Call Hawkins just wants to be left alone and leave the past where it belongs. The bleak beauty of Dead Horse Creek is a perfect place to get away from the world...a place where nothing exists to remind him of everything he's lost. His isolation is complete--until Charity Sinclair arrives fresh from New York City. Stunningly beautiful and stubbornly independent, she's also shamefully ignorant of the untamed wilderness...and the very real dangers she'll face if Call doesn't teach her a thing or two.
But even with Call's grudging help, Charity's dream of life in the Yukon may have led her into something much more savage than the forest. A menace as endless as the long days that run together without darkness--and a killer who won't let anything come between him and perfect, deadly vengeance...
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.
Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.
Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.
"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."
"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."
Ehhhh. Wanted the hero to quit being such a sullen, unlikeable jerk, and also wanted the heroine to quit falling into bed with him even though he spent 2/3 of the book being a sullen, unlikeable jerk. By the time the last third of the book came around, it was too late for him to be redeemed.
I read the second book (Desert Heat) years ago,& happened to get the other two free. Three sisters named Hope, Patience, and Charity is ridiculous, as well as three sisters that just happen to have people trying to kill them. What are the chances of that? & While we're on the subject of names, I didn't like Call for a nickname either.
Charity: Charity was seriously naive and stupid for using her inheritance on a gold mining scheme in Alaska,& buying a cabin that she saw online. She's actually surprised it's not like the ad. Nowhere in the synopsis did this mention a hunt for gold. You can't mention Jack London and then have Call have a part wolf, part husky dog. It's like the author ripped him off.
She came across as juvenile with her 'favorite action hero' Max Mason, who traveled the world fighting evil. She thought since he lived through worse conditions and never complained then she could live there. She even compared him to her hero. 'If nothing else, she'd have two days and nights of hot sex with a macho hunk like her fantasy man, Max Mason. Hey, didn't Call even look a little like him?' She didn't know what pepper spray was.
She doesn't believe in reincarnation--no that's too crazy--but she thinks she inherited the memories from an ancestor.
It would be nice if the MC's friends were actually good ones. Some kind of friend Deirdre was, giving Jeremy Charity's number when she told her not to.
It got absolutely ridiculous how Charity was having flashbacks & memories to things in the past. It was already ridiculous she felt she was tied to the land,& was part of it's history. She says "to inherit memories from someone, I'd have to be a direct descendant" as if she knows anything about that, as if it's real.
Call: I really didn't like how Call was interested in computers and had a software company. It's all of a sudden casually thrown out that Call had been a dad, which I think you're obligated to put on the back of your book. How was that or the gold mining not mentioned in the synopsis?
We're told he'd been seeing a divorcee in town, a cocktail waitress who'd made it clear he was welcome in her bed when he was ready, but he hadn't gotten hard just looking at her like he did with charity. He hasn't actually gotten with Sally yet, but now that he's met the MC, he plans to call her and take her to bed. Sally had a teenage son, so she sounded kinda old for Call. Idk why the heck the author would put us in Sally's perspective, as if I wanna hear from her. How 'one look and she practically came' while looking at his eyes, and getting turned on by him. Although he says he's been thinking about "taking you to bed," he says he's not ready but still kisses her. And she said they'd take it slow, because "it's just like ridding a bicycle. Once you learn, you never forget." Shut the freak up.
Call is a serious creep to look at Charity through binoculars. He was horrible to laugh at her falling down in the creek. Then he sees her fall in the mud. She was embarrassing then. Call thinks about telling charity he's been keeping up with her by looking through his binoculars, and imagines her looking sexy with her temper, only focusing how she'll look, not that you're creepy.
Call compared Charity to his dead wife, which I didn't like at all. I really didn't like hearing he had a high sex drive and his wife didn't,& his wife was dead and he was single and he just wanted some hot sex. He mentioned his wife came from old money, making him sound like a gold digger. He said Charity was affectionate, and Susan hadn't been, which he liked in a woman. He bad mouths his wife. She didn't like morning sex. She was a housewife, not interested in his work. It leads me to wonder why he even married Susan. What did you like about her?
Their first kiss happened too soon and moved too fast. Call came across as pathetically desperate: '"I haven't...you know...had sex in a long time. When I'm around you, that's damned near all I can think about. Wanting you, I mean." And "I don't suppose you'd be interested in a one-night stand?"
As if the dumb divorcee wasn't enough, we have to hear of a redhead from a bar who's interested in Call. Are the only women there waitresses? He's looking at Charity, noticing how pretty she is and thinks 'the redhead, he told himself. The redhead--and soon.' How sick is that? You're attracted to someone so you plan on having sex with someone else.
I could have tossed this book across the room when I read he was with the redhead after asking charity to have a one night stand. 'He'd thought of charity a thousand times in the last three weeks. Thought of her when it was the last thing he wanted to do. Thought of her even when he was with the redhead.' You're telling me he's waited four years, and couldn't even wait until him and charity got together?! Why would he turn Sally down just to get with the redhead? What's the fucking point?! Why not have him hook up with both women? Martin gave me hope and then she freaking ruined it. He bought a box of condoms before his date with Sally. 'He hadn't felt nearly the same with the redhead. All he's accomplished with her after four long years was a little sexual relief and the unwelcome knowledge that another woman wasn't going to get Charity Sinclair out of his blood.' You already knew that when you couldn't go through it with Sally. What makes me really mad is the heroines never know the guy hooked up with someone else. I was surprised Charity ended up knowing it.
'In college he'd been considered a major cocksman.' I couldn't believe that term was used. I've never even heard of that in reference to someone who's had a lot of sex. It sounded ridiculous.
Sometimes Call's comments were just creepy and not romantic: "Lady, you definitely have a wild streak--at least in bed." "God, you've got the prettiest legs. I've always been a leg man and yours are definitely a ten." "We screwed like minks for hours and you call it no big deal?" "Lady, you look good enough to eat."
As she's recovering from the plane crash, he's thinking about distancing himself from her. & is actually upset he has to say with her for 24 hrs because of her head injury. Real nice guy. The caveman is only upset he won't get to have sex. "You're not in any shape for bedroom athletics tonight and that's exactly what will happen if you sleep with me." She asks a favor and he thinks 'unless the favor was taking her to bed, he wasn't interested.'
Story: There were some inconsistencies and typos in here. Mose (who's cabin she lived in, and whose name I didn't like) was typed Moses once. Charity has green eyes but suddenly she 'looked up at him with big blue eyes.'
Jeremy says he forgives her for being with Call and she says "are you going to sit there and tell me you haven't slept with anyone since I left?" Which took a lot of nerve. Because she slept with someone. & he hadn't said anything that would make her say that. Jeremy was supposed to be reserved and didn't care about sex, yet she says 'Jeremy was needy. He wouldn't have lasted two weeks without a woman to take care of him.' Jeremy thought they were still together, just needing space so why would he say "I never cheated on you when we were together" and that it doesn't matter what they did the last two weeks. He proposes and she actually puts the ring on. Then suggests while he's there they go sight seeing as if their relationship didn't just blow up.
I founded it very ironic she 'didn't use mercury to process black and concentrates, the way some amateur miners extracted minuscule particles of gold' because you are the definition of amateur.
She wonders if Call is angry about Jeremy coming, and thinks how she'd feel if the situation was reserved. Well, he slept with someone after meeting you. Right before you guys had sex. At least you were in a long relationship with Jeremy.
He thinks of Jeremy in her bed and his stomach squeezed into knots. Yet you got with the redhead. I thought it was horrible when they had unprotected sex, she tells call she's on the pill and was tested with Jeremy and was fine. She says he hasn't had sex in years and Call blushes. It was disgusting to say "it was you I wanted" and "I thought if I slept with someone else, I'd be able to leave you alone." "I hadn't had sex in years. I thought it wouldn't matter. I thought any woman would do." "It wasn't the same, Charity. She wasn't you." She tells Maude Call slept with another woman,& instead of calling him a bastard dickhead, she says she thinks the past should stay in the past,& it's what matters from here on out. Charity 'looked up, hope springing into her chest. "You really think so?"' How old are you? You sound like a damn kid. Go by your own judgment, don't forgive someone because someone else told you to. If you're not ok with it, you don't have to be. I wish she had dumped him and someone else came into the picture, someone likeable, someone nice, charming, hero-material, and she had ended up with him.
It turns out it was a blow job. You know, no big deal, just a run of the mill blow job. Those don't matter at all! Not like you can't still get diseases by doing that or anything. & it didn't even make any sense. Why would the redhead, who was interested in Call, and is leaving soon, give him a blowjob without ever dating him or seeing him again? No sex for her, no she just dishes out blowjobs to people with nothing in return, no hope of a relationship or anything. Yeah right.
Charity actually has to come face to face with the redhead, who shall remain nameless. Seriously, not that I care, but she was always 'the redhead.' The restaurant had Kate in the name, so is that her name? Who's also still in town even though she was supposed to leave. Even though Call is in his 30s, he hooked up with her who's in her early 20s. She tells Call when he gets finished with his business, meaning Charity, to give her a call. 'Call wisely made no reply.' Wasn't she supposed to be leaving? Did the author forget what she wrote? And again, if she was leaving, why would she even want to hook up with Call? What was it, a farewell blow job? Even though they haven't dated.
He gets hard just looking at her, every time she's around him. Every time they were around each other they thought of having sex. I really don't like that in books. He's even thinking about it after Buck almost raped her.
I didn't like the POV from the bad guys. Idl seeing their names. Never figured it would be on Call's end. I thought it would be Buck and the gold. We even had a part in Toby's perspective. I didn't care to read about any of it.
It bugged me how Call called Charity 'the lady' when speaking of her in public. He did it several times. He sounded like an old man, and it's just weird when they've been romantically involved.
Charity actually bursts into tears after they had sex because it was 'just so incredible.' Pathetic. After he asks Jeremy wasn't into oral sex? And I didn't want the topic of oral sex to even come up after that stupid redhead.
It was very predictable Deirdre would get with Jeremy, who's a crappy friend in my opinion. And that Toby would get with Jenny. No way would Charity be so cool with it even though she doesn't love Jeremy. Friends don't go out with friends exes, period. She dated Jeremy for 2 years and wanted to marry him, so you would not easily pass him off to a friend like that.
Everyone's good looking. Everyone's attracted to everyone. Toby likes Charity and jenny. The freaking pilots even have to be good looking. One wasn't handsome but 'had a strong masculine appeal and charity imagined neither man had ever had trouble attracting women.' Why is that important?
When she teasingly says Call has a temper, instead of owning it and apologizing, he turns it into a sexual thing, as usual, saying that's not the only thing he has. What does that even mean? What are you hinting at? A penis? You have a penis? You're a male with a penis? As if you need to point that out.
He was wearing a gray pinstriped suit, white shirt and yellow tie with a briefcase,& I didn't care for that look at all. She compares him to Max Mason, who wore a tux as easily as he did a camouflage commando uniform. If Max Mason is a literary figure, how do you know what he looks like in a tux?
The business deal and threat from that company was handled so easily, so quickly. After he thinks charity was a 'bigger danger' to him, which is ridiculous considering the company was trying to kill him.
Her great-aunt gives her a gold nugget because she doesn't have any kids, but surely she has nieces and nephews she's close to. She doesn't even know Charity. It was annoying.
The whole book was Call feeling tension because of Charity. Worrying about caring about her. Her asking to spend time with him. Him being in her company. It was so freaking repetitive I wanted to scream. Even when her aunt tells him to take care of charity, here comes the tension. He was upset that she was his responsibility.
The only time he was with Charity was when he wanted sex. It was disgusting. Their thoughts were too similar. They both said they wanted to sleep and wake up with each other. Even though he knows it's unfair to have sex with Charity when he's avoided her all week, it doesn't stop him from doing exactly that. Call was a jerk when Charity says they can play king cobra and he thinks that's not what he had in mind and charity kisses him and he's thinking he didn't have time for this. And he takes her down the hall, rearranging his schedule in his mind. I felt bad for Charity.
It was no mystery what was wrong with Jenny. I knew she was pregnant. However, I was surprised she had an abortion. It was ridiculous when Jenny and Toby said they maybe love each other because they barely know each other.
Close to the end (pg331) he tells her he doesn't love her, which was messed up, because at that point, he should know he loves her.
The genealogy was too confusing to keep up with, who was who and how they were related. In a twist, it turns out Rachel was her great great grandma, not Frances. So that's why she 'inherited her memories.' Also that means Maude gave the gold to someone who isn't even family. But the author must not have realized that.
I thought it would take me 3 days to finish, but once I found out how horrible this was(only a few pages in) I knew I had to try and finish so this wouldn't ruin my weekend. I didn't like any of the characters, except maybe Toby. I hated Call; he's not hero material or likable in the slightest. Idk how anyone could like him. If I was Charity, I'd have told him he can screw himself in his freaking cabin and be alone if he doesn't wanna love anyone or have a relationship. Charity didn't need him, and could do so much better. It was a case of the heroine getting stuck with a jerk, and I wanted her with someone better. I also couldn't reconcile the suave businessman with the rugged, outdoorsman who can shoot a gun, build a cabin, fly a plane, went hiking, and knew of survival. They didn't go together at all. And when I'm reading about the Yukon, I don't want some lame business guy who's into computers. I'm not interested in that at all, so I didn't like reading about it. Charity was pathetic, naive at times, and downright stupid to put up with Call's treatment. He wanted her only for sex, and that's exactly what she continued to give him.
The book was way too angsty, I got sick of them constantly thinking of each other, and going on and on about their stupid feelings. I didn't care about the suspense, Call's business, the mining, her genealogy, the HEA. I wasn't feeling any of this. Idr book 2 being so wordy, but this one was way too long. I like a good balance of dialogue and description. This could have been a lot shorter. It wasn't really funny; some comments were only slightly humorous. I see a trend in this series. The guys hook up with others after meeting the MC. That's sick and twisted, and it makes me so mad.
The most interesting thing in here was learning how female moose have an invisible scent stream connecting her to her baby. If you come between it, it causes a break in the scent and the moose thinks her calf is in danger. And how Americans have more interest in the present than past. In England, families could trace their heritage back 500 years.
Call's brother was supposed to visit, but he never did. Guess the author forgot. I wanted a break from the regular stuff, and to see if maybe his brother was funny and likable, you know, the opposite of Call. Her sisters weren't even in here til the end, cause Hope never answered the phone,& Patience wasn't here at all. Gold mining bored me but it ended up not being much about that, thank goodness. Mining just didn't work for me in a contemporary novel. Her genealogy wasn't interesting either, or what happened in the past. If you know your ancestor went with Ian to the Yukon, and you had a dream a man died in an avalanche and the woman was searching for him, it's not hard to connect the dots. Obviously the dream was about your family.
There was so much going on in here; the mining, genealogy, Call's business, threats on their lives, Buck &his son, Toby and Jenny. There were so many plots,& they didn't go together. One would have been enough, but several just didn't work. This was too sexual, they kept thinking of having sex with each other and how good-looking each other was every time they were in each other's their company. He also got a hard-on every single time he looked at her or was around her. That's super annoying. Relationships have to built on more than that.
I will never read this again. It was so boring, upsetting, and I hated everything about it. I didn't like being in that world or the characters or anything about this. This will be going back to the bookstore. It's amazing I gave Desert Heat 3 stars. I thought this would be good, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Loved this book! Kat Martin never fails to let me down. Loved the h. The H needed a swift smack upside his head a few times, but I still liked him. Set in the Yukon. Lots of action, romance, sex and adventure.
Midnight Sun was an extremely frustrating read. First, it starts out with Charity saying something about seeing “my first Indian,” which was a dehumanizing, problematic statement. The book then continues with intermittent sexism dispersed throughout. For example, Call describes his deceased wife as a “thoroughbred,” which is again extremely dehumanizing.
Besides having sexism throughout, the author could not seem to decide on a genre. In the beginning, it started out as a basic, cozy romance. It quickly devolved into a potentially paranormal book with the idea of “genetic memory” (which was an aggravating development). It then evolved yet again into a bit of mystery and thriller/suspense. It was a lot of different feelings and emotions.
Also, I would have appreciated it more if Call’s wife and daughter were killed in a normal accidental car crash rather than murdered. I feel like it would be more realistic to kill them in an accident.
Finally, the book was frustrating because it constantly revolved around Charity and Call’s sexual chemistry, even though most of the sex scenes were fade to black. I never felt that Charity or Call had any real emotional connection. It was frustrating to have Charity and Call constantly pull away from each other and almost “break up” because Call didn’t want a real relationship, only for him to give in to their amazing sexual experiences.
Speaking for this series as a whole, because honestly, the three books were kind of formulaic, even for romance. The same story and essentially the same characters, told in different settings and with different names.
The three sinclair sisters were essentially the same, there was very little that differentiated their personalities. Charity and Patience especially, both felt drawn to do things because of some "hereditary memory" thing. If you want this concept done well, read "The Winter Sea" by Susanna Kearsley. I found myself skipping the flashbacks and journal entries. Hope was slightly different in that she was forced to go on her "adventure" and there was no "hereditary memory"
And the three heroes...interchangeable.
They were still relatively enjoyable but honestly nothing special.
Charity, is drawn to the adventure of her life. Quiting her job, her so over boyfriend, her life in New York City she buys a gold mining claim and cabin in the Yukon of Canada. Her extremely handsome and or so grumpy hermit of a neighbour Cal wants her gone. The journey in life these two take together over the next short while is adventure packed, passionately hot, unpredictable and rivoting. The secondary characters are unravelled with the same skill the primary ones are. You come to love all of the characters, even a baddy or two. A fast paced well written book that I would recommend to strong female and to contemporary suspense readers of romance.
I really should vow to start series in the beginning. Once again I read the second book first and had to go back to pick up the first volume. It doesn't really matter, but it is untidy.
Another good series. Good basic chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Der Schreibstil war etwas flach, die Story hat sich in der Mitte etwas gezogen und trotzdem fand ich es sehr angenehm. Ein tolles Freibad-Buch für die sonnigen Tage, in denen man sich eindach nur etwas Romance und wenig Tiefe wünscht.
McCall Hawkins is just beginning to feel the desire to live again after the sudden deaths of his wife and daughter four years before. He knows he must go on, but meeting Charity Sinclair throws his world in to a twist. Call finds himself starting to feel, to desire, to want things he does not believe he should have. His survivor's guilt is made even worse when spends more time with Charity and begins back on his business life.
Charity has left behind a very successful life to pan for gold in the Yukon. She feels at home there, and finding Call makes her world even better. Fighting with Call's past, and the threats that his past brings, she finds she loves him, but she still returns to Manhattan instead of fighting for him.
Some interesting concepts and thoughts. Not sure about the inheridited memories. Seems like a little too much thrown in to the story. Overall, the story works. A little long in spots, but overall ok.
This book just did not hold my attention. The story line was all over the place - is the book about the Yukon gold or a big technology company or a love story or a murder mystery or a spiritual connection with the past? Seemed like the author couldn't decide so it was all thrown in there.
I love Kat Martin books. I really, really do. BUT, this was the LONGEST, shortest book EVER. Less than 350 pages and I swear to you, it felt longer than War & Peace! I REALLY got tired of reading and that has NEVER happened with Kat!
This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the unique setting and the characters. The main plot was fast moving and kept my interest. I did feel that one of the subplots was really out of place and I would have preferred that the author just left it out. Other than that, no complaints.
Charity Sinclair has been drawn to the Gold Rush period of the Yukon all her life. At 28, she gives up her job as a senior editor of a book publishing company in Manhattan, buys a 20 acre gold claim in Dead Horse Creek near Dawson, and moves. She finds the house in horrible shape, but 70+ year old Maude Foote helps her clean it up, find help help with her gold mining and teaches her the ropes. Her next door neighbor is McCall Hawkins, a computer guru billionaire who went back to his Yukon roots when his wife and 3-year-old are killed in a car accident that he blames on his being too involved with his work. Call and Charity burn up the sheets - they can't keep their clothes on, but Call doesn't want to get attached to anyone. When accidents start happening though, he takes a major proactive role in trying to discover the cause.
He finally comes around when the danger is resolved after they have to kill a few of the bad guys. Lots of subplots and secondary characters. Lots of sex, but interesting story.
You know those people who will tell a story so over dramatically and with so much detail that it goes on and on and by the time you’ve suffered through half of it you just don’t care any more? That’s this.
It’s a cleaver idea with a decent plot... I’m just so sick if wading through details to get to the rather simple story.
Basically, it’s a story about a woman who buys a gold mine in the Yukon and sets out on a journey of self discovery. She falls in love with her billionaire neighbor but they just have to survive the attempts to kill him and get him over the death of his first family before they can have they’re own HEA.
Still on my Romance kick (trying to understand why I get so annoyed by the genre).
I liked this one because there was plenty of adventure involved in the Yukon.
But Charity...I'm also going to move out to the country. I've already researched what kinds of critters I may have to face. I'm slightly disappointed that you didn't. Lord girl - yes there are bears in the Yukon. Research, research, research. :)
This book has a fantastic story-line that literally keeps you sitting in one place for hours as you absorb the mystery, enjoy the romance and adore the characters. Ms. Martin never fails to give you a well rounded book and her writing is excellent. Call Hawkins was a mysterious guy from the start; Charity and her vision of life in the Yukon made the book exciting. I recommend this book and now move on to Book 2 in the series.
I kept putting the book down. Too much angst. Did not like either of the lead characters. The whole redhead storyline was ridiculous. Call was an egotistical jerk. Charity was all about an adventure and too invested in fictional characters from her favorite books. The whole hidden memories storyline was really reaching and fell flat.
Essentially gave it an 'it's okay' rating because it kept me entertained. But I didn't like the romance nor the main characters enough to really care about the romance. And I've never understood the attraction that some women have for men who are simply rude jerks with no redeeming quality, except maybe being good-looking... if one could even consider that a redeeming quality.
I’m writing this review based on the supposed narrator. I am listening to the audiobook and it’s clearly read by AI or computer etc. it’s horrible. It makes me wanna cry. It sounds terrible. I am reminded of being on the phone with my cable service screaming. Please let me talk to a human representative.
easy fast paced read, good story - as a Canadian I enjoyed the location ! Never thought about genealogy that way but was interesting. Would have enjoyed more of a mystery type and digging more into her ancestory but it was ok.
Well written story about Charity going to The Yukon for her adventure that she always dreamed about. She learn how to dredge for gold. She meets Call and he tries to buy her out. Things start to happen and they have to find answers. Who's causing problems.
Really enjoyed this book and the adventures of Charity and Call. Loved learning things about the Yukon and gold rush . The characters in this book were fun. Can’t wait to read the next Sinclair sister book.
Great story. Lots of interesting stuff in this book. Loved the characters, all the excitement and the mischief and mayhem and especially how well Charity and Tony faced and reacted to it.