Whitehorse

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: Whitehorse is the hot and steamy story about childhood lovers who were torn apart by family. They meet again as adults and though the road to reconcilliation is not easy, they are now old enough to know that love is worth all the pain.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: Whitehorse is the hot and steamy story about childhood lovers who were torn apart by family. They meet again as adults and though the road to reconcilliation is not easy, they are now old enough to know that love is worth all the pain.

Rating:
Summary: Deep & intriguing - fantastic contemporary romance
Review: Whitehorse was a superb contemporary romance. This is my third Sutcliffe novel and my favorite to date. I liked this one even more than Darkling, I Listen. Katherine Sutcliffe immediately draws the reader into her books. I love picking up a book and realizing within a few minutes that I am already hooked and in for a really good ride. After reading Bad Moon Rising and Darkling, I Listen, I anticipated another dark novel - although dark novels are definitely not my first choice for reading. But Whitehorse was in no way a dark novel although it definitely falls into the category of serious, dramatic romance.

Johnny Whitehorse is a modern day Apache Native American who happens to also be very successful. He has a law degree, is known far and wide as a very famous model, and also is a popular actor. In addition, he owns several thriving businesses and is very active in politics as he fights for the rights of his people, the Mescalero Apache. Yes, it sounds like a bit much for someone to achieve by the mere age of thirty but that thought never occurred until now - as I write this review. I was so immersed in Johnny's character that I didn't think about his overwhelming success in nearly everything. However, Johnny has experienced at least one great failure that he cannot seem to forget and that was losing his first love, a senator's daughter by the name of Leah.

Leah Foster Starr is a practicing large animal veterinarian, the mother of a disabled child with cerebral palsy, divorced, and unfortunately, the daughter of a senator. She has never gotten along well with her father, particularly after he forced her to break off her relationship with Johnny Whitehorse, her first love, and seemingly, her only love. She has moved back to the town where she grew up and is barely making enough money to support herself, her son and his live in caretaker, and pay for all his medical bills and equipment. She grabs happiness wherever she may - particularly with her son, but life is hard and we find her expressing her anger and frustration at life more than a little in the opening pages of the book. She knows that Johnny is occasionally back in town and hopes fervently not to see him. She believes he hates her - he certainly has reason to do so. And she knows without doubt that she doesn't hate him in the least.

Johnny is back in town. He now owns the horse ranch Leah's father had once owned. Once he sees Leah again, after twelve years, it is not long before he realizes he can't leave her alone. They both fight, uselessly, their mutual attraction and find themselves caught up in some pretty serious complications. But this story, although primarily a romance, is also about so much more. We read about the plight of many Native Americans, the joys and sorrows of a child with cerebral palsy, and some of the intricacies of horse racing. Not all of this can be addressed in depth in one novel, but Sutcliffe is successful in bringing together many scenarios to produce a novel that is rich in experience of many subjects we don't often see written in romance novels. It was totally engrossing and even had an element of suspense. The chemistry between Johnny and Leah is strong and consistently present throughout. The sensual scenes are a strong 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).

Overall, Whitehorse has won a place on my keeper shelf. After a string of reading humdrum novels, it was great to find I hadn't lost my interest in romance reading - I had just not chosen the right book. I now am looking for more books from Sutcliffe's backlist. She has proven to be an author I can count on to deliver a great story and delicious romance.

Rating:
Summary: Deep & intriguing - fantastic contemporary romance
Review: Whitehorse was a superb contemporary romance. This is my third Sutcliffe novel and my favorite to date. I liked this one even more than Darkling, I Listen. Katherine Sutcliffe immediately draws the reader into her books. I love picking up a book and realizing within a few minutes that I am already hooked and in for a really good ride. After reading Bad Moon Rising and Darkling, I Listen, I anticipated another dark novel - although dark novels are definitely not my first choice for reading. But Whitehorse was in no way a dark novel although it definitely falls into the category of serious, dramatic romance.

Johnny Whitehorse is a modern day Apache Native American who happens to also be very successful. He has a law degree, is known far and wide as a very famous model, and also is a popular actor. In addition, he owns several thriving businesses and is very active in politics as he fights for the rights of his people, the Mescalero Apache. Yes, it sounds like a bit much for someone to achieve by the mere age of thirty but that thought never occurred until now - as I write this review. I was so immersed in Johnny's character that I didn't think about his overwhelming success in nearly everything. However, Johnny has experienced at least one great failure that he cannot seem to forget and that was losing his first love, a senator's daughter by the name of Leah.

Leah Foster Starr is a practicing large animal veterinarian, the mother of a disabled child with cerebral palsy, divorced, and unfortunately, the daughter of a senator. She has never gotten along well with her father, particularly after he forced her to break off her relationship with Johnny Whitehorse, her first love, and seemingly, her only love. She has moved back to the town where she grew up and is barely making enough money to support herself, her son and his live in caretaker, and pay for all his medical bills and equipment. She grabs happiness wherever she may - particularly with her son, but life is hard and we find her expressing her anger and frustration at life more than a little in the opening pages of the book. She knows that Johnny is occasionally back in town and hopes fervently not to see him. She believes he hates her - he certainly has reason to do so. And she knows without doubt that she doesn't hate him in the least.

Johnny is back in town. He now owns the horse ranch Leah's father had once owned. Once he sees Leah again, after twelve years, it is not long before he realizes he can't leave her alone. They both fight, uselessly, their mutual attraction and find themselves caught up in some pretty serious complications. But this story, although primarily a romance, is also about so much more. We read about the plight of many Native Americans, the joys and sorrows of a child with cerebral palsy, and some of the intricacies of horse racing. Not all of this can be addressed in depth in one novel, but Sutcliffe is successful in bringing together many scenarios to produce a novel that is rich in experience of many subjects we don't often see written in romance novels. It was totally engrossing and even had an element of suspense. The chemistry between Johnny and Leah is strong and consistently present throughout. The sensual scenes are a strong 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).

Overall, Whitehorse has won a place on my keeper shelf. After a string of reading humdrum novels, it was great to find I hadn't lost my interest in romance reading - I had just not chosen the right book. I now am looking for more books from Sutcliffe's backlist. She has proven to be an author I can count on to deliver a great story and delicious romance.