Simply Love: A Passionate Western Romance Where Innocent Faith Transforms a Tormented Heart

This book made me laugh out loud more than a few times. The "hero," Luke, was such an absolute scoundrel (we find out some reasons why--not that it's any excuse for him to be so dastardly, but he did go through a lot when he was a kid). He has the worst intentions for lovely and painfully innocent Cassandra, but he finds himself thwarted at every turn by her complete trust in him and her complete cluelessness about the ways of the world. He finds himself putting up with so much more than he'd ever dreamt of (like having a smelly dog sleep on his bed, or sharing his bed with Cassandra's little brother who doesn't like to sleep alone!). LOL. I found the transformation of the awful hero to someone with a conscience and a real sense of love and moral duty to be a convincing one (though it sure did take him a while to make that final leap!). The book did drag on a bit too long, though, and had maybe too much hand-wringing about it, that went ON and ON. Like the other Catherine Anderson book I've read (Baby Love) the book starts out GREAT but does drag a bit for the last portion. But still it was a fantastic read overall, and I'll be keeping it in my book collection, for a re-read later on!

SIMPLY LOVE was a wonderful read though its not a personal favorite of mine by Catherine Anderson. I think most people will either love or hate this story in the end. Luke is the son of a prostitute who was abused mentally, physically, and sexually as a child. Cassandra is a sweet, naive, and innocent young lady who has been sheltered and protected from the realities of living in a mining town her entire life. Now a rich man, Luke is determined to have Cassie and he will do anything to possess her, no matter the cost or who gets hurt in the process. Let me say that Luke is not your typical hero, even compared to all of Ms. Anderson's other flawed heroes. He was beyond the pale and for two-thirds of the book was downright ruthless, selfish, relentless, and uncaring. You do witness goodness in the kind deeds he does, but it was still hard to like him nonetheless. He did so many despicable things that at one point I couldn't wait for Cassie to find out and leave him. Although Cassie was naive enough to be almost unrealistic and irritating at times, she was still funny and refreshing too. As much as I often despised Luke, I was surprised at how badly I felt when his whole world crumbled around him. Losing his angel, the only person who could banish his demons and memories, who brought sunshine and laughter to his life, ended up breaking my heart which quite frankly did take me by surprise. He does try to redeem himself the last hundred or so pages, working his fingers to the bone, pleading, apologizing, and ultimately setting Cassie free. Then he does the one thing he swore he'd never do which was simply the sweetest of all. There are a few things that I didn't like, the first being that Luke was much too unlikable. I've no doubt some will think him unredeemable even, and the ending was a bit abrupt. I was also disappointed there was no epilogue, and with the way it ended I felt like something was missing. Still, I have to admit this was a unique and interesting romance and don't think I've ever read one quite like it. There's no doubt in my mind that Cassie was exactly what Luke needed and that she saved him from himself. Definitely a story and author worth reading!

Love this book. So many of the heroes in these love stories are about men who refuse to acknowledge their love for the heroine because they have been burned in the past but this one REALLY has a reason not to use the word. Well, at least until the end. I know a lot of the reviews complain that he was such a horrible, selfish character that people have a hard time liking him. But I get that it was all about self preservation. It was the only way her knew to survive in life. When he met her he knew he couldn't go on that way. I could feel his desperation to keep her and I loved how even though he was scared he never pushed her away and abused her. Let's face it, in a lot of the other love stories that's what they do. Anyway, I totally recommend this book for anyone looking for a good romance.

I grew up immersed in the romance genre. By the time I hit college, I was growing bored with the formulaic plots. All the heroes/heroines blurred together and the stories lost the magic they once held for me. Lately, I've revisited the genre with both good and bad results. Luckily, Simply Love was one of the good ones. I was wrapped up in the story from beginning to end. The characterization was wonderful. Anderson really gives us a sense of who these people are and how their backgrounds have shaped them. The humor, while subtle, is a delight. Cassie's continued misunderstanding of a paid companion's duties kept me smiling throughout. Anderson provides Cassie with a thorough, and for Luke frustrating, innocence while managing to keep her from seeming stupid. Luke on the other hand, is not your average romance hero. He's definitely not a knight in shining armor. Anderson gives us a hero who also happens to be the villain of the piece. This set-up gives us conflict and a plot that is truly driven by the characters and not some black hat outside force there simply to move the story along. The peripheral characters are wonderul as well. Again, the author largely avoids stereotypes and gives Cassie's family and Luke's staff personalities of their own. In short, I loved this book from beginning to end. I'll definitely be seeking out more of Anderson's work.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I have read Catherine Anderson before and her books are pretty good but this one was outstanding. I just wished it could have gone on and on. The hero was my favorite type....cranky,mean,just ripe for redemption from a good woman. Cassie is yes very naive as other reviewers have pointed out but I found that to be refreshing. I get tired of most heroines in romance books who are bitchy and stubborn. Cassie was a breath of fresh air. I wish the book would have had an epilogue but oh well...it didn't take away from the enjoyment I got from reading this book. I can't say enough good things about it...just go out and get it.

Cassandra is a very sheltered and religious girl in a mining town when she meets Luke Taggert, the richest man in town. Luke is a jerk who takes what he wants, and he wants Cassie, so he connives to get her father and brother thrown in jail. Cassie and her younger brother are at his mercy though she's so naive she thinks she's to entertain him with chess and charades while working in his house. Luke does turn out to have a heart of gold, but it's so late in the book that it is hard to believe. Cassie's constant innocence starts to become unbelievable by then also, so while this was an okay read, it isn't the favorite of my reads from this author.

*SORT OF SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY* I LOVED this story. I love the characters so much, the hero’s flaws are deep and dark and the heroine’s innocence is believable and charming, not annoying when overdone in some stories. Growth and maturing throughout the book. BUT, to write such a wonderful and strong storyline just to end it in one conversation and a typical “happily ever after” scene was horribly disappointing. After all the emotional turmoil the reader goes through with this book, we deserve a more thorough ending. Not an epilogue or a measly final half chapter just telling us how Cassie and Luke settled in. If her brothers and dad move in or struck a big enough vein to build a home in town. If the dog’s leg healed! Nothing! Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine and no one else minds but I can’t stand it when a complex, GREAT story ends with what feels like a pat on the back and, boom! It’s all over. Just my opinion.

I started reading this book with reservations because of negative reviews I had read. The H really was despicable, but as you learn his back story you see it is understandable. Raised and abused in a house of prostitution, Luke does not believe in love and has a healthy disdain for women. Through the unconditional love and acceptance given to him by Cassandra, Luke starts to change and heal from his past. There comes a place in the book where happily ever after seems impossible to achieve, but Ms. Anderson has a great imagination. This book is truly about redemption and sacrifice. It took me by surprise and squeezed my heart. I do recommend this book. It is an unusual find.

i have a few books by this author and have found all of them entertaining. poor luke was a goner from the get go. i have had these books on my kindle for about ten years so i am rereading them all again. would recommend this book

All her books are great.

As always Catherine Anderson delivers a great read!

The hero Luke was dissimilar to the previous ones Catherine Anderson has portrayed in previous books. He had all the vices, sneaky, manipulative, selfish; not really likeable characteristics at all. Yet the reader couldn't help liking him and rooting for a happy ending for him. He had dragged himself up with nobody to help him to learn about right and wrong. Nobody had cared. Cassandra the heroine was too innocent to believe , having grown up in a shanty town. Wrapped in a loving family and the love and protection from her father had sheltered her from every sort of evil. Naive in its extremity. Two completely opposite characters, they both needed different lessons to learn before they could find their happily ever after together.

I really loved this book glad it had a happy ending look forward to more stories from this wry author.