November 9, 2015
This erotic and suspenseful romance picks up where Everything I Left Unsaid left off; the outcomes of several plot threads are less than satisfying, but the drama makes the journey worthwhile. Annie McKay and Dylan Daniels’s burgeoning romance is first threatened by the arrival of Annie’s estranged and abusive husband. Soon afterward, Dylan’s brother, the leader of a local motorcycle club, makes several decisions that endanger the club, in addition to Dylan, Annie, and everyone near them. As much as Dylan would like to retreat to his “mountaintop fortress,” his father’s recent cancer diagnosis—and Annie’s determination to care for his father—makes that impossible. Throughout the turmoil, Annie and Dylan worry that their pasts will get in the way of building a solid future together. O’Keefe composes riveting scenarios, but many of the secondary characters come across as caricatures or are simply inscrutable. This excursion through troubled communities is darker than its predecessor, but readers seeking exhilarating sex along with thrilling conflicts won’t be able to put it down.
September 15, 2015
Two wounded people find comfort in each other but must navigate family issues, disapproving friends, and violent enemies before they can reach for happiness, yet in the process they form an unexpected community and learn the power of family and forgiveness. In this sequel to Everything I Left Unsaid (2015), which ended in a cliffhanger, O'Keefe shifts from that book's mysterious eroticism into more action, danger, and suspense. After their sizzling relationship moves from sexual tension to consummation, Annie and Dylan face a slew of problems, including the abusive husband Annie escaped, who's found her; the legacy of violence in Dylan's family; the dangerous adversary who has them in his sights; and the ring of friends and neighbors around them who are wary of the intensity of their relationship. However, after years of brutal isolation, Annie is determined to create connections and mine the emotions she's been forced to shut down. Among the friends she's made are Ben, Dylan's estranged father who's suffering from cancer; Joan, the enigmatic neighbor who might or might not be a Drug Enforcement Administration agent; and Tiffany, the abused wife Annie identifies with but doesn't trust. Unwilling to abandon Ben, Annie refuses to leave the trailer park she considers her refuge, even to escape to the relative safety of Dylan's wealth and his mountain compound. But staying in the park puts them all in danger, since old family enemies are on the trail, seeking vengeance and destruction. O'Keefe weaves a complex, poignant tapestry of character, emotion, and action.
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