New Review: Ellen O’Connell’s WITHOUT WORDS – Fall in Love with a Bounty Hunter!

Set in 1871, beginning in Missouri, this is the story of Hassie Petty who just put her husband in his grave when bounty hunter Bret Sterling shows up to kill her stepson, a thief and a murderer wanted by the Army. Realizing Hassie has no food and is likely starving, Bret takes her with him when he leaves.

Both Bret and Hassie have been hurt in the past. Bret paid for his choice to fight for the North in the Civil War. His Southern family will take the bounty money he sends home but deprives him of his place as the eldest and heir. Due to an injury to her neck, Hassie cannot speak above a whisper, and when she does, no one understands her. No one save for Bret who seems to know what she is saying “without words.”

O’Connell knows how to serve up a magnetic hunk of a hero. Bret is a tough bounty hunter of noble character with a good heart. He even saves a half starved dog from a man who would take its life. A man who can shoot like he can but still has a soft spot for a girl who can’t speak and her dog (not to mention a horse passed its prime) is a man we can love. And Hassie, who is beautiful and has suffered the lustful advances of men, tries hard to please her savior. Along the way, a marriage of convenience turns into love. It’s a wonderful story of second chances, of love that wipes away bad memories.

O’Connell brings the West to life in this fast paced story as Bret and Hassie travel from Missouri to Wyoming in his search for wanted criminals, Hassie his partner in bringing them in. Rich in detail, great characters, exciting action, it’s a story that will warm your heart. The end scenes take place at Christmas so it’s a great holiday read.

Superb storytelling, highly recommended.