Paper Rose

Hutton & Co. #2

by Diana Palmer

Ο γοητευτικός Τέιτ Γουίνθροπ κάποτε είχε σώσει τη Σέσιλι, αλλάζοντας πορεία στη ζωή της. Από τότε εκείνη του ήταν ολόψυχα αφοσιωμένη. Όμως αυτός ο περήφανος άντρας με το ινδιάνικο αίμα αρνιόταν ακόμη και να σκεφτεί την προοπτική ενός μικτού γάμου. Έτσι, η Σέσιλι είχε αναγκαστεί να παραιτηθεί από τον άντρα των ονείρων της.

Τώρα, όμως, ο Τέιτ βρισκόταν ξαφνικά παγιδευμένος στη δίνη ενός συνταρακτικού πολιτικού σκανδάλου. Κι αυτή τη φορά, η Σέσιλι δεν ήταν πια μικρό κορίτσι. Ήταν μια νέα γυναίκα, στην αρχή μιας λαμπρής καριέρας, που μπορούσε να τον βοηθήσει.

Θα έκανε τα πάντα για να τον σώσει. Η ζωή της έδινε μια ευκαιρία να του ξεπληρώσει το χρέος της. Και ίσως, μια τελευταία ευκαιρία για να κάμψει τις αντιστάσεις του και να κερδίσει την καρδιά του...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Fiction, Native American, Westerns

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published July 25, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.

(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.

She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.

Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.

In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4stars!

I love Diana Palmer and always will she holds a special place in my heart she's one of the first authors that got me into romance.
I have read a lot of her books and I know her writing is old fashion but I can't help but love them some I've liked and some I've loved dearly.

"Paper rose" is the story of Tate and cecily they known each other since childhood. Cecile has been in love with him for a long time but Tate, who is Native American doesn't want a relationship with her since he doesn't want a mixed relationship.

I loved this story even when it drove me crazy especially with Tate, yeesh he was obsessed with the whole not mixing race thing. But dam I still loved him and all his gorgeous self tall with his beautiful long hair. But regardless of all the drama they both created with the push and pull they had going on I was really into the story. I also loved the secondary story with Tate's mom, which I found so endearing even though it was like an ice bucket for Tate.

Great story with wonderful characters with miss Palmer's unique style. <3

[Leona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long, too boring in spots, too dysfunctional. Most importantly, I was offended by the racism that just screeched throughout the book. Not my cuppa at all.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cecily has loved Tate since she was 17 but he doesn't want a relationship with her cause he is her guardian and cause she is a white woman and he is not. Tate and Cecily are a great couple. He is sexy, brooding and fiercely protective of Celicy. Celicy is innocent, super sweet but also very strong. She is fierce to the point of making a new life for herself and her unborn baby far away from Tate. She really made him grovel and suffer to win her heart back. A wonderful love story!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

**plot spoilers**
This is the best book of Diana Palmers, which isn’t saying much, because I really don’t like her style at all. They’re abusive men—they don’t hit the character, it’s all verbal, but they might as well bash her upside the head with a 2 by 4 with the things they’re saying to her.

There are several things I liked about the book but they didn’t really stand up to the things that sucked about it.

I liked Tate’s heritage and the tribal dances he did when he went back home, but of course Cecily studied Native American culture, so she knows sooo much about it. If I remember right he’s the reason she chose that field, and this girl started shaping up to be a bit of a stalker/obsessive. The way she went after him was deplorable.

The part where she throws crab bisque onto him in the restaurant and asks if he’s feeling crabby. He goes after her, to see her get in the car with Colby, or whatever his name was. She had just found out Tate paid for her way through college and her apartment and everything, and she feels that he saw her as a charity case.

I liked that he had helped her out when her stepdad was abusing her and trying to take advantage of her.

I loved the part where Colby comes over and has a black eye or a cut on his face where Tate hit him while he had a ring on or something like that. He thought Colby had slept with Cecily so he punched him. I really liked that part where it showed his jealousy.

What I really didn’t like was that when she goes down to his hometown for the celebration, she just talks to him like nothing’s wrong when she should have been hurt about him forgetting her birthday and acting like a jerk.

It turned out he had a gift for her, a crab pin; that was ironic and sweet.
I absolutely hated the fact that he had been with so many women, and if I’m not mistaken they were all white women, women that were just interested in how a Native American was sexually, but didn’t want him for anything more. Oh boo hoo, Tate. Why would you go out with any of them if they treated you like that?

And there was this whole conflict between him and Cecily because he didn’t want children with a white woman and so couldn’t be with her. Uh, you’ll have sex with all these other white women, but you won’t get with Cecily. I’m failing to see the logic behind that. Anyways, he’s really careful about being safe so he won’t get them pregnant, but that still doesn’t make sense to me.

I didn’t like Cecily as a person at all. She was just unlikeable, not funny, not interesting, pretty much boring and what did show through was not likeable in the least. She couldn’t stay mad or hurt when she should have, and I didn’t like that she was practically throwing herself at him. There’s a scene when she was younger where he had driven her out to an archaeological sites and she’s kissing him and telling him she has a box of condoms and for him to teach her, and I’m like omg, have you no shame?

The first time they sleep together it’s completely just the wrong setting. They’re in his mother’s house, I can’t remember if she was still in the kitchen while this was going on or not, but I thought the timing was all wrong. I didn’t like that Cecily wore glasses, because it came off as nerdy in here, especially since she had them off and Hunter wondered if she could even see him. Wow, great stuff.

I was pretty surprised when she left town to move somewhere else, and previously when she told a magazine editor that the women living with Tate and him were getting married. I absolutely hated when he cut his hair short, even though I did like it because he was in mourning after his fight with Cecily and all of that drama about her keeping the secret of his dad to herself. I hate that she cut hers short too, because I hate when female characters do that. He shows up to the wedding on the arm of that woman, and I was mad about that.

At the end he puts his hand over her stomach, the baby kicks, and he looks startled. And she’s all mother-of-the-year, already acting like she knows everything about babies and pregnancy and says something in a know-it-all manner like he’s an idiot for acting the way he did. I can’t remember exactly what it was, because it’s been a while since I’ve read it but I didn’t care for it.

This is the best book of hers that I read, and there are good qualities to it, but overall it wasn’t that great. I am just not a fan of Diana Palmer. Her male characters are abusive and just plain hard-asses, and her female characters are very unlikeable, annoying and have no backbone whatsoever. They have no shame and will repeatedly go after the guy even though he’s made it quite clear he doesn’t want her.

[Raffaella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so good for me. I was like Pip in Dickens' novel, I had great expectations when I read the first pages, the hero saved a teenager heroine from her pig stepfather who tried to rape her, then sent her to his mother in an indian reservation until she could complete her studies. He paid for her studies but never said he was her mysterious benefactor. She found out when his present girlfriend told her during a party. The heroine cause a scene and was angry with the hero. Then we have those flashbacks where she tried to seduce the hero, he kept distant, dated (and bedded) other women, and all this because he didn't want to marry and have children with a white woman. This is anacronistic, sad and racist.
The author tries to make the book more interesting adding a "secret" who, afterwards gives the hero the ammunitions to be angry, nasty and mean to the heroine (as if all the women he bedded and the humiliations he subjected her to, even with the help of said women, were not enough...)
I didn't enjoy this book at all.
Why?
- The hero should be proud, brave and smart but he keeps on bedding white women and he told his last woman all about the heroine because he couldn't resist her pretty face. That makes him a weak stupid a**.
- The heroine is angry because he was the benefactor and didn't tell her, not because he bedded all the other women and not her... Really really smart.
- The heroine is pictured as a plain woman with glasses and big lenses... ok, I'm so tired of those dowdy women, beauty cannnot be for every women but being drab is a choice. And trying to be feminine and doing the best of herself is not a sin and doesn't mean a woman is shallow.
-I didn't feel the emotional connection between the hero and the heroine. There's not enough love, not enough passion. He keeps on dating his bimbo until the end of the book, he dated endless women, just there was no connection between H/h until the end.
- I don't like women throwing themselves to men that don't want them. The heroine kept doing this, it was really sad. A bit of pride and self respect would be appreciated. By me at least.
So, no, this one was not for me, I found it boring and I'm so sorry that a possible interesting character as the hero, a native Sioux Lakota, who potetially could have been sexy, proud and self-assured turned out to be a weak man without a backbone and very uninteresting. What a wasted chance.

[Simoloverosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo è un libro che ormai da anni leggo e rileggo ogni qualvolta non mi sento ispirata da nessuna altra storia. Come tanti altri fa parte della mia comfort zone vuoi perchè la zia Diana è garanzia, vuoi perchè Tate è assolutamente magnifico lo scelgo per ritrovare l' ispirazione giusta e per rivivere una storia che da ragazzina mi ha fatto tanto sognare. O per meglio dire Tate mi ha fatto sognare con quei suoi lunghi capelli neri, quei suoi tratti indiani e quel carattere da finto duro che mi hanno fatto sempre rabbrividire di emozione. Certo non sono più quell' adolescente ora da lettrice adulta ed esperta noto quelle sfumature negative nella storia che prima non vedevo ma, nonostante le mie incomprensioni che questa volta mi hanno fatto parecchio innervosire con la protagonista che trovo sempre più assurda, resto sempre dell' idea che il libro sia godibilissimo in più il mistero e la suspense che fa da sfondo intriga e Tate...Tate è fuoco!!!!! :-)

[amanda s. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! Not giving it five stars though, mostly because Tate's kind of pissed me off and Cecily's way too meek. But overall, this book is very enjoyable. Very Diana Palmer and very angsty too. Definitely my favorite.

I'm in love. You guys should read it. Seriously.

[Bookish.Midnight. and. black · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long and boring, with a lot of details about native americans. I felt like i should have read a history book instead of this one.
I Saw the twist from the beginning. The ending was also predictable from the start

[jenjn79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another typical Palmer book. It was a good read with great characters, emotions and storyline. I always seem to enjoy reading Palmer's books, and I love how she uses recurring characters to tie her books together. Tate was a secondary character in "Once In Paris". I liked all the characters in the book, including Colby Lane, and the romance between Tate and Cecily was good.

But though I liked the book, I found myself a bit frustrated with some things. The storyline and romance/characters were just very, very typical of Palmer. She reuses the same theme over and over. I don't really mind it all that much, because it's a theme that works, but it's still frustrating to read the same type of story. Her females tend to always been naive and innocent, and her males brooding and at times overly mean. "Paper Rose" wasn't much different. It just gets a little old after reading such a theme in so many of Palmer's books.

So yeah, I liked the book, but some variation on Palmer's theme wouldn't have been a bad thing.

[SofiaBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stelle
Un libro che ho trovato a tratti noioso e datato.
La storia di per se non è brutta ma non sono riuscita ad entrarci in empatia.

[Illa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read the first one a long time ago and I’ve never thought I would find the series to continue because Tate made so freaking curious about his love interest.

I enjoyed this book so much, it’s different from the booktok’s books but it is worth it.

Can’t wait for Sabon’s book!

[Kace | The Booknerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoyed reading Ms. Palmer's books. And Paper Rose was no exception. I can't explain how much I adored Tate, maybe because I'm not sure why. He is rather cold and obnoxious to Cecily for much of the story. But although he was cold towards her, it was very obvious what he felt for her even initially. He was fighting a losing battle in ignoring his feelings. And when they gave in to their desire... it was hot! Boy, this apache man knows his way around the bedroom. Then he groveled.

"I'm your home. I always have been."

As for Cecily, she's an amazing heroine. I'm proud of her for not letting Tate walk all over her. And even though she loves him very much, she wouldn't settle for anything less.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters, such as Tate's parents Leta and Matt, and Colby. I admit there were a couple of times where I wanted Cecily to choose and marry Colby.

Diana Palmer never ceases to amaze me. She has a way of telling a story that will keep you interested from page one up to the last page and wish that the book would never end.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's just keep this short and spicy. This is some real melodramatic bullshxt. There are so many gaps in the story line it makes absolutely no sense. We have a sexually deprived,emotionally unstable woman and this insensitive alpha male.Good try Ms.Palmer for attempting to tell the plight of the Native Americans. However instead of telling the story fluidly while injecting aspects of the culture of the people-there were just random bursts of information placed here and there. Especially when Cecily was used as a medium for this,I just wanted to skip it.I found many aspects of the book unnecessary and pretentious;the dialogue was laughable as well as the construction of the characters. The only thing I liked was the transition between the flashbacks and the present day occurrences.The spy foolishness did not help,it was just bizarre and seemed as an excuse to explain characters' lavishness. Save yourself the time and read something worthwhile.

[Dakota Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love almost all of Diana Palmer's books and this one was really good. I love Cecily and Tate. Sexy as hell Tate, Native American, a secret operative...wow..did I say sexy! Cecily is a naive, sweet girl who wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to Tate. Love them together, their love making was sweet and sexy. This book reminds me a lot of Diamond Spur with how the relationship progressed and the differences in the characters lives and the naivety in the women characters. Love Leta Tate's wonderful, beautiful and amazing mother. Even love Colby and Matt, great characters and a great story over all. A little long in spots when Audrey was around but loved it all the same. Love Micah Steele making a appearance too. Another great, romantic, sweet and sexy story by Diana Palmer.

[Manuela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ho letto tre romanzi della Palmer, e mentre con il primo, "Prima della passione", mi aveva decisamente entusiasmato, per stile, coinvolgimento e tensione ben delineati, con gli ultimi due, ma soprattutto con questo, l'entusiasmo è sceso parecchio.
Le tematiche e lo sviluppo della trama (una lei traumatizzata e bloccata psicologicamente e sessualmente, si trova in pericolo e viene salvata da lui, freddo e insensibile all'apparenza, ma iperprotettivo nella realtà) sono sempre le stesse, ripetitive e per nulla originali.
Oltretutto questo romanzo dalla sua non ha neanche quella tensione palpabile che invece avevo favorevolmente apprezzato in "Prima della passione". Bocciato.

[JillyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read with some nice little sub romances going on. I think it would have been better as a shorter book(like a harlequin presents) However, DP was setting us up for future stories with her introduction of some of the characters from the mercenary crowd. Thank goodness there weren’t pages and pages of gaming references...that comes in later books I guess. I thought the description of Tate was rather dreamy! It reminded me of Adam Beach with long hair!

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a real hard time getting through this book.
I've read several of Ms. Palmer's books and I think this maybe the worst of them.
In the beginning it was confusing and hard to like the characters.
It got better around half way through, but, it still was not very good.
Not one of Diana’s better attempts!

[Brittany Mcklane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that started my fascination with Diana Palmer. Her Stories are beautifully written and well plotted. The main characters were amazing and well constructed. Much Love <3

[Aayesha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Clara H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

i remember kind of liking this book.
there were some good things and i liked how the girl ran away and he tracked her down.
it was also a sweet gesture that he cut his hair,but i totally hated that he cut it!
there were some serious problems in here,though.
like the fact that he could never get with her because he was the last of his line and had to get with sum1 who was a native american also. &yet he was dating this bimbo.& u just knew they were sleeping 2gether. ugh! so why did he nvr get w/the main girl b4?
of course u dont rlly like situations where it seems there isnt a way out of,but ur always excited to c how it will end.but i was disappointed w/the way this book ended so..perfectly.
like it turned out he dint need2 worry about securing the line or w/e so he could get w/her in the end.it just happened to perfectly.i kind of wanted the guy to say idc about the line,i wanna be w/ her no matter wut.but alas,it didnt happen.
-review after reading it for the 3rd time-warning-its kind of long.
“he steered clear of white women.” apparently not. because you got close to Audrey &have dated several others like her.
“she would never be beautiful.” wow, that's nice.
Her flirty teasing is a little much.
They made it so obvious something was going on between leta and matt.idr it happening that way, or so soon.
“the silence in the car was pregnant.” couldn't you have used a better word there?
I kind of wished she would have stayed at Colby’s apartment that night after the party.
I don’t like the dated feel to the book. They say things like “cellular phones" and "prophylactics."
“at least one of them should have worn something high-necked, she mused, with her collarbone and skinny neck so prominent.” That was just mean, and I’m personally offended. Are skinny people supposed to wear turtle-neck sweaters 24-7?
I like how Cecily gets digs in at the guy when shes mad, but I hated how at the festival, she just starts talking normal to him about his mom. You should have given him the cold shoulder.
“all audrey’s charms hadn’t been able to erase the memory of cecily’s wounded, accusing eyes.” how can u say something like that, and then not have slept with her?
If Audrey is bashing the res, why are you still with her??
why didn't anyone realize before that tate looked like matt?
‘He looked down at Audrey. “I’m not ready to cash in my chips yet.”’ WTF! &we nvr heard that he did that to make Cecily jealous.
I find it hard to believe that a strong man, a CIA agent like Tate would confide in some stupid blonde about cecily’s education. Wth was he thinking?! And why is a guy like him letting himself be led around by Audrey?
Did he seriously not know she was 25?? He was off by 5 years!
Some things are better the first time reading it. when she tells tate sex without love is just sex, it had so much more impact the first time around. so was tate going after Cecily in Tennessee. I also wished her and tate would have drawn out their “relationship” to make tate more jealous. Because it hardly lasted in here. And why would matt be the one to tell tate she would never let anyone touch her but him. how does he know she’s never been with a guy before??
So then tate somehow knows that she lied about getting with Colby, and then goes to his moms house and just sleeps with her. She, of course, lets tate do whatever he wants, whether hes with someone or not. Everything is happened way too soon in here!
Sometimes I felt that Cecily could be a tad self-absorbed. Colby would be talking about serious stuff, and she would either change the subject, or make light of the situation instead of sympathizing and really talking things out with him.
It annoyed me when I thought she was going to just go to the dance with him because he said so-which wouldn’t have been surprising, because she goes along with whatever tate wants-but then I was disappointed when they didn’t go. I wish the author would have wrote more of reservation life and the dances they do there. For a book about native americans, she sure didn’t include much about their culture.
“wasn’t intimately involved with her.” how did I not remember that?? every time I thought of this book, I would be upset because I thought he slept with Audrey.
Their kiss happened way too soon. &hes still with Audrey!
I had no idea the secret was out so soon about tates dad.
Did he seriously not know Cecily loved him?
“he was aroused &she knew. He’d let her know, for the 1st time.” What about in the chair at his moms house?
Everyone has been married &their spouse has died or is out of the picture. Matt, leta, Colby, and Audrey.
“I’m supposed to try to seduce you, not the reverse.” Pathetic.
How could she think he’d bought her a ring?!
After leta gave her the advice to stick to her guns and resist tate, im surprised she didn’t listen to it. then again, I think she’s always desperately wanted tate’s kid. You don’t go and lie about taking the morning after pill when you have no intention of doing so! She’s like those girls who traps the guy into marrying them.
I really hate that they never even had a relationship and then just had sex and immediately got pregnant. A baby doesn’t solve things, and it doesn’t mean happily ever after. I hate when characters don’t have time for themselves before they have kids.
&how did leta suddenly know that Cecily knew about matt and her? I mean, she could have just been saying “sometimes the rewards are worth the price.” How did she know there was a hidden meaning?
When Cecily finally thought to bring Audrey up, tate says he hasn’t seen her a while. Not-I broke up with her and laid into her about telling you my secret and looking down on the culture im so proud of.
Its kind of messed up that tate didn’t want to touch her until he knew Colby had slept with her.
Does someone really feel how Maureen did? She didn’t mind knowing that Colby had a little apache in him, but when she found out he was full-blooded, or close, she left him. who does that??
I don’t understand why tate wont give Audrey the slip. Matt says ‘“in case you don’t recognize that attitude, you might ask your friend Audrey why she wont go out there with you. Or are you afraid of the answer?” tate stiffened and his eyes glittered at the older man. His fists balled at his lean hips. “go to hell.”’
he acted like he really liked her.
I hate how, when she finally decided to move on, and was basically turning him down, he decides he finally wants her. And right before it, he adamantly stated that he didn’t want kids with a white woman. So right after, he’s like don’t take the pill. Someone had a real quick change of heart.
He acted like sex was an experiment, basically to see if she still had fears about men. “let’s get rid of the ghosts. If you can get past the fear, I wont have anyone else from now on except you.” What if she hadn’t gotten over her fears? Would you go out and get with everyone?
Stop lying to tate! This is serious stuff here. How are we supposed to like the main character when shes acting like an idiot?
“he wouldn’t marry her because there weren’t going to be any children; not any that he knew about, she amended.” How can you keep him from knowing about a child?
“im cultured, im talented, im quite beautiful, and I’d be willing to do anything you liked in bed.” who talks about themselves like that?
“gloriously beautiful.” Who talks like that?
His mom saying “put on the heat” is so wrong. That whole convo. was too personal!
She says she wont tell lea &then tells leta with hardly any provocation what matt told her.
Colby tells tom he wont tell Cecily &then does. Are you in the CIA or not?! And can no one keep a secret?
All of a sudden tate feels a connection to matt.
Since when does Cecily have waist-length hair??
She always keeps it up, in a bun for goodness sakes, and only lets it down before bed. Who does that? And you sound like an old lady.
If he was with Audrey &she was with Colby, why did he keep kissing her &why did she let him? that’s so irritating!
The explanation points in here are seriously annoying. As are the periods. “flowing….!”
“was…the…explosion!”
“Never…”
“except the…pleasure!”
“I wont cling. I’m not the type.” But you will throw yourself repeatedly at a guy.
She made it sound like she only slept with him to see if she could. &he wasn’t even offended.
“adopted mama.” Mom would have sounded so much better there.
“feast of the senses.” Gagggg.
Why would you go out to lunch when you think he’s back with Audrey? &why would you give the silent treatment just to blurt out what Audrey told you? Way to make a stand.
Why are we just now finding out leta’s whole name? “Leta Warwoman Winthrop.”
All of a sudden, tate mentions that he had known that him and matt resembled each other. How have we not heard from anyone that they noticed similarities?!
&I thought matt was going to try to make it easy on leta and not lay the blame on her to tate. But he leaves saying, “I could have spared you, and her, if I’d only known the truth!”
Why would you just let him have sex with you just because he needed comfort? That’s like letting him use you.
She thinks him and Audrey are living together, so she just lets him have sex with her.
Sometimes the author will say that something hurt the characters, without explaining how exactly it hurt them. like this-‘“&that’s why after 8 years, Cecily has had one raging affair after the other,” he said facetiously. The words had power. They wounded.’
Why would they wound tate when he knows she’s never slept with anyone? He only thinks shes slept with Colby recently.
DUMP AUDREY, for goodness sakes! You mean to tell me you so desperate for company at the wedding that you invited the devil to go with you, even knowing how scheming and evil she is.
the cutting the hair thing was so incredibly sweet, and an interesting part of N.A. culture. But I hatedddd that he did it! especially when Cecily isn’t exactly worthy enough.
I remember reading this the first time and wondering how it was all gunna play out. would he finally decide Cecily was worth more than his cultural beliefs? I found it a tad too convenient that he ended up not being full-blood Lakota. It ended too nicely. It would have been more sweet had he been full-blooded and decided that he’d be with her anyway.
I forgot Cecily cut her, too. I hate that!
Its kind of weird and creepy to have matts…sweet spot, or w/e u wanna call, it the same as tates.
Matt&leta married so suddenly. And I don’t see her wanting to leave the reservation.
Colby wanted her, and now this random Mr. Johnson does. I thought she wasn't pretty. and that mr. Johnson comment didn't need to be in there. it was so random.
The ‘new assailant’ is beating up your attacker, so why would you think he was gunna harm you?! Didn’t you think it was someone helping you?
He wasn’t full-blooded, even if matt wasn’t his real dad. WTH! I did not remember that, and I cant believe hes been lying to everyone about it.
“she was so intensely preoccupied that she hardly realized what he was doing until she was standing equally nude before him.” who doesn’t realize they’re being undressed? And he must have done so remarkably fast.
“his own heir who lay under cecily’s heart.” The baby isn’t under your heart.
The ending was so drawn out. I took my time reading this book, and didn’t rush through it, and I got tired of reading it towards the end. They kept beating subjects to death towards the end and it was a little too chatty for me. they’d mention something serious that had really hurt them, then they’d be fine and joking after, only to mention something serious again. get over it!!!
the book kind of contradicted itself at some parts. tate would think Cecily was a virgin, then not. he kept bouncing back to that. it was irritating.
it started out pretty good and then slowly went downhill. in the end, I was just over it. and I hated how the characters changed. Cecily turned into a psychotic woman who only wanted a baby at any cost, and literally lied to get one.
Why is there a horse on the cover? There wasn’t one horse in the book!
If leta was so mad and bitter over the past when matt called her, why would she suddenly agree to marry him? you haven’t talked in over 30 years.
“we both know I’d crawl to you over broken glass to do anything you liked.” Pathetic!
Why would leta ask if she looked okay if it was just Colby coming to dinner?
Tate’s age was never mentioned outright. The only way I knew was the “thirty-six year old secret” that lasted his whole life. So im assuming he’s 36. Which is quite a big older than 25 year old Cecily.
Some things in here don’t make sense. Like this-‘”wheres your sense of adventure?”
“hanging in the shower trying to dry out.”’
Its so weird that one of his guys looking after Cecily just dropped dead of a heart attack. I thought that man would turn out to be alive and actually a bad guy who would go after Cecily.
When did Colby punch pierce?
And I wanted to hear more about pierce and his wife.
“I love you more than my life.”
In the end, it’s like she didn’t even care about matt &leta. She was okay with leaving and never seeing them again. and when tate said they were already buying things for the baby, shes like “all our baby needs is us.” She’s already an annoying mother.
In the end, tate said he never got an apology for the crab bisque, but Cecily had already apologized for it. cause that’s when he said the area it landed on wasn’t affected.
Married in a suit with a hat and short veil. Wth! Are you 70 years old?
The author is clearly writing about someone like herself. Big thick glasses. Need I say more?
What does a bandaged wrist have to do with wearing contacts?
How did he not get the phone call saying she didn’t start the story. That was never addressed. Did Audrey delete the message?
Convenient that Audrey is a drug addict. Were we supposed to feel sorry for her? She didn’t get the ending she deserved.
Tate changed in the end, suddenly mischievous and joking.
I liked the fact that Cecily was an anthropologist, but if she dropped out of college, how did have her degree?
decided to change my rating from 2 stars to 3. parts of it were good, others-not so much.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Diana Palmer for years .This book has me coming back again and again.
Indian reservation ,Heritage ,tribe adoption, casinos, little politics and a young girl that desperately needed someone to be on her side.
This has just enough of my reading boxes checked ,strong man ,loyal girl that loves him but he won't go there.
We have a variety of characters that are in this series coming and going .We touch on ex soldiers that have been crippled from battle with struggles to fit in .The struggles the Native Americans face everyday and the casinos that seem to prey on the Native Americans who want to work and support their families and tribe. But with casinos you also have a spike in crimes .A double edge sword.
The main male character is a Lawyer in the white mans world but his roots puts his whole tribe on his back with his determination to keep his blood pure Native American .He has framed his whole life on it ,even though he dates white women. Which brings us to the female main character. He basically saved her when she was young from abusive family member ,paid her schooling and her other needs. She is desperately in love with him and the writer pulls you into their feelings of him determined to not go there and her hearing him say pure blood but thinking you date white woman . The struggles between culture and expectations .The Native American mom that has a secret she has kept hidden and is scared to death to lose her son over it .A father in politics that is in the dark yet still loves the woman he did so wrong for his career. The wounded soldier that is using drink to numb his pain.
It flowed and I was shown a story and not just told. The best writers are those.that have you completely unaware that you are reading and not there . This writer is that for me .When I read her works sometimes I look up and check myself because I was in the story. World building and fleshed out were balanced out .We don't get pages of inner thoughts but we get what we need that allows you to see this town and its people . Its written so the other books blend with this book unlike some that write series but seem to change things that happened .
This writer is my go2 for my feels and has a permanent spot on my paperback shelf and digital shelf .

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aqui mais um clássico da titia palmeirão, mocinho índio Lakota que coloca a mocinha branca Cecily sob sua proteção desde nova, e por mais que ela o ame e deixe isso bem claro, ele por questão de não querer se 'aproveitar' e por não querer misturar o seu sangue, por fidelidade a raça, tenta de todas as formas se distanciar dela. A trama inteira deles fica nesse impasse, a mocinha o querendo e ao mesmo tempo se conformando a uma vida solitária sem ele e o mocinho tentando a todo custo evitar a mocinha, resistir a atração entre eles, mas de vez em quando têm seus momentos de fraqueza e isso é mostrado quando é aflorado sua possessividade e ciúmes, além de ter a presença de uma rival da mocinha no meio, ou seja, tudo bem clichê, porém confesso que mesmo a trama não sendo muito sólida e tendo muitas coisas comuns de livros antigos de banca que me incomodam, como o machismo e pensamentos retrógrados, eu me vi entretida até 80% do livro, pois realmente o casal têm muita química e o mocinho índio têm um bom apelo, mas achei que o final acabou tendo cenas desnecessarias, o livro poderia ter bem menos páginas, e a questão da parte de 'ação e mistério' foi totalmente descartável, poderia ter focado só no romance, não gosto quando a autora insere ação nos seus romances.
Mesmo sendo um livro que poderia ter encurtado pela metade, confesso que curti a trama paralela da mãe do protagonista e do amigo da mocinha, a química entre o casal, os rompantes de independencia da mocinha, as cenas que valorizavam a importância da família e a cena do reencontro da mãe do mocinho com seu antigo amor (nunca irei esquecer kkkkkk), porém não é o tipo de livro que eu leria novamente, esse tipo de trama soa ultrapassada para mim, prefiro romances mais intensos e consistentes.

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like just about everything in the story, and would never want to re-read it, but it was an entertaining one time read.

The hero was terrible, he "knew" he was in love with heroine the whole time but slept with lots and lots of other women over the course of 8 years. He constantly rejected her but wouldn't really let her be with other men. He went out with another woman throughout the story (apparently had never slept with her) and even though she constantly showed him how vile she was (said mean things about heroine, him being native American, etc) he continued to go out with her.

Heroine was ok, she did distance herself from him, but he kept seeking her out and wouldn't let her move on, but was also rejecting her. P.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cecily and Tate

It's a ok read compared to the last few a have read from DP. Tate saved Cecily from her stepfather and they forged a connection Tate wasn't comfortable with keeping her at arms length for years. Poor Cecily had been in love with him with no hope of having her feelings returned. One she is privy of a enormous secret that involves Tate and his heritage she decides to keep quiet to protect him. But undoubtedly the H finds out and is furious, cutting her from his life. Cecily finds herself pregnant, alone and in danger with nobody to turn to.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best DP novels! I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. The characters were strong while flawed and you shared their feelings...good or bad. Everyone's heritage helps to define them but, as illustrated, can also erect barriers. The mother figure was impressive and even the Senator redeemed himself. The H had to finally face his own anxieties and fears without labels and false pride. Only then could he move forward and grow.

Diana Palmer has always been one of my go to authors and she can really pull your heartstrings. Sometimes you want to hug a character (especially her hero's) and sometimes you want to give them a whack...but you love them.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

I read this book years ago in paperback. I just recently brought this book for myself. This is absolutely my favorite book written by her. This book is written so well. Full of action. I highly recommend this book. Great job. Diana. What I love about her books is that they are so good, I can read the over and over again. Her style of writing is what I’m looking for in this crazy world.

[atypicalmaya]

- Nie. - wyszeptał prosto do jej ust. Chcę, żebyśmy robili to właśnie tak. Powoli i czule, pełniej niż kiedykolwiek do tej pory. Chcę, żebyś jęczała słodko, kiedy będę kończył.

Czujesz mnie, tam, głęboko - jęknął gardłowym głosem. - Jak głęboko... jak wypełniam cię do końca, jak cała jesteś moja... Cecily... o Boże, Cecily, kocham cię!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

When Tate Whinnthrops world comes crashing down around him it Ciecly who tries to protect and save him. They have a very rocky road to travel filled with danger, hurt and lies. A really great series and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 1 out of 5]

o io sono particolarmente tonta (e può essere...) o questa storia salta di palo in frasca come una mosca noiosa che salta continuamente al naso. avanti e indietro, presente e passato, e non ci capisco un'acca. addio.