Morning Light [Paperback] Review

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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