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Awakening #2
Divided Hearts
Sequel to Awakening
Robert, handsome half-breed apprentice cooper, travels to the Ohio Country with Nathaniel Morgan. Robert has loved Nathaniel since being apprenticed to him many years before. Robert’s love is unreturned, as Nathaniel’s heart belongs to another who has been left behind.
Robert is unwillingly sent as an interpreter with the British Army to inform the settlers and the Shawnee that King George will honor the Indians’ claim to the land. Captured by the Shawnee, Robert comes to be loved by an Indian brave. Robert returns his love but only up to a point, as he is still held captive by his love for another man.
Can he let his love for Nathaniel go and give himself completely to Red Horse? Or will he forever live his life with a divided heart?
Robert, handsome half-breed apprentice cooper, travels to the Ohio Country with Nathaniel Morgan. Robert has loved Nathaniel since being apprenticed to him many years before. Robert’s love is unreturned, as Nathaniel’s heart belongs to another who has been left behind.
Robert is unwillingly sent as an interpreter with the British Army to inform the settlers and the Shawnee that King George will honor the Indians’ claim to the land. Captured by the Shawnee, Robert comes to be loved by an Indian brave. Robert returns his love but only up to a point, as he is still held captive by his love for another man.
Can he let his love for Nathaniel go and give himself completely to Red Horse? Or will he forever live his life with a divided heart?
- GenresM M RomanceHistorical
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2009
49 people want to read
About the author
Terry O'Reilly
81 books39 followersSince retiring, Terry spends his time writing, working with animal rescue groups, walking his three dogs, pumping iron while listening to Harry Potter audio books and riding/showing his champion Quarter Horse.
His interest in Native American culture stems from the fact that in tracing his heritage, he found his great grandfather was an Illini.
His interest in Native American culture stems from the fact that in tracing his heritage, he found his great grandfather was an Illini.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 4, 2010
When Jonathan and Nathaniel part ways, Nathaniel heads for the Ohio territory and a new life with Robert. Robert soon realizes his friend will never reciprocate his love fully. What can he do? Robert agrees to help the English translate in their negotiations with the Shawnee and in doing so meets Red Horse. Now there are two men living with Divided Hearts.
Review
Divided Hearts is one of the stranger books I’ve read in awhile. Let me try to explain.
Divided Hearts is the sequel to Awakening, which I read and reviewed earlier at Speak Its Name. I had some issues with Awakening but was sympathetic towards the two central characters, Jonathan and Nathaniel. I also liked Robert, the young man with an Indian mother and English father who becomes an apprentice to Nathaniel in his cooperage. Awakening ends with Nathaniel and Robert heading off to a new life and some sense that there are lots of broken hearts littering the ground.
As Divided Hearts opens, we discover that Nathaniel and Robert are living in the Ohio Territory. It’s not exactly clear where they are living since very little description is given of their surroundings (in the village? Out in the woods?) but they have a house that they share and seem to be content. Robert longs for Nathaniel and Nathaniel is still longing for Jonathan. In a moment of weakness and need, Nathaniel invites Robert to bed with him; they have sex and Robert says “I love you” but Nathaniel doesn’t respond.
Time passes, which is described as “years.” Robert begins sleeping with Nathaniel more frequently but still does not receive the declaration of love that he longs for. Robert is trying to decide if this is his lot in life—“an unequal love”—when all of a sudden, on page 30, we have the first of several “jarring interludes.”
If you go back and re-read my review of Awakening, you’ll notice that I advised readers to skip the Afterword because I felt it was an unnecessary and intrusive add-on that ruined the bittersweet ending. Well, the author either didn’t read or care about my suggestion because in Divided Hearts, the “afterword” has become a series of jarring interludes that are peppered throughout the book. In these, the author flips to the present time and shares details of his life with his husband, Drew, and their seeing eye dog, Jive. Drew, who is blind, acts as the cheerleader for Terry’s writing (the interludes are written in the third person). Drew and Terry discuss the evolving story in such a way to make sure that we readers, in case we are too dense to figure it out on our own, know exactly what is going on. The interludes become increasingly irrelevant and personal (Jive’s week-long bout with diarrhea; Terry’s ill-advised one night stand with his boss) but they also have a train wreck quality. I actually began to look forward to them, more than I enjoyed reading the story because the story was…boring.
Yes, boring. As with Awakening, the writing is wooden and flat. People talk to each other, they ride around on horses and that’s about it. The sex scenes are the only lively part of the narrative. They do have a little passion and flair but that’s not enough to sustain a reader’s interest for 164 pages—at least not this reader.
Divided Hearts is supposed to be a historical fiction but the only thing that makes it historical is a very brief mention of the coming Revolutionary War, transportation is by horse, and the fact that Robert is running around with the Shawnee in parts of the US that would eventually become Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. This is faithful to US history circa 1758 so I guess O’Reilly got that right, but none of this history is presented in the story—I just looked it up on Wikipedia. No detail, no description, no little flourishes that make historical fiction fun to read.
The story wraps up with not one but two happy-ever-after endings which makes Drew very happy (revealed to us in yet another interlude) but left me shaking my head. Now, here’s my paradox: I feel bad giving this book a bad review because the author seems like a genuinely nice guy (he shares quite a bit of personal information in the course of the text). But he really needs to find an editor/mentor who will help him with polishing his writing and storytelling and give him some good, honest advice, ie, “The interludes don’t work, Terry. Leave them out.” O’Reilly seems to have good ideas for stories but at the present stage of his authorial development, he is unable to convey them effectively, which is why I can only rate this book at 1.5 stars.
(originally posted at Speak Its Name, October, 2009)
Review
Divided Hearts is one of the stranger books I’ve read in awhile. Let me try to explain.
Divided Hearts is the sequel to Awakening, which I read and reviewed earlier at Speak Its Name. I had some issues with Awakening but was sympathetic towards the two central characters, Jonathan and Nathaniel. I also liked Robert, the young man with an Indian mother and English father who becomes an apprentice to Nathaniel in his cooperage. Awakening ends with Nathaniel and Robert heading off to a new life and some sense that there are lots of broken hearts littering the ground.
As Divided Hearts opens, we discover that Nathaniel and Robert are living in the Ohio Territory. It’s not exactly clear where they are living since very little description is given of their surroundings (in the village? Out in the woods?) but they have a house that they share and seem to be content. Robert longs for Nathaniel and Nathaniel is still longing for Jonathan. In a moment of weakness and need, Nathaniel invites Robert to bed with him; they have sex and Robert says “I love you” but Nathaniel doesn’t respond.
Time passes, which is described as “years.” Robert begins sleeping with Nathaniel more frequently but still does not receive the declaration of love that he longs for. Robert is trying to decide if this is his lot in life—“an unequal love”—when all of a sudden, on page 30, we have the first of several “jarring interludes.”
If you go back and re-read my review of Awakening, you’ll notice that I advised readers to skip the Afterword because I felt it was an unnecessary and intrusive add-on that ruined the bittersweet ending. Well, the author either didn’t read or care about my suggestion because in Divided Hearts, the “afterword” has become a series of jarring interludes that are peppered throughout the book. In these, the author flips to the present time and shares details of his life with his husband, Drew, and their seeing eye dog, Jive. Drew, who is blind, acts as the cheerleader for Terry’s writing (the interludes are written in the third person). Drew and Terry discuss the evolving story in such a way to make sure that we readers, in case we are too dense to figure it out on our own, know exactly what is going on. The interludes become increasingly irrelevant and personal (Jive’s week-long bout with diarrhea; Terry’s ill-advised one night stand with his boss) but they also have a train wreck quality. I actually began to look forward to them, more than I enjoyed reading the story because the story was…boring.
Yes, boring. As with Awakening, the writing is wooden and flat. People talk to each other, they ride around on horses and that’s about it. The sex scenes are the only lively part of the narrative. They do have a little passion and flair but that’s not enough to sustain a reader’s interest for 164 pages—at least not this reader.
Divided Hearts is supposed to be a historical fiction but the only thing that makes it historical is a very brief mention of the coming Revolutionary War, transportation is by horse, and the fact that Robert is running around with the Shawnee in parts of the US that would eventually become Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. This is faithful to US history circa 1758 so I guess O’Reilly got that right, but none of this history is presented in the story—I just looked it up on Wikipedia. No detail, no description, no little flourishes that make historical fiction fun to read.
The story wraps up with not one but two happy-ever-after endings which makes Drew very happy (revealed to us in yet another interlude) but left me shaking my head. Now, here’s my paradox: I feel bad giving this book a bad review because the author seems like a genuinely nice guy (he shares quite a bit of personal information in the course of the text). But he really needs to find an editor/mentor who will help him with polishing his writing and storytelling and give him some good, honest advice, ie, “The interludes don’t work, Terry. Leave them out.” O’Reilly seems to have good ideas for stories but at the present stage of his authorial development, he is unable to convey them effectively, which is why I can only rate this book at 1.5 stars.
(originally posted at Speak Its Name, October, 2009)
February 2, 2010
In this sequel to Awakening, any fans that wanted to see a happy ending certainly will be happy as all loose ends are tied rather neatly within this story. Even with the focus on Robert’s story and his path to happiness and love, Jonathan and Nathaniel’s relationship is given an ending as well. While the story is certainly engrossing and heavily romantic, the odd contemporary story that is told simultaneously is jarring, out of place, and unsettling. The combined effect takes away from the main thrust of the story and lessens the impact of what should be a strong and enticing historical.
The story as told from Robert’s point of view focuses on his relationship with Nathaniel since they arrived in Ohio and the years that past. These years are told in summary and briefly in memories more to catch the reader up to the time the events are now occurring. After a brief summary of what Nathaniel and Robert have been up to, Robert is sent out as an interpreter to the Shawnee and ends up living with them for some time. However, he cannot freely commit his heart to a new man and life while part of him longs for his first love Nathaniel. The timeline jumps around frequently, which can be confusing, as the events jump from present day to memories to past time. However, once the timeline settles down and focuses on the events happening once Robert is with the Shawnee, the story picks up and is rather engrossing at points.
The level of detail given to the historical aspects as well as the Shawnee tribe add to the depth and interest in the story, even if those details are subtly included. The prose and writing tends to be somewhat more formal and fitting within the time period and setting of the story, which lent emotion to the phrasing and characters. Unfortunately none of the characters were fully explored as they all came across as two-dimensional and without great depths of emotion. Each man was easily accepting of just about every circumstance from Robert’s long time patience with Nathaniel to Daniel’s easy acceptance of new parents, and even Robert’s sudden realization that he loved Red Horse. Each of these solutions felt simplistic and without intensity, leaving the characters as manipulated figures within a heavily romantic story.
The title of the book “Divided Hearts” is meant to symbolize the division of both Nathaniel and Robert’s hearts as they struggle with their feelings for each other and the other men in their lives. While Nathaniel turning to Robert was understandable given Jonathan’s statement and choice to get married and raise a family, Robert’s lingering attachment to Nathaniel felt artificial and weak. Considering the lack of affection Nathaniel ultimately showed Robert, Robert’s continued denial of his commitment to Red Horse felt flat and untrue. Even with both men happily committed at the end of the story, this resolution felt obvious and long in coming.
Part of this problem was due to the simultaneous story of the author Terry and his husband Drew that had inserted scenes in between the historical scenes of Robert, Nathaniel, Daniel, Red Horse and so on. These scenes of Terry and Drew were contemporary and focused on both their relationship and the justification of the story. The men would talk about the character development, the romance aspects, justifications for choices within the story, and finally explaining how the reader should understand and read the story. Each time these scenes appeared it would jar the reader out of the context, setting, tone, and feeling of the story only to thrust them into the present day with yet another couple.
While the scenes with Terry and Drew were romantic, sweet, and interesting in their own right, the author should have simply written two books and kept the storylines separate as the blending of the contemporary story with the historical was to the detriment of both relationships. The jumping between settings and couples keeps the reader from emotionally connecting with any character as just when the story is engrossing and interesting, the setting changes yet again. Furthermore, the explanation of the story to the reader was an annoying and distracting device. Even going so far as to acknowledge doing so with the comment made by Terry in the final scene of the book:
“Now Robert feels he can have that love with Red Horse. I didn’t want to spell that out too much, leaving something for the reader to figure out. But maybe I should let them in on that more in the final scene?”
Unfortunately statements like this have actually done exactly that, spelled out how the author wanted the reader to understand the story, ending, and characters. This sort of obvious manipulation was troublesome and definitely took away from the enjoyment of what otherwise could have been a rather solid historical romance. While others may not be bothered by this tactic and therefore enjoy the dual story lines, hopefully the author will not repeat this in the future. I think romance fans can understand the story without being told exactly how.
The story as told from Robert’s point of view focuses on his relationship with Nathaniel since they arrived in Ohio and the years that past. These years are told in summary and briefly in memories more to catch the reader up to the time the events are now occurring. After a brief summary of what Nathaniel and Robert have been up to, Robert is sent out as an interpreter to the Shawnee and ends up living with them for some time. However, he cannot freely commit his heart to a new man and life while part of him longs for his first love Nathaniel. The timeline jumps around frequently, which can be confusing, as the events jump from present day to memories to past time. However, once the timeline settles down and focuses on the events happening once Robert is with the Shawnee, the story picks up and is rather engrossing at points.
The level of detail given to the historical aspects as well as the Shawnee tribe add to the depth and interest in the story, even if those details are subtly included. The prose and writing tends to be somewhat more formal and fitting within the time period and setting of the story, which lent emotion to the phrasing and characters. Unfortunately none of the characters were fully explored as they all came across as two-dimensional and without great depths of emotion. Each man was easily accepting of just about every circumstance from Robert’s long time patience with Nathaniel to Daniel’s easy acceptance of new parents, and even Robert’s sudden realization that he loved Red Horse. Each of these solutions felt simplistic and without intensity, leaving the characters as manipulated figures within a heavily romantic story.
The title of the book “Divided Hearts” is meant to symbolize the division of both Nathaniel and Robert’s hearts as they struggle with their feelings for each other and the other men in their lives. While Nathaniel turning to Robert was understandable given Jonathan’s statement and choice to get married and raise a family, Robert’s lingering attachment to Nathaniel felt artificial and weak. Considering the lack of affection Nathaniel ultimately showed Robert, Robert’s continued denial of his commitment to Red Horse felt flat and untrue. Even with both men happily committed at the end of the story, this resolution felt obvious and long in coming.
Part of this problem was due to the simultaneous story of the author Terry and his husband Drew that had inserted scenes in between the historical scenes of Robert, Nathaniel, Daniel, Red Horse and so on. These scenes of Terry and Drew were contemporary and focused on both their relationship and the justification of the story. The men would talk about the character development, the romance aspects, justifications for choices within the story, and finally explaining how the reader should understand and read the story. Each time these scenes appeared it would jar the reader out of the context, setting, tone, and feeling of the story only to thrust them into the present day with yet another couple.
While the scenes with Terry and Drew were romantic, sweet, and interesting in their own right, the author should have simply written two books and kept the storylines separate as the blending of the contemporary story with the historical was to the detriment of both relationships. The jumping between settings and couples keeps the reader from emotionally connecting with any character as just when the story is engrossing and interesting, the setting changes yet again. Furthermore, the explanation of the story to the reader was an annoying and distracting device. Even going so far as to acknowledge doing so with the comment made by Terry in the final scene of the book:
“Now Robert feels he can have that love with Red Horse. I didn’t want to spell that out too much, leaving something for the reader to figure out. But maybe I should let them in on that more in the final scene?”
Unfortunately statements like this have actually done exactly that, spelled out how the author wanted the reader to understand the story, ending, and characters. This sort of obvious manipulation was troublesome and definitely took away from the enjoyment of what otherwise could have been a rather solid historical romance. While others may not be bothered by this tactic and therefore enjoy the dual story lines, hopefully the author will not repeat this in the future. I think romance fans can understand the story without being told exactly how.
Read
May 18, 2009In Awakening, the previous book in this historical series, Terry O'Reilly fooled me. He wrote a book with a not happily ever after true to history ending, and, as afterword, he wrote also a little quarrel scene, between him and his husband, in which he supported the rightness of his decision and instead Drew, his husband, warned him that the fans would be not happy. And I was not happy, but I understood his reason, I only wished that in the sequel, Nathaniel wouldn't find another man to replace Jonathan in his heart.
And for a moment, I almost feared that it was exactly what it was happening. Nathaniel went toward North, in the wild territory of Ohio, with Robert, his cooper's apprentice. Robert is a young man that is obviously in love with Nathaniel, but the older man is still in love with Jonathan, even if he knows that there is no future for them. But still in his heart he hopes in the impossible. Then comes a letter from Jonathan, a letter in which Jonathan asks to his lover to go on with his life, to forget him. And Nathaniel tries, he forces himself to accept Robert's love, even if not fully. He shares his life, home and bed with Robert, but he never arrives to share the same intimacy he had with Jonathan. And Robert, who in his young naivety, has eyes only for the man, accepts this second-hand love and thinks he can be happy with that. But years later another letter arrives, a letter in which Jonathan announces that his wife is passed away. He is not saying that he wants Nathaniel back, but still, probably in Nathaniel's heart that little hope in the impossible comes again alive and he slowly withdraws inside himself and far from Robert's comforting love.. At the same time Robert, being half Native American, is recruited against his will as interpreter for the English Army and forced to leave Nathaniel for months. He has the chance to meet another man, a full blood Native American, and also to see how his life could be in an Shawnee village, where he hasn't to hide his love for another man: in the north settlement where he lives with Nathaniel, their love was accepted like a unavoidable evil, with no woman around, what they could do? but with Red Horse he finally experiment a full life, not only since he is accepted by all the people around, but also since he is the first man in the warrior's heart. But Robert's heart is divided, like it was Nathaniel's one: can he fully love Red Horse, when he doesn't know what his life with Nathaniel could be if the man finally forget his long lost previous lover?
I like the story since it's a complicated but well mixed three way plot: Robert and Nathaniel, their life in the north settlement, a love that maybe is not passion, but that could be a long and loving relationship; Robert and Red Horse, a new love, not only since it's the first time Robert feels real passion, but also since they live free from the society boundaries: and finally, but not less important, Drew and Terry: more than in the previous book, Terry O'Reilly makes the fictional characters of him and his husband, real main characters of the story; not only Drew influences Terry's decision on the plot, we can also see how Terry's past experience are reflected in the story. And again, the sub-story of Terry and Drew is so interesting that it almost steals the scene to the main one.
As you can imagine, thanks to the setting far from the "civil" society and the boundaries of living in it, this time there is an happily ever after ending (even if I will not say between whom). It's not a forced ending, since probably, in that time, it was the decision of a lot of men who couldn't live in any other place if not in the wilderness, where probably no one would judge them for searching "male" companionship.
I was uncertain on this book, I liked the previous one and I was fearing to be disappointed by a sequel: there were little chance for the author to write something I could like. Well, he managed to, and I strongly recommend to read both books, above all if you are a romantic at heart like me.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TKD4MQ/?...
And for a moment, I almost feared that it was exactly what it was happening. Nathaniel went toward North, in the wild territory of Ohio, with Robert, his cooper's apprentice. Robert is a young man that is obviously in love with Nathaniel, but the older man is still in love with Jonathan, even if he knows that there is no future for them. But still in his heart he hopes in the impossible. Then comes a letter from Jonathan, a letter in which Jonathan asks to his lover to go on with his life, to forget him. And Nathaniel tries, he forces himself to accept Robert's love, even if not fully. He shares his life, home and bed with Robert, but he never arrives to share the same intimacy he had with Jonathan. And Robert, who in his young naivety, has eyes only for the man, accepts this second-hand love and thinks he can be happy with that. But years later another letter arrives, a letter in which Jonathan announces that his wife is passed away. He is not saying that he wants Nathaniel back, but still, probably in Nathaniel's heart that little hope in the impossible comes again alive and he slowly withdraws inside himself and far from Robert's comforting love.. At the same time Robert, being half Native American, is recruited against his will as interpreter for the English Army and forced to leave Nathaniel for months. He has the chance to meet another man, a full blood Native American, and also to see how his life could be in an Shawnee village, where he hasn't to hide his love for another man: in the north settlement where he lives with Nathaniel, their love was accepted like a unavoidable evil, with no woman around, what they could do? but with Red Horse he finally experiment a full life, not only since he is accepted by all the people around, but also since he is the first man in the warrior's heart. But Robert's heart is divided, like it was Nathaniel's one: can he fully love Red Horse, when he doesn't know what his life with Nathaniel could be if the man finally forget his long lost previous lover?
I like the story since it's a complicated but well mixed three way plot: Robert and Nathaniel, their life in the north settlement, a love that maybe is not passion, but that could be a long and loving relationship; Robert and Red Horse, a new love, not only since it's the first time Robert feels real passion, but also since they live free from the society boundaries: and finally, but not less important, Drew and Terry: more than in the previous book, Terry O'Reilly makes the fictional characters of him and his husband, real main characters of the story; not only Drew influences Terry's decision on the plot, we can also see how Terry's past experience are reflected in the story. And again, the sub-story of Terry and Drew is so interesting that it almost steals the scene to the main one.
As you can imagine, thanks to the setting far from the "civil" society and the boundaries of living in it, this time there is an happily ever after ending (even if I will not say between whom). It's not a forced ending, since probably, in that time, it was the decision of a lot of men who couldn't live in any other place if not in the wilderness, where probably no one would judge them for searching "male" companionship.
I was uncertain on this book, I liked the previous one and I was fearing to be disappointed by a sequel: there were little chance for the author to write something I could like. Well, he managed to, and I strongly recommend to read both books, above all if you are a romantic at heart like me.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TKD4MQ/?...
April 16, 2011
Divided Hearts, the sequel to Awakening outshines its predecessor. When I finished Awakening I was so disappointed by the two protagonists' lack of initiative in fighting for their love that I had seriously considered not reading Divided Hearts. Well I'm glad that I did. While it doesn't deal directly with the focus of the first book, it does, however, give us a much needed closure on that storyline. Divided Hearts follows one of the minor characters from Awakening, Robert, after his arrival in the Ohio territory. It deals with his struggle in returning to his native roots, and, as well as recognizing and dealing with his unrequited love for Nathaniel. This journey is beautifully written and moves along at a good pace. Mr. O'Reilly redeemed himself with this sequel.
I give Divided Hearts four stars.
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