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Into the Storm #2
An Innocent Man
Connor MacCormac could hear the whispers as he walked down the streets of his hometown. He had been Pine Butte’s bad boy – sexy, smart and a bit too wild. He’d left twelve years ago, but the townspeople had long memories. And as far as they were concerned, Connor was guilty – of a most unspeakable act.
Sarah Wesley had always been tempted by the brooding loner. But she couldn’t forget what had happened to her family. Torn between guilt and desire, she was heading for trouble…with the last man she should ever want. The secret they shared bound them together – and could rip the whole town apart.
Sarah Wesley had always been tempted by the brooding loner. But she couldn’t forget what had happened to her family. Torn between guilt and desire, she was heading for trouble…with the last man she should ever want. The secret they shared bound them together – and could rip the whole town apart.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1995
312 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Watson
105 books130 followersUSA Today bestselling author Margaret Watson is a two-time RITA Finalist with thirty books in print for Harlequin and Silhouette and many other award-winning romantic suspense novels.
When not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine in the Chicago area.
When not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine in the Chicago area.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 10, 2011
I enjoyed this book a lot it was about coming back home, a man who was on a quest for justice and remembered things a certain way but found that people had grown up and changed as well.
Connor returns to Pine Butte after twelve years, when he left heart-broken, the girl he was dating and asked to marry him, laughed at him and told him she was pregnant(not his kid since they weren't intimate). He lost his immigrant father at twelve and as a angry confused kid lashed out, the people in town were bigots.
When he is riding on his motorcycle to town someone hits him deliberately and when he awakens he finds himself in a clinic, being looked after by the only medical personnel in town, Sarah, who is a nurse practitioner and the sister of the woman who broke his heart.
Sarah stays in town because of the obligation she feels and wants to go away and travel. She has a lot of anger towards Connor but acts professionally, the anger is because she along with the other town people believe that he was the father of her sister's baby and abandoned them(her sister and the baby died in child-birth). Sarah's uncle is also the richest man in town and kind of a jerk.
Sarah takes care of Connor and gets to know him, she sees the anger he has towards the town. He also tells her that he was innocent, but she faces a dilemma, who to believe her sister or him but she comes to gradually see the truth. She refuses to let Connor leave the clinic since he isn't that well and when he is attacked the second time, he trusts her with his purpose. He received a note that there was more to his father's death and he is here to find out. Sarah helps him in this since people trust her and her uncle won't make a move on her.
I enjoyed the book immensely, Sarah and Connor feel a pull towards each other and try to stop it since Connor has no intention of staying but of course they can't. Connor still persists on keeping a part of himself back, namely what he does but I felt it was fairly evident. Sarah does tell him in the end that it is up to him to let go of the anger and doesn't push him. I loved Sarah, she was sweet but no push-over, Connor on the other hand had been dealt a raw-hand in the past.
Connor returns to Pine Butte after twelve years, when he left heart-broken, the girl he was dating and asked to marry him, laughed at him and told him she was pregnant(not his kid since they weren't intimate). He lost his immigrant father at twelve and as a angry confused kid lashed out, the people in town were bigots.
When he is riding on his motorcycle to town someone hits him deliberately and when he awakens he finds himself in a clinic, being looked after by the only medical personnel in town, Sarah, who is a nurse practitioner and the sister of the woman who broke his heart.
Sarah stays in town because of the obligation she feels and wants to go away and travel. She has a lot of anger towards Connor but acts professionally, the anger is because she along with the other town people believe that he was the father of her sister's baby and abandoned them(her sister and the baby died in child-birth). Sarah's uncle is also the richest man in town and kind of a jerk.
Sarah takes care of Connor and gets to know him, she sees the anger he has towards the town. He also tells her that he was innocent, but she faces a dilemma, who to believe her sister or him but she comes to gradually see the truth. She refuses to let Connor leave the clinic since he isn't that well and when he is attacked the second time, he trusts her with his purpose. He received a note that there was more to his father's death and he is here to find out. Sarah helps him in this since people trust her and her uncle won't make a move on her.
I enjoyed the book immensely, Sarah and Connor feel a pull towards each other and try to stop it since Connor has no intention of staying but of course they can't. Connor still persists on keeping a part of himself back, namely what he does but I felt it was fairly evident. Sarah does tell him in the end that it is up to him to let go of the anger and doesn't push him. I loved Sarah, she was sweet but no push-over, Connor on the other hand had been dealt a raw-hand in the past.
June 23, 2017
An Innocent Man by Margaret Watson
Into the Storm #2
Caught me from the beginning scene when a team of men are introduced fighting in Afghanistan. I now want to read each of their stories after meeting each one of them briefly.
In this story we find out that Connor MacCormac, medic, was wounded and given a medical discharge from the army. Years after his discharge he heads back to the town he grew up in and someone intentionally runs him off the road. He is rescued then treated by local nurse practitioner, Sarah Wesley.
Connor is on a mission to find out what really happened to his father 20 years before and this has put him in the crosshairs of someone who really wants to keep that secret. Connor has a chip on his shoulder due to the way he and his family were treated in the past and keeps secrets from Sarah and others while searching for his answers. Sarah, as the only medically trained person in the area, has put her community’s needs before her own. He situation has tied her to Pine Butte. Though she is interested in Connor there are reasons she feels she should not fall for. Neither Sarah nor Connor see a future together though they are mightily attracted. As secrets are revealed, bad guys are discovered, the community gets to know Connor and Connor begins to realize the past doesn’t have to determine his future the story becomes more and more intriguing. Thankfully there is eventually a HEA but it takes the two some time to get there ;)
Thank you to the author for the ARC – this is my honest review.
4.5 Stars
Into the Storm #2
Caught me from the beginning scene when a team of men are introduced fighting in Afghanistan. I now want to read each of their stories after meeting each one of them briefly.
In this story we find out that Connor MacCormac, medic, was wounded and given a medical discharge from the army. Years after his discharge he heads back to the town he grew up in and someone intentionally runs him off the road. He is rescued then treated by local nurse practitioner, Sarah Wesley.
Connor is on a mission to find out what really happened to his father 20 years before and this has put him in the crosshairs of someone who really wants to keep that secret. Connor has a chip on his shoulder due to the way he and his family were treated in the past and keeps secrets from Sarah and others while searching for his answers. Sarah, as the only medically trained person in the area, has put her community’s needs before her own. He situation has tied her to Pine Butte. Though she is interested in Connor there are reasons she feels she should not fall for. Neither Sarah nor Connor see a future together though they are mightily attracted. As secrets are revealed, bad guys are discovered, the community gets to know Connor and Connor begins to realize the past doesn’t have to determine his future the story becomes more and more intriguing. Thankfully there is eventually a HEA but it takes the two some time to get there ;)
Thank you to the author for the ARC – this is my honest review.
4.5 Stars
July 26, 2022
Read this but won’t remember it.
It wasn’t bad but just wasn’t believable and the ending didn’t entertain.
The hero had made something of himself after storming away from his home town but the way he held grudges from his childhood town was overly done and silly.
I just don’t feel there was a connection between Sarah and Connor and their interaction was childish.
The whole thing about what had happened and the secrets was over with very quickly.
Plus the whole situation about Sarah’s sister Barb and her lies, WTH. We get thrown in a totally different direction there.
Just didn’t give me any reading pleasure.
It wasn’t bad but just wasn’t believable and the ending didn’t entertain.
The hero had made something of himself after storming away from his home town but the way he held grudges from his childhood town was overly done and silly.
I just don’t feel there was a connection between Sarah and Connor and their interaction was childish.
The whole thing about what had happened and the secrets was over with very quickly.
Plus the whole situation about Sarah’s sister Barb and her lies, WTH. We get thrown in a totally different direction there.
Just didn’t give me any reading pleasure.
July 17, 2019
Fast and enjoyable read.
July 24, 2022
A story about revenge and redemption. And finding love when you least expect it. It’s a reasonably lengthy romance with a side of family and community intrigue.
September 4, 2017
I have read some books that have been pretty heavy subject wise. So when I got to An Innocent Man on my review list, I breathed a sigh of relief. I have reviewed a few books by Margaret Watson in the past. They have always been enjoyable so I was all set to enjoy An Innocent Man. Oh boy, did I enjoy it!!
An Innocent Man is about one man’s determination to find out the truth about what happened to his father. He is also going there to get justice on the townspeople who wronged him years ago. One of those people is Sarah Wesley, the town’s NP. Sarah has hated Connor for years. She blames him for the death of her sister, Barb. So wasn’t she surprised when he turns up in her clinic after being in a bad motorcycle accident. I was hooked from reading the blurb. When I actually got to reading the story, it was so much more.
An Innocent Man is most definitely a romance novel. It is a romance novel with a small dash of mystery and intrigue thrown in. I was pretty happy with the romance, even though it was “Instalove“. Connor and Sarah fell in love within a week. They also fell in love while dodging her shady uncle and cousin in the secondary storyline. Speaking of that storyline, it was a bit predictable but enjoyable to read.
I liked Connor. His reasons for leaving Pine Butte were awful but he needed to do it. I felt that his quest to find out exactly what happened to his father was needed so he could finally get closure. His distrust of the residents of Pine Butte was well founded too. He was not treated very well by them. But he found out that people can change and memories can not always be correct. I do think that he should have been more upfront with Sarah about his career too. That was actually a surprise for me. I was not expecting it.
Sarah kind of annoyed me in the beginning of the book. She came across as a bit whiney about her being stuck in town. That lasted until she treated Connor. Then I started to like her. She put aside her personal feelings about him. She let him stay at her house. She got involved with his investigation. She showed Connor that the residents of Pine Butte didn’t hate him as he thought. She also helped Connor heal. When Connor revealed his secret to her at the end of the book, I would have been angry too.
The sex scenes in An Innocent Man were sweet. They also were not super graphic, which I enjoyed. You could see the feelings between Connor and Sarah come to life when they had sex. I enjoyed reading them!!
Other than Sarah kind of annoying me in the beginning of the book, I had no complaints about An Innocent Man.
The ending was pretty standard. All plotlines were resolved and the main characters were able to have an HEA. I do wish that there was an epilogue that fasts forward to the next year. I would have liked to see where Sarah and Connor were in their lives.
4 stars
Summary of An Innocent Man:
An Innocent Man is a fast paced romance that has a bit of intrigue and mystery in it. I enjoyed reading it, even if it was a bit predictable. This is a book that I would read while at the beach or pool.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex, violence, mild language.
I would like to thank Margaret Watson and Dragonfly Press for allowing me to read and review An Innocent Man.
All opinions stated in this review of An Innocent Man are mine and mine alone
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
An Innocent Man is about one man’s determination to find out the truth about what happened to his father. He is also going there to get justice on the townspeople who wronged him years ago. One of those people is Sarah Wesley, the town’s NP. Sarah has hated Connor for years. She blames him for the death of her sister, Barb. So wasn’t she surprised when he turns up in her clinic after being in a bad motorcycle accident. I was hooked from reading the blurb. When I actually got to reading the story, it was so much more.
An Innocent Man is most definitely a romance novel. It is a romance novel with a small dash of mystery and intrigue thrown in. I was pretty happy with the romance, even though it was “Instalove“. Connor and Sarah fell in love within a week. They also fell in love while dodging her shady uncle and cousin in the secondary storyline. Speaking of that storyline, it was a bit predictable but enjoyable to read.
I liked Connor. His reasons for leaving Pine Butte were awful but he needed to do it. I felt that his quest to find out exactly what happened to his father was needed so he could finally get closure. His distrust of the residents of Pine Butte was well founded too. He was not treated very well by them. But he found out that people can change and memories can not always be correct. I do think that he should have been more upfront with Sarah about his career too. That was actually a surprise for me. I was not expecting it.
Sarah kind of annoyed me in the beginning of the book. She came across as a bit whiney about her being stuck in town. That lasted until she treated Connor. Then I started to like her. She put aside her personal feelings about him. She let him stay at her house. She got involved with his investigation. She showed Connor that the residents of Pine Butte didn’t hate him as he thought. She also helped Connor heal. When Connor revealed his secret to her at the end of the book, I would have been angry too.
The sex scenes in An Innocent Man were sweet. They also were not super graphic, which I enjoyed. You could see the feelings between Connor and Sarah come to life when they had sex. I enjoyed reading them!!
Other than Sarah kind of annoying me in the beginning of the book, I had no complaints about An Innocent Man.
The ending was pretty standard. All plotlines were resolved and the main characters were able to have an HEA. I do wish that there was an epilogue that fasts forward to the next year. I would have liked to see where Sarah and Connor were in their lives.
4 stars
Summary of An Innocent Man:
An Innocent Man is a fast paced romance that has a bit of intrigue and mystery in it. I enjoyed reading it, even if it was a bit predictable. This is a book that I would read while at the beach or pool.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex, violence, mild language.
I would like to thank Margaret Watson and Dragonfly Press for allowing me to read and review An Innocent Man.
All opinions stated in this review of An Innocent Man are mine and mine alone
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
August 15, 2022
ALMOST ONE AND A HALF DAYS, NOW THAT'S INSTA-LOVE. OLD FASHIONED MYSTERY, MILDLY SEXUAL, SWEET ROMANCE. ;D
April 19, 2020
I love characters who ride motorcycles but aren’t the club/gang alpha males you often find in romance. I also love it when the hero is hurt or otherwise vulnerable, and the opening scene (after the prologue) completely gripped me. Connor is strong and stubborn yet yields when he really needs to. He lets Sarah see much more emotion than he lets on to anyone else, but he is so focused on satisfying his need for revenge that it inevitably leads to him hurting Sarah. There are actually two mysteries, although they are intertwined, both of which have a little twist and come to a satisfying conclusion. Sarah and Connor were both believable characters, and the chemistry was excellent. The only part that didn’t quite fit was the prologue, which was an event in Afghanistan that I believe is used to tie the books in the series together. Connor’s issues with the town and distrust arose from his childhood, not from that event, and were enough on their own (I thought) to make his journey compelling.
April 28, 2020
Returning home after 12 years, Connor is on a personal mission to expose some deadly secrets in the small town of Pine Butte, when he comes face to face with his ex's younger sister Sarah, an NP who is the only medical provider in the town. Initial hard feelings eventually give way to attraction and Connor and Sarah unsuccessfully try to fight their desire for each other. Meanwhile, with Sarah's assistance, Connor continues to dig for the truth and wonders how he will be able to walk away from Sarah once he has the answers he came for.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a well-written, slow burn mystery romance with likable characters and some danger and suspense. An Innocent Man is another excellent read by Margaret Watson.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a well-written, slow burn mystery romance with likable characters and some danger and suspense. An Innocent Man is another excellent read by Margaret Watson.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 2, 2023
Beautiful story
This is a beautiful story filled with anguish, regrets, thoughts of revenge and even love. Under any other circumstances, Connor and Sarah would have never gotten together, but when Connor arrived in Pine Butte to finally learn the real reason of his father's death, little did he know he would be run off the road and in need of Sarah's medical care. There's so much going on behind the scenes of this tiny mountain mining town and what Connor finds could tear it wide open.Not only is this beautiful love story, it also part suspense and thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Grab a copy and start reading. You won't be sorry.
This is a beautiful story filled with anguish, regrets, thoughts of revenge and even love. Under any other circumstances, Connor and Sarah would have never gotten together, but when Connor arrived in Pine Butte to finally learn the real reason of his father's death, little did he know he would be run off the road and in need of Sarah's medical care. There's so much going on behind the scenes of this tiny mountain mining town and what Connor finds could tear it wide open.Not only is this beautiful love story, it also part suspense and thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Grab a copy and start reading. You won't be sorry.
July 10, 2017
Conner could see Pine Butte ahead of him. He had been gone fourteen years and had planned never to return . But he had to get answers to some questions . He saw a car driving to fast on the road, and moved over out of the way. The car hit him and knocked him off the road. the local sheriff found him and called in Sarah as she was the only medical help for the town. You need to read this book to determine why he was returning to Pine Butte and to see if his life changes for the better.
July 30, 2017
I read the first book in this series & thought it very good. This book is the second in the series, and I believe I liked it even better! Each story is a standalone but starts from the same incident. I have definitely added Margaret Watson's books to my list of must reads. If you haven't tried her yet, I highly recommend you give this series a try. You won't be disappointed.
Received a free copy for an honest, unbiased review.
Received a free copy for an honest, unbiased review.
August 1, 2022
Connor and Sarah
Connor was returning to a small town that had treated him badly in his youth. On his way he was driven off the road. Connor was found unconscious and brought into the local clinic. As soon as Sarah was able to remove his helmet she recognized him. Connor had gotten her sister pregnant then deserted her.
Fourteen years is a long time. Many things have changed. A very good story with characters you can care deeply about.
Connor was returning to a small town that had treated him badly in his youth. On his way he was driven off the road. Connor was found unconscious and brought into the local clinic. As soon as Sarah was able to remove his helmet she recognized him. Connor had gotten her sister pregnant then deserted her.
Fourteen years is a long time. Many things have changed. A very good story with characters you can care deeply about.
July 29, 2022
This was an interesting read. I was confused because it said Connor was gone for 14 years, but Barb had been dead for almost 12. The amount of time wasn't set in stone. It got 3 stars because of the indefinite timeline which was discussed frequently. The mystery solving was intriguing. The Wesley family had skeletons
August 9, 2022
REALLY GOOD
This story is about belated revenge, romance, lawbreakers, murder and deceit.. I don’t like reading spoilers so never leave them suffice to say Margaret has given us another good read.
This story is about belated revenge, romance, lawbreakers, murder and deceit.. I don’t like reading spoilers so never leave them suffice to say Margaret has given us another good read.
November 23, 2022
A good read.
A good romance with a touch of mystery to keep things interesting.
The standard 'girl meets boy' with a little more twist.
Well paced with an, ultimately, satisfying conclusion.
A good romance with a touch of mystery to keep things interesting.
The standard 'girl meets boy' with a little more twist.
Well paced with an, ultimately, satisfying conclusion.
March 28, 2024
What can I say about this author. Everything she writes is fantastic and this book is no exception. This is the story of Sarah and Conner, the bad boy. I loved it from beginning to end and highly recommend.
October 13, 2018
An interesting romantic suspense with some hot scenes. Can a man really recover from beatings and accidents that fast?
Want to read
July 14, 2022🎁 FREE on Amazon & on Apple iBooks today (7/14/2022)! 🎁
March 31, 2023
Wonderful
Really wonderful story with great characters. Sarah and Connor share so much hate, compassion and love for those around them it's hard to see what is in front of them
Really wonderful story with great characters. Sarah and Connor share so much hate, compassion and love for those around them it's hard to see what is in front of them
August 26, 2023
Great read!
August 14, 2022
AN INNOCENT MAN by Margaret Watson is the first book, I've read by this author. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. It has been years since Connor MacCormac had stormed out of Pine Butte, Colorado and swore never to return. Since he was a child he had been treated poorly by the citizens of this small town. His immigrant father had been treated even worse than his son. The only reason Connor was returning now was he had received a mysterious letter, that stated that his dad had not died from a heart-attack as was believed, but was murdered. Also he wanted to prove he was innocent of leaving a pregnant girl alone. He was not the father.
Connor was not all the way to town, when a car runs him off the road leaving him for dead. He was lucky that the sheriff found him in time to save his life. He was also lucky the nurse practitioner was Sarah Wesley and the only help medically in the town of Pine Butte. Sarah was very devoted to given the best medical care she could, regardless of who the patient might be. Since Connor was the man everyone thought had abandoned her pregnant sister, it was very important that she put personal opinions aside and do her job. As Sarah and a recovering Connor grow closer, she realizes he is not the same bad boy who left Pine Butte on his motorcycle. They work well together as a team, but he is still set on leaving this town as soon as his father's murder is solved. Yet he isn't sure he can, or even wants to leave Sarah behind?
Connor was not all the way to town, when a car runs him off the road leaving him for dead. He was lucky that the sheriff found him in time to save his life. He was also lucky the nurse practitioner was Sarah Wesley and the only help medically in the town of Pine Butte. Sarah was very devoted to given the best medical care she could, regardless of who the patient might be. Since Connor was the man everyone thought had abandoned her pregnant sister, it was very important that she put personal opinions aside and do her job. As Sarah and a recovering Connor grow closer, she realizes he is not the same bad boy who left Pine Butte on his motorcycle. They work well together as a team, but he is still set on leaving this town as soon as his father's murder is solved. Yet he isn't sure he can, or even wants to leave Sarah behind?
May 8, 2016
This was a really nice, quick read. Obviously fast and facile, due to its length, but not terribly so, and I liked the main characters well enough. The hero was interesting and attractive without being pushy; for the most part, he had baggage, but not a whole cart full, though I felt some of the grudges he held were a bit silly. Not particularly memorable, but makes a decent weekend afternoon read for fans of short romance.
August 4, 2022
The title sucked me in.
I love a good suspense book. This was a slower start and a little annoying at times with the amount of unanswered questions. But alas, I persevered and all my questions were answered! This book was definitely good enough for me to read this author again.
I love a good suspense book. This was a slower start and a little annoying at times with the amount of unanswered questions. But alas, I persevered and all my questions were answered! This book was definitely good enough for me to read this author again.
June 18, 2025
I think this story would have shone in a full-length novel. However, one aspect that bothered me was the hero's decision to hide his occupation. It felt like a contrived plot device, and the heroine's response to it didn't quite ring true.
October 31, 2008
Cheesy, fluffy romance is great for "that time of the month!"
Not really memorable, but a fun diversion.
Not really memorable, but a fun diversion.
August 26, 2016
Easy read. I don't know what it is but the language in sex scenes are too soft for me. I think I like the edgier roughness to sex scenes in genres other than romance.
July 23, 2022
good read
Wasn’t sure about this book but once I got into it I was hooked. Small town mentality and a budding romance with a mystery attached,what’s not to like?
Wasn’t sure about this book but once I got into it I was hooked. Small town mentality and a budding romance with a mystery attached,what’s not to like?
August 4, 2022
Great story could not put it down could not wait to see what happened next
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews