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Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan #6
My Sunshine
New York Times bestselling author Catherine Anderson's Coulter Family series continues in this poignant story of a love that defies all the odds...
Five years ago, Laura Townsend’s life was nearly destroyed when a head injury impaired her ability to use language and forced her to abandon a brilliant career. Despite her difficulties, she never lost her vivacious spirit or sunny disposition. Now she has a great new job at an animal clinic—and a handsome new boss who fills her heart with longing. But veterinarian Isaiah Coulter deserves a woman who can meet all his needs. Battling her feelings, Laura decides that sometimes a woman must love a man enough to walk away�
When Isaiah hired Laura, he wasn’t expecting her to be such a breath of fresh air. Impressed by her healing touch—and captivated by her dazzling beauty—Isaiah finds himself falling in love. And he’ll move heaven and earth to convince Laura that she’s the woman he needs�
Five years ago, Laura Townsend’s life was nearly destroyed when a head injury impaired her ability to use language and forced her to abandon a brilliant career. Despite her difficulties, she never lost her vivacious spirit or sunny disposition. Now she has a great new job at an animal clinic—and a handsome new boss who fills her heart with longing. But veterinarian Isaiah Coulter deserves a woman who can meet all his needs. Battling her feelings, Laura decides that sometimes a woman must love a man enough to walk away�
When Isaiah hired Laura, he wasn’t expecting her to be such a breath of fresh air. Impressed by her healing touch—and captivated by her dazzling beauty—Isaiah finds himself falling in love. And he’ll move heaven and earth to convince Laura that she’s the woman he needs�
421 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
176 people are currently reading
2,130 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Anderson
90Ìýbooks2,912ÌýfollowersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .
(1)romance author:
Adeline Catherine was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA. She always yearned to be a writer like her mother. The morning that one of her professors asked if she could use samples of Catherine’s creative writing on an overhead projector to teach was a dream come true. In 1988, she sold her first book to Harlequin Intrigue and went on to write three more before she tried her hand at a single-title historical romance. Nine books later, she did her first single-title contemporary.
Catherine married Sidney D. Anderson, an industrial electrician and entrepreneur. They had two sons, Sidney D. Jr. and John G. In 2001 she and her husband purchased a central Oregon home located on a ridge with incredible mountain views and surrounded by forestland honeycombed with trails. It was her dream home, a wonderland in the winter and beyond beautiful in the summer. She named it Cinnamon Ridge after the huge ponderosa pines on the property, which sport bark the color of cinnamon.
Sadly, Catherine lost her husband to a long-term illness in 2014. She has kept Cinnamon Ridge as her primary residence but divides her time between there and her son John's farm, where she has the support of her loved ones and can enjoy his horses, cows, and raise her own chickens.
Catherine loves animals and birds, both wild and domestic. She presently has two Australian shepherds, six cats, and a very old canary. She is very family oriented as well. Her older son has lived in Japan, Australia, and now resides in New Zealand. Catherine and her stateside family will celebrate Christmas on the north island with Sidney, his wife Mary, and their two sons, Liam and Jonas.
(1)romance author:
Adeline Catherine was born and raised in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA. She always yearned to be a writer like her mother. The morning that one of her professors asked if she could use samples of Catherine’s creative writing on an overhead projector to teach was a dream come true. In 1988, she sold her first book to Harlequin Intrigue and went on to write three more before she tried her hand at a single-title historical romance. Nine books later, she did her first single-title contemporary.
Catherine married Sidney D. Anderson, an industrial electrician and entrepreneur. They had two sons, Sidney D. Jr. and John G. In 2001 she and her husband purchased a central Oregon home located on a ridge with incredible mountain views and surrounded by forestland honeycombed with trails. It was her dream home, a wonderland in the winter and beyond beautiful in the summer. She named it Cinnamon Ridge after the huge ponderosa pines on the property, which sport bark the color of cinnamon.
Sadly, Catherine lost her husband to a long-term illness in 2014. She has kept Cinnamon Ridge as her primary residence but divides her time between there and her son John's farm, where she has the support of her loved ones and can enjoy his horses, cows, and raise her own chickens.
Catherine loves animals and birds, both wild and domestic. She presently has two Australian shepherds, six cats, and a very old canary. She is very family oriented as well. Her older son has lived in Japan, Australia, and now resides in New Zealand. Catherine and her stateside family will celebrate Christmas on the north island with Sidney, his wife Mary, and their two sons, Liam and Jonas.
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April 25, 2011
Like the sun comes up after a dark night, so love comes into the hearts of those who thought that they had no chance at being loved. Catherine Anderson has made this kind of story her stock and trade, and she truly does it well.
In this heartwarming story, Laura Townsend is the unsuspecting heroine who will find love in a very unlikely place. Five years ago, Laura had a great life: an exciting career, a boyfriend, and lots of friends. Until she hit her head in a swimming accident, and obtained irreversible brain damage in the process. Now, she’s barely making ends meet with her disability, and various odd jobs. Her grandmother and her friend Mary Coulter suggest interviewing at Mary’s sons� veterinary clinic. Laura loves animals, and taking care of them is something she can do really well, so long as she is not required to do a lot of reading. Her anxieties about not being able to do that are the only part that has her worried.
She never, ever thought that the gorgeous, successful, intelligent clinic owner, Dr. Isaiah Coulter could fall in love with her, even if she loved him in return. But she was wrong.
Isaiah is a busy man. He loves his job as a veterinarian, even if he has so much work that he doesn’t even have time to eat. He agrees to consider hiring the brain-damaged young woman who is his mother’s friend’s granddaughter, but he makes no promises that he’ll hire her. She has to be able to do the job. His brother and he cannot afford to carry dead weight at their hospital. He’s sure that she won't even make it past the interview. When he sees her, he realizes how badly he’s stereotyped mentally-handicapped people, and he’s a big enough man to admit it. Laura has a beauty, a light and a sweetness, bringing joy to his life, and she’s incredible with the animals. She takes wonderful care of them and they love her back. She also takes care of the clinic employees, feeding them and making the clinic a warmer place for her presence. His life with Laura in it will never be the same. Before, his mind was focused on medicine. He didn’t even have time for dating. But each day he spends with Laura, opens his mind up to different possibilities. Even though he tells himself he’s not ready for marriage and a family, images of settling down and having a life with Laura seem to play constantly in his brain. And he admires Laura. She’s lost a lot, but worked hard to regain her independence, and to compensate for her lost ability to speak, and read words and numbers. She impresses Isaiah with her generous nature, her intelligence, and her determination. He comes to see that his life without Laura means nothing, because she brings such joy to it.
But there is someone who wants to sabotage Laura’s reputation at the clinic, and have her out of the picture. Does Isaiah trust Laura enough to believe in her integrity, and her commitment to doing what’s best for the animals in her care?
To my great joy, Isaiah did trust Laura. Even when the evidence was stacked against him. It made me livid to see how this person was sabotaging Laura (hurting animals and people in the process). And some people found it too easy to believe that just because Laura suffered from aphasia, that she was stupid and irresponsible. Honestly, I am glad I read Isaiah’s brother, Tucker’s book (Sun Kissed) before I read this one, because he really annoyed me. He was very judgmental and dismissive of Laura. His advice to Isaiah to break up with Laura was just about the last straw for me. I liked him in his book, but I didn’t end this book being such a big fan of his.
I think that the portrayal of how the mentally handicapped are perceived was daring, but truthful. Through Isaiah, I question my perceptions of mental disability. I have heard of aphasia, but I haven’t encountered someone with this disorder. Even though Laura was no less intelligent, she couldn’t communicate as well, so people would assume she was a stupid person, and some treated her that way. One would hope that people wouldn’t hold that against a person, or judge them. But Laura had faced prejudice. Her boyfriend broke up with her because of her disability, and her friends stopped calling. Although her family was loving and supportive, they had their own lives to live. Thus, Laura was trapped in a lonely world, other than her grandmother and the animals she adored. Working at the clinic opened her life to possibilities, and showed her that although her past career as a scientist was over, her ability to lead a productive, happy life was not. Isaiah was a darling guy. He truly wanted to make Laura happy, and accepted and loved her for who she was. He wasn’t ashamed because she had to speak slowly, and couldn’t read writing as easily as others. He was patient with her need to spend a lot longer at tasks others might find easy. But this wasn’t a one-way relationship. Laura takes great care of Isaiah, turning his house into a home, making sure he eats well, and has clean, neat clothes to wear. Although his stupid brother tells him he wouldn’t be happy with a woman of Laura’s shortcomings for long, Isaiah knows that it’s just the opposite. She’s the woman he had been waiting for his whole life.
This is another favorite, sweet, inspiring romance from Ms. Anderson. She has way with characters, writing lovable heroes and heroines you are happy to see fall in love. Once I started this book, I literally didn’t want to put it down. Definitely a keeper for me.
In this heartwarming story, Laura Townsend is the unsuspecting heroine who will find love in a very unlikely place. Five years ago, Laura had a great life: an exciting career, a boyfriend, and lots of friends. Until she hit her head in a swimming accident, and obtained irreversible brain damage in the process. Now, she’s barely making ends meet with her disability, and various odd jobs. Her grandmother and her friend Mary Coulter suggest interviewing at Mary’s sons� veterinary clinic. Laura loves animals, and taking care of them is something she can do really well, so long as she is not required to do a lot of reading. Her anxieties about not being able to do that are the only part that has her worried.
She never, ever thought that the gorgeous, successful, intelligent clinic owner, Dr. Isaiah Coulter could fall in love with her, even if she loved him in return. But she was wrong.
Isaiah is a busy man. He loves his job as a veterinarian, even if he has so much work that he doesn’t even have time to eat. He agrees to consider hiring the brain-damaged young woman who is his mother’s friend’s granddaughter, but he makes no promises that he’ll hire her. She has to be able to do the job. His brother and he cannot afford to carry dead weight at their hospital. He’s sure that she won't even make it past the interview. When he sees her, he realizes how badly he’s stereotyped mentally-handicapped people, and he’s a big enough man to admit it. Laura has a beauty, a light and a sweetness, bringing joy to his life, and she’s incredible with the animals. She takes wonderful care of them and they love her back. She also takes care of the clinic employees, feeding them and making the clinic a warmer place for her presence. His life with Laura in it will never be the same. Before, his mind was focused on medicine. He didn’t even have time for dating. But each day he spends with Laura, opens his mind up to different possibilities. Even though he tells himself he’s not ready for marriage and a family, images of settling down and having a life with Laura seem to play constantly in his brain. And he admires Laura. She’s lost a lot, but worked hard to regain her independence, and to compensate for her lost ability to speak, and read words and numbers. She impresses Isaiah with her generous nature, her intelligence, and her determination. He comes to see that his life without Laura means nothing, because she brings such joy to it.
But there is someone who wants to sabotage Laura’s reputation at the clinic, and have her out of the picture. Does Isaiah trust Laura enough to believe in her integrity, and her commitment to doing what’s best for the animals in her care?
To my great joy, Isaiah did trust Laura. Even when the evidence was stacked against him. It made me livid to see how this person was sabotaging Laura (hurting animals and people in the process). And some people found it too easy to believe that just because Laura suffered from aphasia, that she was stupid and irresponsible. Honestly, I am glad I read Isaiah’s brother, Tucker’s book (Sun Kissed) before I read this one, because he really annoyed me. He was very judgmental and dismissive of Laura. His advice to Isaiah to break up with Laura was just about the last straw for me. I liked him in his book, but I didn’t end this book being such a big fan of his.
I think that the portrayal of how the mentally handicapped are perceived was daring, but truthful. Through Isaiah, I question my perceptions of mental disability. I have heard of aphasia, but I haven’t encountered someone with this disorder. Even though Laura was no less intelligent, she couldn’t communicate as well, so people would assume she was a stupid person, and some treated her that way. One would hope that people wouldn’t hold that against a person, or judge them. But Laura had faced prejudice. Her boyfriend broke up with her because of her disability, and her friends stopped calling. Although her family was loving and supportive, they had their own lives to live. Thus, Laura was trapped in a lonely world, other than her grandmother and the animals she adored. Working at the clinic opened her life to possibilities, and showed her that although her past career as a scientist was over, her ability to lead a productive, happy life was not. Isaiah was a darling guy. He truly wanted to make Laura happy, and accepted and loved her for who she was. He wasn’t ashamed because she had to speak slowly, and couldn’t read writing as easily as others. He was patient with her need to spend a lot longer at tasks others might find easy. But this wasn’t a one-way relationship. Laura takes great care of Isaiah, turning his house into a home, making sure he eats well, and has clean, neat clothes to wear. Although his stupid brother tells him he wouldn’t be happy with a woman of Laura’s shortcomings for long, Isaiah knows that it’s just the opposite. She’s the woman he had been waiting for his whole life.
This is another favorite, sweet, inspiring romance from Ms. Anderson. She has way with characters, writing lovable heroes and heroines you are happy to see fall in love. Once I started this book, I literally didn’t want to put it down. Definitely a keeper for me.
July 27, 2016
Ho. Mi. Gosh. When I read my first Catherine Anderson, I didn't like it. When I read my second, I rolled my eyes and hated it. My third was accidental, and the moment I read the name 'Coulter' in the book, I screamed (and read it, because I had it... but I swore never to read another stOopid Catherine Anderson book again).
And here we are. I obviously NEVER learn my lesson.
I picked this up because it's a love story wherein the heroine is brain damaged. I'm always interested in seeing how people handle unique twists like disabilities... and Catherine is just WHIZ-bang at fricking them up, lemme tell ya.
She says that Laura can't read numbers, and has to have her landlord come and change all of her clocks for daylight savings time... but then two-thirds thru the book, she has Laura setting her bedside alarm every two hours to feed puppies. (!?!?!?!?!) She has Laura sewing her own wedding dress at the end... hello! Have YOU ever sewed a wedding dress? It's ALL numbers and measurements. It is SO ridiculously conceived, it's not funny.
She says that Laura can't say three-syllable words without concentration on the syllables, but during the hawt sex scene with I-Sai-ah, she screams his name with NO problem during mind-blowing (highly emotional) climax, with NO concentration on syllables. She says Laura has difficulty with speech, but HOMIWORD, the monologues Laura delivers are long and astoundingly wordy... and a person with speech difficulties wouldn't do that. Half the time Anderson is splitting words like ex-cept and the other half she's not. So which is it - split and choppy, or not?
It's just... mish-mash and inconsistent and badly, BADLY done.
And if that wasn't enough, she has Isaiah getting his sister with sight problems a magnifier for Christmas... like she wouldn't have one already and NOBODY else would thing of THAT! Just shoddy, too-easy writing.
And we *all* knew it was
*SPOILER*
... Belinda who was the perp from moment one. THAT wasn't even a strain on the ol' brain for her readers.
And that's not even getting into the quintessential issue of Catherine Anderson's beloved Kendrick/Coulter characters. Every single guy in her books is exactly the same. They act the same, look the same, talk the same... and she can't leave any out, so she has these get-togethers that include the Coulter brothers, uncles, cousins, sons, grandpas, their farm hands, their farm hand's kids, mothers, nephews... it drives me NUTS. It's like this massive tangle that's foisted upon us, every. single. book. I hate the Coulters. Deeply.
Lousy plotting, barely passable writing (she calls Isaiah by the name Tucker halfway thru the book)... I just need to stop reading Catherine Anderson. Seriously. Forever. Regardless of how intriguing the idea sounds. She's bound to slaughter it. GAH, so irritating.
And here we are. I obviously NEVER learn my lesson.
I picked this up because it's a love story wherein the heroine is brain damaged. I'm always interested in seeing how people handle unique twists like disabilities... and Catherine is just WHIZ-bang at fricking them up, lemme tell ya.
She says that Laura can't read numbers, and has to have her landlord come and change all of her clocks for daylight savings time... but then two-thirds thru the book, she has Laura setting her bedside alarm every two hours to feed puppies. (!?!?!?!?!) She has Laura sewing her own wedding dress at the end... hello! Have YOU ever sewed a wedding dress? It's ALL numbers and measurements. It is SO ridiculously conceived, it's not funny.
She says that Laura can't say three-syllable words without concentration on the syllables, but during the hawt sex scene with I-Sai-ah, she screams his name with NO problem during mind-blowing (highly emotional) climax, with NO concentration on syllables. She says Laura has difficulty with speech, but HOMIWORD, the monologues Laura delivers are long and astoundingly wordy... and a person with speech difficulties wouldn't do that. Half the time Anderson is splitting words like ex-cept and the other half she's not. So which is it - split and choppy, or not?
It's just... mish-mash and inconsistent and badly, BADLY done.
And if that wasn't enough, she has Isaiah getting his sister with sight problems a magnifier for Christmas... like she wouldn't have one already and NOBODY else would thing of THAT! Just shoddy, too-easy writing.
And we *all* knew it was
*SPOILER*
... Belinda who was the perp from moment one. THAT wasn't even a strain on the ol' brain for her readers.
And that's not even getting into the quintessential issue of Catherine Anderson's beloved Kendrick/Coulter characters. Every single guy in her books is exactly the same. They act the same, look the same, talk the same... and she can't leave any out, so she has these get-togethers that include the Coulter brothers, uncles, cousins, sons, grandpas, their farm hands, their farm hand's kids, mothers, nephews... it drives me NUTS. It's like this massive tangle that's foisted upon us, every. single. book. I hate the Coulters. Deeply.
Lousy plotting, barely passable writing (she calls Isaiah by the name Tucker halfway thru the book)... I just need to stop reading Catherine Anderson. Seriously. Forever. Regardless of how intriguing the idea sounds. She's bound to slaughter it. GAH, so irritating.
December 5, 2011
Ok, I'm going to have to break down and admit that Catherine Anderson is one of my favourite authors. I picked up the first six books in this series a few weeks ago. I was tearing my room up looking for my Doctor Who Series 5 DVD set (finally found it!) and picked this up off the floor. I opened it to a random page and was immediately sucked in. I couldn't even go back to the beginning, so I read from page 180-something to the end, then went back and read the bits I initially skipped. I wasn't even bothered that I *GASP!* read this book before reading the first 5 books in this series!
This was another beautiful romance. I've come to the conclusion that Ms. Anderson loves to write about heroines who have either a physical disability or emotional trauma that they are working to overcome. Normally, I would get tired with an author using the same basic plot over and over. Not so with Ms. Anderson's books. Her characters are so real, so heartfelt and honest that I can't help but love them. I'm very glad that I have several of her books at home to read.
This was another beautiful romance. I've come to the conclusion that Ms. Anderson loves to write about heroines who have either a physical disability or emotional trauma that they are working to overcome. Normally, I would get tired with an author using the same basic plot over and over. Not so with Ms. Anderson's books. Her characters are so real, so heartfelt and honest that I can't help but love them. I'm very glad that I have several of her books at home to read.
September 20, 2010
I'm a speech langauge pathologist so the parts about the main character's aphasia were offensively under-researched. I kept screaming through out the book, "Aphasia doesn't work that way, dingbat!"
September 23, 2013
2.5 stars, rounded up
End was ridiculous, complete with deranged lunatic showing up at the heroine's door. At the beginning of the book, the heroine (who has brain damage) explains that her memory is bad when she's stressed, and she actually forgets her own name when she meets the hero. So, I'm thinking your stress level is probably pretty high when a deranged lunatic shows up at your front door with a knife and tries to kill you. Nevertheless, the brain damaged heroine remembers all of her tai chi moves that she learned in order to thwart the cray cray would-be killer.
That could totally happen.
She also is drop-dead gorgeous, loves puppies, and is an amazing cook and home-decorator.
I enjoyed the beginning until this got too out of control, but the end. THE END!
And then the hero and heroine made up in 3 seconds.
Don't think I'll be reading any more books by this author.
Full review at Penelope's Romance Reviews:
End was ridiculous, complete with deranged lunatic showing up at the heroine's door. At the beginning of the book, the heroine (who has brain damage) explains that her memory is bad when she's stressed, and she actually forgets her own name when she meets the hero. So, I'm thinking your stress level is probably pretty high when a deranged lunatic shows up at your front door with a knife and tries to kill you. Nevertheless, the brain damaged heroine remembers all of her tai chi moves that she learned in order to thwart the cray cray would-be killer.
That could totally happen.
She also is drop-dead gorgeous, loves puppies, and is an amazing cook and home-decorator.
I enjoyed the beginning until this got too out of control, but the end. THE END!
And then the hero and heroine made up in 3 seconds.
Don't think I'll be reading any more books by this author.
Full review at Penelope's Romance Reviews:
September 4, 2014
I liked the story however a few things were a huge turn off for me as a person.
1. Vet wants to throw a puppy back outside on a busy street in the cold winter weather to die.
2. The crap put in about how lucrative dog breeding is and how much money you can make. Most GOOD breeders don't come out ahead they aren't about the money but bettering the breed. After vet cost, show Cost, health certifications.
3. Promoting back yard breeding and people that don't bother to get their animals fixed. (Free kitten ok why not just write that she found him at the animal shelter and promote rescue)
4. The negative light she put on animal shelter.
1. Vet wants to throw a puppy back outside on a busy street in the cold winter weather to die.
2. The crap put in about how lucrative dog breeding is and how much money you can make. Most GOOD breeders don't come out ahead they aren't about the money but bettering the breed. After vet cost, show Cost, health certifications.
3. Promoting back yard breeding and people that don't bother to get their animals fixed. (Free kitten ok why not just write that she found him at the animal shelter and promote rescue)
4. The negative light she put on animal shelter.
October 14, 2014
First of all, what kind of a*hole vet would tell someone to release a lost puppy back into the cold of winter? What did he think was going to happen? Would advocate docking of Rottweiler tails just because they would "look weird" otherwise (FYI they don't). Worst vet ever.
Those quibbles aside, I picked up this book because it sounded like an interesting premise, but it annoyed me halfway through. Laura is a bit of a too much, OMG she bakes, vicious dogs love her, she decorates! The author writes her as a weird 1950s Stepford Mary Sue.
“Imagine it, a modern- day young woman who can actually bake. Will marvels never cease?�
OMG, people bake, it's not that big a deal.
Conflicts come out of left field but some how never amounted to much, for example the brothers argue about Laura long enough for her to eavesdrop, but then 30 seconds later all is well between them again. It happened so she would have a reason to run away, not because of something that developed naturally.
Those quibbles aside, I picked up this book because it sounded like an interesting premise, but it annoyed me halfway through. Laura is a bit of a too much, OMG she bakes, vicious dogs love her, she decorates! The author writes her as a weird 1950s Stepford Mary Sue.
“Imagine it, a modern- day young woman who can actually bake. Will marvels never cease?�
OMG, people bake, it's not that big a deal.
Conflicts come out of left field but some how never amounted to much, for example the brothers argue about Laura long enough for her to eavesdrop, but then 30 seconds later all is well between them again. It happened so she would have a reason to run away, not because of something that developed naturally.
January 24, 2015
Por algum motivo é-me quase impossÃvel dar menos do que 5 estrelas aos livros desta autora. Adoro-os, sinto que todos me ensinam algo e acho até que são terapêuticos.
Em "O Sol da Minha Vida" acompanhamos a vida de Isaiah e Laura numa clÃnica veterinária. Gostei bastante de conhecer o funcionamento da clÃnica e também das personagens e da forma como as coisas foram evoluindo entre elas.
Quanto ao mistério presente no livro foi interessante e a minha suspeita mostrou-se correcta.
Senti que este livro deu pouco espaço ao romance propriamente dito, sendo que este aconteceu quase, quase na recta final e não há muitas descrições de cenas Ãntimas, algo que sempre houve nos anteriores volumes.
Ainda me faltam ler alguns sobre estes irmãos e espero com o tempo vir a ler todos, pois é definitivamente uma excelente saga.
Em "O Sol da Minha Vida" acompanhamos a vida de Isaiah e Laura numa clÃnica veterinária. Gostei bastante de conhecer o funcionamento da clÃnica e também das personagens e da forma como as coisas foram evoluindo entre elas.
Quanto ao mistério presente no livro foi interessante e a minha suspeita mostrou-se correcta.
Senti que este livro deu pouco espaço ao romance propriamente dito, sendo que este aconteceu quase, quase na recta final e não há muitas descrições de cenas Ãntimas, algo que sempre houve nos anteriores volumes.
Ainda me faltam ler alguns sobre estes irmãos e espero com o tempo vir a ler todos, pois é definitivamente uma excelente saga.
March 21, 2008
I actually read this book first over a year ago. It was one of the first few non-Nora Roberts romances I read. After reading Bright Eyes and Blue Skies, I figured I'd skim through it so I could catch some of the connections that I'd missed the first time around from not having read the preceding books. Instead, I pretty much ended up re-reading the entire book.
My Sunshine is a wonderful romance. Anderson has a real knack for these kinds of stories. It's a real change of pace to read about characters with problems such as brain damage or blindness. It's nice to read a story that shows that just because tragedy has forever changed someone's life, they still can find happiness.
Laura and Isaiah are a great couple. There friendship is a great base for a romantic relationship. You're just really drawn to these characters throughout the story. The bit of suspense is a nice addition to the story. It's adds a little extra meat.
The first time I read this book, I liked it, but I didn't fully appreciate it. I was still pretty new to the overall romance genre, and was too focused on certain story aspects. But now that I've spent a year reading all different kinds of romances, I can look at this book more objectively. And I ended up liking it more. Definitely a great read in the romance/drama category.
I know that there have been some criticisms of this book, along with Blue Skies, and Phantom Waltz (the 1st Coulter story) about their realism in dealing with disabled characters, but the fact of the matter is, unless you suffer from the affliction yourself, you are going to have a hard time in making a book truly realistic. You can do all the research you want, but you're still going to miss somewhere. Maybe Anderson's books lack a little realism, maybe not, but for the average reader, everything works.
My Sunshine is a wonderful romance. Anderson has a real knack for these kinds of stories. It's a real change of pace to read about characters with problems such as brain damage or blindness. It's nice to read a story that shows that just because tragedy has forever changed someone's life, they still can find happiness.
Laura and Isaiah are a great couple. There friendship is a great base for a romantic relationship. You're just really drawn to these characters throughout the story. The bit of suspense is a nice addition to the story. It's adds a little extra meat.
The first time I read this book, I liked it, but I didn't fully appreciate it. I was still pretty new to the overall romance genre, and was too focused on certain story aspects. But now that I've spent a year reading all different kinds of romances, I can look at this book more objectively. And I ended up liking it more. Definitely a great read in the romance/drama category.
I know that there have been some criticisms of this book, along with Blue Skies, and Phantom Waltz (the 1st Coulter story) about their realism in dealing with disabled characters, but the fact of the matter is, unless you suffer from the affliction yourself, you are going to have a hard time in making a book truly realistic. You can do all the research you want, but you're still going to miss somewhere. Maybe Anderson's books lack a little realism, maybe not, but for the average reader, everything works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2009
The heroine in this story suffers from aphasia because of a brain injury many years ago. Her name is Laura. She has trouble speaking long words. She has trouble counting. She sees some numbers and letters backwards. Despite everything, she has managed to live an independent life and hold a job.
She has accepted that men will no longer be interested in her because of her speech problems. She never expects to find love again.
Enter our hero - Isaiah - a veterinarian with a warm heart that needs a good woman to take care of him because he stays so busy that he simply forgets to take care of himself. He overlooks the heroine's bad speech and sees her big heart.
The story was just a little slow to get going, but it was so worth it. I loved the story. It is incredibly sweet.
She has accepted that men will no longer be interested in her because of her speech problems. She never expects to find love again.
Enter our hero - Isaiah - a veterinarian with a warm heart that needs a good woman to take care of him because he stays so busy that he simply forgets to take care of himself. He overlooks the heroine's bad speech and sees her big heart.
The story was just a little slow to get going, but it was so worth it. I loved the story. It is incredibly sweet.
February 12, 2023
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August 31, 2010
Oh My God!!!! Where the heck was I to not read this book much, much earlier! I saw Catherine Anderson's books at the bookstores so many times and always think 'What cute covers those books have,' but I never really paid any attention...until now!
It all started when I wanted to read novels with heroine who has some kind of disability. So I came acrossed this book!
It's one of the most romantic and sweetest love stories I've ever read in my whole life! And I love every minute I spent reading this book. Laura and Isaiah are meant for each other! I adore both of them and wish they are real. It'll be sooo nice to see them together in real life.
Laura is THE best heroine for me. There isn't any second that I feel a little annoyance toward her, and it happened all the time with me and heroines-who-sometimes-act-so-stupid-and-annoying. And most of all, Isaiah is THE sweetest guy I've ever meet (in the page of ink, of course).
This book is totally a must read for the ones who love the heart-warming and real relationships (and by real, I mean you can totally see it progressing slowly at a nice pace and know the reasons why they fell in love).
It all started when I wanted to read novels with heroine who has some kind of disability. So I came acrossed this book!
It's one of the most romantic and sweetest love stories I've ever read in my whole life! And I love every minute I spent reading this book. Laura and Isaiah are meant for each other! I adore both of them and wish they are real. It'll be sooo nice to see them together in real life.
Laura is THE best heroine for me. There isn't any second that I feel a little annoyance toward her, and it happened all the time with me and heroines-who-sometimes-act-so-stupid-and-annoying. And most of all, Isaiah is THE sweetest guy I've ever meet (in the page of ink, of course).
This book is totally a must read for the ones who love the heart-warming and real relationships (and by real, I mean you can totally see it progressing slowly at a nice pace and know the reasons why they fell in love).
October 27, 2008
I loved this one! I could not put it down over the past weekend. Isaiah is the fourth Coulter brother to have his own story. He and his twin, Tucker, have their own veterinary practice. Laura has a form of brain damage that affects her speech, from an accident 5 years before. Isaiah hires Laura to be a kennel cleaner in his office. They start as friends and grow closer. There is a mystery in the story—I didn’t have much difficulty figuring out the villain, but that’s ok. Catherine Anderson is very good at developing her characters. I really feel like I know them while reading. I fell in love with this story and will probably reread it!
November 16, 2015
This book has everything to be a great read, I even enjoyed it at the beginning. But somehow it just didn't work for me. I completely lost my interest somewhere in the middle and started to force myself to end it. And even skipping through pages didn't help. I gave up at the description of the Isaiah's and Hapless' story. I just couldn't stand it anymore. She talks him into taking a puppy he obviously doesn't like knowing he don't have time for caring about a dog. The pup destroys everything, did it supposed to be funny? I just couldn't stand any more page.
First of all, I didn't like the characters. I didn't dislike them either, I just didn't care about them at all. I couldn't find that smartness and intelligence in Laura. And Isaiah is lacking in personality, it was hard for me to find him real. I'm not sure what he is finding in Laura despite her being a sweetheart and him feeling sad for her disability. And her being some Martha Steward on steroids was driving me crazy.
Then there was the lack of action. At two third they are still strictly on friendship basis without any chance for something more. I was bored waiting for something to happened. And then I realise I just don't care if they will eventually be together or not (of course they will because it is a romance novel after all).
And sometimes it was like really old-school. Isaiah looking for someone who will be like his mother, a stay-at-home wife who would cook him dinner after work and raise their children. This is not what I'm looking for in my books. I also don't like too much talks about God in my books and there were some in this one. I felt uncomfortable with it like attending a mass without any intention, especially when Laura tells Isaiah not to use the name of the God as a curse. Well, I think I like my books at least a bit naughty (if you consider cursing naughty). I believe this is the problem I had with this book, it was too plain despite the potential it has nothing in it.
Also, I didn't read any other books in this series but what it is about with all the characters having some health issues. Doesn't it get boring after reading a few books? Or strange?
With so many other books out there to read there was no point in reading this one. I am giving this book two stars because I could force myself to read it to the end, although without any pleasure.
First of all, I didn't like the characters. I didn't dislike them either, I just didn't care about them at all. I couldn't find that smartness and intelligence in Laura. And Isaiah is lacking in personality, it was hard for me to find him real. I'm not sure what he is finding in Laura despite her being a sweetheart and him feeling sad for her disability. And her being some Martha Steward on steroids was driving me crazy.
Then there was the lack of action. At two third they are still strictly on friendship basis without any chance for something more. I was bored waiting for something to happened. And then I realise I just don't care if they will eventually be together or not (of course they will because it is a romance novel after all).
And sometimes it was like really old-school. Isaiah looking for someone who will be like his mother, a stay-at-home wife who would cook him dinner after work and raise their children. This is not what I'm looking for in my books. I also don't like too much talks about God in my books and there were some in this one. I felt uncomfortable with it like attending a mass without any intention, especially when Laura tells Isaiah not to use the name of the God as a curse. Well, I think I like my books at least a bit naughty (if you consider cursing naughty). I believe this is the problem I had with this book, it was too plain despite the potential it has nothing in it.
Also, I didn't read any other books in this series but what it is about with all the characters having some health issues. Doesn't it get boring after reading a few books? Or strange?
With so many other books out there to read there was no point in reading this one. I am giving this book two stars because I could force myself to read it to the end, although without any pleasure.
May 29, 2019
Disappointing re-read
- It's such a very slow burn
- Incredibly sugary sweet
- Too heavy for me on religion
- Littered with Mary Sue characters
1.5 stars
- It's such a very slow burn
- Incredibly sugary sweet
- Too heavy for me on religion
- Littered with Mary Sue characters
1.5 stars
August 17, 2009
I say this over and over but I love Catherine Anderson’s books. Once again she delivers a great story about Laura Townsend, an all around loved woman who suffers from speech impairment due to a diving accident, and Isaiah Coulter, a busy Veterinarian who has no time to take care of himself; both of them with one thing in common, their love for animals. Due to Laura’s disability she’s been unable to find a stable job so when she is hired as the Kennel Keeper at Isaiah’s clinic she is happy to finally find a job she qualifies for; she gets to be a part of a family and meet new friends. Isaiah’s didn’t plan to fall in love and settle down so soon but Laura changes all that. She captured Isaiah’s heart not only by her cooking, but by the way she cares for him. Nobody has ever worried about his well being except his mother. Laura turned his world around and brought sunshine into his life!
It was so cute when Laura rescued Hapless from getting run over and how she convinced Isaiah to keep him. Isaiah ended up falling in love with the ugly Mutt. Isaiah never had a problem saying no to any women but there was something about Laura that he could never find it in his heart to say no to anything she asked. I loved how Laura stayed with Isaiah so that they could care for the 13 puppies that lost their mother. And the part where Isaiah confesses his love for Laura by pretending he was reading her a romance novel but instead he was confessing his love. Like the rest of the books in the series there is a little suspense and mystery to solve. Someone was setting Laura up and trying to get her fired from the clinic. It added a good twist to the story! I love Catherine Anderson’s books. I can’t wait to read about Tucker next!
It was so cute when Laura rescued Hapless from getting run over and how she convinced Isaiah to keep him. Isaiah ended up falling in love with the ugly Mutt. Isaiah never had a problem saying no to any women but there was something about Laura that he could never find it in his heart to say no to anything she asked. I loved how Laura stayed with Isaiah so that they could care for the 13 puppies that lost their mother. And the part where Isaiah confesses his love for Laura by pretending he was reading her a romance novel but instead he was confessing his love. Like the rest of the books in the series there is a little suspense and mystery to solve. Someone was setting Laura up and trying to get her fired from the clinic. It added a good twist to the story! I love Catherine Anderson’s books. I can’t wait to read about Tucker next!
July 11, 2020
This was an enjoyable read. I think I would give it a 3.5 star rounded up to a 4 as it has been while since I could sit down and read. I will probably do a more detailed review later. This was a slow burn and sweet but not clean. I loved the animals in it. I like the hero and heroine. The hero's mother was a little annoying and the brother of the hero. Otherwise I enjoyed the story. I did feel like the bad guy was obvious but of course the people looking know each other and hard to look at people and see it but should have been a clue. So a low angst read that I needed so I could relax.
December 14, 2008
Another Coulter family novel that truely touches your heart. Are there really strong loveing men with principals in this world? You definately read about one here. Isaiah is sexy and wonderful. Definately someone you can dream about at night. His sweet understanding and love for Laura is heart touching. You will love this book and it will restore your faith in humanity.
December 25, 2016
Adorei!
Adoro a escrita da autora e a forma como nos transporta para dentro dos seus livros e nos dá a conhecer as personagens.
Adoro a escrita da autora e a forma como nos transporta para dentro dos seus livros e nos dá a conhecer as personagens.
September 30, 2014
2.75 stars, rounded up. I honestly do not see why everyone raves about this book. It's in several BEST lists. It's not bad, but not something I would recommend or re-read. A fairly trite story with some lovely bits. It felt like an extra-long Harlequin, and a mediocre one at that. A little boring.
I liked the unusual heroine, Laura. She is a caring and strong-willed woman with a language impairment called aphasia. She applies to work for Isaiah, the local vet. I enjoyed seeing Laura come into her own, getting and keeping a job that she loves despite her troubles with words. I liked the dogs, too.
I appreciated Anderson's slow-cooker approach to passion. Laura and Isaiah didn't jump into the sack too quickly, and there was no love at first sight. (Not quite.) Sadly, I did not get into the sex scenes. Meh. I also felt frustrated at the final "big misunderstanding" when Laura left Isaiah.
Anderson got a little too preachy with an obvious moral, "Don't judge people by their superficial limitations." It was overkill. Authors should strive for a little subtlety.
Thin and uneven plot. Between bouts of mild villainy, there is Laura the Angel of Light and Goodness, always baking, decorating the clinic, kitten saving, and puppy sitting. Then, bam! That final attack scene was just bizarre. As for suspense, I quickly figured out who was behind the sabotage and assorted attacks.
The writing style is repetitive. I mean Anderson repeated herself a lot. That is to say, she was redundant. (See, like that.) Also, there are several inconsistencies in Anderson's characterization of Laura. Isaiah, too, who used profanity frequently for no good reason, despite his family upbringing. The puppies were in character. ;)
I did not like Tucker, Isaiah's brother, so I won't read the sequel about him.
Content includes fairly explicit sex, swearing, religious swearing, a little violence.
I liked the unusual heroine, Laura. She is a caring and strong-willed woman with a language impairment called aphasia. She applies to work for Isaiah, the local vet. I enjoyed seeing Laura come into her own, getting and keeping a job that she loves despite her troubles with words. I liked the dogs, too.
I appreciated Anderson's slow-cooker approach to passion. Laura and Isaiah didn't jump into the sack too quickly, and there was no love at first sight. (Not quite.) Sadly, I did not get into the sex scenes. Meh. I also felt frustrated at the final "big misunderstanding" when Laura left Isaiah.
Anderson got a little too preachy with an obvious moral, "Don't judge people by their superficial limitations." It was overkill. Authors should strive for a little subtlety.
Thin and uneven plot. Between bouts of mild villainy, there is Laura the Angel of Light and Goodness, always baking, decorating the clinic, kitten saving, and puppy sitting. Then, bam! That final attack scene was just bizarre. As for suspense, I quickly figured out who was behind the sabotage and assorted attacks.
The writing style is repetitive. I mean Anderson repeated herself a lot. That is to say, she was redundant. (See, like that.) Also, there are several inconsistencies in Anderson's characterization of Laura. Isaiah, too, who used profanity frequently for no good reason, despite his family upbringing. The puppies were in character. ;)
I did not like Tucker, Isaiah's brother, so I won't read the sequel about him.
Content includes fairly explicit sex, swearing, religious swearing, a little violence.
February 24, 2009
This book was just ok. A little trite, and nothing about it really grabbed me. I was impressed with the author for trying to write a romance novel about a woman with brain damage. THat part was pulled off fairly well, but overall an uninspiring writing effort.
September 8, 2011
Mais uma vez adorei o livro! Estes irmãos são um máximo :P
Em breve este livro será lançado em pt e aconselho a leitura, é um livro muito romântico onde claro o amor vence todos os obstáculos :D
Em breve este livro será lançado em pt e aconselho a leitura, é um livro muito romântico onde claro o amor vence todos os obstáculos :D
February 22, 2016
I liked it enough to want to read more by Catherine Anderson.
The heroine has a accident 5 years that caused her to have a brain injury. She gets a job at a vet office.
The heroine has a accident 5 years that caused her to have a brain injury. She gets a job at a vet office.
June 26, 2019
I like this series b/c it’s one where a character has a disability. I thought that was a great twist on the typical romance.
I like this writer.
Good character, good story. Some of the ones in the series started off great but I got bored.
This one I didn’t. It was cute.
I like this writer.
Good character, good story. Some of the ones in the series started off great but I got bored.
This one I didn’t. It was cute.
February 18, 2020
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book in the series! Not only did it touch my heart with animals but so many other things too!
June 23, 2010
Catherine Anderson has done it again! This author has a gift for bringing wounded, imperfect people together and making us rejoice for their newfound happiness. In this case, we have a bright woman with her entire future ahead of her, who suffers brain damage as the result of a head injury. Five years later, Laura has come a long way, but will permanently suffer from partial aphasia, making speaking, reading, writing, and math difficult for her. I admit that I knew nothing about aphasia before I read this book, but it comes to life on the pages, making the character real, believable, and utterly sympathetic. Aphasia is a language/communication disorder, meaning her mind is sharp, but expressing that mind is incredibly difficult. Now, Laura lives on disability income and does odd jobs for a living, including taking care of pets.
Enter Isaiah Coulter.a veterinarian, whose mother tries to play matchmaker by getting him to hire Laura as a kennel keeper for his clinic. She's perfect for the job and is thrilled at the chance to work again, but someone else isn't thrilled to have her there and tries to get her fired by making it seem as if her disability makes her unfit for the work.
The love story was sweet and poignant. I was never really into cowboys before I got ahold of Ms. Anderson's books, but now she not only has me loving cowboys, but also the sort of wholesome relationships they find. Here is a woman not afraid to bring God into things, managing to do so without being condescending or preachy.
The only issue I had with this book was that the mystery was pretty predictable. For that reason, it's probably more of a 4.5-star book, but when I love a character, I just want to recommend it to the world.
Enter Isaiah Coulter.a veterinarian, whose mother tries to play matchmaker by getting him to hire Laura as a kennel keeper for his clinic. She's perfect for the job and is thrilled at the chance to work again, but someone else isn't thrilled to have her there and tries to get her fired by making it seem as if her disability makes her unfit for the work.
The love story was sweet and poignant. I was never really into cowboys before I got ahold of Ms. Anderson's books, but now she not only has me loving cowboys, but also the sort of wholesome relationships they find. Here is a woman not afraid to bring God into things, managing to do so without being condescending or preachy.
The only issue I had with this book was that the mystery was pretty predictable. For that reason, it's probably more of a 4.5-star book, but when I love a character, I just want to recommend it to the world.
June 18, 2009
Although Catherine Anderson's books are a bit alike in some way, I still enjoy reading them very much. I found that "My Sunshine" strayed a bit from the usual path of romance. Like the author's note in "Phantom Waltz" ( haven't read that yet) Catherine Anderson stated that most romance novels have all healthy characters, and I think that in "My Sunshine" having Laura to have a disability made her relationship with Isaiah even better, if even possible. :)
I loved as Isaiah's and Laura's love for each other progressed through the chapters, and finally realizing that they loved each other, even though they didn't think that the other one loved them back. A little cliche, but it was sweet. :) It was even heart-wrenching to hear Tucker say all those bad things about Laura, who believed it, and then it was really sweet when Isaiah stuck up for her. It was really sweet, for Laura to walk away, thinking that she would never be perfect, but in reality Isaiah didn't need perfect, just her.
Of course, though, like a good Catherine Anderson novel, someone had to try to kill the female protagonist. I knew all along, since the beginning, that it was Belinda that framed Laura, because she was phycho and was jelous of Laura, who was the one that had Isaiah's heart.
All in all, it was a magnificent read, one that I enjoyed until the very end.
Rating:
100+/100
I loved as Isaiah's and Laura's love for each other progressed through the chapters, and finally realizing that they loved each other, even though they didn't think that the other one loved them back. A little cliche, but it was sweet. :) It was even heart-wrenching to hear Tucker say all those bad things about Laura, who believed it, and then it was really sweet when Isaiah stuck up for her. It was really sweet, for Laura to walk away, thinking that she would never be perfect, but in reality Isaiah didn't need perfect, just her.
Of course, though, like a good Catherine Anderson novel, someone had to try to kill the female protagonist. I knew all along, since the beginning, that it was Belinda that framed Laura, because she was phycho and was jelous of Laura, who was the one that had Isaiah's heart.
All in all, it was a magnificent read, one that I enjoyed until the very end.
Rating:
100+/100
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2021
Although I loved the dogs in this book and the inside look at a veterinarian's life, there was very little conflict to the plot and the little there was, was obvious. On the other hand, the relationship between Laura and Isaiah flowed in what I consider a more normal way, easing into getting to know one another, gradually falling in love, and finally deciding to marry. There was no modern "jump-into-bed-with-a-virtual-stranger-just-because-he's-hot" syndrome, which most of the books I read these days seem to be unable to avoid. Laura is a true care-taker, which I also loved, so I am unable to figure out why I didn't enjoy this book more, but for some reason, I liked its predecessors better.
February 4, 2012
This has got to be one of my favorite Catherine Anderson novels. The woman in this story, Laura Townsend, wasn't what I would call one of Catherine's regular gals she writes about. Laura wasn't running away from an ex husband, or anything. She wasn't helpless. I really liked the fact that she didn't need Isiah to save her, but in fact it was the other way around. When the inevitable split came up (as they always do in these novels) It wasn't because Laura felt she wasn't good enough, but what she heard. This book made me want to cry on parts that weren't even sad! I just love Laura as a character so much. Definitely one of the best Coulter/Kendrick/Harrigan novels out there, and definitely the best by Catherine Anderson. A great read, I highly recommend it!
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