Until There Was You

Graysons of New Mexico #1

by Francis Ray

All he was looking for was some peace and quiet. Instead, what ex-FBI agent Luke Grayson finds in the secluded cabin in the woods is a gorgeous, smoky-eyed woman…who just happens to be pointing a gun in his direction. Dr. Catherine Stewart is relieved that the handsome stranger she encounters is not a dangerous intruder. But how is she supposed to relax in her woodsy hideaway with stubborn, intense, brooding Luke around? A woman could get into a lot of trouble with a man like that―and trouble is exactly what each of these two lost souls came here to avoid…

Genres: Romance, African American Romance, Contemporary, African American, Contemporary Romance, Cultural, Fiction

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

Francis Ray was a New York Times and USA Today bestselling African-American writer of romance novels. Her literary fiction series – Taggart and Falcon, the Invincible Women, Grayson Family of New Mexico, and Grayson Friends – have consistently made bestseller's lists. She was born in Richland, Texas, and studied nursing, receiving a bachelor's degree from Texas Woman's University in 1967. She began writing in 1987, while continuing to work as a nurse, and had her first book published in 1992.

AWARDS
Romantic Times Career Achievement
EMMA
The Golden Pen
The Atlantic Choice
Romantic Times 2008 Reviewers' Choice Award Winners for AFRICAN-AMERICAN ROMANCE Reviewers' Choice Awards – Best Books Not Even If You Begged, St. Martin's Griffin (February 2008)
Borders 2008 Bestselling Multicultural Romance Award for Nobody but You
Written's 2010 Readers Choice Book of the Year for If You Were My Man

Reviews

[DeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read with brooding FBI agent and sassy heroine!

Francis Ray - Gone to soon!

5 Grayson *****

[Rbeey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wednesday, February 23, 2005 10:41 AM

Finish the sentence of what would either Catherine or
Luke would say...Until there was you...My sweet Cath
..I saw the world in white and black, but now your
love has color my world with sun bursting colorful
hues and arrays. My love for you is at center stage!
How could I've thought after being challenge by loves
silken embrace that I'd walk away untouched or
unscathed for emotions have clashed with igniting
fires and Passions, forever now are YOU my desires!

What was your favorite scene? Luke had so many turning
and mixed emotions roaring up inside cause by his
feelings for Catherine. It was kind of hilarious on
pg. 39 he was still moaning and angry ..He was hurt he
thought Catherine had MORE feelings for Hero than she
did, for him. Then perhaps though...Luke was use to
women always making a Big deal over him, and Catherine
was different, YOU go girl...Cath...Was my She-roe! He
felt she would have not given second thoughts to
blowing a hole in him. Then again it was like Luke
felt slighted one minute he took it personal and
started talking about other men and if Catherine
would've treated them better than she treated him..
The kick to Luke’s shin was hilarious!

It had me rolling when Catherine thought it would make
Luke feel better knowing that the gun didn‘t have
bullets...smile after scaring the man half to death.
The man probably thought he‘d be made a
eunuch(((giggle))) OOOh me OOOOOh my....Group didn't
Warrior Luke look HOTTT with no shirt on and a Stetson
hat.... Ta boot...Hmmh.. Wouldn’t it be a gas to read
about some of the other Hero &heroines wearing a
Stetson and a smile?! Yippee aieeeeaaayyy!!! Teach me
the Indian and cowboy way....heeee!

I admired how Catherine was checking Luke out (after a
midnight to sun rise sexual healing...wink.. wink)
anyways back to the point...Luke walk to the bathroom
..After giving Catherine the phone... In nothing but
his natural Buff...babee got backkk! All Catherine
could say was Oh my! Heyyy you guys what If you were
in the boonies...or.. Sticks can you image how dark It
gets and just think about all those old Southern scary
superstitions instill In you.. Hee heee, your mind
works in over drive, Then out the window you see two
large eyes gurllll I think I'd wet myself.... No way
I’d sleep by myself that night ..Nope!


The difference in the two couples: to me were a Lot!
First of Luke & Catherine seemed to accept life for
what It was In there sight. Catherine & Luke was
comfortable with their life, accepted and settled with
how their lives were not imagining that best was yet
to come. For Trent & Dominique they had questions and
looked for answers. It was like their (D&T‘S) life was
a puzzle that needed putting together.. But with
missing pieces! I think Trent & Dominique was on the
brink of self-discovering. Early on I think In Trent
and Dominique relationship they wanted to take things
slow and they were not in denial about their love. I
love the glow and the blazing fire of Love I felt from
pg. 304 Trent told his Mom to come with them... That
touches me deeply! Trent had undying & unconditional
Love in his Heart..Truly Love does cover a multitude
of sins!!!

Love, clashes and challenged:
Oppose to Luke &Catherine I like to call their
relationship: Clash of the Titans! Liking to the
Greek Gods & all the Drama that surrounds the Greek
Gods, Challenges, clashes, fires, and Passions, last
but NOT least.. Love! Luke was both Adonis & Hercules
In one (Cath‘s protector), & Catherine Is Venus the
goddess of womanly charm and love. Venus was the
mother of Cupid. I felt a kindering spirit In
Catherine she was.. Soooo YOUNG! Wise, a prodigy &
beyond her years. Always showing unconditional Love &
care! Catherine was a Sweet Spitfire,
Luke & Catherine totally complimented and complete
each other. The saying of OLD still holds true today..
That they are sooo much alike until they can't get
along.. Holds true with them in their beginning. Luke
& Catherine agree to dis agree about being judgmental
about the opposite sex, they bump heads a Kazillions
times!

I wont get It twisted...I confess Catherine also had
preconceived notions about men too.

Loves protected embrace:
By the same token of their opinions of philosophy &
Idea thoughts, they did touch and agree on helping
others. Luke was a softy but strong tough warrior. He
had a lot of respect for his Mom, and others. I got a
big kick out of Ruth she had me In stitches when she
told Luke he had a suspicious mind after he put two &
two together with the help of her chatterbox friends..
Tee heee! OOOh man Luke was being bad, he tried to
sell his brother down the river.. By telling his Mom
to marry off Morgan.. That he wouldn’t suspect a
thing.. Poor Luke he was tired of his Mom’s
antics..(Heyyyy.. I could just squeeze & hug Ruth)
smile!
I Love how he was very close, and stood by his family
even from a very, young child to adult. He was very
dedicated and faithful handsome man. Catherine needed
the protected embrace that Luke’s Love provided for
her, and they both deserve each other to lean on and
love.

Love challenges fires and Passions:
Luke and Catherine’s relationship was buck wild,
swampy, steamy, and erotic! For example: I felt the
unleash of sexual tension flaring and misting in the
air from the begining with them. Luke’s question was
sort of subconsciously provocative suggested for
example: on pg. 32 Luke’s statement to Catherine,
You.. Make them sweat, do you? It seem right there
Catherine awaken & challenge the wild beast In Luke!
Wow she got his attention likes to no other woman
could! Catherine penetrated and challenge his senses..
Now that's my girl! She bought out the Beast man in
him. Catherine was, strong, tough & a Rarity destine
to be Luke’s Soul mate. Luke figured it out early on
before Catherine. Luke may also have the power of six
senses when he was communicating with Hero.. But
Catherine’s power of pure love for the animal ruled
out! Image a sexy warrior falls In Love with
YOU...OOOh man...Catherine wasn’t gonna NEVER get away
from Luke...whummmmp...Luke was truly buck wild and
almost did it the Wild West way. His next plan
probably... next was to kidnap Catherine If she didn’t
come to her senses.


It was Clash of fires and Passions all the way live!
Too many women or the wrong women left Luke with the
wrong impression. I felt that Catherine personify any
miss conceptions about Luke's notions that all women
were...illogical and scatter brain. She proves in her
every "action" that she was smart, brave, and his
EQUAL!
I was cheering & hooraying her on when she let sexy
...wild man...smile...Luke know with a steadfast &
unwavering Mind that I'm grown, and have my own
thoughts and Ideas..I make my own decision whether
right or wrong...I ate that up.... Yesssssss go girl
with your bad self! Bantling blunt!
She wasn’t afraid to stand her ground with Luke or
anyone. Catherine had much unmeasured depth & purpose.
She could stand her ground, and up to Luke for that
matter, It was like she was a challenged that called
him out. They were two very, very, completive spirited
Souls.

OOOh I was enchanted by the magic In Luke’s music.. I
say Romantic, simply madly romantic!
Even though Luke was a loner he chose to be It all so
seem that Luke met women who could NOT get past his
stunning Looks. Airheads or dumb giggly blond type so
to speak.
Catherine was who she was she didn't felt she stood in
any one‘s.. Shadow. And unlike Dominique (even though
she was beautiful, she experience being treated like a
trophy) Trent loved her Inside out & she did him as
well.

Loves silken embrace:
Dominique(from the bk.ONLY HERS another great bk.) was beautiful talented and smart but she
was just starting to live, she was looking for
in dependency. Catherine’s career was well established,
and was the opposite without insecurities. Catherine
Love unselfishly she gave her all and she felt..
(Perhaps scared but I think giving up on TRUE love..
later frighten her the MOST and living with out her
Soul mate, In the end too) she once felt that she,
wasn't whole with out conception of Luke’s baby by
her. He was a family man who would make a wonderful
father. Catherine and Luke knew themselves and were
comfortable in their skins. They were and NOT trying
to find themselves so to speak. Catherine & Luke’s
silken embrace was prehistoric steamy Hot & fiery
Passionate.

I Loved the reaction Catherine got out of Luke when
she asked him if he ever flirted with a woman? She
came through the pages as being.. Sultry &
seductive.,. And with Real love thrown in the mix well
blend..& a GREAT READ.. Heyyy...ya can't beat the
power of Love!!!!!

[Deena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Francis Ray novel. I'm a romance fanatic, but for some reason, I've been hesitant about reading her books, despite all the good reviews that her books routinely receive. I think I was too overwhelmed by all the series that she seems to have written and couldn't figure out where to start. I wanted to read someting different, so I decided to give this book a try.

Anytime I read a book in 2 days, it's pretty good. There were actually a couple of storylines, and all held my attention and were easy to follow, which is not always the case. Overall, the book was pretty good, but IMO, everything was wrapped up too neatly. Everybody was soooo nice. And although I liked Luke and Catherine, the book lacked heat and heat is a requirement for me in my romance novels. The love scenes were kinda nondescript; I was...unmoved by them. I actually had more questions than answers in the very first love scene: Was Catherine a virgin? Did they use protection? They were talking, but I was not getting what they were saying - or trying not to say.

I may give Francis Ray another chance, but I don't think I'll read a book that's part of a series. This book was written a while ago, so maybe I'll try one of her more recent offerings. Maybe she's spicing things up a little now.

[SassyMama · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY read the book that started it all...it makes me want to go back and re-read all the others...love the SEXY romance and the bit of suspense throughout...what can I say I LOVE the Grayson's and their ever growing circle of family and friends!

[Sharon Blunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that starting me reading all the books by this author, and made me start reading all her books.

I'm truly a Francis Ray fan.

I even started my daughter reading her books, and now we're both hooked.

[My-my · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love anything by Francis Ray. I have start reading all of the Grayson Novels. I am not on the third installment.

[Cf · Rating 3 out of 5]

One son down 3 to go. This is a good read. I needed a break in between my paranormal reads that have been beyond disappointing. Anyway, moving on to book 2. The Grayson men have definitely peeked my interest.

[A. Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good start to the series, but some parts were a little too slow and the story started to drag.

[Vonetta Augustine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luke and Catherine are great characters. Their story was a joy to read and their HEA was sweet. I love that Luke and crew (Trent, Daniel, Kane, and Matt) took on Marshall Albright -horrible man.

So Trent is a Taggert. Wade is his father. Joann Albright is his mother. If you read Only Hers, you know about Wade’s death.

[Chev B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book, first time as a teenager and now at 25. I’m not a big fan of in-depth side stores, there was too much going on. After a while I couldn’t wait for the book to be done. Good story just not great

[Carolyn King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love This Family

I have the paperback version of this book. I had to also but the ebook. I love the Grayson family. Luke did not let nothing stop him from getting Catherine. Catherine is the woman for Luke. Very good book.

[Shana B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Read!

I love the series and this story of alike and Cath. Ruth Grayson is an amazing character, we need more mothers like her in the world.

[amaya crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

Because I have Morgan and Sierra's portion of this series I just needed Luke Brandon and pierce half and I would give it to all the women in my family

[Kandice · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best from the best to do it.

[Brob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon finishing Until There Was You I had run the entire gamut of emotions. I laughed, I cried and I was sublimely happy with the characters.

Cordelia and Liam are the type of couple that I love to read about. They don't simply fall in love, they have to work for it. Additionally, there is still friction in the relationship. Books where they simply fall in love too easily don't interest me. I want to see the arguements that lead to a great love story. The way their personalities conflict and then begin to mesh was beautifully done.

Liam as a leading male was a very complex character. On one hand he was a bad boy and on the other an incredible father. Just when you think you have him figured out you find something new to appreciate in his character.

Cordelia or Posey was a strong female lead. She was independent and had her own agenda that doesn't change because there is a guy in the picture. I do hate how often the fact that she looks like a boy is referenced. It reminded me a little of Jane Eyre. She was beautiful to him and in her own way.

All in all I give the book a 4/5. I really enjoyed spending one of my last days of summer vacation reading it.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this series of books about the Graysons of New Mexico. Love this family which appeals to the visual imagination of beautiful people and their money makes them rich but of course all self made. Love this matchmaker mother who I'm sure is me because I always envision that I can match people up better than themselves. Looking forward to reading the whole series even though they aren't newly written.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a "trashy romance novel," this was shockingly good. I actually grew to care about the characters and was never bored. Ms. Ray is an excellent writer and knows how to tell a story. I also love love the Santa Fe setting and the family background - Native American meets African American. It doesn't hurt that everyone is drop dead sexy and delicious. A real steamy page turner. Hell I think I will read the entire series.

[Michelle Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first word until the last I was hooked. This was one of those stories that I could lose myself in time and time again. I love Francis Ray! I never want to put her books down and I just want to read them over and over again. I read all her books many years ago and decided to read them again. I'm just as pleased the second time around. If you're a hopeless romantic and appreciate a good love story you'll love her stories and you'll fall madly in love with all the characters

[LaTonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Francis Ray and I thought it was a very good read! I loved the story and the characters and I can't wait to see what happens with the rest of Luke's siblings when I read the rest of the books in this series.
I can't wait to read all the rest of the books by this author and I am now a fan!

[Stephanie Seawright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good first book in a series that is sure to please. Standard boy meets girl. A little drama. Girl leaves boy to save him because she is so selfless. He shows her the error of her ways. They sex each other a lot. She is probably a virgin. She is honored to have her cherry. Same old thing. But again interesting and the characters are likeable.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my first Francis Ray book & I really enjoyed it. The story was well rounded, though the last third didn't really need to be there. It felt tacked on to make the book longer. I really enjoyed Luke & Catherine, they had great chemistry. The sex scenes were meh but overall I really enjoyed the book & getting to know the Grayson family.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke And Catherine's love was so sweet. Even though she was strong and independent, she had her insecurities and he put on this player boy act. In the end, she tamed him. I LOOOVE when that happens. Their love was hot and sweet.

[Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Much mind-Blowing Sex

This book had good elements. I liked the elements that educated about Domestic Violence. However, the repetitive and graphic scenes of sex between Luke and Catherine got old. Overall, I held it to be an average story.

[Linda Jones]

Terrible!!!

This Kindle book keeps repeating paragraphs and not ending correctly. I'm in the first chapter and almost the whole chapter is highlighted with mistakes. I wasted my money on this one

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book but there was so much going on, it was almost to much. I really thought she would've gotten pregnant by the end of the book. I already dislike the mom, so I know I'm going to hate her even more in the next books.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am reading the Advanced Readers Copy for Francis to create a book trailer that will eventually end up at: http://www.youtube.com/booktrailers

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book I pray that she writes one with Naomi and Richard..

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved rereading this story. It was just as riveting the second time.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story so much! I loved all the characters; Luke, Catherine, Naomi, Richard, and Kayla! Loved it so much I read it in one day! This story was very well written!

[Lisa G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. The relationship between Luke & Catherine was wonderful. I've read all the books in this series and I can't wait for the next one.