Summer Breeze (Coulter Family Historical)

************** Okay - I don't usually get sentimental over books - I read them and either love them or don't get through them - I have a very busy schedule and don't have time to buy books that are not worth my time. Catherine Anderson's books are all fabulous... very poignantly written and on the same shelf as Cheryl St. John's books. I don't typically go for contemporary romances, as my period is historicals, so I have not read any of Anderson's contemporary books - but some of my friends love them. Getting back to Summer Breeze.... WOW in a huge way. The story sounded intriguing from the beginning and what made me give it a 5 star rating, is the beauty of how the book is written, the depth of all the characters and the compassion and joy you feel for all of them. From the time the book starts, in 2005 where Tucker Coulter has found a musty, old diary in the attic the story propels itself with tidal wave force never letting up. He and his mother start reading the entries in the diary and you are transported right back to 1889, to a small town called No Name. Yup, it's a Western, but believe you me, don't let that deter you, because if you like novels that absorb you and make you want to almost be there as a part of what you are reading... well, this is just like that and you will not want to put this one down - I read it in a day!!! I am not going to waste time giving you a plotline. I will just say that the story of Joseph Paxton and Rachel Hollister will have you laughing (his sayings are laugh out loud funny) and crying at the beauty of the tenderness and patience that Joseph exercises with Rachel and how his carefree and outgoing manner change her from the recluse she had become to the vibrant woman at the end of the book. You will cheer when you are reading and frown when you are finished... the story was that good. ******* If you have not gotten your claws into Catherine Anderson's stories - I strongly urge you to get her books, pronto... Keegan's Lady is the book of Ace and Kathleen - who appear in this story. Another great one is Annie's Song. I hope you agree with me. Catherine Anderson is rare talent indeed. It is hard not to be moved by the depth of emotion that flows through the pages of her books. DEFINITELY SHELF KEEPERS***********

Catherine Anderson Is One Of My Favorite Authors, She Is Very Powerful The Way She Puts Everything Into Words Of A Great Story, Annie's Song Was One Of Those Novels

Summer Breeze is an absolutely wonderful book. I'm glad I decided to buy it after looking at it about 4 different times. At that point, I'd only read 1 of Anderson's books, about a year previously, and wasn't too sure if I liked her stories. Since then, I've grown to love them. This book is sort of set in the Coulter family series. The main Coulter books are set in the present, but she has now set a sub-series in the past that tells the stories of some of the ancestors. This book is the 2nd one in that sub-series - I haven't read the first. Anyway, I love this book. The storyline was fabulous. Very emotional. You're just sucked into the story and the characters' trials and tribulations. Rachel's pain and fear is very real, and a very plausible reaction to what she experienced. I enjoyed the introduction of Joseph into her life and how she dealt with that, and how he insinuated himself in her life. It was a very sweet, yet tragic, story. Everything that happened just worked, from the characters to the romance, to the plot. This is actually a frame story. The beginning starts off in the present, with the remaining unmarried Coulter son, Tucker, finding a journal in his parent's attic; Rachel's journal. He and his mother decide to read it and that's when the story shifts to the past. The last chapter moves back to the present and ends with Tucker's mother showing him a letter that had been passed on to her. The letter was one that Joseph had written to Rachel shortly before his death, after they'd been married for like 50+ years. It was an incredibly beautiful letter. I was pretty much sobbing. I usually don't like epilogues that jump way in the future and tell me how things ended with the couple. I don't like knowing how things end in that sense. I can't say I loved having it happen in this book, but it was still beautiful, and a wonderful representation of the love Rachel and Joseph found during the story. I think the only thing I can criticize a little about the book as a whole was that at times the historical authenticity seemed suspect. I can't say for sure. I'm not all that familiar with social-historical aspects of that time period. But a few things just didn't quite fit. It didn't take all that much away from the story, though. I could look past it. All in all...great, great book. I highly recommend it. Rating: 5 / 5

From the back cover: The popular Coulter series takes an exciting new turn! The year is 1889, and Rachel Hollister hasn't set foot outside her house in five years. Ever since a savage attack left her family dead, she's cordoned herself off from the outside world, afraid to let anyone into her home--or into her heart. But now trouble has appeared on her doorstep--and suddenly she has no choice but to let a handsome rancher invade her well-guarded esistence... Confirmed bachelor Joseph Paxton grudgingly offers to take up temporary residence at the Hollister ranch--even though it's obvious Rachel doesn't want his protection. But once he catches a glimpse of his beautiful young ward and her remarkable spirit, he'll do anything to break through the dark spell that's walled off her heart. It may take a miracle, but he's determined to make her see the refuge he's offering in his embrace--and the splendor that exists beyond her front door. Otherwise he'll just have to build a safe haven big enough for the both of them... And my review: Wow! Wow, and wow again! This author is fabulous. With the high cost of books these days, I never buy books brand new - except for ones by this author. Then I rush to the bookstore as soon as they're released. Not once has this author let me down. Every single one of her books have been keepers. This book was just wonderful. I devoured it in a weekend. I just couldn't put it down. This author has once again made wonderful characters that jump immediately into your heart and stay there. They were both loveable. He had his rough spots, but was basically a good guy--none of that domineering male garbage that you find so often in romance novels today. And while she was a woman imprisoned by fear, she was still a strong, couragous person, not a little mouse that you want to smack some sense into. (And, contrary to what most authors do with sheltered heroines, this one did not turn into a slut!) Not many authors could handle the issue of agoraphobia so well, but this one did it without being too preachy or silly. This was a book that fully engaged the reader's emotions. I would be getting choked up one minute, and then be laughing out loud the next. And the mystery was very well executed. At least three times I thought that I had it all figured out. The answer seemed too obvious. But I was completely surprised when the mystery was solved (my instinct were off by a mile), which only served to make the story more enjoyable. I can usually see the big plot twists coming from a mile away, but this author had me fooled right up until the very end. Another thing I liked about this book was that the mystery and the romance were in good balance. I often find that books with both will spend too much time developing the mystery and neglect the romance (or sometimes the other way around). But this author struck the perfect balance between the two themes, leaving me feeling satisfied when I turned that final page. Those not reading

This book was really good. I have liked all of her novels and found this one to be very refreshing. IT deals with a family who was murdered and the lone survivor and a man who doesn't want to settle down-yet he finds himself changing his life to see this woman smile. The interaction between Rachel and Joseph was very touching and you can almost see how desperate Rachel was to have real interaction when she meets Caitlyn and Ace. Overall, this book was well done and fans of Catherine Anderson will find it is one of her best.