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Into the Wild #3
Redeemed
The men of the West flock to watch the Northern Spy, a beautiful woman who sings…while locked in a cage. In every city, Helen’s alluring and mysterious act culminates in a high-stakes poker game. The winner's prize: a night with the Spy.
Helen Winters’ life as a Union spy behind enemy lines was no act. But now that the war is over, her heroism has her trapped. Tortured by her memories and by the man who holds her prisoner, she clings to her dreams of freedom.
Like Helen, Union battlefield surgeon Dr. James Madison lost the best parts of himself in the war. Haunted by the demons of an old addiction, he knows he's no hero, but Helen stirs to life the man he once was--and the man he could be again.
He might win her. She might save him. Or perhaps they’ll both lose it all…
Helen Winters’ life as a Union spy behind enemy lines was no act. But now that the war is over, her heroism has her trapped. Tortured by her memories and by the man who holds her prisoner, she clings to her dreams of freedom.
Like Helen, Union battlefield surgeon Dr. James Madison lost the best parts of himself in the war. Haunted by the demons of an old addiction, he knows he's no hero, but Helen stirs to life the man he once was--and the man he could be again.
He might win her. She might save him. Or perhaps they’ll both lose it all…
198 pages, Kindle Edition
17 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Molly O'Keefe
108 books2,136 followersThis author is also published under: M. O'Keefe.
Molly O'Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write.
She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn't looked back. She loves exploring every character's road towards happily ever after.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008. When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
Molly O'Keefe has always known she wanted to be a writer (except when she wanted to be a florist or a chef and the brief period of time when she considered being a cowgirl). And once she got her hands on some romances, she knew exactly what she wanted to write.
She published her first Harlequin romance at age 25 and hasn't looked back. She loves exploring every character's road towards happily ever after.
Originally from a small town outside of Chicago, she went to university in St. Louis where she met and fell in love with the editor of her school newspaper. They followed each other around the world for several years and finally got married and settled down in Toronto, Ontario. They welcomed their son into their family in 2006, and their daughter in 2008. When she's not at the park or cleaning up the toy room, Molly is working hard on her next novel, trying to exercise, stalking Tina Fey on the internet and dreaming of the day she can finish a cup of coffee without interruption.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2017
4.5 stars
This series made me a big fan of Molly O’Keefe. I’m in an awe of the author’s ability to bring such a depth, intensity, and realism into her stories. She captures perfectly the sense of loss and desperation in the aftermath of the Civil War. Nothing is like it was before and no one is left unscathed or unchanged.This is first and foremost a story of personal redemption. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful and ultimately rewarding. This is also a beautiful love story of two damaged souls who eventually find solace in each other.
The only reason it isn’t quite a five-star for me is the ending felt rushed.
June 20, 2024
the setup…
After years of numbing his pain with chloroform, Dr. James Madison has finally shed the drug addiction but not the demons from the war that continue to plague him. He continues to live at Delilah’s, the town bordello, still struggling to regain the man he once was, when former Confederate Charles Park arrives with Helen Winters, his “ward” who was know as the Northern Spy. He’s got her on exhibition in a birdcage, promising anyone who can best him in a high stakes poker game will earn a night with her.
the heart of the story…
Something in Helen’s eyes tells James they are kindred spirits on several levels. What Charles is doing to her offends every sensibility of the old James. He has so little confidence in himself but she becomes the lifeline and he hers. It was heartbreaking on so many levels, especially with drug addiction always in the background. Their attraction to each other was at a deeper level and not one borne of dependency.
the bottom line…
I was rooting for James since the last story and was thrilled to see he’d overcome his drug addiction. The painful memories still remained and finding coping strategies was a challenge. Helen’s situation was the ultimate in degradation and is the toughest part of the story. I couldn’t imagine a suitable partner for James and Helen turned out to be ideal. The magic here goes beyond romance as it was the journey to the “other side” that is the triumph. Great ending to a highly emotional series.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
After years of numbing his pain with chloroform, Dr. James Madison has finally shed the drug addiction but not the demons from the war that continue to plague him. He continues to live at Delilah’s, the town bordello, still struggling to regain the man he once was, when former Confederate Charles Park arrives with Helen Winters, his “ward” who was know as the Northern Spy. He’s got her on exhibition in a birdcage, promising anyone who can best him in a high stakes poker game will earn a night with her.
the heart of the story…
Something in Helen’s eyes tells James they are kindred spirits on several levels. What Charles is doing to her offends every sensibility of the old James. He has so little confidence in himself but she becomes the lifeline and he hers. It was heartbreaking on so many levels, especially with drug addiction always in the background. Their attraction to each other was at a deeper level and not one borne of dependency.
the bottom line…
I was rooting for James since the last story and was thrilled to see he’d overcome his drug addiction. The painful memories still remained and finding coping strategies was a challenge. Helen’s situation was the ultimate in degradation and is the toughest part of the story. I couldn’t imagine a suitable partner for James and Helen turned out to be ideal. The magic here goes beyond romance as it was the journey to the “other side” that is the triumph. Great ending to a highly emotional series.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
May 12, 2024
Redeemed is book 3 in the Into The Wild series and features a hero and heroine who are horribly broken - one suffers PTSD from serving in the war and the other is a prisoner to a man who forces her to perform suspended in a birdcage in brothels. Both are or have been dependent on drugs. Neither trusts anyone including themselves. When they meet, something passes between them and while neither has faith or is willing to take a chance, they can't help but wish for what might have been. O'Keefe has crafted a heartbreaking story of two lost souls who've given up. It's dark, gritty and emotional. Highly recommended.
September 12, 2017
I enjoyed this story of James and Helen, third in a really good series. It's nice to read something set in the historical U.S. once in a while, but this is not a light-hearted romp. Both characters are struggling with drug addictions...with James the story begins when he has finally got himself clean but he is still dealing with day to day yearnings to reach for the drugs again and with Helen, she is being held captive by her evil step-father who is forcing morphine and laudanum into her in order to control her.
James is immediately captivated by the beautiful Helen and can see she is under the influence of drugs. He wants to help her but wonders if he himself is strong enough to do so, his confidence and self-esteem have suffered due to his own addiction problems.
As I write this, I realize I am making this book sound pretty dark and dreary. It is definitely a serious book dealing with the drug issues and how everyone was affected one way or another by the Civil War. But it is also a hopeful book in that it shows how they both overcame their problems and found love and support from each other.
I never fully connected with the heroine Helen for some reason and that is what kept this a four star read for me. It took a while for her back story to be revealed and I never felt like I knew her or her story entirely. And, as my GR friend Lyuda remarked, the ending felt a little rushed.
James is immediately captivated by the beautiful Helen and can see she is under the influence of drugs. He wants to help her but wonders if he himself is strong enough to do so, his confidence and self-esteem have suffered due to his own addiction problems.
As I write this, I realize I am making this book sound pretty dark and dreary. It is definitely a serious book dealing with the drug issues and how everyone was affected one way or another by the Civil War. But it is also a hopeful book in that it shows how they both overcame their problems and found love and support from each other.
I never fully connected with the heroine Helen for some reason and that is what kept this a four star read for me. It took a while for her back story to be revealed and I never felt like I knew her or her story entirely. And, as my GR friend Lyuda remarked, the ending felt a little rushed.
July 8, 2023
Short and underdeveloped. A bit ridiculous actually.
February 24, 2018
This was quite different from the average historical romance novel, at least those that I usually prefer, which take place in Europe. This was also the first book I read by this author. Normally I don’t like Western romance novels, but this was different. It was set in Denver three years after the end of the Civil War, and is about two broken people finding each other—which is in itself not new. These characters I found to be quite believable, though.
The book is different because of the relationship between Charles and Helen, and before her, between Charles and her mother. It is based on his hatred and abuse of both—because they spied on him for the North, and he was a Southerner.
My favorite historical fiction includes romance, but also reveals some forgotten historical fact or two. Here, we learn that battle fatigue in Civil War soldiers was known as “the Soldier’s Heart” — now known as PTSD. “The Soldier’s Disease” was what we now call alcohol and drug addiction—attempts to self-medicate to blot out nightmares and pain.
The author also tells us at the end that the characters of Helen and her mother were modeled after real-life Civil War spies Bet (daughter) and Elizabeth Van Lew.
One warning to parents: if your library catalog rates this book as “general audience”, it is not. The final chapter describes oral sex.
The book is different because of the relationship between Charles and Helen, and before her, between Charles and her mother. It is based on his hatred and abuse of both—because they spied on him for the North, and he was a Southerner.
My favorite historical fiction includes romance, but also reveals some forgotten historical fact or two. Here, we learn that battle fatigue in Civil War soldiers was known as “the Soldier’s Heart” — now known as PTSD. “The Soldier’s Disease” was what we now call alcohol and drug addiction—attempts to self-medicate to blot out nightmares and pain.
The author also tells us at the end that the characters of Helen and her mother were modeled after real-life Civil War spies Bet (daughter) and Elizabeth Van Lew.
One warning to parents: if your library catalog rates this book as “general audience”, it is not. The final chapter describes oral sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2021
This review originally appeared at All About Romance in January 2016.
**********
I loved Redeemed, even with its dark subject matter and deeply flawed characters. Ms. O’Keefe has a masterful touch and capably leads the reader out of the darkness and into the light as the story concludes. Though I’m often frustrated by short stories, this is lush with detail and engaging from start to finish.
Dr. James Madison lives in a whorehouse. A Union doctor during the Civil War, he’s newly free of an addiction to the chloroform he abused to try to silence traumatic war memories. Delilah, the whorehouse owner, cared for him as he detoxed and with nowhere else to go, he stays. Full of despair, regret and loneliness, James walks the streets at night to fend off cravings for the drug. Returning one evening, he notices a large cage in the barroom. He learns the Northern Spy, a beautiful woman who sings while locked in the cage, is also staying in the whorehouse and scheduled to appear over three nights.
The Northern Spy is Helen Winters, ward of Dr. Charles Park, a former landowner from Charleston. When James is sent to her rooms by Delilah to determine whether she is a virgin, he discovers a beautiful woman and a mystery. She’s clearly under the influence of a narcotic, wary of James, fearful of Park, and under guard at all times. His instincts, and the feelings she arouses when he’s with her, lead him in a quest to save her from whatever ties her to Park.
On the last night of the Northern Spy’s engagement, James defeats Park in a high stakes poker game and wins a night with Helen. Park has no intention of releasing her, but in the chaos at the end of the game, James and Helen escape. As James helps Helen regain her independence – from the cage, the laudanum, and her past – he finds own redemption and freedom from his past.
The direction of the story changes after they escape the whorehouse. Park discovers Helen and attempts to trap her once again. The aftermath of this confrontation and a major twist that heralds a change in Helen’s fortunes, completely change the tone of the story. I was caught off guard and surprised the story went in the direction it did. From hopeless to hopeful, the conclusion and epilogue were bittersweet and pitch perfect.
Redeemed is a brilliant and moving love story. It’s easily my favorite novella in the Gambled Away/b> anthology.
**********
I loved Redeemed, even with its dark subject matter and deeply flawed characters. Ms. O’Keefe has a masterful touch and capably leads the reader out of the darkness and into the light as the story concludes. Though I’m often frustrated by short stories, this is lush with detail and engaging from start to finish.
Dr. James Madison lives in a whorehouse. A Union doctor during the Civil War, he’s newly free of an addiction to the chloroform he abused to try to silence traumatic war memories. Delilah, the whorehouse owner, cared for him as he detoxed and with nowhere else to go, he stays. Full of despair, regret and loneliness, James walks the streets at night to fend off cravings for the drug. Returning one evening, he notices a large cage in the barroom. He learns the Northern Spy, a beautiful woman who sings while locked in the cage, is also staying in the whorehouse and scheduled to appear over three nights.
The Northern Spy is Helen Winters, ward of Dr. Charles Park, a former landowner from Charleston. When James is sent to her rooms by Delilah to determine whether she is a virgin, he discovers a beautiful woman and a mystery. She’s clearly under the influence of a narcotic, wary of James, fearful of Park, and under guard at all times. His instincts, and the feelings she arouses when he’s with her, lead him in a quest to save her from whatever ties her to Park.
On the last night of the Northern Spy’s engagement, James defeats Park in a high stakes poker game and wins a night with Helen. Park has no intention of releasing her, but in the chaos at the end of the game, James and Helen escape. As James helps Helen regain her independence – from the cage, the laudanum, and her past – he finds own redemption and freedom from his past.
The direction of the story changes after they escape the whorehouse. Park discovers Helen and attempts to trap her once again. The aftermath of this confrontation and a major twist that heralds a change in Helen’s fortunes, completely change the tone of the story. I was caught off guard and surprised the story went in the direction it did. From hopeless to hopeful, the conclusion and epilogue were bittersweet and pitch perfect.
Redeemed is a brilliant and moving love story. It’s easily my favorite novella in the Gambled Away/b> anthology.
January 9, 2018
I liked this, but didn't love it. Great world-building and O'Keefe seems incapable of crafting an uninteresting character. Also, historical westerns of late have been riding the "small town contemporary" craze and I've always preferred the "dark, gritty, will we survive winter?" style of historical romance westerns - and O'Keefe definitely writes gritty.
The hero's redemptive arc is compelling, as is the heroine's back story. However given their mutual baggage, especially her current circumstances, the romance is pretty slow going. I wasn't entirely sold on it until the final chapters when actual courtship comes into play (a wise authorial choice!) and this elevated the story as a whole from a solid B grade to a B+. The first book in this series continues to be my favorite, but the world-building the author has done is so interesting. She easily could get a couple more books out of this world and I'd be clamoring for more.
The hero's redemptive arc is compelling, as is the heroine's back story. However given their mutual baggage, especially her current circumstances, the romance is pretty slow going. I wasn't entirely sold on it until the final chapters when actual courtship comes into play (a wise authorial choice!) and this elevated the story as a whole from a solid B grade to a B+. The first book in this series continues to be my favorite, but the world-building the author has done is so interesting. She easily could get a couple more books out of this world and I'd be clamoring for more.
September 1, 2021
I loved that this story didn’t follow a set pattern. The setting is the old west just after the American Civil war, but, the characters aren’t two-dimensional, and the storylines have depth and lots of grey. Helen and James have seen a lot, been through a lot, and are set apart because of that. They sense and feel a kindred soul in the other, but there are so many barriers in their way. Not just physical ones, but psychological ones, and ones imbedded in their souls. This didn’t wrap up nice and neat once the bad guys were defeated, there was still lots of story to be sorted before these two could get their HEA!
July 26, 2017
Three great stories
After the first story, I couldn't wait to read the next and then the final story. The characters make you want to keep reading to find out what happens. they all three were great love stories.
After the first story, I couldn't wait to read the next and then the final story. The characters make you want to keep reading to find out what happens. they all three were great love stories.
December 15, 2022
i really loved this trilogy but this book just wasn’t it for me! unfortunately the character development was convoluted and not nearly deep enough. i loved the first two books but this one was not my favorite..
June 16, 2021
I was excited to learn that the third book was about the Doctors journey of healing. The story is dark, and honest, and the struggles are real.
January 4, 2026
Great series!
Want to read
July 6, 2017Need to request library to get once it is published. .. .
Read
April 20, 2016Redeemed - the 3rd book in my Into The Wild series will be out at the end of May in the AMAZING box set/anthology GAMBLED AWAY.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Stay tuned for more information!!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Stay tuned for more information!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews