3 - 3.5 stars...I think.Parts of this I loved, but whilst reading I kept changing my mind about how to rate it. To be honest I'm still a little unsure. Let me try and explain.The romance was beautifully done, as always. Ben and Chloe were really likeable and their relationship development was sweet and romantic. With Catherine Anderson I expect the love to come before the physical, and truly, she is a master at this. With other authors you can sometimes feel that they have thrown in a bit of conflict, just for the sake of building the sexual tension which, in my opinion, is a waste of words if you can't keep it interesting. What's the point? But with Catherine Anderson it all happens very naturally. I'm enjoying the development and the dialogue so much, that I just fly through the pages and I forget that we haven't even got to the sex yet. This would usually frustrate me, as I say, but Catherine Anderson writes so compellingly, that she tricks me into forgetting!I loved Jeremy, loved Nan, loved all the animals. Where can I get a wolf?My reservations about this story probably come down to personal preference. Firstly, I'm not keen on having God shoved down my throat. I don't object to religion in any way, in fact I used to be a big fan of it. I just don't want to feel like the author is preaching at me from behind her computer. This time it was a little too much.Secondly, Chloe had some real too-stupid-to-live moments. Why on earth did she go out for dinner with Bobby Lee? I wouldn't have and I am not weary of men in the way that she was.Lastly, would the Sheriff really be so callous when it comes to the safety of a single woman and child? Perhaps I myself am being naive here, thinking that law men do things by the book regardless of who the perpetrator might be. The UK is very different to the USA, in terms of police, and so maybe I fail to understand the cultural differences between the two, especially if you are talking big city versus small town. Small town is somewhat out of my range of experience. Certainly in the UK, with lots of governing bodies who you can complain to, it would be much harder to get away with that sort of failure to do your duty. I understand the difficulties of making accusations against someone who is trusted by the town, however, to ignore the accusation completely seemed a little bit too unbelievable. The Sheriff seemed like a good man, but that's not something I think a good man would do.
3.25 stars Catherine Anderson has a gift with her very easy-to-read style of writing. I read a few of her books years ago, remembered liking them and then went onto better things. But that ease of enjoying her characters was something that came back when I started ONLY BY YOUR TOUCH. And it has a strong start.That said, there is quite a bit going on here. You have a Chloe, a single parent with a child, Jeremy, that has medical issues. She is divorced with baggage that comes back to haunt her. She has just moved to Jack Pine, Oregon, and is trying to make it as a dispatcher in the sheriff's office. Things happen and the good-old-boy system shines through making it difficult for Chloe to continue with her job.Then there is Ben, a divorcee, who is also a healer/veterinarian. Except the townspeople are leery of him and they don't bring him any patients. So he takes care of the wildlife that lives on his acreage and is, in essence, a recluse. There are also some paranormal elements that eventually come into play. Then there is Nan, Ben's mother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But very selective Alzheimer's with quite a few lucid moments. Oh, and Ben killed a man once. And he also has a hidden identity. And he is one quarter Shoshone so I had to consider this is a Native American romance since this part of Ben's past was frequently mentioned.Add into the mix a stalker. A missing person who may be dead. And a very neat and tidied-up last chapter and epilogue. The strength of this story was the heroine's indomitable spirit. Ben was a beta male who was suspicious of others but Chloe managed to break through that barrier. The downside to this romance was the many plot devices. Too many, and it worked both for and against the storyline. The story was alright but I can't really recommend the book unless you are aware of all the genres involved before you read this romance.
What do You think about Only By Your Touch (2003)?
Esse livro é mágico, um bálsamo para os sentidos. A Sra. Anderson criou mais uma linda história de amor e devoção ao próximo, aos animais, e aos dons que Deus pode conceder.Aqui, Chloe Evans se mudou para uma pequena cidade do Estado do Oregon, juntamente com o seu filho Jeremy, disposta a recomeçar sua vida, levando consigo a experiência de um casamento inicialmente feliz que terminou de modo doloso e traumático. Ela não demora a conhecer o homem mais enigmático do local, Ben Longtree, conhecido como Crazy Ben. A fama do homem repele na mesma proporção em que sua diferente e bela aparência atrai. Logo, o destino traça seus contornos e Jeremy leva seu mascote doente aos cuidados de Ben, pois apesar dele ser um recluso na montanha, ele foi veterinário. O que eles não sabiam era que Ben herdou um dom muito especial de seus antepassados indígenas, algo verdadeiramente divino, mas que provocou mágoas em sua vida, da mesma forma que salvou muitas. Além disso, ele esconde a sua profissão de escritor e cuida de sua mãe, portadora de Alzheimer. O contato constante cria uma confiança e um sentimento inesperado entre eles e os inusitados animais que Ben cuidava em sua suas terras. Ele praticamente transformou a sua cozinha gourmet em um hospital...mas existe alguém que deseja a infelicidade de Ben e promove verdadeiras atrocidades tentando prejudicá-lo, culminando em momentos de tensão no livro. Ben é perfeito, lindo demais por dentro e por fora para ser real. Ele literalmente “brilha”, somente lendo para entender o significado disso. Leitura recomendadíssima, principalmente para aqueles que querem refletir sobre sua importância como ser um homem e acreditam que existem seres especiais nessa terra. Trecho: "When you touch me, "she whispered, "and even when I touch you, the most glorious feeling moves through me. It's like sunlight and electricity, and I can barely think. All I know is I can't get enough of it. " Lindo demais!!!
—Lizzy
Wow, okay, let's play count the Anderson tropes.Brave mama, check.Marriage that ended badly, check.Sweet kid who just wants his dear mama to be happy again, check.Creepy stalker guy after mama, check.Creepy stalker guy being in a position to do whatever the hell he wants (in this case, because he's the small-town police chief's son and no one believes he'd EVER do a thing like this), check.Magical (literally!) Native American hero, check.Hero's magic being of the only-good variety, specifically,
—Lara
Overall rating: 5 "My Home" stars!Triggers: Cheating: (view spoiler)[ No - not even close. (hide spoiler)]
—Rachel Regina
