Customer Reviews

Only by Your Touch

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So emotional and deep, this book is become one of my all time favs. I love how Ms. Anderson makes the situations so real and different from the typical. No one is rich and well off and their problems are very real and not simply well, not to be blunt, but trivial.
Sometimes you read some romances and they make it seem as though the problems are so trivial and easily solved if the characters would just stop and pay attention. Not with Ms. Anderson and I am glad. Its a breath of fresh air. These are REAL problems we ALL face and even if we don't all face them they are serious enough to warrant the angst and worry in the story.
The heroine is strong and the hero is not overbearing and dramatic. He is REAL. He is your own husband and your father, brother and someone you would really meet. Not a conjured character. She makes them so real, you feel as though you know them.

In this book, Chloe Evans leaves a tough past behind to bring her child Jeremy to a new place to start fresh. A tiny place called Jack Pine, Oregon. But all is not well in Jack Pine, even though from the outside all seems quiet. A horrible past and poison is lurking in town and trying to keep Jeremy safe from her own past, Chloe goes to the only man she thinks can help her and her son, Ben Longtree.

Ben is by far not to be befriended. Long a go he was rumored to have murdered a man and possibly murders people that step onto his wilderness property. He lives with his ill mother and in isolation with the injured animals that come to him mysteriously. Once a veterinarian, his past destroyed what was left of his practice. So when red-haired Chloe comes to him for help with her son, he is angry. They must be trying to turn him in for the animals on his property.

As time goes by, Ben realizes that Chloe is just the balm for his battered and tortured soul. Fate threw them together and he just may be able to start anew. But that poison lurking is seeping into their lives already...

Tracy Talley~@

I picked this book up at a library fund-raiser sale ~~ and while taking care of two sick kids ~~ I picked this book expecting it to be a light fluffy read. Well, it is definitely not a fluffy read ~~ it is a light read but it is also intense. I have to admit that I loved every minute of this book! I know that it's fiction and I know that it's too good to be true, but when I read, I read to escape from reality and this book is definitely one of the better ones I've read in quite some time.

Chloe moves to a small town with her son, Jeremy, to start over. Settled in a good job as a dispatcher for the local sheriff, she thinks that she would definitely find peace again. However, once she ran into Ben Longtree, the local outcast, her life was not going to be as tranquil as she had hoped. Pitted against a local deputy who was stalking her, and fighting her feelings for Ben, life just got to be interesting for Chloe.

I have to say that Ben Longtree is probably my favorite hero lately ~~ able to tame wild animals, live in a secluded forest ~~ and big and gentle ~~ what is there NOT to love? And Chloe is a strong and determined woman ~~ fighting for what she believes in. What is there not to like?

If you're looking for the perfect escape, this book would be it! It's entertaining and my favorite, it's very well-written ~~ I couldn't stop turning the pages! This is perfect reading for anytime of the year ~~ snuggling on the couch at night or sunbathing at the local pool. And since this is my first introduction to this author, I will definitely keep an eye out for her other books!

12-1-05

Chloe Evans has been to hell and back and has relocated with her son, Jeremy, to Jack Pine, Oregon. Leaving her husband, whom, after an accident turned into an abusive man she didn't recognize, Chloe wanted the bring Jeremey the security of being safe. She felt that life in a small town would be exactly what Jeremey needed. When her son begs her for a puppy, Chloe doesn't have to heart to turn him down. When Jeremy's puppy gets sick and the vet it unwilling to treat him without the money up front, Jeremy takes Rowdy to the town outcast, Ben Longtree who is a vet, but unable to practice. Soon, Chloe finds herself entangled in Ben's enchanting world on Cinnamon Ridge. With a wolf and a mountain lion for pets, Chloe has never met anyone like Ben, and for a reason she can't begin to define, she feels safe in his presence and trust him with her son's safety.

Ben Longtree loves the solitude of Cinnamon Ridge. When it is envaded by a six year old boy, Ben tries to turn him away. His annoyance quickly turns acceptance and he soon finds himself impressed by the young boy who would stand up to who people in town believe is a cold-blooded murderer. Ben's world shifts when Chloe and Jeremy start spending more time in the ridge and Ben experiences the magic of love. He is wary, however, for there is more than one person who would happily destroy his life. Always having a gift with animals, Ben can't turn away the wounded that turn up on his property. From owls to skunks to bears, Ben will not turn one animal away, even if it means spending the rest of his life in jail. The more he gets to know Chloe, and the more he feels himself falling in love, the more he wants to tell her all his secrets. There is evil lurking though, evil that both Ben and Chloe underestimated.

Catherine Anderson weaves an emotional read in Only by Your Touch. Reading about Chloe learning to trust and letting go of her fear of men and Ben learning to trust in love again will almost have you in tears. Even Jermey's remarkable recovery will pull your heartstrings. You won't regret reading this book!

Catherine Anderson is a focused author. I welcome her stories; they have a satisfaction guarantee. This lady engrosses her reader with mesmerizing technique and here she triumphs. This is a gentle story about a very special man with a unique gift -- the gift to heal, and the remarkable woman who brings fulfillment to his lonely life.

Ben Longtree accepts his Shoshone heritage but ignores his special skill when healing and protecting the animals on his mountain ridge. His therapeutic ability may be unique and miraculous but it has brought him nothing but heartache and rejection. The town's people recognize Ben Longtree as an unusual man and, thus, choose to ostracize him.

Chloe Evans is moving on with her life. A gruesome turn of events has turned her once happy marriage into a nightmare. Now divorced, Chloe, safeguarding her young son, has decided a fresh beginning can be found in the quiet mountain town of Jack Pine, Oregon. Chloe's fresh beginning throws her onto Ben Longtree's isolated track. The results -- a lovely story.

Catherine Anderson has the gift of description. The reader tramps in the robust wilderness found in the state of Oregon, the scent of pine and the crush of fallen leaves are genuine. This author can hold my interest and this is the reason I buy her books. A luring novel from the first page to the last word. Continue writing, Catherine Anderson!

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I absolutely love Catherine Anderson and this is one of her best books. Rarely do I find a book now that keeps me up all night but this one did. I just had to finish it. The characters are wonderful. You will be hooked from the first page. Ben Longtree is the sensitive, rugged male we've all been looking for. Chloe has come from a bad marriage with a sickly son who has sworn to never trust men again. Sound familiar? But Catherine Anderson has chosen her male character well. Ben is part Shosone Indian who is also a vet who has a certain "magic" to him. I won't spoil it for you. The other reviews describe the contents well. If you read only one book this summer, this better be it!

I love Ben Longtree! But then I always love Catherine's heroes. How can I not? Her men are rough around the edges hunks in Wranglers and scuffed boots and battered Stetsons, strong without being overbearing, sweet without being wimps, and--trust me--mouth-wateringly sexy. Ah, but Ben... He takes throbbing masculinity to a whole new level. Tormented, lonely, powerful, he is exactly the kind of hero I find the most compelling--and absolutely irresistible. Even though he is a healer of great sensitivity and caring, he is powerless to heal the deep wounds gouged into his own soul.

Then he meets the new woman in town.

Chloe Evans is a quintessential Catherine Anderson heroine: battered but not defeated; wary but not bitter; loving and funny and generous. Keeping her son Jeremy safe, creating a happy home (which comes to include Rowdy the rascally pup)--those are the priorities that bring her to Oregon mountains. Falling in love is the last thing she intends--or wants. Yes, she's intrigued by the town's pariah. Yes, she's attracted. Okay, extremely attracted. But she'd fallen for the wrong man once before--and he'd nearly destroyed her. On the other hand, Ben desperately needs a friend, one person in his life who is willing to believe in him unconditionally.

I read this book in one sitting--in the car, in fact, on the way to our granddaughter's birthday party in Washington. Because it's 450 miles from Nana and Papa's house to Alyssa's, I had intended to help with the driving, but...well, what can I say? Once I was in Jack Pine with Ben and Chloe et al. I simply had to find out how Catherine finagled a happily-ever-after for these two terrific, admirable people.

So, if you're looking for a feel good read, one that will make you laugh and cry and cheer, put this one on the top of your to-be-read pile, then clear your schedule, pour a glass of wine, and prepare to be enthralled.

I picked this up as an airplane book and ended up reading it every evening while on my mini-vacation! It is the first of Catherine Anderson's books I've read and I'm definintely going to become a regular of hers. I loved Chloe's strength of character and the fact that she's believable, in a believable clerical position as a dispatcher. I could also readily identify with the Christmas store and Chloe's delight with the business. Her problems with Bobby Lee definitely raised the anxiety level of the plot, considering what side of the law he was on. His cunning, devious break in and the transmission to the dispatcher were both terrifying and believable. Ms. Anderson writes well and certainly knows how to envoke passion in her readers. The intimatacy between Chloe and Ben was just plain HOT. Wow!

There is a reason that all of Catherine Anderson's books rate over four stars: She knows how to write a story that pulls you in and gives you friends for life with her characters. There are no perfect people in Catherine's books - they are people who have lived and learned the lessons of life. You will fall in love with the characters in Only By Your Touch and wish the book was longer! This is a wonderful book with a lovely story about overcoming huge odds on the way to happiness.

I have never been disappointed in a Catherine Anderson book. She takes me to places I once believed in and shows that there is still hope and faith in the world.

I enjoyed this book. However, I think that I'll stick with Ms. Andersons historicals. I happen to be about the same age as her heroine and I found that the dialogue & perspective just did not ring true. As I read I found myself thinking "how OLD are these people?" Also another thing I find annoying w/ Catherine Anderson is that she gives many of the same traits to her heroines book after book. For instance this is the THIRD novel that I've read by this author in which the heroine has night blindness. I mean really how common is this?! With that being said, when I read a novel by this author I expect a sweet old fashion love story and that's what she wrote. Despite my nit picking I enjoyed the book especially the super natural aspect.

I enjoyed reading this book. IT was my first Catherine Anderson book and this one was certainly delightful. I liked the hero Ben (Vet, author, son caring for his Mom, Indian, great looking and caring; a little damaged by the past but still what is not to like here.) HE is so gentle with Chloe's son and helps him get past some trauma in his life dealt to him by an ill and abusive father. I thought that was handled so well. Chloe is also delightful in taking care of her son and dealing with a stalking deputy and learning to accept Ben for who and what he is. One reviewer said there was no romance between them. I certainly didn't feel that. Their time spent together taking care of the animals and the walks and etc certainly was building a realtionship between them. Romance comes together in a number of ways. Actually, I liked the magic Ben had with his healing touch even though in reality I know it was a little far fetched. However, we can all use a little magic in our lives especially in these troubled times. I think it was worth the read and would reccomend it and read it again. It's not often that I like all the main characters in a book but all were just delightful, even the animals (well with the exception of the villan). Jeremy, chloe's son is just a great little kid and made the story fun and touching.