Without Words

Ellen O'Connell — 2014

Bounty hunter Bret Sterling kills Rufus Petty, thief and murderer, less than ten feet away from a frightened, half-starved woman. Rufus should have surrendered. The woman should have kin to help her. But Rufus went down shooting, and the woman has no one. Bret figures by the time he finds a safe place to leave Hassie Petty, he'll earn the five hundred dollar reward several times over. Hassie doesn't mourn Rufus, but the loss of the ten dollars he promised her for supplies is a different matter. The bounty hunter gives her nothing, takes everything, ties the body on one horse and orders her on another. Afraid if she defies him, he'll tie her down tighter than Rufus, Hassie mounts up and follows the icy-eyed killer. Mismatched in every way, the sterling man and petty woman travel the West together, hunting thieves, deserters, and murderers. Wary traveling companions, friends and partners, lovers, Bret and Hassie must decide what they want, what they need, and the price they're willing to pay for love.

Reviews

Ela@ela_m

Sep 3, 2024

I put off reading this book for a long time as the description didn’t seem interesting, but I ended up really liking this book.

I really liked Bret and Hassie. I liked how they got to know each other and interacted with each other. I liked how even though Hassie doesn’t speak, there wasn’t much of a communication problem. Bret understands her and lets her make her own decisions. I really liked how understanding Bret is and how he considers things from different perspectives. Also, I really liked Hassie’s personality and how she managed to have her own opinion without being rude to others, especially with Bret’s family.

I liked the plot and how it showed the characters’ personalities. It was interesting and there was something happening all the time; there was never a dull moment.

I would have wanted to see more scenes with Bret and Hassie interacting with their animals (horses and Gunner) as well as the MacGregors. Also, I thought that the epilogue could have been longer, or there should have been a second one where it shows Bret and Hassie’s family interacting with Bret’s family (Caroline mostly).

I really liked the ending as it was entertaining, and I liked how it showed Bret and Hassie’s relationship.

Sarah Campbell@wiltedsarah

Nov 12, 2023

I'm obsessed with this novel. I was watching the Billy the Kid show and wanted a romance that scratched my Western itch and boy did this one do it.
I immediately went to the authors books and got kindle unlimited just so I could read them.
Imagining Tom Blyth's Billy the Kid as this character really did it for me: 10/10!