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He Longed for... Race Spencer's gunslinging days are far behind him. He is now a rugged, respectable rancher, but it's a solitary life. Then Fate leads Race to an earthbound angel--lost and alone' the sole survivor of an outlaw attack--and even his hardened heart is moved. He sweeps the ivory-skinned beauty into his arms and carries her away from danger. A Woman to Cherish When innocent Rebecca Morgan wakes up in a stranger's embrace, her life has been changed forever. Race's touch makes her blood sing and stirs up emotions in her she never knew existed. But this man has a fearsome reputation. And though her life may depend on him, can she trust him? Is it love she sees in her rescuer's dark eyes.' Race Spencer's gunslinging days are far behind him. He is now a respectable racher, but it's a solitary life. But then Fate lead Race to an earthbound angel--lost and alone, the sole survivor of an outlaw attack--and even his hardened heart is moved. He sweeps the ivory-skinned beauty into his arms and carries her away from danger. When innocent Rebecca Morgan wakes up in a stranger's embrace, she knows her life has been changed forever. Though Race's touch makes her blood sing and stirs up emotions in her she never kenw existed, she knows this man has a fearsome reputation. And though her life may depend on him, she doesn't know if she can trust him. Can it really be love she sees in her rescuer's dark eyes?… (more)
User reviews
Anderson delivers another page-turning story with Cherish. This is the third of her books for me, and while my least favoirte so far, still a really good read.
I didn't realize before I started reading that the heroine was raised within a conservative religious community, which probably
Rebecca has lived a sheltered life in her little church community, but it’s been one with which she’s been content thus far. The Brethren have chosen a husband for her whom she’s to be betrothed to when they reach New Mexico, and she’s looking forward to her new life there. However, she’s given a harsh lesson in the realities of life when her parents and everyone else in their party are murdered. The Brethren are a peaceful group who don’t believe in violence of any kind, so none of them even fought back against their attackers. Rebecca hid in the bushes, which is where she’s found in shock by Race as he’s passing through with his cattle. He rescues her and keeps her safe when the thieves come back and takes her with him as they continue the journey to his ranch. At first, Rebecca thinks that Race is one of the thieves, but once she realizes he means her no harm, she quickly begins to trust him and his men. However, she’s suffering from what I’m sure was a form of PTSD from her ordeal, as well as survivor’s guilt and additional guilt over bringing trouble to Race’s camp. She ends up becoming very dependent on him, perhaps a little too much so, but given her religious background where she was taught to be submissive, I suppose it fit her character. With Race she has a bit more gumption, but whenever the thieves come around, she has a tendency to run and hide, making me wish that she’d stand up for herself a bit more. But I realized again that her background was probably playing into her actions, as well as the fact that she trusts Race, whereas the thieves understandably scare her to death. I’m happy to report that she does eventually find her confidence and a much firmer footing. It takes a while to get there, but the payoff, IMHO, was worth it. Readers who are more drawn to feisty, kick-butt heroines may not like her, but I thought she was sweet and generally relatable.
Race has had a rough life. He was born to a white trapper and his mixed race (white/Apache) wife, so he’s experienced prejudice for his part Native American heritage. His father left them when he was young, and much like Rebecca, he witnessed his mother being raped to death when he was a little boy. After that, he was all on his own and ended up becoming a gun for hire when he was only in his teens. Now he’s trying to build a respectable cattle ranch that he hopes will give him a more stable life. Race has dreamed about someday marrying a nice, well-bred lady, but he thought it was nothing more than a fantasy and that no genuine lady would ever take up with the likes of him. Then he meets Rebecca and he’s instantly smitten, thinking of her as his angel. He pours all his energy into keeping her safe from the thugs who would do her harm. The only thing about him that was eyebrow raising for me was one scene where he threatens to rape her to prove a point. I knew that he wasn’t actually going to do it and deep down so did Rebecca, but rape is a very serious matter, especially given what happened to both of their mothers. Therefore, I don’t think it’s something that should have been employed in such a flippant manner, even if he wasn’t serious, and there could have been a much better to way to go about illustrating his point. Otherwise, though, he’s nothing but kindness and patience personified with Rebecca, never blaming her for any of the bad things that happen and willing to give his life to protect her. And when they finally consummate their relationship, he’s a tender lover who finds some creative and humorous ways to get around her maidenly objections.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Cherish. Aside from the couple of minor things I mentioned about their characterizations, I really liked both Race and Rebecca. They’re two very different people, and yet somehow, they just fit together like they were made for one another. I wouldn’t have minded a little more actual romance while their relationship is budding. There were times that so much trouble is dogging them that it kind of overshadowed the more romantic moments. There’s also the issue of Rebecca becoming so dependent upon Race that she doesn’t want to leave him, which made it a little hard to differentiate whether she was actually in love with him or simply afraid to lose him because of how much she’d already lost. However, once they finally get back to his ranch, the romance ratchets up a bit and I could finally feel that all-important emotional connection. They also both definitely prove their love for one another by the end of the story. So, all in all, Cherish ended up being a very good book that made it onto my keeper pile and is also one that I can recommend to fans of historical westerns who don’t mind sweeter characters.
I couldn't understand why the robbers left their search because Race showed up; it was sixteen men to one. They should have been able to take him out in an ambush. The raid at the end also didn't seem realistic to me. One of the things I like about Ms. Anderson's books is the detail she puts into daily living and events. I've learned a lot from reading her books, but I was a bit disappointed with the fighting scenes here.
It's still a terrific story, but not one of her best in my opinion. It dragged in places, but I'll still read her books.
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Gunslinger turned rancher, Race Spencer has little knowledge of chaste women. But he's forced to learn when he rescues Rebecca Morgan, the soul survivor of a church group attacked by a band of outlaws anxious to steal the church's money. When Race interrupts their assault before the money is found, a gun battle ensues. Now Race must keep Rebecca safe from the outlaws who are eager to get their hands on the money no matter what the cost. This rough-hewn hero and beautiful heroine's life experiences are light years apart: innocent Rebecca, sheltered from the world by her religion, and cynical Race, who grew up in a world of prejudice and violence, with his physical size and swift gun as his only protection. But they miraculously find a common ground and learn to love each other, making Cherish an emotional read. Don't miss it. --Lois Faye Dyer