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51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very first time I didn't love a Catherine Anderson novel, January 15, 2008
From the back cover:
Born with second sight, Loni MacEwen has vowed to ignore the visions that have brought her so much heartbreak. Then she meets Clint Harrigan and realizes she has no choice but to warn the handsome cowboy that his son is in danger.
A hardworking, no-nonsense rancher, Clint doesn't believe the pretty stranger--especially since he doesn't even have a son. But then he sees the drama Loni predicted unfolding on the local news. An orphaned boy is lost in the dense Oregon wilderness, and according to Loni, only Clint can save him.
Loni and Clint rush into the wood to find the lost boy. As long nights follow exhausting days, their feelings grow stronger, and what began as a race against time becomes a shared journey of trust, understanding, and unexpected love...
And my review:
Okay, first off, I want to state that I am a HUGE fan of Catherine Anderson. I count down the days until another of her books is released. I own every single thing she's ever written, and they are all treasured keepers. But this book is going right in my "trade for credit" box. I cannot believe that this is written by the same author who wrote the moving reads of Annie's Song, Comanche Moon, Seventh Heaven, Baby Love or Phantom Waltz, just to name a few.
People have complained about the heavy-handedness of the Christian (or more specifically Roman Catholic) element in this book. I thought that people were just being oversensitive, as many had said the same about Sun Kissed, and I hadn't agreed. But the religion in this book was so heavy-handed. I'm an actively practicing Roman Catholic, and even I found it horribly preachy and obnoxious. For instance, when the heroine tells the hero that she's a psychic, he says that it "goes against the tenents of his faith". Who talks like that? I've had to tell people that I don't believe in things before (and it's usually because of my faith), and I don't say it like that. What's wrong with saying "it goes against my beliefs" or "I'm not comfortable with that" or "I don't believe in that"?
I've read actual inspirational romances that didn't lay it on as thick as it was in this novel. I started skipping the religious tangents (and there were a lot of them) to try and get back to the story. If I wanted to read about the lives of the saints and what is in the Catechism, then I'd read an entirely different type of book.
I also felt that the romance aspect of this story was rushed. It was developing nicely, when out of nowhere the hero and heroine start talking about getting married. They haven't said "I love you" or anything; they've known each other for less than a week; they'd kissed once! I was left scratching my head, wondering where the heck it had come from. Attraction, sure. Talking about dating, of course. But marriage? After one kiss? What is this, the 1800s? It was as if the author had suddenly realized, "oops! I'm past page 200, better get these two engaged." Never mind if it completely derailed the flow to the story.
Another thing that really bothered me was how hypocritical the characters were about their faith. There was all this talk about being chaste, because of what their faith teaches them. They're both waiting until marriage to have sex (the hero had vowed to never again have sex "outside of the holy bonds of wedlock" to directly quote him), then next thing you know, they're going at it like rabbits. Okay...was the premarital sex put in just so this book wouldn't have an "inspirational romance" label slapped on it? It was completely out of character and very irritating. If your characters are going to be Bible thumpers, than at least make them act like it consistently.
The romance was then put on the back burner so that the author could focus on the suspense/paranormal aspects of the story. While I enjoyed the psychic element, I bought this book expecting a romance. Instead, I got a sermon and a suspense story with a relationship tacked on.
I'm only glad this wasn't the first novel of hers that I tried, or there would never have been another. She is no longer on my auto-buy list; I'm just mad that I can't get my money back. Who is this author, and what has she done with the talented Catherine Anderson? Try just about anything else by her, especially the ones I listed above. She can write FAR better than this. As for MORNING LIGHT, I recommend you save your money--borrow it from the library if you're still determined to read it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed feelings...3.5 stars, January 3, 2008
Loni MacEwen has the second sight. She has long tried to fight it, but when she meets Clint Harrigan, she knows that she can't turn her back on her visions. For she sees that Clint's little boy is in grave danger, after an accident on the river, in which his parents drowned and the boy was saved by his loyal dog. When she finally works up the courage to seek Clint out and tell him, he basically turns her away as some mentally unstable person. After all, he doesn't have a son!
But when early next morning the news unfolds on television, and it's the same story that Loni had told Clint the night before, he is shocked. So he seeks Loni out, knowing that whether the little boy is his son or not, he can not turn his back on him. So Clint takes Loni along as they start on a journey through the mountains in Oregon to find Trevor.
First of all, if you are uncomfortable reading about religious/spiritual characters, do not read this book. I personally found it refreshing, and it was one of the things that I liked about this book, me being a Christian though not Catholic, I could relate to a lot that was being said about God and how we should trust in Him. And the power of prayer. It could almost be placed in the inspirational category.
The relationship between Clint and Loni was done in a very good way. There were some memorable, funny, and moving scenes (when Clint found out the Loni was nightblind...the blood transfusion scene in the woods...etc)
Now I don't like paranormal elements in my books, and in this one, the author opted to have strong paranormal elements. In the hands of a less talented author this would have ruined the book for me, but in Catherine's hands, it didn't feel contrived or too unrealistic. Still I would have preferred it much more, if the "second sight, psychic" stuff had been toned down.
I also found the back story of Clint and Sandra, Travor's mother, to be somewhat weak. I didn't completely understand why Clint and Sandra broke up, if they loved each other as friends only, then why did they sleep together? They thought they were in love. I just felt that it was a shaky back story, and that it could have been much stronger and more convincing.
In conclusion, I feel somewhat disappointed, because the author could have easily chosen a different storyline, without all the "psychic" stuff. I felt that this book was a weaker one, in this great series. And while it will not be joining Catherine's other books on my keeper shelf, this was a nice, good read. If you're more open to "paranormal stuff" in your books, you might enjoy it more than I did.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Catherine Anderson never lets me down......, February 26, 2008
Since there are plenty of reviews that outline the story-line of the book, I'll leave that out of my review. I read most of the reviews on this book before I ordered it. I had really been looking forward to Mrs. Anderson branching off with the Harrigans, and I wasn't disappointed. I admit to being worried about some things, mainly there being too much religion. I'm not against having religion in a book and I read plenty of inspirational romances, but since I'm not a Catholic, I didn't really want to have it dominate the book. After reading this book, I honestly don't see what all the fuss was about. I was just as drawn to the characters as always, and I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't really notice there being too much of anything in the book. Everything felt believable to me, and after reading the book she almost had me believing in clairvoyants. I'm also a huge paranormal romance fan, and Mrs. Anderson did a wonderful job of making the heroine's psychic powers very believable. You can tell there was a lot of thought and research done for the book and I enjoyed all the information she put in the book. I can't wait for the next book in the series to add to all my other ones.
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