Sun Kissed (Paperback)

~ (Author) "For as long as Samantha Harrigan could remember, she ad loved going to the rodeo..." (more)
Key Phrases: roan gene, wet cob, stall gate, Tucker Coulter, Steve Fisher, Blue Blazes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One need not be an equine lover to appreciate Anderson's sweet contemporary romance centering on fiercely honest horse rancher Samantha Harrigan and handsome neophyte veterinarian Tucker Coulter, who meet while trying to protect a horse from its abusive owner. Samantha has always cared deeply for her horses, so when they suddenly fall ill, she's distraught; when it turns out they've been poisoned, she's horrified, immediately suspecting that her violent and vindictive ex-husband is the culprit. Unfortunately, the authorities are pointing fingers at Samantha, alleging that she plans to defraud her insurance company. Wary of letting a new man into her life, Samantha nevertheless recognizes that she must call on Tucker to nurse her horses back to health. As he tends to the horses and grows closer to Samantha, Tucker becomes her confidante and champion, realizing that the only way for Samantha to save herself is to catch the offender before the police arrest her. In Samantha, Anderson has created a strong and gentle heroine, and a cast of family and friends proves charming throughout. This smart, wholesome tale should appeal to any fan of traditional romance. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Samantha Harrigan is slowly recovering from the emotional and financial devastation caused by her abusive ex-husband, so when the handsome new equine vet expresses an interest in her as more than a client, she quickly puts up barriers. Undaunted, Tucker Coulter staunchly backs her up when her horses suddenly become suspiciously ill and mudraking journalists publicly theorize that she is attempting insurance fraud, even when it jeopardizes his own career. Anderson's latest contemporary romance featuring the popular Coulter family offers an insider's perspective on the intriguing world of horse breeding and should be popular with her longtime readers. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Signet (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451218957
• ISBN-13: 978-0451218957
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #30 in

  Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Anderson, Catherine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sweet romance wrapped in a compelling plot, March 4, 2007

By	Amy Wolff Sorter "author, SERVANT OF THE GODS... (Texas) - See all my reviews

This is not a book I would normally buy or even check out of the library because a) the cover did nothing for me and b) I'm not into "western saga" or inspirational types of romances. But I won this book in a contest, read it, and was pleasantly surprised.

Part of Anderson's Coulter family series, the stand-alone "Sun Kissed" deals with Tucker Coulter, a rising equine vet in Crystal Falls. Through some pretty unusual happenstance, he meets Samantha Harrigan over a battle with a mean drunk beating a horse. Though drawn to him, Samantha doesn't think she's going to see him again until a rash of horse poisonings on her ranch cause her to turn to him in desperation for help. As both work through the poisonings and other issues including insurance fraud and jealousy, attraction and affection grow.

Stereotyped plot? Yep. But Anderson made it work in many ways. First, I liked that the relationship between Tucker and Samantha was more about friendship and shared interests, with physical attraction thrown in for extra filip. This goes in direct contrast with a lot of romance authors today, who slap the attraction on the pages first and then remember that maybe it would be a good idea for the man and woman to have a couple of other things in common other than torrid sex (by the way, I say this as someone who writes steamy romance under a pseudonym).

Second, I was touched by Samantha's deep religious faith, and Tucker's respect for that faith. I didn't find it at odds that Samantha could be so attracted physically to Tucker, while adhering to old-fashioned values of waiting until matrimony, except for one very passionate scene -- again, kudos to Anderson for doing well on this issue.

Third, I appreciated that Samantha was far from the stereotyped "battered woman." Samantha, who underwent abuse from her first husband, could have ended up as someone who hated men and who shied away from any kind of physical relationship. While she was certainly skittish with Tucker, she didn't automatically fall into assuming he was cut from the same cloth as her ex. Spousal abuse issues aren't as black-and-white as the media makes them out to be, and Anderson demonstrated that very well through Samantha's character.

Fourth, Anderson's main characters were likeable. Samantha is an appealing blend of innocence and strength and the good news is, I didn't feel the need to shake her to face reality as I do with some heroines. Tucker, too, is a great guy -- though far from perfect. While restraint of his sensual urges might have seemed a little too good to be true, it isn't out of the ordinary on the part of many men.

And finally, I really appreciated that the reader didn't have to be familiar with Anderson's other books to read this one. One of my pet peeves is to HAVE to read a book to understand what's going on in a sequel. It never happened here -- a reader can pick up "Sun Kissed" and get a good, stand-alone story.

My one major gripe with this book was, as I mentioned above, the cover design. It did nothing to show a potential reader what might be inside. What the heck was going on with the white flowers on the pink background? And by the way, what's the deal with Samantha in a white, lacey dress and a straw hat on the sleeve? Samantha never put on a dress throughout the entire book, except at the very end. The visual depiction wasn't consistent with her character.

But if a reader doesn't judge this book by its cover, "Sun Kissed" is a good example of how a romance can focuse on aspects outside of the bedroom -- and still work very well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't finish it.............., April 10, 2008

By	Dawn - See all my reviews

It's not my style to NOT finish a book; actually this is the second time where I just cannot finish a book. I was less then halfway into the book and I could not continue reading.

This book was hollow! It lacked the charisma and romanticism that her other Coulter books have. Instead of this book being sweet it was just sappy and predictable.

It seems that every hero for Catherine Anderson is the exact replica of each other. In other stories she has described the hero the same exact way that she did in this story. Plus, they all seem to have 4 brothers and a perfect loving father and mother. Not that I have a problem with having 4 brothers but why is it the same scenario in every one of her stories. Then again maybe this is Catherine's way of starting another legacy of stories. I did not have a problem with the religious input that is being vetoed by other readers. Do not judge Catherine Anderson by this book, read her other Coulter books and you will not be dissappointed. I will continue reading her stories and I look forward to her next book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yet another solid read by Catherine Anderson, January 17, 2007

By	Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

From the back cover:

When Samantha Harrigan attends the local rodeo, she doesn't expect to wind up in jail. But that's precisely what happens when she tries to stop a drunkard from abusing his horse. At least she isn't alone. Tucker Coulter, a handsome local veterinarian, comes to her defense--and is arrested too.

The charges are dropped, but Sam's troubles have only started. Her champion quarter horses are falling ill and the culprit is poison. As the insurance beneficiary, Sam is the prime suspect. Unswayed by the rumors floating around town, Tucker offers to help prove her innocence. Sam, though, is uneasy about accepting his assistance--and about the way he makes her feel. If only she could believe in him the way he seems to believe in her...

And my review:

Catherine Anderson is firmly on my auto-buy list. I've yet to read a book by her that I didn't like. SUN KISSED was no exception.

I was a little worried if I'd like this story, since I hadn't really liked Tucker in his previous appearances in other "Coulter" books, but Catherine Anderson made him loveable here. It should also be noted that you don't have to have read any of the other books in the series to enjoy SUN KISSED, although it does add a lot, of course. Other Coulter books are (in order): PHANTOM WALTZ, SWEET NOTHINGS, BLUE SKIES, BRIGHT EYES, MY SUNSHINE, and now SUN KISSED. (Also, BABY LOVE (a sort of prequel to phantom waltz) and the two historicals KEEGAN'S LADY and SUMMER BREEZE are linked to the Coulter family series--just to keep it confusing!) And this isn't the last of them! There are more books planned, and I look forward to reading them all.

I'm usually reluctant to read series of "family" books, since they often start to all sound the same. And while there are similarities (the heros are almost identical in appearance; the heroines always tiny), the stories are all enjoyable, and I recommend them all.

Being Catholic myself, I really liked how the heroine was Catholic. I, for one, felt that the religion issue was handled wonderfully, and that it wasn't over-the-top at all. But if you're easily offended by that sort of thing, maybe it will bother you. Still, it's not really an integral part of the story. The main themes are the romance and the mystery. Unfortunately, the mystery wasn't exactly groundbreaking. I had the whole thing figured out pretty quickly (even the twist at the end).

I only gave this book four stars, because I think that Catherine Anderson has done it better (especially the mystery part), so I expect a lot out of her. But I can still whole-heartedly recommend this book, especially if you're an animal lover. Also, check out her very best books, which are (in my humble opinion): ANNIE'S SONG, BABY LOVE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, PHANTOM WALTZ, COMANCHE MOON, and ONLY BY YOUR TOUCH. I've read this author's entire backlist (apart from her very early Harlequin Intrigue books) and every single story has been a keeper.

I recommend SUN KISSED to all romance readers, especially lovers of western romance, and animal lovers. The strong family-oriented theme of this book is truly heartwarming, as are the issues of a woman learning to trust again.