whipping through my hair while on horseback, riding faster and faster, as if my very life depended on it, because it did. Seeing the ocean for the very first time. Falling in love with someone I had every reason to hate, and being thankful for all the horrible things that happened to me because without them, I would never have met him.
This is a tale that is, at the same time, both ugly and beautiful. It took me places I’ve never been, made me feel things I’ve never felt. And most importantly, it's a beautiful love story, and I can’t ask for more than that.
December 13, 2017
What kind of Apaches spoke excellent English, killed highway men, didn't scalp them and rescued their victims?
Before she decided whether to ask or how to ask those questions, the savage of nightmares charged down the road on a dark horse. Frozen by the sight, Katherine waited for man and animal to smash into her and trample her into the dust or knock her over the side of the mountain to the same rocky grave as the stagecoach. Rage masked his face better than any war paint. His eyes glittered with fury as he pulled his horse to a sliding stop that sprayed gravel and raised his rifle.
What can I say about this book? And about its flawless, effortless, easygoing writing style? The truth is that I haven’t read many romance novels about Native Americans. As a matter of fact the books by Ellen O'Connell are the first historical romances that I read in which the main character is a Native American and in particular this is the first book that I read that the main character is Apache. If anything, this book was a very educative experience
Okay, the book is epic. Absolutely stunning. I fell in love with Gaetan without even trying to understand him – just like Katherine in the book. Gaetan is a stubborn, fierce man full of hatred for the white men. It is a given, since they are the one responsible for the death of his entire family and for the worst childhood possible. Now he attacks white men and he brings back to his village whatever he can salvage from them.
Katherine is also a heroine that deserves admiration. She has travelled almost eveywhere. Her family owns a shipping company that transports goods all over the world back to United States and from United States. And she can adapt easily considering the circumstances. She will have no problem leaving everything behind and follow the man that she loves.
“Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart.”
For the majority of the book Katherine will be talking and Gaetan will not answer.
There will be a bond since they will keep saving each other, but the love will come much much later. And there will be so much passion after that. It is like Gaetan was bottling everything up until he could not breathe anymore and now that he has the chance his passion and possessiveness overflows.
“She is my wife. The soldiers had no right to give her to you.”
Oh, I just loved it! Highly recommended!
July 27, 2014
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce, said:
“We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets, that hereafter he will give every man a spirit home according to his deserts; if he has been a good man, he will have a good home; if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad home. This I believe, and all my people believe the same.
I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born free should be contented to be penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.
We are taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets: that hereafter he will give every man a spirit-home according to his deserts...This I believe, and all my people believe the same.”
HUGE 5 stars!
Dancing on Coals brought back so many, many wonderful and fond memories! When I was a ten-year-old girl I was reading Karl May’s books. I think they were all between 400 and 700 pages strong and there was this hero...an Apache called Winnetou. Now when I’m thinking about this perfect Indian, I have this picture ingrained in my mind and that is Winnetou. Yeah, I had a major crush on him / Pierre Brice. Oui, Pierre, mon amour! *sigh* Unfortunately I am not able to upload his picture. That’s why I give you the advice to google this actor. He is the perfect Gaetan. Such a gorgeous and handsome French man – even now and he is 81! Aw, those were the days...
A shout out to my GR friend Jill…thanks so much for encouraging me to read this story! And thanks for sharing our enlightening conversations during my status updates – I had a good laugh. Thanks for being such a good friend too. I’ll be on the lookout for more proud, fierce, and hot Indian men, that’s for sure!
Brief synopsis:
Arizona Territory, Spring 1881
Katherine Grant is on her way home to New York in a stagecoach together with three other passengers. When her stagecoach is attacked by Rurales and the other passengers killed, Katherine is rescued by an Apache warrior, called Nilchi. Nilchi’s brother Gaetan is furious when he realizes that his brother saved the white woman and wants to 'marry' her.
Gaetan is a very proud, strong and fierce Apache warrior, and he emanates the dark aura of raw power. They’re calling themselves Nde (people). His parents were killed by white men. Gaetan and his brother Nilchi were raised for a few years in the white man’s world. They had to attend a white missionary school. After Gaetan could escape, he’s never been fully accepted by his people anymore. Gaetan’s living by his own beliefs now. His rage and hatred of all whites goes right down to his core. This hatred and bitterness is burning his heart and belly and it is surrounding him in every way possible. It directs his living, thinking, and breathing. Even when he meets Katherine he is not willing to relent. But he comes to respect her pride and her ‘bad’ temper. And he sees her overt fearlessness and fierceness. Katherine Grant is not your usual heroine. Her upbringing is quite special and helped her to become this proud woman. Her mother died when she was very young. Together with her father and five brothers she was travelling around the world.
Katherine is the opposite of prejudiced. She accepts Gaetan the way he is.
Just...wow! There are so many, many things that I had to admire! Personally, the most important testimony of this story was: Pride goes before a fall. But what’s so amazing about that is Gaetan NEVER fell. Ever. He was such an aloof, pride, strong, and untamed man and he stayed true to his character, to his inner self all throughout the story – right until the incredibly beautiful epilogue! This man is so awesome! I’m always so focused on the heroes. To me a story stands and falls with the hero. He was the ‘backbone’ of Dancing on Coals. However, I have to admit that the heroine was awe-inspiring as well. Such a strong, feisty, and fierce woman! Katherine, you can have my back any time.
I loved the very good dialogs, although I have to warn the readers that Gaetan is very taciturn in the beginning – to say the least. It takes Gaetan a very long time until he speaks to Katherine for the first time. Naturally before they begin to interact ‘properly’ other interesting things happen. The author is able to spread quite a few witty and funny dialogs throughout the story. And Gaetan proves to having a slight and dry sense of humour after all, even though it is not overtly recognizable. I loved to see how Katherine made him smile/laugh eventually. Gaetan and Katherine’s relationships develops slowly but steadily. They are always very likeable and believable.
Loved the chemistry and the build-up between H/h. Their foreplay in the pool was so sensual . I was a bit stunned about the act itself afterward. But I think it suited the hero. This man was so over-the-top horny at that time and there was just no time for finesse. Gaetan, I forgive you. You showed your finesse later, and it was so rewarding to read and see how utterly sensual, erotic, and hot this guy could be when the need arises. This was the case during their second love scene. So beautiful!
I always said that I’m not into historicals. I have to revise my opinion. I’m rather sure that I won’t really be tempted to start reading all those historicals where women are wearing fluffy dresses and the men are posing in stiff suits and silly hairdos and beards. But I’ll continue to read about proud men in loincloths, that’s for sure.
Memorable lines/”quotes”:
[…]“Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart.”[…]
[…]She raised her head so she could look straight at him. “You’ve already given me what I want. I want you. You should know that I won’t leave your people so long as you live. If you ever return and find me gone, know that they took me against my will. I will not leave you.”
“That’s a hard promise too.”
“It’s my promise.” She toyed with the top button of his shirt. “Do Apaches kiss?”
“The people believe the mouth is only for eating.”
“Oh.” She didn’t try to hide her disappointment.
He shifted her against him a little and cupped her breast with one hand, his thumb rubbing across the nipple. “They also believe a woman’s breast is only for nursing a child.”
Lowering his mouth over hers, he ran his tongue between her lips, exploring her tongue, making her shiver with a stroke along the roof of her mouth.
When he raised his head at last, she whispered, “I’m glad you’re an unbeliever.”
[…]Dying is easier than living sometimes.[…]
[…]”Be reasonable, Miss Grant. You had the protection of one of their people from the beginning. Without that you can’t imagine the savagery you would have endured. We have to stop it.”
“The savagery is on all sides so far as I can tell. People always give as good as they get. There was savagery in the Civil War, and the combatants were countrymen before and after.”[…]
[…]As he left her mouth and took the skin of her neck in his teeth, for the first time he understood that her fierceness gave her value, but what drew him and held him was acceptance. As a boy the teachers had forced him to obey and learn to save their own souls, not the one they doubted he had. As a man his own people looked at him with suspicion because of what the teachers had done.
Katherine alone accepted. She accepted his body in every way he gave it. She accepted his spirit as it was, not as a woman must wish it to be. When they married, she accepted there could be no future and gave hard promises. Tonight his anger could not make her turn away.[…]
[…]”Sneaking away will be like the beginning again, won’t it, like getting away from the Rurales all over.”
He answered so softly she could barely make out the words. “No. It will be different. I didn’t love you then.”
[…]He swiveled to face her, so close she could make out his features in the moonlight. “Before you came, only the killing mattered. My brother told me I was wrong, that I could make war and enjoy good things like other men, but I never listened. By leaving you with me, in death he made me listen. If the people are right and there are ghosts, his ghost is laughing at me. If dying is easier than living, I will take the hardest path. I will choose to grow old beside a fierce woman.”[…]
Believe me, I could add many, many more…
Dancing on Coals is so very well written. It’s such an emotional, profound, beautiful, and all-engrossing read! This book and these characters will stay very close to my heart. Always. Highly recommended! Enjoy!
I strongly advise you to read the author's note.
“We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets, that hereafter he will give every man a spirit home according to his deserts; if he has been a good man, he will have a good home; if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad home. This I believe, and all my people believe the same.
I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk. It does not require many words to speak the truth.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born free should be contented to be penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.
We are taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets: that hereafter he will give every man a spirit-home according to his deserts...This I believe, and all my people believe the same.”
HUGE 5 stars!
Dancing on Coals brought back so many, many wonderful and fond memories! When I was a ten-year-old girl I was reading Karl May’s books. I think they were all between 400 and 700 pages strong and there was this hero...an Apache called Winnetou. Now when I’m thinking about this perfect Indian, I have this picture ingrained in my mind and that is Winnetou. Yeah, I had a major crush on him / Pierre Brice. Oui, Pierre, mon amour! *sigh* Unfortunately I am not able to upload his picture. That’s why I give you the advice to google this actor. He is the perfect Gaetan. Such a gorgeous and handsome French man – even now and he is 81! Aw, those were the days...
A shout out to my GR friend Jill…thanks so much for encouraging me to read this story! And thanks for sharing our enlightening conversations during my status updates – I had a good laugh. Thanks for being such a good friend too. I’ll be on the lookout for more proud, fierce, and hot Indian men, that’s for sure!
Brief synopsis:
Arizona Territory, Spring 1881
Katherine Grant is on her way home to New York in a stagecoach together with three other passengers. When her stagecoach is attacked by Rurales and the other passengers killed, Katherine is rescued by an Apache warrior, called Nilchi. Nilchi’s brother Gaetan is furious when he realizes that his brother saved the white woman and wants to 'marry' her.
Gaetan is a very proud, strong and fierce Apache warrior, and he emanates the dark aura of raw power. They’re calling themselves Nde (people). His parents were killed by white men. Gaetan and his brother Nilchi were raised for a few years in the white man’s world. They had to attend a white missionary school. After Gaetan could escape, he’s never been fully accepted by his people anymore. Gaetan’s living by his own beliefs now. His rage and hatred of all whites goes right down to his core. This hatred and bitterness is burning his heart and belly and it is surrounding him in every way possible. It directs his living, thinking, and breathing. Even when he meets Katherine he is not willing to relent. But he comes to respect her pride and her ‘bad’ temper. And he sees her overt fearlessness and fierceness. Katherine Grant is not your usual heroine. Her upbringing is quite special and helped her to become this proud woman. Her mother died when she was very young. Together with her father and five brothers she was travelling around the world.
Katherine is the opposite of prejudiced. She accepts Gaetan the way he is.
Just...wow! There are so many, many things that I had to admire! Personally, the most important testimony of this story was: Pride goes before a fall. But what’s so amazing about that is Gaetan NEVER fell. Ever. He was such an aloof, pride, strong, and untamed man and he stayed true to his character, to his inner self all throughout the story – right until the incredibly beautiful epilogue! This man is so awesome! I’m always so focused on the heroes. To me a story stands and falls with the hero. He was the ‘backbone’ of Dancing on Coals. However, I have to admit that the heroine was awe-inspiring as well. Such a strong, feisty, and fierce woman! Katherine, you can have my back any time.
I loved the very good dialogs, although I have to warn the readers that Gaetan is very taciturn in the beginning – to say the least. It takes Gaetan a very long time until he speaks to Katherine for the first time. Naturally before they begin to interact ‘properly’ other interesting things happen. The author is able to spread quite a few witty and funny dialogs throughout the story. And Gaetan proves to having a slight and dry sense of humour after all, even though it is not overtly recognizable. I loved to see how Katherine made him smile/laugh eventually. Gaetan and Katherine’s relationships develops slowly but steadily. They are always very likeable and believable.
Loved the chemistry and the build-up between H/h. Their foreplay in the pool was so sensual . I was a bit stunned about the act itself afterward. But I think it suited the hero. This man was so over-the-top horny at that time and there was just no time for finesse. Gaetan, I forgive you. You showed your finesse later, and it was so rewarding to read and see how utterly sensual, erotic, and hot this guy could be when the need arises. This was the case during their second love scene. So beautiful!
I always said that I’m not into historicals. I have to revise my opinion. I’m rather sure that I won’t really be tempted to start reading all those historicals where women are wearing fluffy dresses and the men are posing in stiff suits and silly hairdos and beards. But I’ll continue to read about proud men in loincloths, that’s for sure.
Memorable lines/”quotes”:
[…]“Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart.”[…]
[…]She raised her head so she could look straight at him. “You’ve already given me what I want. I want you. You should know that I won’t leave your people so long as you live. If you ever return and find me gone, know that they took me against my will. I will not leave you.”
“That’s a hard promise too.”
“It’s my promise.” She toyed with the top button of his shirt. “Do Apaches kiss?”
“The people believe the mouth is only for eating.”
“Oh.” She didn’t try to hide her disappointment.
He shifted her against him a little and cupped her breast with one hand, his thumb rubbing across the nipple. “They also believe a woman’s breast is only for nursing a child.”
Lowering his mouth over hers, he ran his tongue between her lips, exploring her tongue, making her shiver with a stroke along the roof of her mouth.
When he raised his head at last, she whispered, “I’m glad you’re an unbeliever.”
[…]Dying is easier than living sometimes.[…]
[…]”Be reasonable, Miss Grant. You had the protection of one of their people from the beginning. Without that you can’t imagine the savagery you would have endured. We have to stop it.”
“The savagery is on all sides so far as I can tell. People always give as good as they get. There was savagery in the Civil War, and the combatants were countrymen before and after.”[…]
[…]As he left her mouth and took the skin of her neck in his teeth, for the first time he understood that her fierceness gave her value, but what drew him and held him was acceptance. As a boy the teachers had forced him to obey and learn to save their own souls, not the one they doubted he had. As a man his own people looked at him with suspicion because of what the teachers had done.
Katherine alone accepted. She accepted his body in every way he gave it. She accepted his spirit as it was, not as a woman must wish it to be. When they married, she accepted there could be no future and gave hard promises. Tonight his anger could not make her turn away.[…]
[…]”Sneaking away will be like the beginning again, won’t it, like getting away from the Rurales all over.”
He answered so softly she could barely make out the words. “No. It will be different. I didn’t love you then.”
[…]He swiveled to face her, so close she could make out his features in the moonlight. “Before you came, only the killing mattered. My brother told me I was wrong, that I could make war and enjoy good things like other men, but I never listened. By leaving you with me, in death he made me listen. If the people are right and there are ghosts, his ghost is laughing at me. If dying is easier than living, I will take the hardest path. I will choose to grow old beside a fierce woman.”[…]
Believe me, I could add many, many more…
Dancing on Coals is so very well written. It’s such an emotional, profound, beautiful, and all-engrossing read! This book and these characters will stay very close to my heart. Always. Highly recommended! Enjoy!
I strongly advise you to read the author's note.
April 23, 2014
3.75
After escaping robbers intent on murder, Katherine Grant says, "I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.
I liked this one. Katherine is a strong character. Gaeten is distrustful, silent, strong … hates white people, has a grudge to hold against them.
But time and Katherine lowers his hostilities.
“If a man could taste wind and fire, they would taste like Katherine. When he stood in high places looking down on things made small by distance, he tried to feel what the eagle felt soaring free on the wind. He was an earthbound man. Only his spirit could ever soar, and only Katherine raised him so high.”
After escaping robbers intent on murder, Katherine Grant says, "I jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.
I liked this one. Katherine is a strong character. Gaeten is distrustful, silent, strong … hates white people, has a grudge to hold against them.
“He entered her in a single hard thrust, opening her, stretching her and forcing a moan of surprise from her. She was ready, so ready, and yet totally unprepared. She’d been wrong. She was still virgin to this, to his strength and her need, to the pleasure and the pain and the sheer triumph of having him. He drove into her and she rose to him, clutched him tighter, harder. Her nails raked and dug into his back, her teeth into his neck.”
But time and Katherine lowers his hostilities.
“She toyed with the top button of his shirt. “Do Apaches kiss?”
“The people believe the mouth is only for eating.”
“Oh.” She didn’t try to hide her disappointment.
He shifted her against him a little and cupped her breast with one hand, his thumb rubbing across the nipple. “They also believe a woman’s breast is only for nursing a child.”
Lowering his mouth over hers, he ran his tongue between her lips, exploring her tongue, making her shiver with a stroke along the roof of her mouth.
When he raised his head at last, she whispered, “I’m glad you’re an unbeliever.”
July 2, 2012
Sure enough, Ellen O'Connell is winning me over.
I read O'Connell's second novel, Sing My Name yesterday, and then immediately purchased and devoured Dancing on Coals. I never would have believed I could like this one as much as I did. I've never been a big fan of the whole Native American studly hero thing, but Gaetan? Gaetan is just one badass Apache. Knowing that he would eventually turn into the hero, I had no problem imagining his soft side even as he was treating Katherine like some kind of poorly trained mutt. His behavior in the first half of the book was, I thought, pretty accurate for a Native American considering the overall Native American view on women at the time, and Gaetan's distrust and hatred of white people. I've seen complaints that his feelings for Katherine seem abrupt, and I can agree to an extent, but it really fit in well with his attitude overall. His regard for Katherine comes on slowly and builds in his own mind until he makes a decision. And Gaetan is, if nothing else, one decisive dude.
As for Katherine Grant, she is probably in the top five as far as my favorite female protagonists. She's resourceful, witty, and intelligent, not easily intimidated, and tenacious as all hell. Gaetan calls her fierce. Did I mention Gaetan is very perceptive?
At one point in the story, Katherine is debating whether or not to free Gaetan from a band of Rurales that has them both in custody, and the reader is treated to Katherine's justification of her decision to do so;
"If Gaetan repaid her by killing her, not only would she escape Hierra, she would die with the satisfaction of knowing she had loosed a madman in the Mexican camp."
My first thought after reading that (and the only written note in my Kindle) - "I love this broad."
I think I'll go read O'Connell's first book now, and then cry that there aren't any more.
I read O'Connell's second novel, Sing My Name yesterday, and then immediately purchased and devoured Dancing on Coals. I never would have believed I could like this one as much as I did. I've never been a big fan of the whole Native American studly hero thing, but Gaetan? Gaetan is just one badass Apache. Knowing that he would eventually turn into the hero, I had no problem imagining his soft side even as he was treating Katherine like some kind of poorly trained mutt. His behavior in the first half of the book was, I thought, pretty accurate for a Native American considering the overall Native American view on women at the time, and Gaetan's distrust and hatred of white people. I've seen complaints that his feelings for Katherine seem abrupt, and I can agree to an extent, but it really fit in well with his attitude overall. His regard for Katherine comes on slowly and builds in his own mind until he makes a decision. And Gaetan is, if nothing else, one decisive dude.
As for Katherine Grant, she is probably in the top five as far as my favorite female protagonists. She's resourceful, witty, and intelligent, not easily intimidated, and tenacious as all hell. Gaetan calls her fierce. Did I mention Gaetan is very perceptive?
At one point in the story, Katherine is debating whether or not to free Gaetan from a band of Rurales that has them both in custody, and the reader is treated to Katherine's justification of her decision to do so;
"If Gaetan repaid her by killing her, not only would she escape Hierra, she would die with the satisfaction of knowing she had loosed a madman in the Mexican camp."
My first thought after reading that (and the only written note in my Kindle) - "I love this broad."
I think I'll go read O'Connell's first book now, and then cry that there aren't any more.
February 15, 2015
I devoured this book!!
I was so excited when my friend Jilly posted this book was now available. This is the third book I’ve read by this amazingly talented author, all being 5 star reads!
The young and handsome Apache, Gaetan, is full of hatred against all whites for the atrocities committed against his people. Katherine Grant, far from home and family, finds herself at his mercy as she is rescued from death at the hands of highwaymen.
Gaetan is a proud alpha warrior consumed by a deep rooted rage that governs his decisions and motivates his actions. Fighting for survival in a land full of hatred where thousands of his tribe have been killed or forced to live on the barren lands of reservations, he vows to not give in to the white man’s demands to take their freedom. He knows how to survive in the rugged, harsh lands of Arizona and northern Mexico. And now he finds himself saddled with a hated white woman and a forced promise not to kill her.
Katherine Grant is a heroine I loved from the very beginning. Fearing the hatred she reads from Gaetan’s eyes, this smart, feisty, courageous young woman is determined to survive. And as Gaetan soon learns, she is much more than she appears to be. Katherine soon finds herself fighting the attraction she feels for this tall, beautiful Apache who walks around in a loincloth. Gaetan soon fights a begrudging respect for “a white woman with a man’s temper and a lion’s heart.”
A beautifully well-written, sensual, poignant, emotional love story with steamy hot love scenes, and a hero, a heroine, and the heartbreaking plight of a tribe of people I won't soon forget.
I loved it! A treasure for sure!
A few of my favorite Quotes
I was so excited when my friend Jilly posted this book was now available. This is the third book I’ve read by this amazingly talented author, all being 5 star reads!
The young and handsome Apache, Gaetan, is full of hatred against all whites for the atrocities committed against his people. Katherine Grant, far from home and family, finds herself at his mercy as she is rescued from death at the hands of highwaymen.
Gaetan is a proud alpha warrior consumed by a deep rooted rage that governs his decisions and motivates his actions. Fighting for survival in a land full of hatred where thousands of his tribe have been killed or forced to live on the barren lands of reservations, he vows to not give in to the white man’s demands to take their freedom. He knows how to survive in the rugged, harsh lands of Arizona and northern Mexico. And now he finds himself saddled with a hated white woman and a forced promise not to kill her.
Katherine Grant is a heroine I loved from the very beginning. Fearing the hatred she reads from Gaetan’s eyes, this smart, feisty, courageous young woman is determined to survive. And as Gaetan soon learns, she is much more than she appears to be. Katherine soon finds herself fighting the attraction she feels for this tall, beautiful Apache who walks around in a loincloth. Gaetan soon fights a begrudging respect for “a white woman with a man’s temper and a lion’s heart.”
A beautifully well-written, sensual, poignant, emotional love story with steamy hot love scenes, and a hero, a heroine, and the heartbreaking plight of a tribe of people I won't soon forget.
I loved it! A treasure for sure!
A few of my favorite Quotes
April 22, 2015
Dancing on Coals is the best book I have read this year and the first one to make it to my favourites shelf. 10 stars.
Katherine is travelling when her stagecoach is attacked by bandits and she is the sole survivor. After being rescued from certain death by Nilchi, a young Apache warrior, she ends up travelling with the Apaches under Nilchi's protection, even though his brother's Gaetan's hatred for the whites runs deep and he wants to kill her. Circumstances bring it so that Katherine and Gaetan are forced to travel together and alone after Nilchi has managed to extract his brother's promise that he won't hurt the white woman.
Gaetan is a very complex hero. He hates the whites. He was captured at the age of 9 and forced to go to a whites' school for Indians. Years later he escaped but he was never again fully accepted by his people who could see the influence of his stay with the whites on him. Gaetan is a gamma hero. He lives with the sole purpose of killing the whites and taking revenge for their wrongdoings to him and his people. But at the same time, he doesn't fully belong with the Apaches either. His position is very precarious.
Katherine has never felt like she belongs either. She desires to travel and lead an adventurous life, but her family doesn't agree with her choices in life and tries to subdue her wild spirit. Katherine, and this is not an exaggeration, is the strongest heroine I have ever come across. She is so strong, so fierce and so fearless that she is intimidating. At the same time, one can only admire her; she is awe-inspiring.
I cannot explain Gaetan's appeal. You have to read it to understand but I will never, ever, ever forget this hero.
Somehow, I was under the impression that this would be one of those historicals with endless descriptions, little dialogue and even less things going on. The blurb didn't help much either. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book is such a page-turner. It reads like a grand adventure and the pace never slows down until the very end. The writing is genius and the book is a study in characterisation. Rarely will you find so complex, intiguing and finely drawn characters in any novel.
I don't usually have trouble describing what I liked or didn't like about a book. But when you love a book that much, I don't know if there's anything harder than finding the right words and doing it justice. Therefore, I won't even try. My rating and the fact that it's my favourite read of the year and simply one of the finest love stories ever written are self-evident. If you read one American historical romance, let it be this one.
P.S. Reading books in the Native American sub-genre is always a bittersweet experience. I am appalled at what these people have endured. I like to think that books like this one do not only make my heart grow, but also make me a better person.
Katherine is travelling when her stagecoach is attacked by bandits and she is the sole survivor. After being rescued from certain death by Nilchi, a young Apache warrior, she ends up travelling with the Apaches under Nilchi's protection, even though his brother's Gaetan's hatred for the whites runs deep and he wants to kill her. Circumstances bring it so that Katherine and Gaetan are forced to travel together and alone after Nilchi has managed to extract his brother's promise that he won't hurt the white woman.
Gaetan is a very complex hero. He hates the whites. He was captured at the age of 9 and forced to go to a whites' school for Indians. Years later he escaped but he was never again fully accepted by his people who could see the influence of his stay with the whites on him. Gaetan is a gamma hero. He lives with the sole purpose of killing the whites and taking revenge for their wrongdoings to him and his people. But at the same time, he doesn't fully belong with the Apaches either. His position is very precarious.
Katherine has never felt like she belongs either. She desires to travel and lead an adventurous life, but her family doesn't agree with her choices in life and tries to subdue her wild spirit. Katherine, and this is not an exaggeration, is the strongest heroine I have ever come across. She is so strong, so fierce and so fearless that she is intimidating. At the same time, one can only admire her; she is awe-inspiring.
I cannot explain Gaetan's appeal. You have to read it to understand but I will never, ever, ever forget this hero.
Somehow, I was under the impression that this would be one of those historicals with endless descriptions, little dialogue and even less things going on. The blurb didn't help much either. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book is such a page-turner. It reads like a grand adventure and the pace never slows down until the very end. The writing is genius and the book is a study in characterisation. Rarely will you find so complex, intiguing and finely drawn characters in any novel.
I don't usually have trouble describing what I liked or didn't like about a book. But when you love a book that much, I don't know if there's anything harder than finding the right words and doing it justice. Therefore, I won't even try. My rating and the fact that it's my favourite read of the year and simply one of the finest love stories ever written are self-evident. If you read one American historical romance, let it be this one.
P.S. Reading books in the Native American sub-genre is always a bittersweet experience. I am appalled at what these people have endured. I like to think that books like this one do not only make my heart grow, but also make me a better person.
January 28, 2013
I remember watching a special on the History channel about the Puritans. A historian on the show said that there were numerous stories of Native Americans abducting Puritan women. The Puritan men would race to the rescue to grab their women back, only to have the women sneak off again in the middle of the night, going back to live with their captors. LOL
I don’t blame them one bit. I can’t think of anything drearier than living with Puritans.
Anyway, Dancing with Coals made me think of that.
The story is about Katherine, a young, adventurous woman traveling back east, when her stagecoach is set upon by robbers. Barely getting away, she ends up being captured by Apaches. I won’t go into all the details. There are so many twists and turns. Seriously, there’s enough action in this book to fill up three books, and I honestly could not set the dang thing down until about two thirds of the way through. I actually considered calling in work sick so I could finish it. The suspense is THAT BAD.
The characters are great. I liked Katherine. I thought she was tough and formidable, not to mention pretty good-natured. Gaetan is cold, mean and ruthless. He hates white people because they murdered his parents. But he slowly starts to thaw out. At first I was wondering how these two would ever get together, but O’Connell has them fall in love slowly, beautifully.
The only thing I wasn’t too crazy about was the ending. But to be honest, I don’t know how it could have ended better. What happened to the Apaches was horrible.
Needless to say, I'm giving Dancing on Coals five stars. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I don’t even like Westerns that much. LOL
So don’t let the dorky cover fool you. :D
I don’t blame them one bit. I can’t think of anything drearier than living with Puritans.
Anyway, Dancing with Coals made me think of that.
The story is about Katherine, a young, adventurous woman traveling back east, when her stagecoach is set upon by robbers. Barely getting away, she ends up being captured by Apaches. I won’t go into all the details. There are so many twists and turns. Seriously, there’s enough action in this book to fill up three books, and I honestly could not set the dang thing down until about two thirds of the way through. I actually considered calling in work sick so I could finish it. The suspense is THAT BAD.
The characters are great. I liked Katherine. I thought she was tough and formidable, not to mention pretty good-natured. Gaetan is cold, mean and ruthless. He hates white people because they murdered his parents. But he slowly starts to thaw out. At first I was wondering how these two would ever get together, but O’Connell has them fall in love slowly, beautifully.
The only thing I wasn’t too crazy about was the ending. But to be honest, I don’t know how it could have ended better. What happened to the Apaches was horrible.
Needless to say, I'm giving Dancing on Coals five stars. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I don’t even like Westerns that much. LOL
So don’t let the dorky cover fool you. :D
February 16, 2017
4.5 stars. This is a beautiful story. Far better than I expected. It lives up to the great reviews, IMO.
DoC is not ANYTHING like a typical romance. It portrays a heartbreaking time in Native American history, is steeped in historical facts and survivalist details, and .... is not one bit flirtatious or lighthearted (until towards the end).
In fact, for half the book I doubted that it even was a romance. The Apache "antihero" (Gaetan) never speaks to Katherine until the percentage bar reads 47%, even though he is with her for days on end, escaping the murderous Mexicans and miners. Unheard of in this genre! Instead, he uses hand signals (!!) to command stop, heel, etc. -- much like with a dog. He hates whites, and he won't speak English or Spanish, even though he knows how. Also, he is gone a lot, out on raiding excursions. Hard to build a romance when the hero checks out for weeks and sometimes months at a time. So, there is obviously a lot more to this book than the romance.
But even though Gaetan doesn't speak to Katherine till midway through, the remarkable thing about this book is how much is said without speaking a word. Talk about "show, don't tell!"
I adored Katherine. What a perfect match she was for embittered Gaetan. What a joy to see them come together.
If you can stick with it, it's worth your time. Brought me to tears a few times. And wow!! Such a smokin' hot love scene in the winter wickiup.
The epilogue was lovely. Truly. Older now, still in love, still sneaking away for a cuddle, surrounded by family. But I think the author should have prepared us for Gaetan's new vocation. Seemed to come out of nowhere.
(Content: a few explicit sex scenes, minimal or no cussing, assorted violence, including murder, scalping, aborted torture, attempted rape)
DoC is not ANYTHING like a typical romance. It portrays a heartbreaking time in Native American history, is steeped in historical facts and survivalist details, and .... is not one bit flirtatious or lighthearted (until towards the end).
In fact, for half the book I doubted that it even was a romance. The Apache "antihero" (Gaetan) never speaks to Katherine until the percentage bar reads 47%, even though he is with her for days on end, escaping the murderous Mexicans and miners. Unheard of in this genre! Instead, he uses hand signals (!!) to command stop, heel, etc. -- much like with a dog. He hates whites, and he won't speak English or Spanish, even though he knows how. Also, he is gone a lot, out on raiding excursions. Hard to build a romance when the hero checks out for weeks and sometimes months at a time. So, there is obviously a lot more to this book than the romance.
But even though Gaetan doesn't speak to Katherine till midway through, the remarkable thing about this book is how much is said without speaking a word. Talk about "show, don't tell!"
I adored Katherine. What a perfect match she was for embittered Gaetan. What a joy to see them come together.
If you can stick with it, it's worth your time. Brought me to tears a few times. And wow!! Such a smokin' hot love scene in the winter wickiup.
The epilogue was lovely. Truly. Older now, still in love, still sneaking away for a cuddle, surrounded by family. But I think the author should have prepared us for Gaetan's new vocation. Seemed to come out of nowhere.
(Content: a few explicit sex scenes, minimal or no cussing, assorted violence, including murder, scalping, aborted torture, attempted rape)
December 31, 2023
When I give a book four stars and then rant about it for two paragraphs
*spoilers*
I liked this, but I didn’t love this. It didn’t make me feel anything. This was a true enemies to lovers and she did a really good job with the subject matter and research, but I didn’t feel the love. I didn’t see when they fell for each other, they went from him ignoring her and spending months and months away from her to boom, love and married. This was actually more historical fiction than romance. I think the author spent a lot of time making sure she got the Native American perspective right and the historical elements right that the romance was missed. And I’m totally only really complaining because this author can kill you with the love and angst, but she just didn’t here.
The ending was abrupt, their coming together was abrupt and the only reason these two survived at all was because she was a very wealthy white woman. I mean, totally realistic, for sure, but usually this author gives us the feels with the two mains working together to build a life, this one I didn’t get to see any of that. It just ended and flashed forward to 30 years later. Ugh. Too bad. I still love her and this was still an engaging read. Just not so much for the romance.
*spoilers*
I liked this, but I didn’t love this. It didn’t make me feel anything. This was a true enemies to lovers and she did a really good job with the subject matter and research, but I didn’t feel the love. I didn’t see when they fell for each other, they went from him ignoring her and spending months and months away from her to boom, love and married. This was actually more historical fiction than romance. I think the author spent a lot of time making sure she got the Native American perspective right and the historical elements right that the romance was missed. And I’m totally only really complaining because this author can kill you with the love and angst, but she just didn’t here.
The ending was abrupt, their coming together was abrupt and the only reason these two survived at all was because she was a very wealthy white woman. I mean, totally realistic, for sure, but usually this author gives us the feels with the two mains working together to build a life, this one I didn’t get to see any of that. It just ended and flashed forward to 30 years later. Ugh. Too bad. I still love her and this was still an engaging read. Just not so much for the romance.
June 2, 2018
4/5 stars
I loved this!! I forgot how much I love historical books and this book just brought all those feelings rushing back to me. I felt giddy throughout this book, even if things weren't going so well, because I was just so captivated by the characters and the story. I loved Gaeten and Katherine so much, alone they were fantastic and interesting, so together they were even more perfect. They just meshed so well with each other and that is all I'm looking for in a good romance, the rest is just a bonus (and this book had heaps of those too). To be honest, I jumped into this book knowing little to nothing about it and had no idea that I would enjoy it so much. It was an action-filled, slow burner with so much heart that just poured from the pages.
Katherine doesn't appreciate how she is treated as a women of her time. To dispute her brother's and father while they're away from home, she decides to travel by herself close to Arizona. But when she, as well as her travelling partners, are attacked by robbers, it is the Apache who save her…or one Apache man in particular. He is much nicer and less intimidating than the others seem and he looks at her with happiness rather than scorn. This is a stark contrast to his brother Gaeten who would like nothing more than to see her dead, based on his pure hatred for her race. But when Katherine finds herself almost alone, relying only of Gaeten for survival, she begins to see him a little differently and is set on changing his opinion of her.
This book has now become one of my all time favourite historical romance books. It had that very historical feeling mixed with the fieriness of a more contemporary book. In particular, Katherine was a wonderful character who just seemed so modern in her attitude. I could definitely see her leading a contemporary romance novel, but I loved the setting of this book so I wouldn't dare to wish it away like that. I just loved the light and more joyful feeling of this novel (which Katherine's personality definitely contributed to), despite it having many serious moments as well. I guess I just had a heap of fun reading it, so recalling it back now just puts a smile on my face. The book was one giant adventure and I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt like I was taken along for a ride with these characters as they navigated their way through the wild.
This is the first book I've read that has a real focus on Native American culture and characters. I'm from the opposite side of the world to America so I can't say anything in the accuracy of the cultural representation, but I can say that I enjoyed learning about their culture immensely. I also love reading books about an outsider entering a whole new cultural world, which was essentially what Katherine did. As she learnt more about Gaeten and his people, I slowly learnt too and I loved that. Compared to what I've seen in other media I would also say that this author was very compassionate towards the Native culture, rather than portraying them as savages as I often see in movies. This book has very much got me interested in the Native traditions and culture so you can get that I'll be reading more of these kinds of books in the future.
The romance in this book became my everything. I admit I was getting worried because for a while it didn't seem like Gaeten liked Katherine at all or reciprocated her feelings. But don't worry, it gets there and it is amazing. Their relationship subtly grew from nothing to a full-blown love that swept me away. All my patience during the tension-filled novel payed off with a stunning romance by the end. I especially loved that both characters accepted each other for who they were and didn't try to change things about them. Kat never tried to change Gaeten’s traditions and cultural beliefs, rather just accepting him for who he was. I thought this was just beautiful and wonderful to read about. Their strong personalities also made for a great read. They bantered as Katherine was fiery and spirited whilst Gaeten was strong and stoic. But all of these emotions became the source for such a strong love and many passionate moments shared between the pair. My only real criticism for this book is the ending. I felt like it took away a lot of the wild spirit and passion from their relationship, nonetheless, I loved this book and these characters a lot.
“Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart.”
I loved this!! I forgot how much I love historical books and this book just brought all those feelings rushing back to me. I felt giddy throughout this book, even if things weren't going so well, because I was just so captivated by the characters and the story. I loved Gaeten and Katherine so much, alone they were fantastic and interesting, so together they were even more perfect. They just meshed so well with each other and that is all I'm looking for in a good romance, the rest is just a bonus (and this book had heaps of those too). To be honest, I jumped into this book knowing little to nothing about it and had no idea that I would enjoy it so much. It was an action-filled, slow burner with so much heart that just poured from the pages.
Katherine doesn't appreciate how she is treated as a women of her time. To dispute her brother's and father while they're away from home, she decides to travel by herself close to Arizona. But when she, as well as her travelling partners, are attacked by robbers, it is the Apache who save her…or one Apache man in particular. He is much nicer and less intimidating than the others seem and he looks at her with happiness rather than scorn. This is a stark contrast to his brother Gaeten who would like nothing more than to see her dead, based on his pure hatred for her race. But when Katherine finds herself almost alone, relying only of Gaeten for survival, she begins to see him a little differently and is set on changing his opinion of her.
This book has now become one of my all time favourite historical romance books. It had that very historical feeling mixed with the fieriness of a more contemporary book. In particular, Katherine was a wonderful character who just seemed so modern in her attitude. I could definitely see her leading a contemporary romance novel, but I loved the setting of this book so I wouldn't dare to wish it away like that. I just loved the light and more joyful feeling of this novel (which Katherine's personality definitely contributed to), despite it having many serious moments as well. I guess I just had a heap of fun reading it, so recalling it back now just puts a smile on my face. The book was one giant adventure and I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt like I was taken along for a ride with these characters as they navigated their way through the wild.
This is the first book I've read that has a real focus on Native American culture and characters. I'm from the opposite side of the world to America so I can't say anything in the accuracy of the cultural representation, but I can say that I enjoyed learning about their culture immensely. I also love reading books about an outsider entering a whole new cultural world, which was essentially what Katherine did. As she learnt more about Gaeten and his people, I slowly learnt too and I loved that. Compared to what I've seen in other media I would also say that this author was very compassionate towards the Native culture, rather than portraying them as savages as I often see in movies. This book has very much got me interested in the Native traditions and culture so you can get that I'll be reading more of these kinds of books in the future.
The romance in this book became my everything. I admit I was getting worried because for a while it didn't seem like Gaeten liked Katherine at all or reciprocated her feelings. But don't worry, it gets there and it is amazing. Their relationship subtly grew from nothing to a full-blown love that swept me away. All my patience during the tension-filled novel payed off with a stunning romance by the end. I especially loved that both characters accepted each other for who they were and didn't try to change things about them. Kat never tried to change Gaeten’s traditions and cultural beliefs, rather just accepting him for who he was. I thought this was just beautiful and wonderful to read about. Their strong personalities also made for a great read. They bantered as Katherine was fiery and spirited whilst Gaeten was strong and stoic. But all of these emotions became the source for such a strong love and many passionate moments shared between the pair. My only real criticism for this book is the ending. I felt like it took away a lot of the wild spirit and passion from their relationship, nonetheless, I loved this book and these characters a lot.
“If a man could taste wind and fire, they would taste like Katherine. When he stood in high places looking down on things made small by distance, he tried to feel what the eagle felt soaring free on the wind. He was an earthbound man. Only his spirit could ever soar, and only Katherine raised him so high.”
December 5, 2011
Dancing on Coals was a pretty good Native American romance. My biggest problem with the book was that the entire first half of the book read more like historical fiction, as we are mainly in the heroine's head and there is no romance to be seen. The two leads hate each other, especially the hero who hates all whites and would gladly have left the heroine for dead initially except for a promise to his brother.
The second half of the book was a lot better in the romance department, Katherine and Gaetan finally come together after knowing each other for months, basically because Gaetan finally gives in to himself. I really liked Katherine as a heroine, she was a strong, intelligent woman who made the best of her situation and showed courage by following her feelings and supporting Gaetan who became her husband. Gaetan was harder to read, we don't see much of his point of view so most of the time we have to judge him by his actions. He is very cold and hard for the first half of the story but he tries to be a good husband to Katherine once they are married, he eventually shows more emotion toward her.
I enjoyed this story of a woman who through circumstances ended up living through the last free days of the Apache and falling in love with an Apache man. I appreciate the realism of the story but I wish the romance would have started sooner and been a bigger part of the story. I felt somewhat removed from the characters sometimes, I am not sure why. The hero is especially hard to connect with, I wish I would have known him better and cared more about him. But overall, it's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy western and Native American romances. Not many good Native American romances are written anymore but I would count this as one of them.
The second half of the book was a lot better in the romance department, Katherine and Gaetan finally come together after knowing each other for months, basically because Gaetan finally gives in to himself. I really liked Katherine as a heroine, she was a strong, intelligent woman who made the best of her situation and showed courage by following her feelings and supporting Gaetan who became her husband. Gaetan was harder to read, we don't see much of his point of view so most of the time we have to judge him by his actions. He is very cold and hard for the first half of the story but he tries to be a good husband to Katherine once they are married, he eventually shows more emotion toward her.
I enjoyed this story of a woman who through circumstances ended up living through the last free days of the Apache and falling in love with an Apache man. I appreciate the realism of the story but I wish the romance would have started sooner and been a bigger part of the story. I felt somewhat removed from the characters sometimes, I am not sure why. The hero is especially hard to connect with, I wish I would have known him better and cared more about him. But overall, it's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy western and Native American romances. Not many good Native American romances are written anymore but I would count this as one of them.
December 9, 2011
I loved the heroine- so much strength, no shinking virgin this!- and intelligence? Wow, I so can get a female lead like this. And the hero, which the author did not compromise one iota, had me riveted.
I had tears in my eyes at one point and sat holding my breath at the next. I love a book that engages my emotions and rare are they that come around anymore.
Another thing- I thought the book was going one way until about 15% in and up till that point it was sorta meh for me, then a sudden turn left and I was hooked. If your a romance lover at heart- dont give up on this H/h, it takes them a bit to give in to their passion but I swear if you do, you'll get a HEA that'll make you heave a wistful sigh... just like I did. :)
One of those romances that will stick with ya!
Everyone's praising this story, as well they should. Read it and find out why!
I had tears in my eyes at one point and sat holding my breath at the next. I love a book that engages my emotions and rare are they that come around anymore.
Another thing- I thought the book was going one way until about 15% in and up till that point it was sorta meh for me, then a sudden turn left and I was hooked. If your a romance lover at heart- dont give up on this H/h, it takes them a bit to give in to their passion but I swear if you do, you'll get a HEA that'll make you heave a wistful sigh... just like I did. :)
One of those romances that will stick with ya!
Everyone's praising this story, as well they should. Read it and find out why!
August 29, 2019
"Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold" is still my favorite book of this author but I really loved this story too. ❤❤❤
November 4, 2017
❤❤❤
I am going to hunt and read each and every book, written by this author.
I am going to hunt and read each and every book, written by this author.
January 10, 2012
What a powerful story! And what a joy to find this author. Once again, there needs to be a way to give more stars. We need an 'all time favorite' star, and this will surely top my list.
Ah, Gaetan! It's rare that you can find a hero quite as fierce as Gaetan. He doesn't even speak any words to our heroine for quite a long time. If you're looking for a sweet and gentle love story, this is not it. This love story is dangerous and proud. The gentleness is hidden, but the bits that are there are magical.
Katherine is an American woman trying to find freedom from the strict rules enforced on ladies by society. Her father owns a shipping company, and as a child, she and her brothers accompanied him to faraway places and had many adventures. As they grew up, however, Katherine was expected to stay home and become the proper lady that others expected from women in those days. She eventually has enough of that, and decides to have her own adventure while the men in her life are away overseas. And boy, does she ever find adventure! Her stagecoach is robbed by bandits, she is rescued by a handsome Apache warrior, and scorned by his people, including his brother Gaetan. Gaetan hates all white man for their killing of his parents and oppression and slaughter of his people. But as much as he ignores, fights, and runs away from his love for Katherine, he can never separate himself enough to be free of this white woman. Soon, circumstances force the two together, and despite their hate and fear, they form an unwanted bond.
While also an enthralling love story, this book also focuses on the plight of Native Americans, namely Apache, during the late 1800s and up into the early 1900s. It tells of their struggles to live free on land that was systematically taken from them, not by right or might, but by sheer numbers. It brought tears to my eyes more than once. The cruelty of man, the grasping at power and land, truly knows no bounds.
It was a bittersweet ending, as we all know what became of the original Americans. But also thoroughly satisfying, as the love between Gaetan and Katherine was fierce and strong, and they kept their 'hard promises.'
Ah, Gaetan! It's rare that you can find a hero quite as fierce as Gaetan. He doesn't even speak any words to our heroine for quite a long time. If you're looking for a sweet and gentle love story, this is not it. This love story is dangerous and proud. The gentleness is hidden, but the bits that are there are magical.
Katherine is an American woman trying to find freedom from the strict rules enforced on ladies by society. Her father owns a shipping company, and as a child, she and her brothers accompanied him to faraway places and had many adventures. As they grew up, however, Katherine was expected to stay home and become the proper lady that others expected from women in those days. She eventually has enough of that, and decides to have her own adventure while the men in her life are away overseas. And boy, does she ever find adventure! Her stagecoach is robbed by bandits, she is rescued by a handsome Apache warrior, and scorned by his people, including his brother Gaetan. Gaetan hates all white man for their killing of his parents and oppression and slaughter of his people. But as much as he ignores, fights, and runs away from his love for Katherine, he can never separate himself enough to be free of this white woman. Soon, circumstances force the two together, and despite their hate and fear, they form an unwanted bond.
While also an enthralling love story, this book also focuses on the plight of Native Americans, namely Apache, during the late 1800s and up into the early 1900s. It tells of their struggles to live free on land that was systematically taken from them, not by right or might, but by sheer numbers. It brought tears to my eyes more than once. The cruelty of man, the grasping at power and land, truly knows no bounds.
It was a bittersweet ending, as we all know what became of the original Americans. But also thoroughly satisfying, as the love between Gaetan and Katherine was fierce and strong, and they kept their 'hard promises.'
December 5, 2014
4.5-stars
Dancing on Coals is not an epic HR nor a hearts-and-flowers romantic one. It is a love story between an Apache warrior, Gaetan and a strong American woman, Katherine. The storyline is different from any other typical HRs I have read. I read it in one sitting!
Their relationship is a slow build up and in the end, I just know this couple can stand the test of time. The plot has a good mix of not-over-the-top drama and characterization. Katherine is a likable character and I even like her temper.
Gaetan: If dying is easier than living, I will take the hardest path. I will choose to grow old beside a fierce woman.
Oh well, Gaetan hasn’t said a darn word to Katherine for almost 50% of my kindle pages and his silence gives off danger, assurance, and fear. His declaration of love to Katherine is an Apache way. Hard Promise, he said. I don’t think I will forget about Gaetan character.
Don’t miss out this book if you are a fan of Ellen O'Connell.
Dancing on Coals is not an epic HR nor a hearts-and-flowers romantic one. It is a love story between an Apache warrior, Gaetan and a strong American woman, Katherine. The storyline is different from any other typical HRs I have read. I read it in one sitting!
Their relationship is a slow build up and in the end, I just know this couple can stand the test of time. The plot has a good mix of not-over-the-top drama and characterization. Katherine is a likable character and I even like her temper.
Gaetan: If dying is easier than living, I will take the hardest path. I will choose to grow old beside a fierce woman.
Oh well, Gaetan hasn’t said a darn word to Katherine for almost 50% of my kindle pages and his silence gives off danger, assurance, and fear. His declaration of love to Katherine is an Apache way. Hard Promise, he said. I don’t think I will forget about Gaetan character.
Don’t miss out this book if you are a fan of Ellen O'Connell.
November 15, 2011
What a lucky week I've had with historical romance! After finishing Joanna Bourne's latest release I wasn't expecting another exceedingly well-written HR. Thank you, Baba! This book was fantastic!
****************
Grade: A+ or 5 stars
Dancing on Coals is a wide-ranging historical romance. It sweeps you into the Arizona Territory and Northern Mexico for an emotional romance between two people who find a bridge between cultures in a challenging time. Set in 1881, the story spans two years between a vengeful Apache man and a tenacious woman. It’s fresh, emotional, and enchanting.
The Story
Katherine Grant has lived an exotic lifestyle. She was included in the travels of her father’s shipping company. After years of being given the same freedom as her brothers, she is a misfit among her kind. She tried to conform but was met with rejection and ostracism. Katherine decides on a grand tour from New York to California to quench her need to explore. Unfortunately, her stagecoach is attacked by a group of bandits. She is rescued by an Nilchi, who is part of an Apache raiding party. He decides he keep her and make Katherine his wife. Eventually, she is placed into the care of Nilchi’s brother Gaetan, a man with a wealth of hate for Whites. Despite the difference in their culture and race, a bond forms after they save each other’s lives. Their relationship spans two years.
The Hero and Heroine
Katherine is a fierce heroine. She’s mature, passionate, and efficient. When she is captured by the Apache raiding party, her goal is to survive. Katherine is not a heroine that will escape in the middle of a desert without food or water. She makes the best of her circumstances while keeping her eyes open for an opportunity to find her way home. She is ahead of her time in her beliefs yet the author never pushes hard with the “I’m an independent woman” trope. The author shows how Katherine becomes immersed in the Apache way of life. This is not a historical romance where the heroine is captured and one week later she’s in love and totally adjusted with her circumstances.
Gaetan’s character presents more of a challenge. At the age of 9, he and his brother are captured and sent to an Indian mission school. The children suffer in the attempts for them to abandon their culture and assimilate with western society. Gaetan makes his escape at the age of sixteen. Later, he returns for his brother. In his return to his tribe, Gaetan does not find acceptance, except in what he has to offer from his raids. His soul is filled with darkness, rage, and hate.
Ironically, Katherine and Gaetan are have something strong in common. Neither fit perfectly into their worlds, but fit perfectly together. Their relationship takes time to develop. Ms. O’Connell does not rush their romance. Neither does she become preachy by making all Whites bad and all Indians good.
Final Thoughts
This was a lovely romance. I loved how Katherine brought light into Gaetan’s soul. I also loved how Gaetan saw beyond the color of Katherine’s skin to the fierce heart of the woman. Plus, I absolutely adored the afterword. Seeing the hero and heroine years later, still in love, silently communicating, having fun, at the family reunion made me give a very happy sigh.
Memorable Quotes
FYI – This ebook was only $2.99 at the Nook store. I’m sure it’s the same price at the Kindle store, too.
****************
Grade: A+ or 5 stars
Dancing on Coals is a wide-ranging historical romance. It sweeps you into the Arizona Territory and Northern Mexico for an emotional romance between two people who find a bridge between cultures in a challenging time. Set in 1881, the story spans two years between a vengeful Apache man and a tenacious woman. It’s fresh, emotional, and enchanting.
The Story
Katherine Grant has lived an exotic lifestyle. She was included in the travels of her father’s shipping company. After years of being given the same freedom as her brothers, she is a misfit among her kind. She tried to conform but was met with rejection and ostracism. Katherine decides on a grand tour from New York to California to quench her need to explore. Unfortunately, her stagecoach is attacked by a group of bandits. She is rescued by an Nilchi, who is part of an Apache raiding party. He decides he keep her and make Katherine his wife. Eventually, she is placed into the care of Nilchi’s brother Gaetan, a man with a wealth of hate for Whites. Despite the difference in their culture and race, a bond forms after they save each other’s lives. Their relationship spans two years.
The Hero and Heroine
“Dying is easier than living sometimes, I suppose […].” – Katherine Grant
“Sometimes I think if Gaetan is cut, his blood will spill out black from the poison inside him.” – Nilchi
Katherine is a fierce heroine. She’s mature, passionate, and efficient. When she is captured by the Apache raiding party, her goal is to survive. Katherine is not a heroine that will escape in the middle of a desert without food or water. She makes the best of her circumstances while keeping her eyes open for an opportunity to find her way home. She is ahead of her time in her beliefs yet the author never pushes hard with the “I’m an independent woman” trope. The author shows how Katherine becomes immersed in the Apache way of life. This is not a historical romance where the heroine is captured and one week later she’s in love and totally adjusted with her circumstances.
Gaetan’s character presents more of a challenge. At the age of 9, he and his brother are captured and sent to an Indian mission school. The children suffer in the attempts for them to abandon their culture and assimilate with western society. Gaetan makes his escape at the age of sixteen. Later, he returns for his brother. In his return to his tribe, Gaetan does not find acceptance, except in what he has to offer from his raids. His soul is filled with darkness, rage, and hate.
Ironically, Katherine and Gaetan are have something strong in common. Neither fit perfectly into their worlds, but fit perfectly together. Their relationship takes time to develop. Ms. O’Connell does not rush their romance. Neither does she become preachy by making all Whites bad and all Indians good.
Final Thoughts
This was a lovely romance. I loved how Katherine brought light into Gaetan’s soul. I also loved how Gaetan saw beyond the color of Katherine’s skin to the fierce heart of the woman. Plus, I absolutely adored the afterword. Seeing the hero and heroine years later, still in love, silently communicating, having fun, at the family reunion made me give a very happy sigh.
Memorable Quotes
“Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart.”
*********************
“There aren’t so many things I don’t believe. Our ways are good, and they make strong people. I had to pretend to believe many more stupid things when I was in the white school, but those who think the school made me different are right. I’m not what I would have been.”
No, he wasn’t, and Katherine would never stop being grateful. “You’re more than you would have been.”
*********************
Gaetan laughed. Katherine stared open mouthed for a moment, then crowed. “I did it! I made you laugh!”
His face closed into expressionless Apache, his eyes still dancing. “No, you dreamed it, like the moose.”
FYI – This ebook was only $2.99 at the Nook store. I’m sure it’s the same price at the Kindle store, too.
November 10, 2011
This book really came around in the home stretch and made for a very enjoyable read. I loved Katherine, ahead of her time in her thinking, she knew what she wanted and nothing was going to keep her from getting it, er, him!...she is woman, hear her roar! Even though she adapted to the Apache lifestyle, she remained true to herself, and her courage and determination was inspiring. Gaetan, I don't even know what to say about him. Such a mystery, so tortured, so much hatred. I was annoyed with him initially, but as the author peeled back the layers of his character, showed us what evoked such strong emotion and contempt...I fell in love with him *sigh*. Gaetan was the greatest adventure in Katherine's life, and she was his salvation. A harsh, thought-provoking, beautiful love story, with a very satisfying HEA!
November 22, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Eyes of Silver, but still a good HR read with a twist of some native american history to educate my ignorant ass 🫠
January 4, 2016
4.5/5.0
What a wonderful book! It is not at all what one expects from an Indian/settler Western. First off, it is not set in the usual time period where the battles were at their worst. It takes place at the very end of the native American's fight for independence and follows a small hodge-podge group of Apaches who live in hiding rather than submit to the horrors and poverty of the reservations. The time-line follows them through their fights, their struggles against impossible odds and finally their submission when they realize their only victory will be in insuring there will be future generations of Apache to carry on, whatever the cost.
This is also not a wild, intense shoot-em-up Western but a quieter love story between a white woman who, through circumstances beyond her or the Indian's control, must follow them to stay alive, and the angry warrior she learns to understand and ultimately love. Although all the situations may not be totally believable, Ms. O'Connell gives the reader enough surprising twists and turns to keep one guessing - and reading. As an added bonus, we get to see forward to 1915 and learn how those once fierce warriors accepted the changes they could not resist. A wonderful and enlightening change of pace!
*For clean readers* There are a couple of very mild and easily skippable sex scenes.
What a wonderful book! It is not at all what one expects from an Indian/settler Western. First off, it is not set in the usual time period where the battles were at their worst. It takes place at the very end of the native American's fight for independence and follows a small hodge-podge group of Apaches who live in hiding rather than submit to the horrors and poverty of the reservations. The time-line follows them through their fights, their struggles against impossible odds and finally their submission when they realize their only victory will be in insuring there will be future generations of Apache to carry on, whatever the cost.
This is also not a wild, intense shoot-em-up Western but a quieter love story between a white woman who, through circumstances beyond her or the Indian's control, must follow them to stay alive, and the angry warrior she learns to understand and ultimately love. Although all the situations may not be totally believable, Ms. O'Connell gives the reader enough surprising twists and turns to keep one guessing - and reading. As an added bonus, we get to see forward to 1915 and learn how those once fierce warriors accepted the changes they could not resist. A wonderful and enlightening change of pace!
*For clean readers* There are a couple of very mild and easily skippable sex scenes.
March 19, 2012
Solid 4 stars
For a book that took me a good portion of the story to become fully engaged in the plot, characters, and love story, Dancing on Coals turned out to be much better than I expected. It's beautifully written, thought provoking, emotional, at times harsh, and one of the more inspiring books I've read. Simply put, Dancing on Coals is a fantastic read. I highly recommend this book.
For a book that took me a good portion of the story to become fully engaged in the plot, characters, and love story, Dancing on Coals turned out to be much better than I expected. It's beautifully written, thought provoking, emotional, at times harsh, and one of the more inspiring books I've read. Simply put, Dancing on Coals is a fantastic read. I highly recommend this book.
April 5, 2013
WOW... What can I say that wasn't already said?
At the beginning I was frustrated with Gaetan's mutism and his attitude. I wanted to bang him on his stubborn head with a hammer! Grrrr
And he was pigheaded like that for a very, very long time!!!
He just coulnd't let go of his hatred. It was almost sad how much he hated the white people.
He's not accepted not only by white people, but by his people too... He's soooo lonely...
Katherine was incredible!!! Such strenght, such courage, such understanding!
Even when he treated her the worst, she could understand the why and act accordingly. She's clever too. She knows what best for her and do not have problems even killing if that's what it takes to save herself.
It's different from the othee Ms. O'Connell's novels, since Gaetan takes a looonnngggg time to realize that he has feelings for Katherine, but when he get it... Oh, boy!!!
Treat yourself with this really unsual and wonderful love story!
At the beginning I was frustrated with Gaetan's mutism and his attitude. I wanted to bang him on his stubborn head with a hammer! Grrrr
And he was pigheaded like that for a very, very long time!!!
He just coulnd't let go of his hatred. It was almost sad how much he hated the white people.
He's not accepted not only by white people, but by his people too... He's soooo lonely...
Katherine was incredible!!! Such strenght, such courage, such understanding!
Even when he treated her the worst, she could understand the why and act accordingly. She's clever too. She knows what best for her and do not have problems even killing if that's what it takes to save herself.
It's different from the othee Ms. O'Connell's novels, since Gaetan takes a looonnngggg time to realize that he has feelings for Katherine, but when he get it... Oh, boy!!!
Treat yourself with this really unsual and wonderful love story!
July 27, 2020
For the most part, the time for Native American romances has come and gone. That's probably a good thing. No matter how "respectful" a white author tries to be, romances of this sort are nevertheless still mired in problematic tropes such as the Noble Savage, Indian religion and way of life are usually mysticized and exoticized to the point of ridiculousness, and white heroines are usually kidnapped by the same Noble Savage Indian they will later have a romance with. I acknowledge the long-steeped tradition of racism in the genre, but even if you accept from the get-go that Dancing on Coals hinges on a flawed, Anglo-centric worldview...it's still not a good book. A master writer, Ellen O'Connell is not.
The novel opens with Katherine Grant on a stagecoach. She is a fiesty, independent woman—the reader knows this because she's traveling alone, cross-country, in a very dangerous and volatile territory. She grew up sailing around the world with her father and brothers, and is headstrong and unladylike. Cue eye-rolling from my end. It's the height of misogyny to think that a "strong" heroine has to possess "manly" attributes. Typically feminine women can be strong, too. Katherine is also barren. Why is this important to the narrative? Because, obviously Katherine is "only half a woman"! Because obviously giving birth to potato-looking fetuses is the True Test of womanhood. I have no time to dignify such shabby gender-essentialism with a rebuttal, so let's move on.
Naturally, the stagecoach is beset by thieves, and Katherine gets away from them only to run into a band of Apache raiders, who then take her captive. Then the Apache are attacked by Mexican soldiers. Then Katherine "escapes" but has to live as an Apache prisoner for a while. Then the Apache are attacked again and the band gets split up. Eventually Katherine goes north to the Apache reservation, blah blah blah. Dancing on Coals suffers from a surplus of Strong and Independent Katherine proving herself via daring escapes, usually narrowly avoiding a nasty rape. She gets shot multiple times, but always lives. She's So Speshul.
Again: if you need to prove that your heroine is a "strong" woman by almost raping her time after time...you're probably A) not a very good writer and B) somewhat misogynistic. Stop doing that.
Oh, and yeah: Dancing on Coals is a romance, so I guess it's relevant to discuss the love interest, Gaetan. (By the way, O'Connell admits that "Gaetan" is not an authentic Apache name and was just something she picked because she liked the sound of. Yikes.) Gaetan...Gaetan is boring af, to be honest. For one thing, he doesn't even talk until the second third of the book! And even when he talks, it's just to order Katherine around. The two don't have a decent, grown-up conversation until about halfway, and by then the reader is supposed to buy that they're in love, because O'Connell quickly whisks them into a marriage soon after.
Look, the point of a romance is for two individuals to meet, learn about each other, and make a life together. How are these goals supposed to be accomplished when the hero and heroine aren't even on speaking terms for up to the first half of the book?
As a character on his own merit, Gaetan is pretty standard fare for a Native American romance. He hates white people, but due to being forcibly sent to a reservation school, doesn't exactly mesh well with his own people. He's a lone wolf, and his only goal is to bring down as many Americans and Mexicans as he can before dying himself. That's it, that's Gaetan. There's no nuance to his character, no unique aspects. Again, it's boring.
So, Katherine and Gaetan go through all of this turmoil and drama and fighting, and eventually manage to wrangle a (fairly unbelievable) happy ending out of this mess. There's an epilogue, which is disastrously tone-deaf and weirdly presented, and then The End.
Ellen O'Connell just isn't a good writer. And this affects everything that goes into Dancing on Coals. The characterization is shallow and obvious, the plot is unevenly paced, the prose is overly verbose and doesn't flow well at all. What this book needs is a good editing, and maybe just shouldn't have been written, considering that the premise itself is almost irredeemably problematic.
I can be down with a well-written Native American romance (sort of), but a badly written one has nothing to offer, in my opinion. Sorry.
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The novel opens with Katherine Grant on a stagecoach. She is a fiesty, independent woman—the reader knows this because she's traveling alone, cross-country, in a very dangerous and volatile territory. She grew up sailing around the world with her father and brothers, and is headstrong and unladylike. Cue eye-rolling from my end. It's the height of misogyny to think that a "strong" heroine has to possess "manly" attributes. Typically feminine women can be strong, too. Katherine is also barren. Why is this important to the narrative? Because, obviously Katherine is "only half a woman"! Because obviously giving birth to potato-looking fetuses is the True Test of womanhood. I have no time to dignify such shabby gender-essentialism with a rebuttal, so let's move on.
Naturally, the stagecoach is beset by thieves, and Katherine gets away from them only to run into a band of Apache raiders, who then take her captive. Then the Apache are attacked by Mexican soldiers. Then Katherine "escapes" but has to live as an Apache prisoner for a while. Then the Apache are attacked again and the band gets split up. Eventually Katherine goes north to the Apache reservation, blah blah blah. Dancing on Coals suffers from a surplus of Strong and Independent Katherine proving herself via daring escapes, usually narrowly avoiding a nasty rape. She gets shot multiple times, but always lives. She's So Speshul.
Again: if you need to prove that your heroine is a "strong" woman by almost raping her time after time...you're probably A) not a very good writer and B) somewhat misogynistic. Stop doing that.
Oh, and yeah: Dancing on Coals is a romance, so I guess it's relevant to discuss the love interest, Gaetan. (By the way, O'Connell admits that "Gaetan" is not an authentic Apache name and was just something she picked because she liked the sound of. Yikes.) Gaetan...Gaetan is boring af, to be honest. For one thing, he doesn't even talk until the second third of the book! And even when he talks, it's just to order Katherine around. The two don't have a decent, grown-up conversation until about halfway, and by then the reader is supposed to buy that they're in love, because O'Connell quickly whisks them into a marriage soon after.
Look, the point of a romance is for two individuals to meet, learn about each other, and make a life together. How are these goals supposed to be accomplished when the hero and heroine aren't even on speaking terms for up to the first half of the book?
As a character on his own merit, Gaetan is pretty standard fare for a Native American romance. He hates white people, but due to being forcibly sent to a reservation school, doesn't exactly mesh well with his own people. He's a lone wolf, and his only goal is to bring down as many Americans and Mexicans as he can before dying himself. That's it, that's Gaetan. There's no nuance to his character, no unique aspects. Again, it's boring.
So, Katherine and Gaetan go through all of this turmoil and drama and fighting, and eventually manage to wrangle a (fairly unbelievable) happy ending out of this mess. There's an epilogue, which is disastrously tone-deaf and weirdly presented, and then The End.
Ellen O'Connell just isn't a good writer. And this affects everything that goes into Dancing on Coals. The characterization is shallow and obvious, the plot is unevenly paced, the prose is overly verbose and doesn't flow well at all. What this book needs is a good editing, and maybe just shouldn't have been written, considering that the premise itself is almost irredeemably problematic.
I can be down with a well-written Native American romance (sort of), but a badly written one has nothing to offer, in my opinion. Sorry.
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July 4, 2020
Now I understand all the HYPE surrounding this author's books. FABULOUS!!! 😍
Loved the h. She was incredible!!!
H was a GRADE A a$$🎩 for a good majority of the story, but did a complete 180 and redeemed himself in my eyes.
“Good. Because I want you to be a grizzly at a hundred and ten.”
“A man married to a fierce woman has to be a grizzly.”
“A woman married to a grizzly has to be fierce.”
He pulled her to him. His kiss was neither fierce nor grizzly-like but a loving reminder of promises made and kept and always to be kept.
THE EPILOGUE IS WONDERFUL 😍😍😍 I would reread just for the epilogue 😉
“You look like an old grandmother sitting there in the sun wrapped in a blanket,” he said.
“I am a grandmother.” She pointed to where the children played on the lawn. “The brown ones are mine.”
“You mean the good looking ones.”
“Hunh. The woman in that big soft bed with me last night didn’t feel like a grandmother who sits and watches.”
“Really? What did she feel like?”
“She felt like the woman who once helped me steal horses. She felt like a woman who would not wait for slow brothers or ride in a convertible with the sun and wind locked out because they act like old men.”
Loved the h. She was incredible!!!
H was a GRADE A a$$🎩 for a good majority of the story, but did a complete 180 and redeemed himself in my eyes.
“Good. Because I want you to be a grizzly at a hundred and ten.”
“A man married to a fierce woman has to be a grizzly.”
“A woman married to a grizzly has to be fierce.”
He pulled her to him. His kiss was neither fierce nor grizzly-like but a loving reminder of promises made and kept and always to be kept.
THE EPILOGUE IS WONDERFUL 😍😍😍 I would reread just for the epilogue 😉
“You look like an old grandmother sitting there in the sun wrapped in a blanket,” he said.
“I am a grandmother.” She pointed to where the children played on the lawn. “The brown ones are mine.”
“You mean the good looking ones.”
“Hunh. The woman in that big soft bed with me last night didn’t feel like a grandmother who sits and watches.”
“Really? What did she feel like?”
“She felt like the woman who once helped me steal horses. She felt like a woman who would not wait for slow brothers or ride in a convertible with the sun and wind locked out because they act like old men.”
August 17, 2021
4 1/2 to 5 stars
November 14, 2023
This fast paced, moving story of love and survival wove itself right into my heart and never let go. It will make your heart ache. I loved it.
August 29, 2023
"I jumped from the frying pan to the fire. Before long I'll be dancing on the coals." The highwaymen were the frying pan; the handsome young Apache who saved her from them was the fire; and the coals? Gaetan.
...the savage of nightmares charged down the road on a dark horse.....Rage masked his face better than any war paint. His eyes glittered with fury....
How does Ellen O'Connell do it? Creating extraordinary characters and putting them through impossible situations to make a captivating story. How I loved everything I've read of hers so far...
Katherine Grant is a woman uncommon of her time. She was raised by her father on his ships cruising the world alongside her 5 brothers. She participated in hunting trips, knows how to shoot a pistol and rifle, how to combat with knives and speaks multible languages. She's courageous, smart, thinks fast on her feet and she's loyal and fierce.
"Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart."
Having made a bargain with the devil - aka Geatan - she embarks on a journey to reach the north and her people. Alone on the bleak mountains, both of them injured and with only the cloths on their back, they must depend on each other for survival and given promises.
But fate has other plans and piece by piece her heart starts to long for another home. Until preconceptions and miscommunication and abandonment made this strong woman heel in the end and broke her spirit.
"There was a bond. I can't tell you - I can't describe it, but I saved his life, and he saved mine, and we helped each other, and even though I knew he'd rather kill me, I trusted him. I can't explain it, but there was a bond, and I thought he broke it."
"You want to go home."
"Not if we're married. If we're married, home is where you are."
The fierceness of her was what calmed him, he had decided. When he was with her, the anger in him could subside because she saw the world as he did, and his enemies were hers.
The epilogue was the best end I could hope for....
What mattered was not where they lived but that Geatan lived and lived with her.
...the savage of nightmares charged down the road on a dark horse.....Rage masked his face better than any war paint. His eyes glittered with fury....
How does Ellen O'Connell do it? Creating extraordinary characters and putting them through impossible situations to make a captivating story. How I loved everything I've read of hers so far...
Katherine Grant is a woman uncommon of her time. She was raised by her father on his ships cruising the world alongside her 5 brothers. She participated in hunting trips, knows how to shoot a pistol and rifle, how to combat with knives and speaks multible languages. She's courageous, smart, thinks fast on her feet and she's loyal and fierce.
"Your skin is white, but I think the white god made a mistake, or maybe he did it on purpose to play a joke. He gave you an Apache heart."
Having made a bargain with the devil - aka Geatan - she embarks on a journey to reach the north and her people. Alone on the bleak mountains, both of them injured and with only the cloths on their back, they must depend on each other for survival and given promises.
But fate has other plans and piece by piece her heart starts to long for another home. Until preconceptions and miscommunication and abandonment made this strong woman heel in the end and broke her spirit.
"There was a bond. I can't tell you - I can't describe it, but I saved his life, and he saved mine, and we helped each other, and even though I knew he'd rather kill me, I trusted him. I can't explain it, but there was a bond, and I thought he broke it."
"You want to go home."
"Not if we're married. If we're married, home is where you are."
The fierceness of her was what calmed him, he had decided. When he was with her, the anger in him could subside because she saw the world as he did, and his enemies were hers.
The epilogue was the best end I could hope for....
What mattered was not where they lived but that Geatan lived and lived with her.
April 8, 2023
Приятна и мила (макар и истински кървава) уестърн романтика, с доста детайли за последните свободни дни на апахите на границата между Мексико и САЩ, пр��ди окончателно да ги затворят в резерватите.
Дилижансът, в който пътува Катрин, е нападнат от бандити. Спасявайки се с бягство, тя налита на още по-ужасна алтернатива - отряд апахи, които с голямо задоволство наблюдават отстрани как бледоликите се избиват, и накрая обират плячката на бандитите, приключвайки с каквото и да е белокожи присъствие в района. Катрин още не знае, че един от отряда, който на няколко пъти почти и тегли ножа без да обели и дума, ще вземе да се окаже любовта на живота и.
И двамата герои ми станаха любимци и са много добре изградени - всеки с миналото и травмите си, всеки - скептик, всеки - способен и/или вършил или все още вършещ лоши неща, всеки - искащ нещо повече от живота си. Никакви тинейджърски тръшканици, а решенията бяха на осъзнати и патили, но балансирани индивиди. Романтиката беше доста по-приглушена за сметка на куп приключения и опасности през първите 2/3, а накрая се вписа много удачно в картинката, нищо в сюжета не се случи безпричинно.
Хепи ендът в епилога искрено ме изненада (макар да е съгласно изискванията на жанра), и на всичкото отгоре е доста реалистичен, авторката е проучила историческите факти достатъчно, за да намери пролука в онази епоха на расизъм и геноцид. На всичкото отгоре авторката е страшно сладкодумна и речникът и не включва нито една от обичайните кухи фрази.
Никак не се учудвам, че не виждам голямо издателство - такъв реализъм в романтика е отдавна считан за отклонение от безсъдържателната политкоректност в любовните романи, която включва смехотворно порно, но съгласно която даже думата “расизъм” трябва да се забрави със задна дата, все едно нищо в миналото не се е случило точно както се е случило.
4,5⭐️
Дилижансът, в който пътува Катрин, е нападнат от бандити. Спасявайки се с бягство, тя налита на още по-ужасна алтернатива - отряд апахи, които с голямо задоволство наблюдават отстрани как бледоликите се избиват, и накрая обират плячката на бандитите, приключвайки с каквото и да е белокожи присъствие в района. Катрин още не знае, че един от отряда, който на няколко пъти почти и тегли ножа без да обели и дума, ще вземе да се окаже любовта на живота и.
И двамата герои ми станаха любимци и са много добре изградени - всеки с миналото и травмите си, всеки - скептик, всеки - способен и/или вършил или все още вършещ лоши неща, всеки - искащ нещо повече от живота си. Никакви тинейджърски тръшканици, а решенията бяха на осъзнати и патили, но балансирани индивиди. Романтиката беше доста по-приглушена за сметка на куп приключения и опасности през първите 2/3, а накрая се вписа много удачно в картинката, нищо в сюжета не се случи безпричинно.
Хепи ендът в епилога искрено ме изненада (макар да е съгласно изискванията на жанра), и на всичкото отгоре е доста реалистичен, авторката е проучила историческите факти достатъчно, за да намери пролука в онази епоха на расизъм и геноцид. На всичкото отгоре авторката е страшно сладкодумна и речникът и не включва нито една от обичайните кухи фрази.
Никак не се учудвам, че не виждам голямо издателство - такъв реализъм в романтика е отдавна считан за отклонение от безсъдържателната политкоректност в любовните романи, която включва смехотворно порно, но съгласно която даже думата “расизъм” трябва да се забрави със задна дата, все едно нищо в миналото не се е случило точно както се е случило.
4,5⭐️
May 30, 2016
Captivated. That's how I felt. Ms. O'Connell had me hooked the entire story. She gives enough information to make you feel that you're apart of the book, but never enough to overwhelm or bore you.
She even leaves doubters with their answers as to if the story sticks to the era in truth, at the end of her books.
I loved how this story was weaved into the book it is now. Gaetan doesn't hide his hate for white people. If something were to happen to Katherine, there would be no love lost, or remorse to follow. And Katherine, she's not exactly head over heels for Gaetan, either. He's not even handsome as his brother, Nilchi. But all of that will change over the course of events, and time, as the story spins its magic over the reader.
I really appreciated that Ms. O'Connell didn't give us anything in the instant department. Gaetan and Katherine's tale of love is a long building one, until Gaetan realizes he can't live without the fierce women whom calms his rage, and makes him want to fulfill hard promises.
I loved how Katherine was her own woman, and how loyal- when she didn't have to be- and how fierce she was. I loved watching her dislike for Gaetan change and grow to more as the years went on.
This story brought tears to my eyes, laughter to my voice, and glued my eyes to the pages until it was over- leaving me sad to say goodbye.
This is a story that will spellbind you so much that you forget it's only that- just a story. I liked the realism of the story-line, and I loved that Katherine and Gaetan never try to change each other. Instead, they realize that they are two halves that make a complete whole.
Ms. O'Connell is a great weaver of tales, and she gives good depth to her characters- making you fall in love with them, hurt with them, and rejoice with them. She gives just enough realism to the story with historical information, and takes you back in time as you read. I really loved that this story focused on the life Katherine was forced into, and the traveling band of Apaches' struggles and fears with the reservation and hunting soldiers. I loved the voices Katherine channels as she needs them to keep safe- or for other reasons.
I really can't say enough about this story, or how Ms. O'Connell writes. I haven't found a book I didn't like by her yet.
She even leaves doubters with their answers as to if the story sticks to the era in truth, at the end of her books.
I loved how this story was weaved into the book it is now. Gaetan doesn't hide his hate for white people. If something were to happen to Katherine, there would be no love lost, or remorse to follow. And Katherine, she's not exactly head over heels for Gaetan, either. He's not even handsome as his brother, Nilchi. But all of that will change over the course of events, and time, as the story spins its magic over the reader.
I really appreciated that Ms. O'Connell didn't give us anything in the instant department. Gaetan and Katherine's tale of love is a long building one, until Gaetan realizes he can't live without the fierce women whom calms his rage, and makes him want to fulfill hard promises.
I loved how Katherine was her own woman, and how loyal- when she didn't have to be- and how fierce she was. I loved watching her dislike for Gaetan change and grow to more as the years went on.
This story brought tears to my eyes, laughter to my voice, and glued my eyes to the pages until it was over- leaving me sad to say goodbye.
This is a story that will spellbind you so much that you forget it's only that- just a story. I liked the realism of the story-line, and I loved that Katherine and Gaetan never try to change each other. Instead, they realize that they are two halves that make a complete whole.
Ms. O'Connell is a great weaver of tales, and she gives good depth to her characters- making you fall in love with them, hurt with them, and rejoice with them. She gives just enough realism to the story with historical information, and takes you back in time as you read. I really loved that this story focused on the life Katherine was forced into, and the traveling band of Apaches' struggles and fears with the reservation and hunting soldiers. I loved the voices Katherine channels as she needs them to keep safe- or for other reasons.
I really can't say enough about this story, or how Ms. O'Connell writes. I haven't found a book I didn't like by her yet.
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