GRR Reviews Tempted: A Historical Western Romance by Molly O'Keefe

Tempted tries to set up two people in the historical west that have deep personal problems, but the link to the first book in the series was minimal, and the relationship seems to be more about angst than love.

Annie Denoe is a doctor's assistant and a landlady in Denver, Colorado. Her doctor is a chloroform addict, so half the time she's the only one treating the problems, despite the apparent impropriety in doing so. Steven Baywood is building a railroad in the area. Their siblings already knew each other, and neither are aware of each other's feelings. When Annie admit she wanted a family and may be willing to marry the doctor just to see what sex is about, Steven had to admit the feelings he had for Annie. The problem is, Steven is a survivor of the Andersonville prison camp, and he did some unspeakable things there to escape. He cannot tolerate being touched... or touching anyone. But to give Annie what she wanted, he had to overcome that or risk losing Annie to someone else.

The story is mainly about how much agony Steven has to overcome in order to love Annie, while Annie gets tired of covering for the doctor. The actual romance was relatively mediocre. It's all about the inner agony, and I think the author let too much angst though. Most of the book is about angst, and it makes for a very depressing read.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: Railroad builder falls for the doctor's assistant in the small town, but he's really damaged on the inside to love her...

Overall Rating: 3/5

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