Blue Skies

December 15, 2003
Anderson (Sweet Nothings
, etc.) again explores the ways in which a physical disability can impact a relationship in this moving contemporary romance, set in picaresque Crystal Falls, Ore. Blind since birth, Carly Adams is celebrating the surgical restoration of her sight with a friend at a Western bar when she meets rancher Hank Coulter. Hank plies Carly with liquor, intent on a one-night stand, but he gets more than he bargained for when he learns that their brief encounter has resulted in pregnancy. Neither consider abortion for a second even though pregnancy will have dire consequences for Carly's sight and her plans to attend graduate school. Nor does Carly worry that her child might inherit her condition, lattice dystrophy. Instead, Hank bullies her into marriage. Hank redeems himself as the story progresses, treating Carly with tender care as she deals with her pregnancy and her deteriorating sight, but his most daunting hurdle may be her emotional insecurities. It's evident that Anderson has thoroughly researched lattice dystrophy, and this, more than anything, will help readers gain a better understanding of Carly. The last-minute revelation that Carly was burned in a previous relationship feels superfluous, but readers will embrace Anderson's characters and her message—that love bridges all divides.

November 15, 2003
Carly had to wait 28 years to see what a man looked like. Born with Lattice dystrophy, Carly's sight has only recently been restored; and to celebrate, she accompanies a friend to a bar. Unused to alcohol and the attention of a handsome cowboy, Carly lets Hank Coulter take her to his truck, but that humiliating experience not only leaves Carly not caring if she ever has sex or sees Hank again but pregnant as well, which threatens her sight. As soon as Hank finds out, he tries to convince Carly to let him help her. The two agree to a marriage in name only to solve Carly's financial problems, but Hank realizes that he's in love and sets out to do whatever it takes to turn their temporary arrangement into something permanent. Readers might need to wipe away tears as they read Anderson's latest contemporary romance featuring another of her Coulter brothers, since few will be able to resist the power of this beautifully emotional, wonderfully romantic love story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)