Baby Love (Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan series Book 1)

I first came to know about this series years ago when I stumbled upon another book written by Catherine Anderson called Phantom Waltz, the second book in this series. At the time I had no idea that it was a part of a series and it read perfectly as a stand alone book. I was immediately drawn to the fact that the main female character wasn't Miss Perfect, she was a sweet skeptical young paralyzed woman that thought she was more of a pain than she was worth. I took to the book immediately because it wasn't the usual honey coated perfectionism that most romance authors strive for. Those sorts of books have never held their salt with me because it just wasn't realistic enough for me to enjoy, instead I would find myself scanning the pages so that I could find those unbelievable tid-bits that would put me off of the book. Needless to say, with Phantom Waltz, I fell head over heels in love with the characters and it was a book that I read many times. Each time was like the first time all over again, the pages turning endlessly...not being able to read quickly enough to appease my desperate curiosity as to how things were going to turn out. Having fallen in love with that book, I jumped at the first chance to get Baby Love when I realized that it was actually the first in a series of great books.Baby Love, for me, was an amazingly touching story that I found myself sucked into as if I were really there. For me, reading through the good and the bad that handsome Rafe and his beautiful love interest Maggie had to go through, I couldn't help but fall helplessly in love with them. Maggie running for her life with desperate need to escape from the impending doom looming over her head, Rafe running from a haunted past with demons nipping at his heels, and to sweeten the pot there was little Jaimie and Heidi whose only chance of surviving was for Maggie to save them....she just couldn't so it alone. So when Rafe comes to her rescue and promises to help her fight her own demons, Maggie can't help but give in to letting a man she barely knows step up to bat swinging for her. In doing so Rafe finds that in helping Maggie, Jaimie, and Heidi escape from their past, they were helping to heal his broken soul just enough for him to find love again and Maggie can't help but fall hard for her cowboy prince charming.This was such an amazing book that I would recommend it to just about anyone. But, if you've got something for rugged cowboys with family values and more heart to give then one woman can handle, this is definitely a read for you. It's more than deserving of the five star rating that I'm giving it. Catherine Anderson has stolen my heart once again! ^_^

Mrs. Anderson is one of my favorite authors. I prefer her historical romances, but decided to try a contemporary. This book, while having a great storyline, got on my nerves. The main characters were too perfect and their adoration of each other got sappy. I don’t want to be told, by another character in the book, how great or kind or thoughtful they think another is, show me through descriptive writing. Let me figure it out on my own; let me experience those feelings rather than be told them. This story would have been great otherwise.

I've been reading Ms. Anderson's back catalog, the Western historicals for the most part, and really enjoying them. This is the first contemporary I've read by her, and unfortunately, I didn't like it all that much. It was fine, I guess, but the plot was unbelievable with a multi-millionaire riding box cars for two years and drinking only to give up alcohol without much of an issue. She writes to a formula, and while alpha males work well in historicals, here Rafe seems more of a bully to poor Maggie.I'll just go back to her historicals and immerse myself there.

Seriously, a meet cute in a railway box car with a drunk while running away with a baby? Takes some an immense suspension of disbelief. But I went there, and enjoyed the ride.

In Baby Love, a young woman runs away from home with her baby to escape a painful past and runs into Rafe, a cowboy bum she meets in a train car. When Maggie needs his help, Rafe assumes responsibility despite painful reminders of his own tortured life and makes her an offer she can't refuse. Will they find a way to happiness together or will their pasts come back to haunt them?Baby Love is the first in the series and a wonderful introduction into Catherine Anderson's writing. She always pens such compelling novels with wonderful characters like in this story: a woman on the run and afraid, and a man who has lost everything, yet still has the capacity to love deeply. Rafe was a great man for Maggie and patient with her fears most of the time. He is definitely what she needed, but he has a temper. There was one scene in particular that surprised me because in the past he had been so wonderful, but then he turned around and in his reaction was cruel, which I didn't like.This was certainly a book I was able to get lost in, like all of Catherine Anderson's books I have read, and I really liked the suspense part of the novel. I just knew there would be trouble in this book, and it was written very well and kept me entertained. I will definitely read this story again, as well as the other stories in the series.I would recommend Baby Love to anyone who likes a western romance with some suspense thrown in for good measure.

Lately I've been re-reading all of Ms. Anderson's historical romances and thought I'd mix it up by giving one of her contemporaries a try. Unfortunately this is probably the first and last, because I honestly didn't really like it. There was something missing for me, and I just never felt the emotional connection or attachment that I have with most of her historical novels.In fact the only reason I even gave this book two stars instead of one was because of the suspense. For the most part however this story was not only boring but overly dramatic and entirely unbelievable. In no way could I relate to anyone or anything, and I'm sorry to say that Maggie and Rafe were both forgettable too.I really do hate to leave CA such a bad review but this one simply wasn't for me. And even though some parts (such as the attempted rape) reminded me of other books I've read by her, they didn't do so well in this modern setting in my opinion. Overall I found the entire thing too farfetched to ever be truly enjoyable so I will just stick with her historicals in the future...Length: I read the kindle version which ended at the 99% mark on page 420, and location 5732.

I really enjoy western romance. I read on a author review that she wrote good western romance, not for me. This a story about a womn running away with a baby from a abusive husband. She gets in a railway truck and a downout drunk who just turns out to be a millionaire rancher takes her under his wing. When he turns into an over protective rich guy I gave up and did not read anymore.

Loved this book. Couldn't put it down _ a real page turner. Catherine Anderson writes beautiful books. A great read.

Das war mein erstes Buch von Catherine Anderon und es war ebenso bewegend wie emotional und ich habe dieses Buch innerhalb von 2 Tagen verschlungen. Lesen empfohlen!Nachdem Rafe seine Frau und seine beiden Kinder durch einen Unfall verloren hat, ist nichts mehr wie es war. Er gibt sich die Schuld am Unfall und verlässt sein altes Leben, zieht rastlos durch die Gegend, hat alle Brücken zu seinem früheren Leben abgebrochen.Maggie ist ebenfalls auf der Flucht und bei ihr ist ihr erst vier Wochen altes Baby.Das Schicksal bringt Rafe und Maggie zusammen als sie sich in einem Güterzug versteckt, in dem auch Rafe als Blinder Passagier unterwegs ist. Mittellos und mit einem hungrigen Baby weiß Maggie nicht wie es weitergehen soll. Rafe wird zu ihrem Beschützer und Retter in der Not.Rafe verliebt sich in die junge Frau aber Maggie blockt ab. Aber wie es sich für eine schöne Liebesgeschichte gehört, Happy End garantiert!

Loved this book through and through. Two broken souls find each other and help one another to heal. The love they have for one another radiates :) Couldnt put it down.

The Stock was very old one.