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Coulters Historical #1.5
Beautiful Gifts - Hadiah Terindah
Gentle widow, Faith Randolph, took her young daughter, Charity, and fled her wealthy, pampered life in Brooklyn to escape a cruel and manipulative father. Her first marriage had been nothing more than a loveless business arrangement, so when Faith's father tries to marry her off a second time to an elderly man who wants to send Charity away to boarding school, she decides to run away and start a new life. They made it as far a No Name, Colorado, where all Faith's money was stolen, and she found herself rummaging in trash bins for food and sleeping in a livery stable. Half-starved and worried about her daughter's well-being, Faith goes looking around town for gainful employment, and encounters a peddler who insists that she take a beautiful wedding gown that he hasn't been able to sell. After reluctantly accepting the generous gift, Faith sees an advertisement for a housekeeper in the general store window, which she would have sworn was not there before. The store keeper says the ad is months old and the position has likely already been filled, but he points her in the direction of a ranch belonging to Patrick O'Shannessy, the man who placed the notice.
At first Patrick doesn't want to hire Faith, thinking she is too young and dainty to make a good ranch housekeeper, but when the miles-long walk from town on an empty stomach causes Faith to collapse in Patrick's front yard, the compassionate man in him can do nothing else but tend to both mother and daughter. When Faith is recovered, Patrick hires her anyway, but it soon becomes clear that the pampered city girl doesn't have the first idea how to perform her duties. Faith refuses to stay without pulling her own weight, but Patrick knows the only other job available in town is for a saloon girl. Since his honor will not allow him to place a needy woman and child in that kind of position, Patrick strikes a risky bargain to keep Faith and Charity with him, but her ruthless father will stop at nothing to get them back.
At first Patrick doesn't want to hire Faith, thinking she is too young and dainty to make a good ranch housekeeper, but when the miles-long walk from town on an empty stomach causes Faith to collapse in Patrick's front yard, the compassionate man in him can do nothing else but tend to both mother and daughter. When Faith is recovered, Patrick hires her anyway, but it soon becomes clear that the pampered city girl doesn't have the first idea how to perform her duties. Faith refuses to stay without pulling her own weight, but Patrick knows the only other job available in town is for a saloon girl. Since his honor will not allow him to place a needy woman and child in that kind of position, Patrick strikes a risky bargain to keep Faith and Charity with him, but her ruthless father will stop at nothing to get them back.
180 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Anderson
102 books2,960 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 3, 2017
Un bonito relato, cortita, entretiene y se lee en un ratito.
August 30, 2017
Karena melarikan diri dan kecopetan, Faith dan anaknya yg msh kecil, Charity terlunta-lunta di kota No Name dan mendarat di kediaman peternakan milik Patrick O'Shannessy. Faith yg tidak bisa mengerjakan apapun, berkat tekad dan kemauan keras utk belajar, akhirnya berhasil lulus mengerjakan semua pekerjaan rumah dan sekaligus memikat hati Patrick.
Novella ini sangat singkat namun memberikan banyak pencerahan. Kita tidak boleh menyerah pada takdir yg jelek. Harus mau banyak belajar supaya bisa maju. Berdoalah senantiasa maka doa-mu akan dikabulkan seiring dgn usahamu.
Novella ini sangat singkat namun memberikan banyak pencerahan. Kita tidak boleh menyerah pada takdir yg jelek. Harus mau banyak belajar supaya bisa maju. Berdoalah senantiasa maka doa-mu akan dikabulkan seiring dgn usahamu.
December 18, 2024
From the True Love Wedding Dress anthology
January 19, 2016
Sangat singkat. Dimulai hari ini selesai hari ini. Ini memang novella sebenernya, dan aslinya cerita ini digabung dalam satu buku The True Love Wedding Dress, kumpulan cerita dari beberapa pengarang historical romance. Sepertinya sih benang merahnya si wedding dress itu, yang setelah dipakai untuk menikah lalu hilang begitu saja. Jadi ini campuran antara hisrom dan magic dikit^^
Beautiful Gifts tentang adiknya Caitlin, Patrick. Patrick terpaksa menerima bekerja seorang wanita muda yang bernama Faith dan anaknya yang berusia 6 tahun di rumahnya sebagai pengurus rumah tangga. Faith dan anaknya, Charity, sudah 3 hari tidur di kandang dan terpaksa makan makanan sisa karena mereka tidak punya uang. Faith melarikan diri dari ayahnya yang mengancam akan menikahkan dia kembali. Trauma dengan pernikahan pertamanya, Faith memilih kabur. Karena uangnya dicuri, Faith terdampar di No Name dan melihat ada lowongan pekerjaan di peternakan O'Shannessy sebagai pengurus rumah tangga. Tapi sebelumnya Faith bertemu dengan seorang penjual permen yang baik hati dan memberikan sebuah gaun pengantin kepada Faith secara cuma-cuma.
Patrick yang tidak menyangka pelamar pengurus rumah tangganya adalah seorang wanita muda dan cantik pada awalnya menolak, tetapi kemudian tidak sampai hati melihat keadaan Faith dan Charity yang menyedihkan. Mengaku berpengalaman sebagai pengurus rumah tangga, Faith akhirnya mulai bekerja. Tapi sebagai anak orang kaya di tempat asalnya, Faith sebenarnya tidak bisa melakukan apa-apa termasuk memasak. Akhirnya dengan sabar Patrick mengajarinya. Dan lama-kelamaan tumbuh perasaan di antara mereka berdua. Charitypun sangat menyukai Patrick. Tapi satu hal yang ditakutkan Faith, bahwa ayahnya akan mengejar mereka sampai ke No Name. Dan ketika akhirnya Patrick melamarnya, bersediakah Faith?
Dibanding buku-buku Catherine Anderson yang lain, Beautiful Gifts memang "kurang nendang". Terlalu singkat. Tapi bisa dimengerti, karena ini hanya novella. But still, this is Catherine Anderson. And as her fan, I won't miss it :)
Beautiful Gifts tentang adiknya Caitlin, Patrick. Patrick terpaksa menerima bekerja seorang wanita muda yang bernama Faith dan anaknya yang berusia 6 tahun di rumahnya sebagai pengurus rumah tangga. Faith dan anaknya, Charity, sudah 3 hari tidur di kandang dan terpaksa makan makanan sisa karena mereka tidak punya uang. Faith melarikan diri dari ayahnya yang mengancam akan menikahkan dia kembali. Trauma dengan pernikahan pertamanya, Faith memilih kabur. Karena uangnya dicuri, Faith terdampar di No Name dan melihat ada lowongan pekerjaan di peternakan O'Shannessy sebagai pengurus rumah tangga. Tapi sebelumnya Faith bertemu dengan seorang penjual permen yang baik hati dan memberikan sebuah gaun pengantin kepada Faith secara cuma-cuma.
Patrick yang tidak menyangka pelamar pengurus rumah tangganya adalah seorang wanita muda dan cantik pada awalnya menolak, tetapi kemudian tidak sampai hati melihat keadaan Faith dan Charity yang menyedihkan. Mengaku berpengalaman sebagai pengurus rumah tangga, Faith akhirnya mulai bekerja. Tapi sebagai anak orang kaya di tempat asalnya, Faith sebenarnya tidak bisa melakukan apa-apa termasuk memasak. Akhirnya dengan sabar Patrick mengajarinya. Dan lama-kelamaan tumbuh perasaan di antara mereka berdua. Charitypun sangat menyukai Patrick. Tapi satu hal yang ditakutkan Faith, bahwa ayahnya akan mengejar mereka sampai ke No Name. Dan ketika akhirnya Patrick melamarnya, bersediakah Faith?
Dibanding buku-buku Catherine Anderson yang lain, Beautiful Gifts memang "kurang nendang". Terlalu singkat. Tapi bisa dimengerti, karena ini hanya novella. But still, this is Catherine Anderson. And as her fan, I won't miss it :)
May 11, 2022
Summary:
At the start of the story, Faith and her young daughter Charity are on the run. After being robbed on their way to San Francisco, they wind up stranded and penniless in a town called No Name. After seeing a housekeeper wanted poster in town, she winds up at Patrick O'Shannessy's ranch who ends up taking them in where they begin to fall in love. However, Faith is still looking over her shoulder hoping her past doesn't catch up with her.
Review:
This was a short, sweet novella. I really liked the characters - especially Patrick in this story. It's interesting because I read this story first not realizing it was part of a series, and then picked up the first book in the series, Keegan's Lady. I loved the redemption arc his character was given since he was such a terrible person in Keegan's Lady. Because I read this first, meeting Caitlin (his sister) and her husband Ace, and Ace's brothers was interesting enough that I grabbed the other books in the series.
Recommend:
Yes, if you're looking for something light, short, and sweet this is a good one. The main characters are interesting, and the story is sweet. The secondary characters are fun and interesting enough that you'll want to pick up their stories. I'd recommend Joseph's story more since I didn't love Ace and Keegan in their own story.
At the start of the story, Faith and her young daughter Charity are on the run. After being robbed on their way to San Francisco, they wind up stranded and penniless in a town called No Name. After seeing a housekeeper wanted poster in town, she winds up at Patrick O'Shannessy's ranch who ends up taking them in where they begin to fall in love. However, Faith is still looking over her shoulder hoping her past doesn't catch up with her.
Review:
This was a short, sweet novella. I really liked the characters - especially Patrick in this story. It's interesting because I read this story first not realizing it was part of a series, and then picked up the first book in the series, Keegan's Lady. I loved the redemption arc his character was given since he was such a terrible person in Keegan's Lady. Because I read this first, meeting Caitlin (his sister) and her husband Ace, and Ace's brothers was interesting enough that I grabbed the other books in the series.
Recommend:
Yes, if you're looking for something light, short, and sweet this is a good one. The main characters are interesting, and the story is sweet. The secondary characters are fun and interesting enough that you'll want to pick up their stories. I'd recommend Joseph's story more since I didn't love Ace and Keegan in their own story.
January 19, 2016
Singkat, minim konflik tapi tetap manis dan menyentuh. Catherine Anderson memang jawara!!!
October 18, 2016
Dibaca untuk Romance RC 2016
Tema : Out of Century
Tema : Out of Century
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews