Contemporary Romance

Zeke Calhoun arrives home to find his garden destroyed and his property vandalized. When he gives chase to the young culprit who is responsible, Zeke, a confirmed bachelor, has no idea that his life will never be the same again.

Natalie Patterson, divorced mother of eleven-year-old Chad and four-year-old Rosie, is having a rough time. Her ex-husband, a wealthy philanderer and shady businessman, not only neglects his children materially and physically, he steals Natalie’s assets in the divorce settlement. When she does not have the money to repay Zeke for the damages her troubled son has inflicted, Zeke decides Chad needs to learn a lesson. He informs Natalie that Chad will have to work off the debt. Natalie is afraid Zeke will be too harsh on the eleven-year-old who is having a very difficult time accepting that his father cares nothing for him or his sister.

BRIGHT EYES is the fourth book in the Calhoun series by Catherine Anderson, but it can be read as a stand alone. Not having read the first three books in this series, I didn’t have any trouble at all understanding the plot and the characters. I have to confess that I’m a sucker for well written stories featuring children and animals, and this one fits the bill…not to mention a hero to die for, and a heroine who needs him. Four-year-old Rosie who has the vocabulary of an adult, repeats everything she hears, and Chester the "watch goose" who openly dislikes Zeke, are cause for hilarious scenes. Add Natalie’s crazy family, and you get a great story that keeps you turning the pages.

Zeke and Natalie fall in love without a fight, but tension mounts when Natalie becomes a suspect in the murder of her ex. The police refuse to look elsewhere for the killer, even when someone attempts to murder Natalie. It is up to Zeke to protect his new found soon-to-be family.

I really enjoyed BRIGHT EYES and am sure fans of Catherine Anderson will too. I plan to find the first three books in this series: PHANTOM WALTZ, SWEET NOTHINGS, and BLUE SKIES. The fifth book, MY SUNSHINE, is due out in January 2004.

July 2004