Catherine Anderson: Morning Light

Morning Light: D
contemp
Loni MacEwen & Clint Harrigan

Crusty Clint Harrigan (of the same Harrigan clan as Anderson's Sun Kissed), is, at 37, a Catholic cowboy who's sworn off romance. The arrival of a cute Catholic clairvoyant in his hometown of Crystal Falls, Ore., challenges his resolve and his skepticism. Seer Loni Kendra MacEwen, still a virgin at 31, is shocked when she bumps into Clint at the grocery store. He's the dream cowboy she's had visions of her whole life, and she has recently connected those visions to visions of Trevor, an endangered boy who (along with his protective Saint Bernard) was lost in the Shoshone Wilderness Area after a river accident killed his mom and stepdad, an Oregon senator. Loni tells a resistant Clint he's the only one who can save Trevor, and soon the hunt is on... (amazon)

As a prelude to this especially snarky entry: I like Catherine Anderson... for the most part. I find that she writes about real characters, people who go through real hardships (not ones like, "I was unloved as a child so now I'm a heartless jerk."). Her traumatized and troubled characters are believable. I feel for them.

Buuuut...

This book wasn't fun to read.

I will surely go to hell for this - sorry, God!- but the main reason I disliked this book was because of the constant references to religion and the Catholic faith. Being a believer, I personally have nothing against Christianity or the Catholic faith. However, it grated on my nerves that the hero and heroine talked about their faith all the time. I understand that topics like that require a lengthy and a hefty discussion. But that doesn't mean I want to read all about it.

By the halfway mark, I wanted to pound on something (insert *headdesk*).

I mean, if (when??? oh drats, I'm getting old..) I am looking for a prospective husband, religion would be a huge (and quite possibly, the only) factor. But ...but .... the constant praying on rosary beads, feeling touched about how each person kneeled to pray, the fact that she's a virgin at 31 (they might have just danced to VIRGIN! VIRGIN! VIRGIN!), the decision to not do the hanky-panky, then doing the hanky-panky (losing control), then talking about talking to Father Mike (Matt?) in confession for repentance... goodness gracious!

Clint, dude. I get you. You're Catholic, you're ethically and morally upright. You're a good citizen. But for the love of God, let's get over that and talk about something else... yes? No? Oh.........dammit..

The book is a hefty one at 422 pgs aaand I wasn't too interested after the halfway point. But I made myself finish... I need to develop more perseverance in finishing books (though I'm pretty good about it most of the time)

Anyway, most of the book is spent looking for Clint's newfound son (what is up with fathers being in the dark about their children? Females: horrible decision you made!), who is lost in the Oregon wilderness after a bad rafting accident. Loni, a psychic person of some sort, sees this, contacts Clint and tells him he needs to search for his son.

Clint clearly thinks Loni is crazy since he doesn't even have a son. (He is soon surprised.)

Loni and Clint go trek through the wilderness together to search for the lost boy. They fall in love. They have epic discussions about their faith. Then they start talking about other things.

Pros in reading this story: I learned a lot about navigating my way through the woods, should I ever get lost.

Cons: their faith! It might have been better if they were both hedonists.

Bottom line: Not worth your read, though Clint is a hunky rancher.

Catherine Anderson: Baby Love

Baby Love: DNF
Maggie Stanley & Rafe Kendrick
Kendrick/ Coulter series 1


Though I usually love Catherine Anderon's novels, I found this one to be most uninteresting. It is the beginning of her series (one with many, many novels - like eight or nine?) and I'm glad I read some of the other books in the series before reading this one or else I would have given up on the entire series.

From reading roughly half the book (approximately 160 pages), this is what I got:

Rafe lost his beloved wife and child.
He proceeded to lose himself and "ran away" from his home and duties, traveling around to different cities on trains.
He meets Maggie on one of these trains.
She's a damsel in distress.
He falls in love with her - almost overnight.
He takes care of her when she needs to be taken care of at the hospital.
He immediately makes amends with his estranged family - and they welcome him back with open arms.

..and then I stopped.

What?!

First, I hate second-love stories.
Like, when the hero or heroine has desperately and passionately loved XYZ and XYZ dies. They're heartbroken. Then the new hero/ heroine steps in and takes the place of the former love. (Ex: Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Dream a Little Dream, Lisa Kleypas's Where Dreams Begin..)
I am a huge advocate of first-love stories and therefore, losing one's first love only to move on and love a second love, though realistic, is not something I'm chum chum with.

Second, how unrealistic is this story?
Not that I look for realism in a romance, per se, but the whole journey of falling in love (aka the reason why I read romances) was lost in this story. Rafe falls in love with Maggie ...just there and then. No real explanations. And even after the story progresses with him loving her, it never really explains why he loved her. Bogus!!, I say.

Third, I flat-out lost interest. I put it down - in mild exasperation - and never wanted to pick it back up.

Sadly, this one is a no-go, DNF.

Catherine Anderson: Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings: B+
Molly Sterling and Jake Coulter

Kendrick/ Coulter series #3

Out of work, out of luck, and almost out of money, Molly Sterling Wells shows up at Jake Coulter's ranch, the Lazy J, with Sonora Sunset, a beautiful horse who has been so badly beaten he may even be beyond Jake's talents as a horse whisperer. Jake intuitively knows there is more to Molly's story, but he agrees to help if Molly will stay on as the ranch's new cook and housekeeper. Little by little, Molly and Sonora Sunset find peace and security at the Lazy J until the day Molly's past catches up with her. Anderson continues to demonstrate a gift for creating richly emotional, deeply satisfying romances with her newest tale, which features Jake Coulter… (amazon)

Catherine Anderson is terrific at bringing a sense of realism into the fantastical romance world. She is not afraid of delving into difficult physical and emotional scars and does a superb job of showing the growth of the heroine.

My first CA was Blue Skies, a story where the heroine has an eye disease which has a huge impact on her and the hero’s life when she discovers that she is carrying his child. When I read it, I remember being blown away (and a little overwhelmed) at the range of emotions shown in the story, the book being more than the usual fluff.

In Sweet Nothings, an abused woman, Molly Sterling, shows up on sexy Jake’s horse ranch with an abused horse, Sunset. With a bit of luck and Jake’s kindness, she manages to stay on the ranch to pay for her horse.

Within hours of knowing her, Jake sees Molly’s nonexistent self esteem and her self-consciousness in everything she does. He does his best to reassure her as she struggles with her own inner demons.

I love how Jake is patient with Molly; he is the type of friend (or lover, heh) that she needs in order to deal with her insecurities. He is confident and kind enough to guide her and to love her for her golden heart, something she realizes she’s never had from her ex-husband. I love how Jake falls in love with Molly’s personality, despite her looks (which he is also attracted to). I love how he encourages her and I love how Molly finally comes to trust Jake.

When Molly is able to acknowledge and love herself, she is able to see Jake, which is wonderful.

Sweet Nothings is a tender tale with lots of love.

Catherine Anderson: Simply Love

Simply Love: DNF
Cassandra Zarek & Luke Taggart


Set in a Colorado mining town during the 19th century, this romance brings together a truly naive heroine with the ultimate bad boy hero. If Cassandra was any more naive, she might even be simple, but it is "simply" her love that defines new meaning for Luke Taggart, a tough, impossible man of the world who is almost beyond redemption. (amazon)


I read 160 pages of this when I thought, "Are ya kidding me?"

How the heck is Cassandra so naively …stupid? And Luke is so grossly… jaded? The plan that he uses to get Cassandra to be with him is totally scum-bag-ish!!! Low! It’s really low and it makes me kinda hate his guts.

And Cassandra, for her family, chooses to go in and live with him for a year, thinking that when he meant “female companion,” he was paying her to be his friend. …doh! For’real? Are you fo’real?!

After she’s with him, he is continuously thinking of ways to get her into his bed – she, who is so stupidly innocently naïve – in his jaded, corrupt, rake-ish bed. He wants to use her for a year and then leave her… with a hefty compensation, yes, but ultimately make her unmarriageable, destroy her reputation, and uh, basically ruin her future.

What a dirtbag!

Okay, I’m sure he falls in love with her and so my predictions don’t come true. But the fact that he acts despicably because of his dick – makes him totally disgusting in my eyes.

Cassandra’s naivety just about tops off this absurdly unrealistic story (even for a romance!).

Catherine Anderson: Sun Kissed

Sun Kissed: C-
Kendrick/ Coulter series #7
Samantha Harrigan and Tucker Coulter


One need not be an equine lover to appreciate Anderson's sweet contemporary romance centering on fiercely honest horse rancher Samantha Harrigan and handsome neophyte veterinarian Tucker Coulter, who meet while trying to protect a horse from its abusive owner. Samantha has always cared deeply for her horses, so when they suddenly fall ill, she's distraught; when it turns out they've been poisoned, she's horrified, immediately suspecting that her violent and vindictive ex-husband is the culprit.

Unfortunately, the authorities are pointing fingers at Samantha, alleging that she plans to defraud her insurance company. Wary of letting a new man into her life, Samantha nevertheless recognizes that she must call on Tucker to nurse her horses back to health. As he tends to the horses and grows closer to Samantha, Tucker becomes her confidante and champion, realizing that the only way for Samantha to save herself is to catch the offender before the police arrest her. In Samantha, Anderson has created a strong and gentle heroine, and a cast of family and friends proves charming throughout. This smart, wholesome tale should appeal to any fan of traditional romance. (amazon)


Haven’t I read this story before? Something happening to the horses? Falling ill and trying to find the culprit… oh wait, I think I have. It kind of sounds like the other Kendrick/ Coulter books… but not as good.

All of the heroines of Ms. Anderson’s books are broken people and it’s the love of the steady, handsome, understanding heroes that they find out the strength that is in them. However, I feel that the heroine-under-the-clutches-of-the-evil-ex-husband-and-divorces-him-only-to-have-him-come-after-her plot is becoming a little redundant. And the obsession with the horses, too.

This story wasn’t as good as some of the others because of the lack of chemistry between the two characters. The love that Samantha had for her horse was admirable, heroic, even, however, she spent all of her time and all her energy worrying about her horse, praying for her horse, crying for her horse, and I thought, ‘how about Tucker? What’s going on with him? You’re supposed to be falling in love with him!’

Tucker is falling in love with Samantha. He sees her love for her horse (that damned horse again!) wonderful, and seeing that he and his brothers are veterinarians (who love animals, horses included) he likes that Samantha is loyal to her horse.

But really, the romance falls short between these two: they just don’t spend time to really be falling in love… and she’s so burnt from her ex-marriage that she is super wary around men. I don’t know how they did manage to find a babysitter for the horses and spend some time together, but they did minimally – just enough to be in love (which I totally don’t buy).

There were the introduction of Samantha’s brothers (I see books for them in the near future! Jeepers, more horse books?!), but the heroines and heroes are all starting to sound the same. They have the same traits, same jobs, same families… same everything, and it’s getting to be repetitive.

I’m not sure if I would pick up Ms. Anderson’s latest book quite yet. I’m a bit horsed-out.

Catherine Anderson: Always in My Heart

Always in My Heart: A+
Ellie Grant and Tucker Grant

Two years ago, Ellie Grant would have fallen apart at any reminder of her ex-husband, Tucker. But now she doesn’t bat an eye when “their song” comes on the radio. She’s unfazed by the thought of Tucker’s perky new girlfriend. Ellie Grant is over him. And things are better for Tucker as well. The single life agrees with him. And certainly they’ve both done a good job of being civil to each other, for the kids’ sake.

But the kids aren’t buying it. Zach and Kody are convinced that, deep down, their parents are stll meant to be together. Up to their elbows in scheming and dreaming, the brothers hatch a plan: They’ll run away from home into the Oregon wilderness and stay there until their parents agree to get back together. Surely Ellie and Tucker will come to the rescue – and to their sense.

Let the games begin and the sparks fly…

This is story is so much more than a romance – it’s about family, the loss of a loved one, grief, and moving on. There was so much depth and romance in the story, it is hard to believe that it’s only a romance.

Ellie and Tucker Grant lost their first born son, Sammy, two years ago. Following Sammy’s death came their divorce and their family fell apart. It’s hard to believe that Ellie and Tucker were once childhood lovers; the hatred and bitterness they have for each other is heartbreaking and painful to read.

The hurt and grief that Ellie and Tucker have effects their two remaining sons, Zach and Kody ages fourteen and eleven. They choose to run away into the wild woods of Oregon and refuse to come home until Ellie and Tucker have reconciled.

Ellie and Tucker set out to search for their runaway sons and bring with them their spiteful words and their lovers. Together, they hike through the wilderness for their sons and on the way, manage to share their grief so that they are able to move on from Sammy’s death.

This story is more than a reconciliation; it’s about communication between loved ones, about hurt and grief that is strong enough to destroy lives, and the rekindling of old love.

When Ellie and Tucker finally shared their perspectives with each other, my heart broke for them. Then I squealed in joy when they were finally able to share their grief together. Their chemistry is stronger than ever and even more tender, because of what they’ve suffered.

Ms. Anderson, you’ve really outdone yourself.

Catherine Anderson: My Sunshine

My Sunshine: A-
Kendrick/ Coulter series #6

Laura Townsend & Isaiah Coulter

Veterinarian Isaiah Coulter agrees to hire Laura Townsend as a kennel keeper at his clinic despite her speech impediment, the result of brain damage she sustained after a diving accident five years earlier. With her sparkling personality and love of animals, Laura is the perfect addition to Isaiah's clinic. But when errors are committed on Laura's shift, naturally she's blamed, and she begins to suspect that someone is framing her in the hope of getting her fired. Isaiah remains her stalwart defender as attraction sparks between them, developing into a romance that is both sweet and sensual. While the identity of the individual framing Laura will come as no surprise to the savvy reader, the uniqueness of the relationship between the successful veterinarian and the woman whose handicaps are overshadowed by her ability to love more than compensates.

This was a story that was more than the regular romance, as usual, and it was a great read.

Laura Townsend was an environmental scientist who, after an accident, is unable to speak properly due to the damage in the language area of her brain. After being brilliant, she is reduced to having to work miscellaneous jobs for money and eventually takes on the job as a kennel keeper (unglamorous work such as cleaning kennels, feeding the puppies, etc). Isaiah notices her, is attracted, but is intrigued by her sunny disposition and her ability to make him see what life is like when one is appreciating it.

More than anything else, I loved Laura. I was so drawn to her because of her strength; I cannot imagine having to live with a speech impediment that affects your life on so many different levels and the way that Laura fought to support herself, refusing help from her family and friends, is a trait that I find amazingly admirable.

I also loved Isaiah and his determination to stick with Laura despite her “he’s-too-good-for-me-and-deserves-better” syndrome. He is hunky, as are all the Coulters apparently, and he is courts her well.

They work well together – she pays attention to the miniscule details and feeds him. He has the money and has the ability to bring fulfillment in Laura’s life.

There were some aspects of the story I wasn’t too terribly fond of; I love animals, but probably not to the extent that Laura did, so I didn’t particularly care for the fact that she was so tender with them. However, the reason that she cared so much for them was apparent and completely understandable since she, herself, experienced the feeling of abandonment from her acquaintances after her head injury. Isaiah is also a vet, which makes their love for animals a large aspect of the story…

I also didn’t like her love for shopping. Call me a dork, but she reminded me of a typical consumer – buying little, useless nitnacks for her home. It was something that Isaiah loved since she was able to transform a place into a home, but to me, all I am able to envision is clutter. Everywhere. (The shopping-for-Christmas scene had me cringing. Shopping for forty/ fifty people? Are you freaking kidding me? That would suck…and he’d be poor by the end of the Holiday seasons.)

There was also a slight “suspense” tint to the story, which brought more substance, but not too much more. The romance is the most important element, something that Ms. Anderson brought wonderfully.

Catherine Anderson: Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings: B
Kendrick/ Coulter series #3

Molly Sterling and Jake Coulter

Out of work, out of luck, and almost out of money, Molly Sterling Wells shows up at Jake Coulter's ranch, the Lazy J, with Sonora Sunset, a beautiful horse who has been so badly beaten he may even be beyond Jake's talents as a horse whisperer. Jake intuitively knows there is more to Molly's story, but he agrees to help if Molly will stay on as the ranch's new cook and housekeeper. Little by little, Molly and Sonora Sunset find peace and security at the Lazy J until the day Molly's past catches up with her. Anderson continues to demonstrate a gift for creating richly emotional, deeply satisfying romances with her newest tale, which features Jake Coulter… (amazon.com - booklist)

Catherine Anderson is terrific at bringing a sense of realism into the fantastical romance world. She is not afraid of delving into difficult physical and emotional scars and does a superb job of showing the growth of the heroine.

My first CA was Blue Skies, a story where the heroine has an eye disease which has a huge impact on her and the hero’s life when she discovers that she is carrying his child. When I read it, I remember being blown away (and a little overwhelmed) at the range of emotions shown in the story, the book being more than the usual fluff.

In Sweet Nothings, an abused woman, Molly Sterling, shows up on sexy Jake’s horse ranch with an abused horse, Sunset. With a bit of luck and Jake’s kindness, she manages to stay on the ranch to pay for her horse.

Within hours of knowing her, Jake sees Molly’s nonexistent self esteem and her self-consciousness in everything she does. He does his best to reassure her as she struggles with her own inner demons.

I love how Jake is patient with Molly; he is the type of friend (or lover, heh) that she needs in order to deal with her insecurities. He is confident and kind enough to guide her and to love her for her golden heart, something she realizes she’s never had from her ex-husband. I love how Jake falls in love with Molly’s personality, despite her looks (which he is also attracted to). I love how he encourages her and I love how Molly finally comes to trust Jake.

When Molly is able to acknowledge and love herself, she is able to see Jake, which is a wonderful.

Sweet Nothings is a tender tale with lots of heart.