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Pike's Run, Book One

By: Kara O'Neal

Narrated by: Sally Martin

Emma Prescott, determined and selfless, flees from wealth and her murderous father, seeking the love and forgiveness of poor cotton farmer, Kyle Lonnigan.

Although Kyle refuses to forgive her for her part in his father's death, Emma stays and works her own farm. Over the next several months, Emma proves to Kyle she is not the spoiled girl he remembers.

Emma's sudden re-entrance into Kyle's life only conjures long-buried painful memories. Kyle does his best to avoid her, needing to keep the pain at bay, and stopping her from reminding him of their last moments together before bullets shattered their world. But, he is unsuccessful. The love he denies is too strong, and soon Emma and Kyle are tumbling headlong into the past and passion.

©2013 Kara O'Neal (P)2014 Kara O'Neal

I don't like romance novels, but I liked this

This is not your typical romance. It is set in Texas in the late 1890s. I enjoyed the twist on typical "girl meets boy but doesn't like him and then they fall in love." This story has strong women, compelling back story, murder, intrigue, hard work, and romance. I enjoyed the real gentlemen in Pike's Run.

As an audio book, I have to warn you about the narrator. You have to get past the first line in a horrible accent. Then I put my book on 1.25 speed because I hate slow reading narrator. After that, it was better. I enjoyed her regular reading voice but disliked the character voices. I'm hoping that if more books from this author get turned into audio books the narrator will either tone down the accents or be different altogether.
This was a great read for a girl's weekend. We loved it on our long drives through hill country. Perfect!