This book is one of Catherine's best. I loved it. The hero (Heath) is simply wonderful. All the characters are great. Meredith is strong and courageous, though she had been abused, and in horrible ways. She is fragile and vulnarable, at the same time. There is also Meredith's adorable little girl, and Heath's lovable dog, Golaith.

The storyline is great. And the way the blossoming love between Heath and Meredith is protrayed, is unforgettable.

This book was a great, great read. It will make you lol at some parts, it will move you to tears or make your heart flutter at some parts.

Hightly recommended!

I took this on a business trip to Atlanta. It kept me preoccupied on a bumpy flight. Story was familiar. I have been associated with abused wives in my profession and sort of bought into the book. Once you get past that, the interaction between Merry, Heath and adorable Sammy was amusing. Goliath is a wonder dog and I want to buy him!!!

I think this is enuf of these kinds of books for a while. I am supposed to stay away from too much sugar.

I bought a copy of this to read on a plane but fell asleep instead (fortunately!) so it had to wait a couple of weeks before I picked it up. Once I finished it, I thought - hey - I know this plot - and so a look on the shelves found a copy of Susan Andersen's "Exposure".

Both are the story of an abused or misused woman with a small daughter, on the run from someone who wants to possess them in a most nefarious way. Each fetches up in a remote part of the US and each manages to find accommodation right next door to the local sheriff. The local sheriff in each case has a traumatic past and is in deep need of the love of the right woman. Bad man arrives and after some hair raising difficulties, the bad man is seen off by the sheriff (who has fallen love with the daughter and mother) and instant family lives happily ever after.

However, where these two stories are very different is in the nature of the heroines - in this book Meredith Kenyon is strong but a bit namby-pamby (and this makes it even more surprising because she is in the middle of an "I married the mob" story). In the case of "Exposure" by Susan Andersen, once you get around the stupid emphasis on our heroine's tacky New Orleans drawl, the heroine, Emma Sands, is feisty, smart, cocky yet very vulnerable. The two tiny daughters are different in that Meredith's is terribly traumatised (very moving) but Emma's is a chip off her mommy's block and despite the baby talk, she is one of the better child characters I've encountered.

Our two sheriffs - Heath Masters in this story and Elvis Aaron (!!!) Donnelly in "Exposure" are both the survivors of difficult and dysfunctional childhoods but, given the choice, Elvis wins hands down for pure sexual attraction. I love the fact that his mom was the town trick turner but, despite it all, he loves her, looks out for her and for the most part is just plain infuriated by her. He's a huge hunk of a man whose vulnerabilities are far more endearing and attractive than Heath Master's problems.

I thought the supporting dramatis personae in "Exposure" was more amusing. At times "Forever After" seemed like a two-hander and the other members of the cast added very little to the overall story and development of the two main characters.

I'd give "Exposure" 5 stars - no problem - but this one gets four purely because I found it entertaining and a good read although I was not as "involved" with the H/H. However, after two of her books in quick succession, I'm not sure that I will be in rush to try again soon. I've not read anything else by Susan Andersen - I'll have to see if she can hit the spot again.