Catherine Anderson - Only By Your Touch

Determined to give her son, Jeremy, the childhood he deserves, Chloe Evans has left a tough past behind and is starting fresh in the charming resort town of Jack Pine, Oregon. But protecting Jeremy becomes a dicey proposition when he seeks out the most dangerous man in town, Ben Longtree, to heal his sick puppy. Chloe has been warned to stay away from Ben. But there's something about him, at once gentle and untamed, that intrigues her....
Long ago, Ben accepted his role as the town outcast. Rumored to have once killed a man, he lives in splendid isolation with his forgetful mother, secretly employing his skills as a veterinarian to heal the wounded wild animals that mysteriously come to him. Now Chloe's sunny warmth and brave tenacity arouse desire he has long deified. And although Ben is notorious for his healing touch, it is Chloe's hands ... and heart ... that have the power to save his battered soul.

Comment: I had this book in my TBR for some time now but finally got to purchase it. I consider myself a fan of mrs Anderson so I knew what kind of book I'd get and was ready for the fact, since it was originally published in 2002, it might be a little dated. How could it be? Well, 2002 was 18 years ago...

In this novel we meet Chloe Evans and her young son Jeremy as they moved to Oregon so Chloe could work, after a divorce that still makes her feel bad.

The new town being a small one, Chloe is informed about the local gossip and the main attraction is Ben Longtree, a man rumored to have killed a man and who isn't welcomed by practically anyone, although his skills as a veterinarian were quite in demand.

After getting her son a puppy, though, Chloe is forced to interact with Ben because her son heard the gossip and believes Ben can help heal his puppy when he gets very ill. But will everyone in town not mind Chloe and Jeremy start spending time with Ben or will their opinions be loud?

This story isn't too complicate at its core. It's set on a very basic plot and except for one or two little details, it can be read as quite simplistic but of course the formula behind it is exactly what makes it work so well. As for being addictive or amazing, that can be debatable.

I'd say the little detail that tends to be slightly annoying to me in this author's books is the tone. In several of her books I've read and in particular in the ones I liked best there were elements that were distracting enough but in others I can't help notice how the characters seem to act a certain way. I can only suppose it's characteristic of the states in the west where most of the author's books are set (Oregon and around) and that must be part of the culture but in some aspects.. such as the wat people treat each other, it seems that or people are always in each other's business or they treat each other in a seemingly condescending manner, like when Chloe arrives and the lady at a store keeps gibing advice on things that shouldn't matter.

Of course maybe this is just all in my perspective and I'm reading too much into it.

As fo the plot, it's heavily set on how the puppy needs to recover and that forces proximity between Chloe and Ben via Jeremy and his fondness to see the puppy's recovery. This is all secret because of things regarding Ben but I found it a little too unlikely the puppy would need such a long time to get better (many weeks). I suppose there had to be a way to make them interact.

It's especially hard to accept because Ben has a "special" blessing that allows him to heal minor ailments, meaning, he has powers that make him heal things that don't include too severe issues.

Some readers now say this is a little inappropriate because it feels like mocking the beliefs of the Native Americans (Ben is a quarter Shoshone) but honestly I don't see the author had this aim. Ben's ability is just another factor on why the villain how is after Ben would hurt him even more were it to be known.

The romance doesn't feel as fluid as other by the author. I'm thinking Baby Love and My Sunshine, my favorite books by the author, where the relationship was central and how it developed was key. In this one it's cute but something I can't really pinpoint didn't captivate me that much.

Chloe is a good enough heroine but there were moments she acted a bit annoyingly. Her backstory was original, that's for certain but her personality rather bland.

Ben was much more alluring to me, not because of his "ability" but mainly because of his personality and all the things he felt he had to take car of, not just the animals but his mother and his memories too. He did act a little off here and there but for the most part, he was why I gave this book a higher grade.

The villain was really silly. I think a different justification would have worked better because the way things were presented, there were countless ways the path for that character could have been another. 

The end of the story was cute and sugary but I must say the best part of the whole novel was the obvious love the author has for animals and how they are portrayed. It makes one want to be near them all the time.

This was a cute story, not as romantic as I imagined but for fans of the author, well enough the effort.

Grade: 7/10