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Setting: Southern Illinois, 1820
Sensuality rating: 5
Eighteen-year old runaway Olivia Bond assumes no one can love her because of the ugliness of her past. Reclusive half-breed Noah LeCroix believes no one can love him because of the ugliness of his scars. When Noah rescues Olivia from the dangers of the Southern Illinois swamp he calls home, each recognizes the beauty and strength of the survivor inside the other. Returning Olivia to her long-lost family should be the most difficult task of Noah's life, but in fact leaving her there turns out to be unbearable. But when prejudice and intolerance, as well as a mysterious stranger from Olivia's past, threaten their hard-won peace, both face the challenge of a lifetime, namely letting themselves love and be loved. Bestselling author Jill Marie Landis, whose award-winning novels include Come Spring and Sunflower, will capture readers with a mesmerizing historical tale of the battles and rewards of passion and romance. --Alison Trinkle
From Publishers Weekly
Noah LeCroix made an appearance in Landis's Just Once; now the enigmatic recluse gets his own story, set in 1820. After a near-fatal accident while guiding 200 families down the Ohio River, Noah loses an eye and retreats to the swamps of frontier Illinois. He avoids all human contactAuntil a mysterious girl stumbles into his swamp. Olivia Bond was kidnapped by river pirates and sold into prostitution. Having escaped, but still wary, she grudgingly accepts Noah's help. As she heals, Olivia comes to feel safe with Noah who, in turn, is intrigued by her beauty and how easily she has slipped into his lifeA"invading his senses and stirring up his world." Desire sparks between them, but Olivia doesn't feel worthy of his love, and Noah, respecting her refusal, agrees to see her home. He leaves her with her family in Illinois, unaware of the danger that awaits her at the hands of an obsessive ex-lover. In this gripping and emotionally charged tale, Landis delivers another unusual, beautifully crafted romance. (July)
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