Sweet Nothings [Mass Market Paperback]

Catherine Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

When Molly Wells showed up at Jake Coulter's ranch, she had nothing but some extra clothes, a stolen horse, and a fear of her ex-husband that threatened to rule her life. She'd heard Jake was a real-life horse whisperer-and perhaps the only man alive who could help the beautiful stallion that her ex-husband had so bitterly abused. But she had no idea that Jake's talents would work their magic on her, with the same power to gain her trust, give her strength, and whisper away her deepest fears.

"No one writes riveting emotion quite like Catherine Anderson. Her talent for delving into rich, emotional depths is unmatched." (Romantic Times)

"Catherine Anderson is one of the best romance writers today." (Affaire de Coeur)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

ick a romance cliche and you're sure to find it in this lengthy, formulaic offering from one of the genre's veteran writers. After Molly Wells steals a badly abused race horse from her nasty ex-husband Rodney, she takes the animal to Jake Coulter's Oregon ranch. Molly had hoped Jake, a horse whisperer, would be a man like Robert Redford, and she isn't disappointed; he's handsome, gentle and caring, and he has a way with horses. Since Molly is homeless and on the lam from Rodney, who had her committed for mental instability so he could gain control of her estate, she accepts Jake's offer to work as cook and housekeeper at the ranch. Molly's lack of domestic skills isn't lost on Jake, but he's willing to put up with stir fry dishes and disgruntled ranch hands just to keep her close. The situation takes a personal turn when Rodney shows up to drag Molly back to the institution. The only way to stop him, and a court order, is for Jake to marry Molly. But for Molly, marriage means letting a man take control of her life again, and she wants nothing to do with it. Fans who enjoy double-sized category romances will devour Anderson's latest offering (after Phantom Waltz), but others might find themselves yawning through the 400-plus pages of over-used phrases and predictable plot turns.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Out of work, out of luck, and almost out of money, Molly Sterling Wells shows up at Jake Coulter's ranch, the Lazy J, with Sonora Sunset, a beautiful horse who has been so badly beaten he may even be beyond Jake's talents as a horse whisperer. Jake intuitively knows there is more to Molly's story, but he agrees to help if Molly will stay on as the ranch's new cook and housekeeper. Little by little, Molly and Sonora Sunset find peace and security at the Lazy J until the day Molly's past catches up with her. Anderson continues to demonstrate a gift for creating richly emotional, deeply satisfying romances with her newest tale, which features Jake Coulter, the older brother of Emily in Phantom Waltz [BKL Je 1 & 15 01], as its hero. As the book's psychologically bruised and emotionally battered heroine, Molly is an all-too-realistic combination of vulnerability and strength, and her issues of self-esteem and self-image are deftly handled. Pure reading magic! John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410157
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410153
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Anderson lives in the pristine woodlands of Central Oregon.

She is married to her high
school sweetheart, Sid, and is the author of more than twenty bestselling and award-winning historical and contemporary romances.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Im shocked at all of these negative reviews!!, April 25, 2003

By 

M. I. "krushedvelvet" (Old Bridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sweet Nothings (Mass Market Paperback)

I Loved this book!! Jake was an absolutely AWESOME hero. I adored the way he responded to Molly. I will admit that at times Molly was frustrating..but that is what made her so real..she was ABUSED for years!!! All of the deep seeded feelings and insecurities that came along with that ill treatment cannot possibly disappear overnight!!! Also, I found it a bit wild that Jake liked all of her dimples as well, but the point is that he loved her..ALL OF HER..for who she was...why is it so unbelievable that a man would like a curvy woman?? Its not...it happens, and in this case..even though Jake was a fox..it was totally believable. I adored this book..my only reason for not giving it 5 stars is because i felt that it could have had a bit shaved off from the middle. Other than that...LOVELY!! I definitely recommend it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad!, January 26, 2002

By 

Patti Fischer "pattifischer" (WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet Nothings (Mass Market Paperback)

Sweet Nothings was my first book by Catherine Anderson. Certainly after reading it, it will not be my last. The story held my attention enough to keep me reading it. I found it good, but not good enough to warrant anything more than 4 stars.

The storyline revolves around a woman running away from an abusive ex husband. He has apparently been trying to drug her for a reason and has been abusive to a horse that the heroine does not quite trust, but is drawn to save before the horse is killed. She takes it to a rancher who is known as a horse whisperer (a man who breaks in unruly horses). He is suspcious of her from the start, as she does not tell him the truth, but is immediately attracted to her. She cannot understand why he is attracted to her, but eventually she believes his attraction to be real and succumbs to it.
In the background is the threat of her ex husband, and the belief by her that she is mentally unstable. She does not want to have the hero hurt by either. This is what is the suspense of the book... what is the ex husband going to do? Is she losing her mind or is someone trying to frame her?

I really enjoyed the hero. He seemed genuine in his attraction to the heroine, even if he had to keep telling her. He did not push her, yet he pursued her gently. The heroine on the other hand seemed to irritate me a little. She was weak and in my mind, never seemed to grow strong until the very end.
This book is worth it just for the hero alone. The story is evenly paced, with just the right amount of suspense and romance to make it in my mind, a good book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining But Frustrating, October 4, 2007

By 

Caitlin (Point Arena, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet Nothings (Mass Market Paperback)

Where to start with this book? I've never read Catherine Anderson before -- I'm a big Lavyrle Spencer fan and it was interesting to read something by someone else. Let's start with the characters. Molly annoyed me to no end. For someone who already has an extremely timid, unsure, and in my opinion annoying personality, the fact that she's named Molly made it impossible for me to like her. Jake was hot stuff of course, but I quickly grew tired of the constant reference to his "blazing eyes, roped arms", etc, etc, and his way of ALWAYS being completely on Molly's side was tiresome as well. I disliked how Molly was always squeaking. This sounds overly picky, I know, but it's the little things that make me like or dislike a novel. Another one of my peeves about this book is the way some of the writing is done. The first sex scene between Jake and Molly is fine until the writing takes a turn for the tacky and overdramatic. I want a climax to be heavenly and sweet, not, I quote, "Molly shrieked -- shrill bleats of sound emitted with every compulsion of breath". That just made me think of a sheep being killed. Lastly, the writing is often repetitive. "Zigzagged" is used a lot in reference to sexual sensation, and the characters are often found saying or thinking "Holy hell" or "Sweet Christ". Now -- finally! -- to the good. I did appreciate Molly being shapely and I didn't mind Jake finding her dimples a turn on. When you love someone, everything about s/he is sexy, and clearly this was the case with Jake. What kept me going was the story of how Molly had so much she was hiding, so much to fear, and it didn't seem like it would be possible to right everything. The suspense kept me going.