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Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan #2
Phantom Waltz
Ryan Kendrick, brother of Rafe Kendrick, from Baby Love (1999), takes center stage as the hero of Anderson's latest emotionally charged contemporary romance. Handsome, wealthy rancher Ryan has a reputation around Crystal Falls as a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy, so when he starts flirting with wheelchair-bound paraplegic Bethany Coulter, the Coulter family immediately becomes concerned. Having no desire to risk going through the same intense emotional pain she suffered when her only boyfriend abandoned her after she was injured in a barrel-racing competition, Bethany declines all of Ryan's romantic overtures. Ryan, however, discovers Bethany is the woman he has been waiting for all of his life, and now he moves heaven and earth to convince her of that fact. Anderson comes up with another winner by deftly blending sweetness and sensuality in a poignantly written story that proves true love can overcome any boundary. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
428 pages, ebook
First published January 2, 2001
282 people are currently reading
2665 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Anderson
102 books2,959 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1)romance author:
Adeline Catherine was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA. She always yearned to be a writer like her mother. The morning that one of her professors asked if she could use samples of Catherine’s creative writing on an overhead projector to teach was a dream come true. In 1988, she sold her first book to Harlequin Intrigue and went on to write three more before she tried her hand at a single-title historical romance. Nine books later, she did her first single-title contemporary.
Catherine married Sidney D. Anderson, an industrial electrician and entrepreneur. They had two sons, Sidney D. Jr. and John G. In 2001 she and her husband purchased a central Oregon home located on a ridge with incredible mountain views and surrounded by forestland honeycombed with trails. It was her dream home, a wonderland in the winter and beyond beautiful in the summer. She named it Cinnamon Ridge after the huge ponderosa pines on the property, which sport bark the color of cinnamon.
Sadly, Catherine lost her husband to a long-term illness in 2014. She has kept Cinnamon Ridge as her primary residence but divides her time between there and her son John's farm, where she has the support of her loved ones and can enjoy his horses, cows, and raise her own chickens.
Catherine loves animals and birds, both wild and domestic. She presently has two Australian shepherds, six cats, and a very old canary. She is very family oriented as well. Her older son has lived in Japan, Australia, and now resides in New Zealand. Catherine and her stateside family will celebrate Christmas on the north island with Sidney, his wife Mary, and their two sons, Liam and Jonas.
(1)romance author:
Adeline Catherine was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA. She always yearned to be a writer like her mother. The morning that one of her professors asked if she could use samples of Catherine’s creative writing on an overhead projector to teach was a dream come true. In 1988, she sold her first book to Harlequin Intrigue and went on to write three more before she tried her hand at a single-title historical romance. Nine books later, she did her first single-title contemporary.
Catherine married Sidney D. Anderson, an industrial electrician and entrepreneur. They had two sons, Sidney D. Jr. and John G. In 2001 she and her husband purchased a central Oregon home located on a ridge with incredible mountain views and surrounded by forestland honeycombed with trails. It was her dream home, a wonderland in the winter and beyond beautiful in the summer. She named it Cinnamon Ridge after the huge ponderosa pines on the property, which sport bark the color of cinnamon.
Sadly, Catherine lost her husband to a long-term illness in 2014. She has kept Cinnamon Ridge as her primary residence but divides her time between there and her son John's farm, where she has the support of her loved ones and can enjoy his horses, cows, and raise her own chickens.
Catherine loves animals and birds, both wild and domestic. She presently has two Australian shepherds, six cats, and a very old canary. She is very family oriented as well. Her older son has lived in Japan, Australia, and now resides in New Zealand. Catherine and her stateside family will celebrate Christmas on the north island with Sidney, his wife Mary, and their two sons, Liam and Jonas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
February 18, 2013
I tried. I can't do it.
Between the info dumping about universal design to the freaking tire iron beating on my head while some crazy broad is screaming "BETHANY'S A CRIPPLE! A C-R-I-P-P-L-E! SHE'S LOST SO MUCH! ISN'T IT JUST THE WORST EVER?! SHE'S SO BRAVE TO KEEP GETTING OUT OF BED!" I just can't read this bullshit.
If we're supposed to see Bethany as a woman first, if this is supposed to be about how the human spirit is adaptable to overcome adversity, then why the hell is the entirety of the first few chapters completely focusing on the handicap rather than the person? How can the author convince the reader that a paraplegic is a woman like any other woman, when she clearly doesn't believe it herself?
I can see where this book is going, and I don't want to go there. I'm stopping now before I have a freaking fit of rage.
Between the info dumping about universal design to the freaking tire iron beating on my head while some crazy broad is screaming "BETHANY'S A CRIPPLE! A C-R-I-P-P-L-E! SHE'S LOST SO MUCH! ISN'T IT JUST THE WORST EVER?! SHE'S SO BRAVE TO KEEP GETTING OUT OF BED!" I just can't read this bullshit.
If we're supposed to see Bethany as a woman first, if this is supposed to be about how the human spirit is adaptable to overcome adversity, then why the hell is the entirety of the first few chapters completely focusing on the handicap rather than the person? How can the author convince the reader that a paraplegic is a woman like any other woman, when she clearly doesn't believe it herself?
I can see where this book is going, and I don't want to go there. I'm stopping now before I have a freaking fit of rage.
December 23, 2009
Phantom Waltz is the first romance I read that has a heroine with a serious handicap. Bethany Coulter is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. While she has not given up on life, and maintains a healthy outlook, she has no expectations to fall in love and get married. She is very much protected and adored by her brothers, and loved by her family, so she's not a sad girl. I liked that this book doesn't come from the perspective that poor Bethany's life is over after she had the bad fall from her cutting horse. She's not mooning around and living a half-life. But love will come along and show her more possibilities for her life.
When Ryan Kendrick comes into her life, she realizes that there is a spark missing. Like many of Catherine Anderson heroes, Ryan is a man who gives his whole heart to the woman he loves, and does everything in his power to make her happy and gives fully of himself to her. Ryan is attracted to Bethany, although it comes as a bit of a surprise to him when he realizes she is in a wheelchair. I thought that was realistic. I don't think it's wrong to say that a person doesn't expect that they will fall in love and seek ever after with another person with disabilities. It's human nature for people to want life wrapped in the best package. We don't like complications as a rule. But Ryan feels an intense attraction (on many levels with Bethany), too intense to let something like her being in a wheelchair stand in the way of being with her. He quickly falls in love with Bethany, and he is willing to make whatever adjustments are necessary for them to have their happy life together. At first, Bethany's brothers are opposed to the match, because they don't believe that Ryan will stay the course, or that he's prepared for some of the hardships he will face with a disabled partner. But Ryan's steadfast devotion to Bethany eventually wins them over.
I really appreciated how Ms. Anderson infused this story with realism. In my ignorance, there are aspects of life for a disabled person that I didn't really spend much time thinking about, such as the sex life of a woman who has paralysis. I think that Ms. Anderson had to have done careful research on this to get it right. The love scenes had their characteristic steaminess for a Catherine Anderson novel, despite Bethany's handicap. You really see how Ryan is more than willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure that Bethany is fulfilled. I am rather ashamed at my ignorance on this issue. I also learned about pregnancy and childbirth considerations for a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down. I like few things more than learning something as I seek an experience for entertainment value. It's that much more rewarding for me.
There are bumps in the road, for this couple, but their love for each other sees them through. If you enjoy emotional, heartfelt contemporary romance that shows that love can overcome many obstacles, you would love this book.
Rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
When Ryan Kendrick comes into her life, she realizes that there is a spark missing. Like many of Catherine Anderson heroes, Ryan is a man who gives his whole heart to the woman he loves, and does everything in his power to make her happy and gives fully of himself to her. Ryan is attracted to Bethany, although it comes as a bit of a surprise to him when he realizes she is in a wheelchair. I thought that was realistic. I don't think it's wrong to say that a person doesn't expect that they will fall in love and seek ever after with another person with disabilities. It's human nature for people to want life wrapped in the best package. We don't like complications as a rule. But Ryan feels an intense attraction (on many levels with Bethany), too intense to let something like her being in a wheelchair stand in the way of being with her. He quickly falls in love with Bethany, and he is willing to make whatever adjustments are necessary for them to have their happy life together. At first, Bethany's brothers are opposed to the match, because they don't believe that Ryan will stay the course, or that he's prepared for some of the hardships he will face with a disabled partner. But Ryan's steadfast devotion to Bethany eventually wins them over.
I really appreciated how Ms. Anderson infused this story with realism. In my ignorance, there are aspects of life for a disabled person that I didn't really spend much time thinking about, such as the sex life of a woman who has paralysis. I think that Ms. Anderson had to have done careful research on this to get it right. The love scenes had their characteristic steaminess for a Catherine Anderson novel, despite Bethany's handicap. You really see how Ryan is more than willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure that Bethany is fulfilled. I am rather ashamed at my ignorance on this issue. I also learned about pregnancy and childbirth considerations for a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down. I like few things more than learning something as I seek an experience for entertainment value. It's that much more rewarding for me.
There are bumps in the road, for this couple, but their love for each other sees them through. If you enjoy emotional, heartfelt contemporary romance that shows that love can overcome many obstacles, you would love this book.
Rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
December 15, 2025
I hate the 'run away to protect you' trope
I had a whole rant building in my head as I finished reading the last chapters (which means they are a bit fuzzy in my head), but
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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I had a whole rant building in my head as I finished reading the last chapters (which means they are a bit fuzzy in my head), but
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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March 29, 2017
I always like to reread a favorite book around my birthday every year, and since this is probably my all-time favorite book, I picked this one this year. I also decided to write a new review since the one I'd written before was rather short and boring.
In Phantom Waltz Bethany Coulter is a young paraplegic woman working at her family's ranch/farm store when she meets wealthy rancher Ryan Kendrick (brother to Rafe from Baby Love). The moment Ryan sets eyes on her he's smitten. It's virtually love at first sight for him so he asks her out on a date....and then finds out that she is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. First instinct is to find a way to back out, but he can't do that to the beautiful young woman. So he takes her out. They have a fabulous time and Ryan is left with a lot of thinking to do. Pursuing a relationship with a handicapped woman isn't something to go into lightly. It doesn't take him long, though, to decide Bethany's worth it.
But when he tries to begin a relationship with her, Bethany shies away. She's been hurt before by someone who couldn't handle her disability, and she's not even sure she can have a relationship with someone...sex, babies...she doesn't believe it's possible. As hard as she tries to keep Ryan at arm's length away, he weaves his way into her heart. Nothing is easy for them, though, with Ryan leading and outdoor, ranching lifestyle and a myriad of other pitfalls. They have to really struggle to find out if the forever they wish for is even possible.
Phantom Waltz is a classic Catherine Anderson book. It's packed full of emotion that brings you to tears and breaks your heart more than once. No other author I've read can write an atypical heroine like Anderson. Actually, very few write heroine's as atypical as hers, which is one of the reasons I love her books.
Bethany is such an amazing character to read about. She's a mixture of strength, courage, innocence, vulnerability, and selflessness. Anderson really brings her character to life in this book. As a reader, I just had a really great sense of who Bethany was, what she felt, what she wanted and the dilemmas she faced.
And Ryan...well, he was one of those heroes that every woman hopes to meet in real life. He was so patient and giving with Bethany. He had a hint of bad boy vibe, but at heart, he was a truly nice guy. The romance between him and Bethany was so sweet and tender, and had it's hot moments as well. Reading this book, I was completely sucked into the romance. It's so vibrant.
This book just has everything I love about a good romance. Lots of emotion and a storyline that tugs your heartstrings. Characters that are likable and realistic. A romance that makes you sigh and cry and smile and think about long after you finish. There are even some great humorous moments that bring on a chuckle or two, like with Cleo the cat and T-Bone the bull. There was just nothing about this book that I did not like.
I read some criticisms a while back about the realism of Bethany's paraplegia and how it was portrayed, but for an average reader with limited knowledge on the subject, I didn't have any qualms. Maybe someone with personal experience with the subject would find some issues, but the way I look at it is that with such a complex subject, it would be almost impossible to write an absolutely perfect story. As far as I know, Anderson wrote the book solely from research so mistakes aren't unexpected. Plus spinal chord injuries are so complicated and vary so much from person to person that trying to write a perfectly correct story is almost impossible. And that's the way I look at it. But as I said, from just an average readers perspective, the story made sense to me with regards to Bethany's paraplegia.
No matter how many times I read this book...and I think I'm up to 5 times now...the story never fails to capture me. It's a quintessential romance story. For any Anderson fan this is a must read. And for anyone who likes sweet, tender romance featuring a very atypical heroine, then I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try.
SERIES NOTE: this book is part of Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series...it's the 2nd contemporary book. The books pretty much stand on their own, but I would definitely recommend reading the books in order if possible. It helps with the continuity of everything.
In Phantom Waltz Bethany Coulter is a young paraplegic woman working at her family's ranch/farm store when she meets wealthy rancher Ryan Kendrick (brother to Rafe from Baby Love). The moment Ryan sets eyes on her he's smitten. It's virtually love at first sight for him so he asks her out on a date....and then finds out that she is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. First instinct is to find a way to back out, but he can't do that to the beautiful young woman. So he takes her out. They have a fabulous time and Ryan is left with a lot of thinking to do. Pursuing a relationship with a handicapped woman isn't something to go into lightly. It doesn't take him long, though, to decide Bethany's worth it.
But when he tries to begin a relationship with her, Bethany shies away. She's been hurt before by someone who couldn't handle her disability, and she's not even sure she can have a relationship with someone...sex, babies...she doesn't believe it's possible. As hard as she tries to keep Ryan at arm's length away, he weaves his way into her heart. Nothing is easy for them, though, with Ryan leading and outdoor, ranching lifestyle and a myriad of other pitfalls. They have to really struggle to find out if the forever they wish for is even possible.
Phantom Waltz is a classic Catherine Anderson book. It's packed full of emotion that brings you to tears and breaks your heart more than once. No other author I've read can write an atypical heroine like Anderson. Actually, very few write heroine's as atypical as hers, which is one of the reasons I love her books.
Bethany is such an amazing character to read about. She's a mixture of strength, courage, innocence, vulnerability, and selflessness. Anderson really brings her character to life in this book. As a reader, I just had a really great sense of who Bethany was, what she felt, what she wanted and the dilemmas she faced.
And Ryan...well, he was one of those heroes that every woman hopes to meet in real life. He was so patient and giving with Bethany. He had a hint of bad boy vibe, but at heart, he was a truly nice guy. The romance between him and Bethany was so sweet and tender, and had it's hot moments as well. Reading this book, I was completely sucked into the romance. It's so vibrant.
This book just has everything I love about a good romance. Lots of emotion and a storyline that tugs your heartstrings. Characters that are likable and realistic. A romance that makes you sigh and cry and smile and think about long after you finish. There are even some great humorous moments that bring on a chuckle or two, like with Cleo the cat and T-Bone the bull. There was just nothing about this book that I did not like.
I read some criticisms a while back about the realism of Bethany's paraplegia and how it was portrayed, but for an average reader with limited knowledge on the subject, I didn't have any qualms. Maybe someone with personal experience with the subject would find some issues, but the way I look at it is that with such a complex subject, it would be almost impossible to write an absolutely perfect story. As far as I know, Anderson wrote the book solely from research so mistakes aren't unexpected. Plus spinal chord injuries are so complicated and vary so much from person to person that trying to write a perfectly correct story is almost impossible. And that's the way I look at it. But as I said, from just an average readers perspective, the story made sense to me with regards to Bethany's paraplegia.
No matter how many times I read this book...and I think I'm up to 5 times now...the story never fails to capture me. It's a quintessential romance story. For any Anderson fan this is a must read. And for anyone who likes sweet, tender romance featuring a very atypical heroine, then I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try.
SERIES NOTE: this book is part of Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series...it's the 2nd contemporary book. The books pretty much stand on their own, but I would definitely recommend reading the books in order if possible. It helps with the continuity of everything.
November 4, 2010
How everybody seems to love this series is still a mystery for me. And don't say I didn't tried, because after having not enjoy much last book I still decided to read book 2. Well, I know for sure now that I wont rush to pick next book any time soon.
I liked this one even less than book 1. Even though in this book the hero still falls in love with the heroine hard and very fast, he took his time to date and get to know her. Which is much more than what we can say about book 1. So far things were going great. But after the second half of the book, things became extremely slow. Nothing really happens. We see how this couple keeps dating and getting to know better, which was sweet at the beginning but after 300 pages of the same I got so bored I wanted to burn the book. The main topic was how to help the heroine be happier. I don't know, I was so bored at the 60% of the book that I even ended hating a bit the main characters. It wasn't until the 85% of the book that actually something happened to shake a bit the plot and it was so lame I didn't care at all. I was like: "Seriously? Is this really happening? WTF?". It just felt forced,like the author realized something was missing and decided to add this scene right from nowhere.
*may be a small spoiler**
I'm so sick of heroines going away from the hero for his own sake, why do they always believe that to go away is the right answer? Girl, if you love him you stay and fight for things to get better.
**end of a may-be spoiler,lol**
So many things were wrong with this book. I'm terribly sorry for giving only 2 stars to it, because it had some amazing scenes (specially the first half of the book) but the ending was just terrible for me. I can't stand cheesy and corny any longer, I need a change in genre immediately. I like it more when the hero and the heroine start the relationship with the wrong foot, I like spicy relationships with lots of confrontations because this kind of things made the ending much sweeter,lol. There's not surprise at all in this kind of romances. You just know from page one everything will end up just perfect. I like to doubt it sometimes, to don't know what will happen next. With the books in this series I just knew how everything would turn out since page 1.
I liked this one even less than book 1. Even though in this book the hero still falls in love with the heroine hard and very fast, he took his time to date and get to know her. Which is much more than what we can say about book 1. So far things were going great. But after the second half of the book, things became extremely slow. Nothing really happens. We see how this couple keeps dating and getting to know better, which was sweet at the beginning but after 300 pages of the same I got so bored I wanted to burn the book. The main topic was how to help the heroine be happier. I don't know, I was so bored at the 60% of the book that I even ended hating a bit the main characters. It wasn't until the 85% of the book that actually something happened to shake a bit the plot and it was so lame I didn't care at all. I was like: "Seriously? Is this really happening? WTF?". It just felt forced,like the author realized something was missing and decided to add this scene right from nowhere.
*may be a small spoiler**
I'm so sick of heroines going away from the hero for his own sake, why do they always believe that to go away is the right answer? Girl, if you love him you stay and fight for things to get better.
**end of a may-be spoiler,lol**
So many things were wrong with this book. I'm terribly sorry for giving only 2 stars to it, because it had some amazing scenes (specially the first half of the book) but the ending was just terrible for me. I can't stand cheesy and corny any longer, I need a change in genre immediately. I like it more when the hero and the heroine start the relationship with the wrong foot, I like spicy relationships with lots of confrontations because this kind of things made the ending much sweeter,lol. There's not surprise at all in this kind of romances. You just know from page one everything will end up just perfect. I like to doubt it sometimes, to don't know what will happen next. With the books in this series I just knew how everything would turn out since page 1.
January 6, 2015
I had this book laying around the house from a splurge of used books I bought because they had gotten lots of good reviews, so when I began to read it I was very surprised at the content. I've never read a book in which the leading lady was in a wheelchair, so for that alone I give it 5 stars; kudos to Anderson for doing something different.
I'm not paraplegic, like the leading lady, Bethany, but I have been in a wheelchair all my life so I'm going to review this book as someone who is gimpy herself. I did my best to not judge the character of Bethany too hard because we have different disabilities, different lives, and are different people, but I admit a lot of the book I was mentally 'yes'ing or 'no'ing many things.
It was obvious the author studied up on paraplegia because (especially in the beginning) she was sticking in information wherever she could. A lot of the time, it came from Bethany herself in a very unrealistic portrayal of how one might explain their situation to curious strangers or new acquaintances. No one with any self respect is going to discuss whether or not there are incontinent with someone they just met, and certainly not someone they are on a date with. In my experience, individuals who are crippled later in life tend to be more willing to share personal details of their disabilities with others, and because that is not my situation I wont harp on the character decision to go into great detail about herself. The bathroom talk just really got my eyebrows encroaching on my hairline’s personal space.
Bethany's general attitude about her situation was refreshing for me, and realistic (the only cripples you see in entertainment or in the media at all are either the heroes or the long sufferers). She was 8 years into her injuries and wasn't still coming to terms with it or had resentment about it, she was simply living as someone in her situation does.
Ryan, the leading man was a good fit for this type of story. His need to take care of stays justified a lot of his sudden and inexplicable interest in Bethany (but, this is a romance, and so I didn’t expect any justification for that behavior, it is what happens in the world of romance novels). At times he knew nothing about paraplegia and then sometimes too much. When he first meets her he knows she is paraplegic simply by the atrophy in her legs. No. Here is how it actually goes: Someone notices you are in a wheelchair and says “Are you paralyzed?” if you say yes they ask how it happened, if you say no they ask if you have MS and if you say no (like I do) they tell you about someone they know with MS and then wander off.
The book was entertaining and surprising. Without giving a spoiler, I’ll just say I thought the bar incident was very funny and the end was more dynamic than I was expecting.
I'm not paraplegic, like the leading lady, Bethany, but I have been in a wheelchair all my life so I'm going to review this book as someone who is gimpy herself. I did my best to not judge the character of Bethany too hard because we have different disabilities, different lives, and are different people, but I admit a lot of the book I was mentally 'yes'ing or 'no'ing many things.
It was obvious the author studied up on paraplegia because (especially in the beginning) she was sticking in information wherever she could. A lot of the time, it came from Bethany herself in a very unrealistic portrayal of how one might explain their situation to curious strangers or new acquaintances. No one with any self respect is going to discuss whether or not there are incontinent with someone they just met, and certainly not someone they are on a date with. In my experience, individuals who are crippled later in life tend to be more willing to share personal details of their disabilities with others, and because that is not my situation I wont harp on the character decision to go into great detail about herself. The bathroom talk just really got my eyebrows encroaching on my hairline’s personal space.
Bethany's general attitude about her situation was refreshing for me, and realistic (the only cripples you see in entertainment or in the media at all are either the heroes or the long sufferers). She was 8 years into her injuries and wasn't still coming to terms with it or had resentment about it, she was simply living as someone in her situation does.
Ryan, the leading man was a good fit for this type of story. His need to take care of stays justified a lot of his sudden and inexplicable interest in Bethany (but, this is a romance, and so I didn’t expect any justification for that behavior, it is what happens in the world of romance novels). At times he knew nothing about paraplegia and then sometimes too much. When he first meets her he knows she is paraplegic simply by the atrophy in her legs. No. Here is how it actually goes: Someone notices you are in a wheelchair and says “Are you paralyzed?” if you say yes they ask how it happened, if you say no they ask if you have MS and if you say no (like I do) they tell you about someone they know with MS and then wander off.
The book was entertaining and surprising. Without giving a spoiler, I’ll just say I thought the bar incident was very funny and the end was more dynamic than I was expecting.
May 16, 2020
3 Uneven Stars
Review to come 😊
Review to come 😊
October 2, 2019
3,5
A sinopse e o título entregam a história sem grande comedimento. Bethany é paraplégica desde os 18 anos, altura em que sofreu um acidente numa competição e caiu da sua égua, Wink. Desde então tem lutado por conquistar alguma autonomia e viver uma vida a salvo da sobreproteção dos pais e dos quatro irmãos. Vive sozinha, tem o seu emprego, esforça-se por não sonhar demasiado.
Ryan Kendrick é um rancheiro milionário (como é conveniente), que passa os dias enterrado na lama e que tem um coração de manteiga no que a animais diz respeito - cavalos, cães, o seu touro de estimação T-Bone, etc. Quando conhece a jovem de 26 anos na cadeira de rodas, cujos olhos têm a cor de amores-perfeitos, é amor à primeira vista. Não sou muito fã dessa premissa do amor à primeira vista, mas em certos enredos pode funcionar. Neste acabei por achar um tanto precipitado porque, a partir do primeiro instante, o nosso rancheiro começa a imaginar as alterações que teria de implantar em casa e no rancho para receber uma esposa paraplégica.
Gostei dos problemas práticos, da dignificação da pessoa sem mobilidade nas pernas, dos termos médicos, e também do modo como a autora evitou milagres desnecessários. Gostei bastante do livro até para aí à página 220, mas depois entrou no campo da fantochada.
E pronto, um livro fofinho, com temas importantes mas algum drama a puxar à angústia que considerei ali a mais...
Não sei se vou voltar a ler a autora porque, segundo a sinopse dos restantes livros da série, os homens são sempre salvadores das mulheres, ou elas levam pancada dos maridos, ou fugiram não se sabe do quê, mas precisam de abrigo, proteção, dinheiro (sim, ainda me lembro que escrevi o Demência, mas o que achariam se houvesse um segundo volume sobre como o cunhado da Letícia batia na irmã dela?). Não gosto disso assim elevado ao expoente do enjoo.
A sinopse e o título entregam a história sem grande comedimento. Bethany é paraplégica desde os 18 anos, altura em que sofreu um acidente numa competição e caiu da sua égua, Wink. Desde então tem lutado por conquistar alguma autonomia e viver uma vida a salvo da sobreproteção dos pais e dos quatro irmãos. Vive sozinha, tem o seu emprego, esforça-se por não sonhar demasiado.
Ryan Kendrick é um rancheiro milionário (como é conveniente), que passa os dias enterrado na lama e que tem um coração de manteiga no que a animais diz respeito - cavalos, cães, o seu touro de estimação T-Bone, etc. Quando conhece a jovem de 26 anos na cadeira de rodas, cujos olhos têm a cor de amores-perfeitos, é amor à primeira vista. Não sou muito fã dessa premissa do amor à primeira vista, mas em certos enredos pode funcionar. Neste acabei por achar um tanto precipitado porque, a partir do primeiro instante, o nosso rancheiro começa a imaginar as alterações que teria de implantar em casa e no rancho para receber uma esposa paraplégica.
Gostei dos problemas práticos, da dignificação da pessoa sem mobilidade nas pernas, dos termos médicos, e também do modo como a autora evitou milagres desnecessários. Gostei bastante do livro até para aí à página 220, mas depois entrou no campo da fantochada.
E pronto, um livro fofinho, com temas importantes mas algum drama a puxar à angústia que considerei ali a mais...
Não sei se vou voltar a ler a autora porque, segundo a sinopse dos restantes livros da série, os homens são sempre salvadores das mulheres, ou elas levam pancada dos maridos, ou fugiram não se sabe do quê, mas precisam de abrigo, proteção, dinheiro (sim, ainda me lembro que escrevi o Demência, mas o que achariam se houvesse um segundo volume sobre como o cunhado da Letícia batia na irmã dela?). Não gosto disso assim elevado ao expoente do enjoo.
June 30, 2008
I'm not dissapointed in my second book by Ms. Anderson. She writes very well developed characters, and I just love her Kendrick brothers. I met Rafe Kendrick's younger brother, Ryan in Phantam Waltz. He is very similar to Rafe, in that he is a very passionate, good looking cowboy, with a big heart. He meets and instantly falls for Bethanie, a beautiful woman who happens to be a parapalegic. The story is all about how he convinces her she can have a wonderful life with him at his ranch. I was instantly sucked into the story and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to reach the next book in this series.
November 17, 2008
Reviewed for www.thcreviews.com
Phantom Waltz is a slow, sweet love story that expresses true love in it's purest form, a selfless giving of two people to each other in every way. Except for a couple of incidents, there isn't much action to speak of. Most of the conflict revolves around overcoming the heroine's disability and her emotions surrounding it, just good old-fashioned character driven romance. I must say that Catherine Anderson is masterful at character development, creating both primary and secondary characters that are easy to like and care about. There were lots of incredibly romantic moments, such as Ryan and Bethany's first date and kiss, Ryan arranging for them to dance, and their private exchange of vows in the wilderness to name a few. There were also a few laugh-out-loud funny moments, my favorite of which was their flirtatious exchange at her family's ranch supply store, when Ryan was looking for his “missing parts”. You have to read it to see what I'm talking about, but it had me rolling on the floor. Also Bethany's cat who makes friends with Ryan's bull is a hoot. Although, there were parts in the story where Ryan and Bethany could have communicated better, I was generally impressed with their openness with one another and with their families, often talking freely about subjects that would make many people cringe with embarrassment. I like stories in which the main characters are friends before becoming romantically involved, so it was very enjoyable to read about the building of Ryan and Bethany's friendship. One of Ms. Anderson's trademarks that I really like is that her characters aren't prefect and they make mistakes in their relationships, but they usually seem to learn a valuable lesson and gain self-insight in the process. It makes for a lot of character growth throughout the book which is something I enjoy immensely in story-telling. Other than one incident involving Bethany near the end of the book which I have detailed below, I found the character growth in this story to be satisfying.
I couldn't help but adore all the Kendrick men, Ryan, his brother, Rafe (Baby Love) and their father, Keefe. They all seem to fall hard, love fiercely, and protect their women with a vengeance, just the way I like my heroes. Both Ryan and Rafe were willing to lay down their lives for the women they loved which I find incredibly romantic. I liked the way that Catherine Anderson created love and romance in this story not just for the young, but also the young at heart. I thought it was really sweet that Keefe and Ann Kendrick were still madly in love and enjoying a healthy sex life after some thirty odd years of marriage. It was also adorable that the hardened ranch foreman, Sly, had fallen in love with Maggie's mother, Helen (Baby Love). Even though Bethany's parents played a smaller part in the story, they also had been married for many years and had a committed, loving relationship.
Bethany was a very interesting heroine. I had never read a heroine who was a paraplegic before, and I have to give Ms. Anderson kudos for writing a character who was so unique. I came away from reading this story feeling like I had learned something about paraplegia and had been given at least a small sense of what a person who is confined to a wheelchair must feel like. It was an eye opening experience, and I love any story that is intelligent enough to teach me something new. Bethany had a great personality too, a wonderful mix of shy, sweet innocence and sass gained from being the only girl growing up with five older brothers. Although she at times felt imprisoned by her wheelchair, she still had a certain zest for life which was understandably irresistible to Ryan. Even though I found Bethany to be a likable character, there were a couple of things about her than bothered me a bit. One was that I felt she was a little too tense, and took too long in my opinion, to simply let go and enjoy the attention that Ryan was lavishing on her and to realize that for him, seeing her happy made him happy too. There was also a part where Bethany was talking to virtual strangers about her sex life, in an attempt to figure out how to please Ryan, when I thought that she should have been communicating with him directly. While the whole scenario created both some amusement and some conflict which brought interest to the story, I just felt like a little more openness and honesty between them might have been in order. Eventually it happened, but just not quite soon enough to suit me. In addition, her reaction at the end of the book to a major crisis kind of frustrated me. I had thought by that time she had finally released her fears and reservations about their relationship and had accepted that she was not a burden to Ryan, so when she did an abrupt about face, it really took me by surprise. Even though there was a part of me that understood that Bethany thought she was doing this for selfless reasons, one could definitely make a strong case that there can be a fine line between selfless and selfish, and it seemed to me that her decision was made more out of fear than love. I just really like stories in which love overcomes everything including fear, which eventually it did, but I would have preferred that it had taken a different path to get there. The book still had a happy ending though, and all's well that ends well, I suppose.
Ryan was an incredibly wonderful and dreamy hero who was completely accepting of Bethany's disability, always seeing the person and not just the wheelchair. He surprised her from the first day they met, and the surprises never seemed to end. Even though he wasn't 100% honest about his future intentions toward her, I thought it was very sweet how Ryan backed off on any kind of physical interactions, including kissing, in order to build a loving friendship with Bethany first. From there he completely wowed her into accepting his proposal by creating solutions to any and all arguments she might make against marriage and treating her like a princess. He was incredibly kind and patient with her always, but especially as they explored her fears and concerns over her possible sexual inadequacies due to her disability. Ryan was very creative, using pure ingenuity to come up with all sorts of ideas and inventions to make Bethany's life easier and more fulfilling, and most of all restoring the freedom she had craved since her accident. Best of all he put his life on the line for her, which is something I couldn't imagine any woman being able to resist.
Phantom Waltz is the second book in Catherine Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series. Readers get to visit with Rafe and Maggie and some of the secondary characters from Baby Love, the first book, and see where they are a couple of years later. We also get a good introduction to Bethany's brother, Jake, who becomes the hero of the third book, Sweet Nothings. Bethany's other four brothers are also mentioned and each of them gets their own book as well. The remaining books in the series in order are Blue Skies, Bright Eyes, My Sunshine, Sun Kissed and Morning Light, with the next installment, Star Bright, due out early next year. While there were a few things about Phantom Waltz that I thought could have been better, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a sweet and gentle story full of truly romantic scenes. At this point, I have read and enjoyed enough of Ms. Anderson's books that she has definitely earned a place on my favorite authors list.
Phantom Waltz is a slow, sweet love story that expresses true love in it's purest form, a selfless giving of two people to each other in every way. Except for a couple of incidents, there isn't much action to speak of. Most of the conflict revolves around overcoming the heroine's disability and her emotions surrounding it, just good old-fashioned character driven romance. I must say that Catherine Anderson is masterful at character development, creating both primary and secondary characters that are easy to like and care about. There were lots of incredibly romantic moments, such as Ryan and Bethany's first date and kiss, Ryan arranging for them to dance, and their private exchange of vows in the wilderness to name a few. There were also a few laugh-out-loud funny moments, my favorite of which was their flirtatious exchange at her family's ranch supply store, when Ryan was looking for his “missing parts”. You have to read it to see what I'm talking about, but it had me rolling on the floor. Also Bethany's cat who makes friends with Ryan's bull is a hoot. Although, there were parts in the story where Ryan and Bethany could have communicated better, I was generally impressed with their openness with one another and with their families, often talking freely about subjects that would make many people cringe with embarrassment. I like stories in which the main characters are friends before becoming romantically involved, so it was very enjoyable to read about the building of Ryan and Bethany's friendship. One of Ms. Anderson's trademarks that I really like is that her characters aren't prefect and they make mistakes in their relationships, but they usually seem to learn a valuable lesson and gain self-insight in the process. It makes for a lot of character growth throughout the book which is something I enjoy immensely in story-telling. Other than one incident involving Bethany near the end of the book which I have detailed below, I found the character growth in this story to be satisfying.
I couldn't help but adore all the Kendrick men, Ryan, his brother, Rafe (Baby Love) and their father, Keefe. They all seem to fall hard, love fiercely, and protect their women with a vengeance, just the way I like my heroes. Both Ryan and Rafe were willing to lay down their lives for the women they loved which I find incredibly romantic. I liked the way that Catherine Anderson created love and romance in this story not just for the young, but also the young at heart. I thought it was really sweet that Keefe and Ann Kendrick were still madly in love and enjoying a healthy sex life after some thirty odd years of marriage. It was also adorable that the hardened ranch foreman, Sly, had fallen in love with Maggie's mother, Helen (Baby Love). Even though Bethany's parents played a smaller part in the story, they also had been married for many years and had a committed, loving relationship.
Bethany was a very interesting heroine. I had never read a heroine who was a paraplegic before, and I have to give Ms. Anderson kudos for writing a character who was so unique. I came away from reading this story feeling like I had learned something about paraplegia and had been given at least a small sense of what a person who is confined to a wheelchair must feel like. It was an eye opening experience, and I love any story that is intelligent enough to teach me something new. Bethany had a great personality too, a wonderful mix of shy, sweet innocence and sass gained from being the only girl growing up with five older brothers. Although she at times felt imprisoned by her wheelchair, she still had a certain zest for life which was understandably irresistible to Ryan. Even though I found Bethany to be a likable character, there were a couple of things about her than bothered me a bit. One was that I felt she was a little too tense, and took too long in my opinion, to simply let go and enjoy the attention that Ryan was lavishing on her and to realize that for him, seeing her happy made him happy too. There was also a part where Bethany was talking to virtual strangers about her sex life, in an attempt to figure out how to please Ryan, when I thought that she should have been communicating with him directly. While the whole scenario created both some amusement and some conflict which brought interest to the story, I just felt like a little more openness and honesty between them might have been in order. Eventually it happened, but just not quite soon enough to suit me. In addition, her reaction at the end of the book to a major crisis kind of frustrated me. I had thought by that time she had finally released her fears and reservations about their relationship and had accepted that she was not a burden to Ryan, so when she did an abrupt about face, it really took me by surprise. Even though there was a part of me that understood that Bethany thought she was doing this for selfless reasons, one could definitely make a strong case that there can be a fine line between selfless and selfish, and it seemed to me that her decision was made more out of fear than love. I just really like stories in which love overcomes everything including fear, which eventually it did, but I would have preferred that it had taken a different path to get there. The book still had a happy ending though, and all's well that ends well, I suppose.
Ryan was an incredibly wonderful and dreamy hero who was completely accepting of Bethany's disability, always seeing the person and not just the wheelchair. He surprised her from the first day they met, and the surprises never seemed to end. Even though he wasn't 100% honest about his future intentions toward her, I thought it was very sweet how Ryan backed off on any kind of physical interactions, including kissing, in order to build a loving friendship with Bethany first. From there he completely wowed her into accepting his proposal by creating solutions to any and all arguments she might make against marriage and treating her like a princess. He was incredibly kind and patient with her always, but especially as they explored her fears and concerns over her possible sexual inadequacies due to her disability. Ryan was very creative, using pure ingenuity to come up with all sorts of ideas and inventions to make Bethany's life easier and more fulfilling, and most of all restoring the freedom she had craved since her accident. Best of all he put his life on the line for her, which is something I couldn't imagine any woman being able to resist.
Phantom Waltz is the second book in Catherine Anderson's Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series. Readers get to visit with Rafe and Maggie and some of the secondary characters from Baby Love, the first book, and see where they are a couple of years later. We also get a good introduction to Bethany's brother, Jake, who becomes the hero of the third book, Sweet Nothings. Bethany's other four brothers are also mentioned and each of them gets their own book as well. The remaining books in the series in order are Blue Skies, Bright Eyes, My Sunshine, Sun Kissed and Morning Light, with the next installment, Star Bright, due out early next year. While there were a few things about Phantom Waltz that I thought could have been better, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a sweet and gentle story full of truly romantic scenes. At this point, I have read and enjoyed enough of Ms. Anderson's books that she has definitely earned a place on my favorite authors list.
March 9, 2024
This story is very different from the first in the series (Baby Love). The drama is dialed way down. This story focuses more on Beth's struggle with her disability and what it means to have a fulfilling life. Ryan was a pretty good hero and problem solver. He did lack some of the insight to see that he might be moving too fast. But him and Beth were pretty funny together.
The 3rd act conflict for me didn't sit right with me. I don't know if I could be as forgiving as Adam. So I wished that conflict was worked a different way. But besides that, its otherwise a very low drama/conflict book with a sweet love story.
There was some dialogue in this story that I had to accept, because this story was written in 2001. So I could overlook some strange choices for dialogue and writing.
The 3rd act conflict for me didn't sit right with me. I don't know if I could be as forgiving as Adam. So I wished that conflict was worked a different way. But besides that, its otherwise a very low drama/conflict book with a sweet love story.
There was some dialogue in this story that I had to accept, because this story was written in 2001. So I could overlook some strange choices for dialogue and writing.
September 24, 2024
3,75 stars
June 8, 2011
I am so confused after finishing Phantom Waltz how to rate it with stars. I liked it so much up to a situation close to the end when the heroine did something so stupid it opened my eyes to a point that pretty much ruined the book for me.
Bethany is a 26 year old woman who is in a wheelchair. When she was 18 she was severely injured in a riding accident that left her paraplegic. Ryan, the towns hottie bachelor takes one look at Bethany and realizes she is the one for him, despite the fact she is paralyzed from the waist down.
In the beginning, in my naiveness I guess, I absolutely loved these characters. Ryan was oh so swoonie sweet. A rich, handsome rancher who could have any woman he wants, falls for the woman in a wheelchair. And Bethany appeared to be a disabled woman who was desperately trying to be independent despite her physical limitations. After a while I realized that the entire book was about the disabled woman in a wheelchair Bethany, not Bethany the woman who just happens to have a disability (hopefully that makes sense). She was always "disabled" or "handicapped" first and then a woman second. This got to me after a while. At one point Ryan looked at Bethany and thought "my angel in a wheelchair". WHAT??? That pissed me off. Why couldn't she just be his plain ol' "angel"? Why did the author have to put her handicap once again as the center of his love?
The entire book, Ryan's view on Bethany, Bethany's view on herself was he loved her despite her being in a wheelchair. I didn't realize what was going on until Bethany leaves Ryan because she is scared he is going to get hurt protecting her, and in her "condition" he would constantly have to protect her. This was like an eye opener to me. Isn't that what love is about? Everyone who loves anyone wants to protect them from harm. It doesn't matter if the loved one is handicapped or fully physically capable. This to me was just wrong. I have a family member in a wheelchair and though I do not live day in and day out with him and his disability I look at him as a PERSON first. I don't look at him as "a person in a wheelchair".
I understand Catherine Anderson had a burden to make the average romance reader who most likely doesn't know the hardships of dealing with such huge physical limits understand Bethany and Ryan's obstacles. But in the same breath I feel that the heroine's disability in this instance just took too much of a center stage. I felt pity for Bethany. And just from having a personal relationship with someone in her situation I know that is the last thing most people who are disabled want us to feel for them. We as readers are supposed to look at the characters as people first and to me Bethany was portrayed more as just a "wheelchair" instead of the person who was actually in that wheelchair.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who overcome obstacles. Some people become who they are because of all they've overcome and they should be loved because of that. Not in spite of it. I felt Ryan's love for Bethany was portrayed in spite of her disability not because she was a stronger person for it.
Bethany is a 26 year old woman who is in a wheelchair. When she was 18 she was severely injured in a riding accident that left her paraplegic. Ryan, the towns hottie bachelor takes one look at Bethany and realizes she is the one for him, despite the fact she is paralyzed from the waist down.
In the beginning, in my naiveness I guess, I absolutely loved these characters. Ryan was oh so swoonie sweet. A rich, handsome rancher who could have any woman he wants, falls for the woman in a wheelchair. And Bethany appeared to be a disabled woman who was desperately trying to be independent despite her physical limitations. After a while I realized that the entire book was about the disabled woman in a wheelchair Bethany, not Bethany the woman who just happens to have a disability (hopefully that makes sense). She was always "disabled" or "handicapped" first and then a woman second. This got to me after a while. At one point Ryan looked at Bethany and thought "my angel in a wheelchair". WHAT??? That pissed me off. Why couldn't she just be his plain ol' "angel"? Why did the author have to put her handicap once again as the center of his love?
The entire book, Ryan's view on Bethany, Bethany's view on herself was he loved her despite her being in a wheelchair. I didn't realize what was going on until Bethany leaves Ryan because she is scared he is going to get hurt protecting her, and in her "condition" he would constantly have to protect her. This was like an eye opener to me. Isn't that what love is about? Everyone who loves anyone wants to protect them from harm. It doesn't matter if the loved one is handicapped or fully physically capable. This to me was just wrong. I have a family member in a wheelchair and though I do not live day in and day out with him and his disability I look at him as a PERSON first. I don't look at him as "a person in a wheelchair".
I understand Catherine Anderson had a burden to make the average romance reader who most likely doesn't know the hardships of dealing with such huge physical limits understand Bethany and Ryan's obstacles. But in the same breath I feel that the heroine's disability in this instance just took too much of a center stage. I felt pity for Bethany. And just from having a personal relationship with someone in her situation I know that is the last thing most people who are disabled want us to feel for them. We as readers are supposed to look at the characters as people first and to me Bethany was portrayed more as just a "wheelchair" instead of the person who was actually in that wheelchair.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who overcome obstacles. Some people become who they are because of all they've overcome and they should be loved because of that. Not in spite of it. I felt Ryan's love for Bethany was portrayed in spite of her disability not because she was a stronger person for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2009
Phantom Waltz has taken its spot in my heart as one of my favorite romance of all time. Not only does it stray away from the normal romances, where the two lovers are healthy, (as stated in Catherine Anderson's author's note) it also goes deeper than that. Ryan and Bethany's love for each other is deeply pure and they are completly unselfish toward each other, even risking their own lives for each other.
I found Bethany's character extremely likable. What must it be like, I thought to myself as I read, to have a disability that most men tended to run from? She wouldn't have a normal life like others, and maybe not even a normal relationship. However, Fate came knocking at the door--in the form of cowboy Ryan Kendrick. I found him and Jake to be my favorite characters in the book. Jake was the perfect older brother, and I loved the little threats he made to Ryan in the beginning, and then eventually excepting that this man was to marry his little sister. There were many events in the story--from Ryan's funny lines, to Jake's threats, to when Jake, Ryan, and Keefe all got arrested--that I enjoyed very much. I also loved the chemistry between Bethany and Ryan, and how Ryan was playing the friendship card just to get closer to Bethany, and how Bethany kept convincing herself over and over and over again that she was imperfect for Ryan, but in reality, she was just what Ryan needed. I keep thinking back to those two's love for each other, and I think to myself, it just doesn't get better than that.
And then, Bethany and Ryan's love was tested toward the end where Ryan selflessly risked his life for Bethany when the bear attacked, and then Bethany did the same, sitting under the sun with Ryan, begging him to hold on. It brought tears to my eyes, thinking that Ryan may just die. (Although I have to admit, when Ryan started tracking down the bleeding cattle, I thought it to be kind of...random. But then I understood why it had to be in there: It was a test of Ryan and Bethany's love) And then when Bethany left, it was again selfless of her. She believed that Ryan would always get hurt protecting her. For a fleeting moment, I was deathly afraid that the two wouldn't get together. But then Ryan's dad got hurt protecting him which made Ryan figure out Bethany's intentions of leaving him. Good for you, Ryan, when you went back to get her.
Catherine Anderson: you did a magnificent job weaving this love story together. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Rating:
100/100+
I found Bethany's character extremely likable. What must it be like, I thought to myself as I read, to have a disability that most men tended to run from? She wouldn't have a normal life like others, and maybe not even a normal relationship. However, Fate came knocking at the door--in the form of cowboy Ryan Kendrick. I found him and Jake to be my favorite characters in the book. Jake was the perfect older brother, and I loved the little threats he made to Ryan in the beginning, and then eventually excepting that this man was to marry his little sister. There were many events in the story--from Ryan's funny lines, to Jake's threats, to when Jake, Ryan, and Keefe all got arrested--that I enjoyed very much. I also loved the chemistry between Bethany and Ryan, and how Ryan was playing the friendship card just to get closer to Bethany, and how Bethany kept convincing herself over and over and over again that she was imperfect for Ryan, but in reality, she was just what Ryan needed. I keep thinking back to those two's love for each other, and I think to myself, it just doesn't get better than that.
And then, Bethany and Ryan's love was tested toward the end where Ryan selflessly risked his life for Bethany when the bear attacked, and then Bethany did the same, sitting under the sun with Ryan, begging him to hold on. It brought tears to my eyes, thinking that Ryan may just die. (Although I have to admit, when Ryan started tracking down the bleeding cattle, I thought it to be kind of...random. But then I understood why it had to be in there: It was a test of Ryan and Bethany's love) And then when Bethany left, it was again selfless of her. She believed that Ryan would always get hurt protecting her. For a fleeting moment, I was deathly afraid that the two wouldn't get together. But then Ryan's dad got hurt protecting him which made Ryan figure out Bethany's intentions of leaving him. Good for you, Ryan, when you went back to get her.
Catherine Anderson: you did a magnificent job weaving this love story together. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Rating:
100/100+
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2012
I quite enjoyed this book. It's the story of the relationship between a rancher and a paraplegic woman. He falls in love with her almost on first sight but her unique problems make her wary, so Ryan (the rancher) sets about winning her over. He relentlessly pursues her, all the while modifying his home to suit a paraplegic woman.
I don't really know all that much about paraplegia, but it's plain that the author has done her research...in parts it reads like an undergraduates thesis. Obviously it's important that Catherine Anderson knows the subject she is writing about, but knowing something doesn't mean it should be put in the book.
I found the love scenes inordinately long and overly detailed, but for the most part this was both entertaining and enlightening.
I don't really know all that much about paraplegia, but it's plain that the author has done her research...in parts it reads like an undergraduates thesis. Obviously it's important that Catherine Anderson knows the subject she is writing about, but knowing something doesn't mean it should be put in the book.
I found the love scenes inordinately long and overly detailed, but for the most part this was both entertaining and enlightening.
September 11, 2008
Another wonderful love story from Catherine Anderson. I love westerns, historic or contemporary, and I love a romantic, tender, sensative, sweet, but tough, protective and sexy, Western hero! I especially love a great HEA, and even though I knew this bok would have one, it still made me cry over a very well-written crisis scene. Anderson's books may be a bit predictable, but, hey, she does what she does VERY well. Sometimes a story of hers is exactly what I'm in the mood for, especially betwixt and between some of my "darker" reads.
August 2, 2012
This was my first Catherine Anderson book. It hooked me. I now own all of her books and frequently re-read them.♥
July 27, 2015
2.5 Stars
I have to say, I was a bit dubious about reading Phantom Waltz as I hadn't read a romance which involved a disabled person before. I did wonder if it would take away the romance or if I'd even be able to connect with the character. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that this aspect of the story didn't affect me in the slightest. However, I did have lots of other issues with this book. Mainly with the characters and the overall tone of the writing.
Looking at the cover, I had a feeling I wouldn't gel with it. I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all do. Sometimes I'm totally wrong, but this time I was bang on the money. Anderson's writing and tone is slightly on the old fashioned side for me. It's meant to be a contemporary but the dialogue, especially from Bethany, had the feel of a book written forty years ago rather than 2007.
Another example:
Darling, titty, sire... This is what I mean when I say the book had an old fashioned touch and unfortunately, it's written this way throughout, and although this style may be enjoyable to a lot of readers, it's just not for me (unless I'm reading an historical romance).
Our hero is cowboy Ryan Kendrick, who meets Bethany, our heroine, while she's working in her family's store. Ryan starts flirting a little, totally unaware she's in a wheelchair as she's sitting at a desk. When he finds out he admits to himself he wants to run, but doesn't, instead he asks her out on a date. Bethany thinks he's joking and so tries to laugh it off to let him off the hook, but he doesn't bite. So on a date they go and thus starts their romance.
I didn't mind the instant attraction, as they are both described as very easy on the eyes, but in just a day or so it accelerates to complete and utter undying love, for both Bethany and Ryan. However, Bethany has no confidence at all and so thinks he's just acting this way because she's in a wheelchair and he's just trying to be nice. I can understand this amount of sensitivity, especially when we learn what happened to her in the past, but her self deprecation did not stop. It went on and on and on, until virtually the last page. One minute she was a complete mess, babbling and wondering why he'd want a woman in a wheelchair, the next she was lifting her chin in defiance at her family and Ryan. In all honesty, Bethany gave me a headache.
I liked Ryan, but I didn't find him sexy in the slightest. In fact he was portrayed as way too perfect for me. His body was muscular and perfect, his actions towards Bethany were perfect, he said all the right things in the perfect way, and even nearly died perfectly. It was just too much. He didn't seem to have one thing wrong with him. Maybe it's just personal taste, but I definitely prefer my heroes to be slightly flawed, and then see them grow throughout the book, to me Ryan was a little one dimensional.
After Bethany's date with Ryan, her brother Jake decides to have a huge talk with Ryan about his intentions. They then started to discuss Bethany's sex life, how she might not have any feeling or sensation down there in her lady parts, was he going to marry her, what about kids? I mean, really? Jeez. It's only been 24 hours for crying out loud. Plus, do men who hardly know each other really talk like that to each other? I doubt it.
The other aspect I didn't like was after their first night together, Bethany realises she doesn't have much sensation down there after all. So weirdly decides to tell anyone who'll listen and ask advice. O_o
Talking sex with people she didn't even know, such as the girl from work who she'd never bothered to talk to before, until she needed advice. And then there's the old man Sly, Ryan's foreman, who mentions many times he "doesn't do tears" but was quite happy to talk to a young woman about sex? Her sex life no less about his boss. It just didn't ring true to me. I realise there are open people out there but I can't even imagine Sly the foreman, who she'd met all of a couple of times, would be happy talking about such things. And don't get me started on the practicing of having a fake orgasm *shudder*
But although Bethany has no problem discussing her sex life with near strangers, her brother seemed out of bounds:
Plus...
I'm sure Ryan would understand Bethany talking to her brother, but maybe not a woman she hardly knew or Sly his foreman!
Most of the dialogue between Ryan and Bethany was sickly sweet. And some of the descriptions of the sex scenes were either laugh-out-loud funny (although they weren't meant to be) or cringeworthy.
Description used for the clitoris:
This is not a sexy way to describe the female anatomy.
Sadly Phantom Waltz wasn't my cup of tea. Anderson's writing style is too old-fashioned for my taste for what is essentially classified as a contemporary romance, and the story was overly sweet to the point of being sickly. I couldn't really get on board with how perfect the hero was made out to be or some of the selfish and stupid decisions made by the heroine, Bethany. The ending was rushed and Bethany acted in such a way that I just couldn't forgive her, in only a few pages she'd left him, came back, left him again, came back, blah blah, which cemented my dislike of her. It was just ridiculous. Her excuses were lame and I'm surprised, after everything he'd done for her, Ryan didn't drop her like a stone.
I have to say, I was a bit dubious about reading Phantom Waltz as I hadn't read a romance which involved a disabled person before. I did wonder if it would take away the romance or if I'd even be able to connect with the character. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that this aspect of the story didn't affect me in the slightest. However, I did have lots of other issues with this book. Mainly with the characters and the overall tone of the writing.
Looking at the cover, I had a feeling I wouldn't gel with it. I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all do. Sometimes I'm totally wrong, but this time I was bang on the money. Anderson's writing and tone is slightly on the old fashioned side for me. It's meant to be a contemporary but the dialogue, especially from Bethany, had the feel of a book written forty years ago rather than 2007.
In the pastures they passed, she saw oodles of cows with spring calves at their sides, which made her laugh with delight.
"Oooh, aren't they darling?"
He [Ryan] stopped for a moment near an outdoor pole light so she could peer through the gloom at the babies. "See that little fella?" He pointed to a sweet baby Hereford with a snow-white face. "I call him Pig. He goes after the tit like you would not believe. Made his mama all sore and then started shoving other calves aside to hog their milk. For nigh on a week, I had to keep him in a pen and feed him with a titty bucket."
A funny look came over his face, and he scrunched his dark eyebrows in a frown. "Sorry," he said softly. "I forget sometimes that not everybody lives on a ranch and hears that kind of talk."
Another example:
Ryan would never be able to have a child of his own with Bethany.
How would he feel about that when he was fifty? A lot of men wanted to sire their own offspring.
Darling, titty, sire... This is what I mean when I say the book had an old fashioned touch and unfortunately, it's written this way throughout, and although this style may be enjoyable to a lot of readers, it's just not for me (unless I'm reading an historical romance).
Our hero is cowboy Ryan Kendrick, who meets Bethany, our heroine, while she's working in her family's store. Ryan starts flirting a little, totally unaware she's in a wheelchair as she's sitting at a desk. When he finds out he admits to himself he wants to run, but doesn't, instead he asks her out on a date. Bethany thinks he's joking and so tries to laugh it off to let him off the hook, but he doesn't bite. So on a date they go and thus starts their romance.
I didn't mind the instant attraction, as they are both described as very easy on the eyes, but in just a day or so it accelerates to complete and utter undying love, for both Bethany and Ryan. However, Bethany has no confidence at all and so thinks he's just acting this way because she's in a wheelchair and he's just trying to be nice. I can understand this amount of sensitivity, especially when we learn what happened to her in the past, but her self deprecation did not stop. It went on and on and on, until virtually the last page. One minute she was a complete mess, babbling and wondering why he'd want a woman in a wheelchair, the next she was lifting her chin in defiance at her family and Ryan. In all honesty, Bethany gave me a headache.
I liked Ryan, but I didn't find him sexy in the slightest. In fact he was portrayed as way too perfect for me. His body was muscular and perfect, his actions towards Bethany were perfect, he said all the right things in the perfect way, and even nearly died perfectly. It was just too much. He didn't seem to have one thing wrong with him. Maybe it's just personal taste, but I definitely prefer my heroes to be slightly flawed, and then see them grow throughout the book, to me Ryan was a little one dimensional.
After Bethany's date with Ryan, her brother Jake decides to have a huge talk with Ryan about his intentions. They then started to discuss Bethany's sex life, how she might not have any feeling or sensation down there in her lady parts, was he going to marry her, what about kids? I mean, really? Jeez. It's only been 24 hours for crying out loud. Plus, do men who hardly know each other really talk like that to each other? I doubt it.
The other aspect I didn't like was after their first night together, Bethany realises she doesn't have much sensation down there after all. So weirdly decides to tell anyone who'll listen and ask advice. O_o
Talking sex with people she didn't even know, such as the girl from work who she'd never bothered to talk to before, until she needed advice. And then there's the old man Sly, Ryan's foreman, who mentions many times he "doesn't do tears" but was quite happy to talk to a young woman about sex? Her sex life no less about his boss. It just didn't ring true to me. I realise there are open people out there but I can't even imagine Sly the foreman, who she'd met all of a couple of times, would be happy talking about such things. And don't get me started on the practicing of having a fake orgasm *shudder*
But although Bethany has no problem discussing her sex life with near strangers, her brother seemed out of bounds:
She [Bethany] drew the line at discussing the particulars of her love life with her brother.
Plus...
Ryan wouldn't be happy to hear her discussing their relationship with Jake [her brother]
I'm sure Ryan would understand Bethany talking to her brother, but maybe not a woman she hardly knew or Sly his foreman!
Most of the dialogue between Ryan and Bethany was sickly sweet. And some of the descriptions of the sex scenes were either laugh-out-loud funny (although they weren't meant to be) or cringeworthy.
Description used for the clitoris:
"... nerve-packed flange of flesh"
This is not a sexy way to describe the female anatomy.
Sadly Phantom Waltz wasn't my cup of tea. Anderson's writing style is too old-fashioned for my taste for what is essentially classified as a contemporary romance, and the story was overly sweet to the point of being sickly. I couldn't really get on board with how perfect the hero was made out to be or some of the selfish and stupid decisions made by the heroine, Bethany. The ending was rushed and Bethany acted in such a way that I just couldn't forgive her, in only a few pages she'd left him, came back, left him again, came back, blah blah, which cemented my dislike of her. It was just ridiculous. Her excuses were lame and I'm surprised, after everything he'd done for her, Ryan didn't drop her like a stone.
January 7, 2012
This is one of the worst Catherine Anderson books I had the misfortune of reading. Everything that plagues her style, mainly her penchant for unbelievably sugar-coated-and-then-dipped-in-honey heroes, is here magnified without any of the redeeming qualities of a gripping story (as in her far superior 'Annie's Song' and 'Comanche Moon'). The reader goes into an acute hyperglycaemia coma, with nothing to compensate for the boy scout hero.
Poor Ryan Kendrick! Not only does he not escape the typical Anderson hero treatment (perish the thought that a fictional character would remotely resemble the real men whose fictional form he is/should be)he's also chained to a tedious, irksome, humdrum and long drawn-out story. The super-hunk millionaire takes one look at the heroine (them big violet-blues wot did it) and he immediately knows this is the woman he's been 'waiting for' all his life. How does he know this? Why, she likes horses(apparently, she's the only horse-lover this play-boy, sought after bachelor, who's been around the block a trillion times, has ever met in rural, ranch-land Oregon),and something called a 'mud pull' (too boring to describe what it is) and, of course, hero and heroine also like the same song (bless!). Who could possibly remain unmoved by this enormous and profound affinity! These indestructible bonds of love are more than sufficient (in Anderson land)to make the hero sprint across the thousands of acres of his prime land, vault the pristine fences of his ranch and start redecorating his home and stables (more like rebuilding the whole blasted compound),while constantly crawling at the heroine's feet, begging her to let him be her lover/husband. Never once does our boy scout voice any fears about the difficulties facing a couple, where one is a paraplegic (that would be honest, and would interfere with the sugar-coat).
I forgot to mention that the main reason the hero sites, in justifying his resolve to marry the heroine, is that he 'feels lonely' -something that contradicts Anderson's earlier descriptions of him as a sought after play-boy, with this tightly-knit loving family living just a few minutes away from him. So he thinks his life would be full of excitement and fulfilling intimacy, once he gets himself a person with a severe disability. The experience of families of people with severe disabilities is entirely the opposite of what the hero dreams of having(but, hey, he's a multimillionaire he can afford to employ an army of carers), their experience is that of an almost non-existent social life, of hard work just to get things to a functioning level, emotional turmoil, depression. Disability also makes a person so dependent on others that her/his only way of winning some space for herself/himself is to force that space and tenaciously patrol it. Loving a person with special needs means accepting that and letting go of the fantasies of perfect intimacy (one can only hope for a lovingly suffered distance).
Another irritating point about all books of this kind is that you have these enormous families, with five, seven, eleven siblings and each one of them gets their own book, extending the formula ad infinitum. I think publishers should put a stop to this and demand that heroes and heroines be only children from now on.
For the record, I got so bored with this book that I did not finish it, I gave up even before Ryan got to persuade the heroine to experiment in the bedroom.
Poor Ryan Kendrick! Not only does he not escape the typical Anderson hero treatment (perish the thought that a fictional character would remotely resemble the real men whose fictional form he is/should be)he's also chained to a tedious, irksome, humdrum and long drawn-out story. The super-hunk millionaire takes one look at the heroine (them big violet-blues wot did it) and he immediately knows this is the woman he's been 'waiting for' all his life. How does he know this? Why, she likes horses(apparently, she's the only horse-lover this play-boy, sought after bachelor, who's been around the block a trillion times, has ever met in rural, ranch-land Oregon),and something called a 'mud pull' (too boring to describe what it is) and, of course, hero and heroine also like the same song (bless!). Who could possibly remain unmoved by this enormous and profound affinity! These indestructible bonds of love are more than sufficient (in Anderson land)to make the hero sprint across the thousands of acres of his prime land, vault the pristine fences of his ranch and start redecorating his home and stables (more like rebuilding the whole blasted compound),while constantly crawling at the heroine's feet, begging her to let him be her lover/husband. Never once does our boy scout voice any fears about the difficulties facing a couple, where one is a paraplegic (that would be honest, and would interfere with the sugar-coat).
I forgot to mention that the main reason the hero sites, in justifying his resolve to marry the heroine, is that he 'feels lonely' -something that contradicts Anderson's earlier descriptions of him as a sought after play-boy, with this tightly-knit loving family living just a few minutes away from him. So he thinks his life would be full of excitement and fulfilling intimacy, once he gets himself a person with a severe disability. The experience of families of people with severe disabilities is entirely the opposite of what the hero dreams of having(but, hey, he's a multimillionaire he can afford to employ an army of carers), their experience is that of an almost non-existent social life, of hard work just to get things to a functioning level, emotional turmoil, depression. Disability also makes a person so dependent on others that her/his only way of winning some space for herself/himself is to force that space and tenaciously patrol it. Loving a person with special needs means accepting that and letting go of the fantasies of perfect intimacy (one can only hope for a lovingly suffered distance).
Another irritating point about all books of this kind is that you have these enormous families, with five, seven, eleven siblings and each one of them gets their own book, extending the formula ad infinitum. I think publishers should put a stop to this and demand that heroes and heroines be only children from now on.
For the record, I got so bored with this book that I did not finish it, I gave up even before Ryan got to persuade the heroine to experiment in the bedroom.
November 22, 2015
Author: Catherine Anderson
First published: 2001
Length: 419 pages, 7574 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary. Crystal Falls, Oregon.
Sex: Explicit. Reasonably frequent.
Hero: Multi-millionaire Ranch Owner.
Heroine: Paraplegic computer programmer.
On the plus side, this is a lovely, pure romance with no outside protagonists or vague mysteries to spoil the getting to know you, getting to know all about you. Strong, independent heroine who knows her own mind and strives against all odds. Sexy and virginal. Protective hero, respectful and honourable. Rich and handsome.
On the other side, though, is this slightly creepy cringe factor where Ryan is struck by Love at first sight and so, for the next few weeks, spends thousands of dollars buying equipment, paving the ranch, finding her horse, to make his ranch liveable for her without Bethany knowing. Romantic? Maybe, if he only added a couple of ramps and some bars. But completely rebuilding the kitchen?!? But apparently it’s fine because he’s rich and he has the money to spend and he’s in love and it’s all good. Sounds creepy to me.
So overall a good, enjoyable story. An interesting discussion of the struggles of the disabled as well as the possibilities given the opportunities. But there are bits that make my eye squint.
Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series:
Book 1 Baby Love - Rafe Kendrick and Maggie Stanley
Book 2 Phantom Waltz - Ryan Kendrick and Bethany
Book 3 Sweet Nothings - Jake Coulter and Molly Wells
Book 4 Blue Skies - Carly Adams and Hank Coulter
Book 5 Bright Eyes - Zeke Coulter and Natalie Patterson
Book 6 My Sunshine - Laura Townsend and Isaiah Coulter
Book 7 Sun Kissed - Samantha Harrigan and Tucker Coulter
Book 8 Morning Light - Loni MacEwan and Clint Harrigan
Book 9 Star Bright - Rainie Hall and Parker Harrigan
Book 10 Here to Stay - Mandy Pajeck and Zach Harrigan
Book 11 Perfect Timing - Caera O’Ceallaigh and Quincy Harrigan
References:
Author's website: http://catherineanderson.com/books/ph...
(ISBN 9781101578773)
-CR-
First published: 2001
Length: 419 pages, 7574 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary. Crystal Falls, Oregon.
Sex: Explicit. Reasonably frequent.
Hero: Multi-millionaire Ranch Owner.
Heroine: Paraplegic computer programmer.
On the plus side, this is a lovely, pure romance with no outside protagonists or vague mysteries to spoil the getting to know you, getting to know all about you. Strong, independent heroine who knows her own mind and strives against all odds. Sexy and virginal. Protective hero, respectful and honourable. Rich and handsome.
On the other side, though, is this slightly creepy cringe factor where Ryan is struck by Love at first sight and so, for the next few weeks, spends thousands of dollars buying equipment, paving the ranch, finding her horse, to make his ranch liveable for her without Bethany knowing. Romantic? Maybe, if he only added a couple of ramps and some bars. But completely rebuilding the kitchen?!? But apparently it’s fine because he’s rich and he has the money to spend and he’s in love and it’s all good. Sounds creepy to me.
So overall a good, enjoyable story. An interesting discussion of the struggles of the disabled as well as the possibilities given the opportunities. But there are bits that make my eye squint.
Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series:
Book 1 Baby Love - Rafe Kendrick and Maggie Stanley
Book 2 Phantom Waltz - Ryan Kendrick and Bethany
Book 3 Sweet Nothings - Jake Coulter and Molly Wells
Book 4 Blue Skies - Carly Adams and Hank Coulter
Book 5 Bright Eyes - Zeke Coulter and Natalie Patterson
Book 6 My Sunshine - Laura Townsend and Isaiah Coulter
Book 7 Sun Kissed - Samantha Harrigan and Tucker Coulter
Book 8 Morning Light - Loni MacEwan and Clint Harrigan
Book 9 Star Bright - Rainie Hall and Parker Harrigan
Book 10 Here to Stay - Mandy Pajeck and Zach Harrigan
Book 11 Perfect Timing - Caera O’Ceallaigh and Quincy Harrigan
References:
Author's website: http://catherineanderson.com/books/ph...
(ISBN 9781101578773)
-CR-
August 3, 2011
This was my first Catherine Anderson book and ...Wow, what a love story. Ryan Kendrick was so madly and truly in love with Bethany at first sight, he was her perfect knight in shining armor- and she needed one. They were both so selfless that I don't know who loved each other more because they both sacrificed so much for one another. He was supposedly such a player and I wish the author would have spent sometime on Ryan before he fell for Bethany because by the way he acted towards her I didn't believe he was anything but perfect.
She had been a paraplegic for 8 years because of a horrible horse accident. She was happy on the outside, but slowly suffocating on the inside. Ryan rescued her from that existence and changed her whole life. After their first amazing date he updated his whole ranch (no problem since he had 50 million in the bank) to accommodate her disabilities, he was amazing. The story just moseyed along focusing more on life's challenges then any major conflicts. There really wasn't a villain unless maybe a wheelchair or a black bear. This was definitely a feel good story complete with a few choke up moments, a wonderful H&h and some funny critters.
February 7, 2016
Ryan Kendrick já tem idade suficiente assim como experiência com o mundo feminino para saber que o que sente ao olhar para Bethany Coulter é algo de diferente, excitante e novo. Algo que até então nunca sentiu. Ryan não perde tempo e convida-a para dançar, mas a resposta de Bethany é absolutamente inesperada. Ao ouvir este convite, ela sorri de forma triste e afasta a cadeira para que ele a veja na totalidade. O que Ryan vê é algo que nunca no mundo lhe passaria pela cabeça, a cadeira onde Bethany está sentada é uma cadeira de rodas.
Não vou desmentir e negar que este é um daqueles livros com romance, sonhos cor-de-rosa e algodão doce ;-p Mas estava mesmo a precisar de algo mais levezinho para desanuviar a cabeça.
O que eu mais gostei ao ler este livro foi o cuidado da autora em desmentir alguns pressupostos em relação às pessoas com deficiência motora e em escrever de forma simples e directa sobre o sexo nestes casos. Não me lembro de ter lido algum livro que falasse deste assunto de uma forma tão sincera como esta autora conseguiu fazer.
Não vou desmentir e negar que este é um daqueles livros com romance, sonhos cor-de-rosa e algodão doce ;-p Mas estava mesmo a precisar de algo mais levezinho para desanuviar a cabeça.
O que eu mais gostei ao ler este livro foi o cuidado da autora em desmentir alguns pressupostos em relação às pessoas com deficiência motora e em escrever de forma simples e directa sobre o sexo nestes casos. Não me lembro de ter lido algum livro que falasse deste assunto de uma forma tão sincera como esta autora conseguiu fazer.
June 24, 2023
Reread • 4.5⭐
Kayaknya baca pertama kali itu sekitar tahun 2013-2014, lupa-lupa juga sih pastinya wkwkwk.
Daaan gua lebih menikmati baca ulang saat ini di tahun 2023. Mungkin karena gua udah malang melintang (halah) cukup lama dan baca buku romance yg cukup beragam juga. Jadi rasanya lebih.. mengapresiasi buku-buku macem ini, novel romance yang penulisannya rapi, narasinya nyaman banget dibaca, risetnya waduuh bagoeesss tanpa terasa berlebihan. Cara Oma CA menyelipkan hasil riset di sana-sini tuh enaaak banget dibaca, rapi, halus.
Belum lagi dialog yang disajikan di sini. Sederhana tapi ngena 🥺💞
Pokoknya kalo mau baca yg ringan tapi berbobot, pengen menikmati tiap halaman dengan perasaan hangat dan nyaman, bisa dibaca buku ini 🤍
Kayaknya baca pertama kali itu sekitar tahun 2013-2014, lupa-lupa juga sih pastinya wkwkwk.
Daaan gua lebih menikmati baca ulang saat ini di tahun 2023. Mungkin karena gua udah malang melintang (halah) cukup lama dan baca buku romance yg cukup beragam juga. Jadi rasanya lebih.. mengapresiasi buku-buku macem ini, novel romance yang penulisannya rapi, narasinya nyaman banget dibaca, risetnya waduuh bagoeesss tanpa terasa berlebihan. Cara Oma CA menyelipkan hasil riset di sana-sini tuh enaaak banget dibaca, rapi, halus.
Belum lagi dialog yang disajikan di sini. Sederhana tapi ngena 🥺💞
Pokoknya kalo mau baca yg ringan tapi berbobot, pengen menikmati tiap halaman dengan perasaan hangat dan nyaman, bisa dibaca buku ini 🤍
December 14, 2008
Although this is one of the Coulter family series of novels that I love, it wasn't my favorite. The love story of Bethany and Ryan is sweet and poinient, but I found the topic of Bethanys hadicap a little uncomfortable. While Bethany has so much to overcome, her handicap cannot be overcome. Maybe I found it too realistic. I like happily ever afters. Worth the read though.
August 11, 2011
A autora ainda me conseguiu surpreender mais com este livro. Será certamente para continuar a seguir!
Review completa aqui: http://labirinto-livros.blogspot.com/...
Review completa aqui: http://labirinto-livros.blogspot.com/...
June 20, 2023
I'm so frustrated with this book, or perhaps with myself. I had such high expectations for this book!
Loved the first chapter and I thought, "Yeah, good going." Then, the Hero became really nice and accommodating, which I hate.
It's so plain and boring when the Hero and heroine were instantly nice to each other without any drama, misunderstandings, misconceptions, nor angst.
So boring.
Can't finish this book. Not worth it.
Loved the first chapter and I thought, "Yeah, good going." Then, the Hero became really nice and accommodating, which I hate.
It's so plain and boring when the Hero and heroine were instantly nice to each other without any drama, misunderstandings, misconceptions, nor angst.
So boring.
Can't finish this book. Not worth it.
Read
January 30, 2024Catherine, what was this? Now girl, I loved Annie’s Song, but this here was a hot mess. It was almost like you were in a competition to see how many times you could say “handicap” and “cripple”. Then, that line about handicapped women being more willing than non-handicapped to go the extra mile during sex to please their man was just outright nonsensical. I couldn’t go on after that.
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