Another book from Ms. Anderson's back catalog of historical Westerns, Cherish was good but suffered from a few plot holes, in my opinion. I liked both the hero and heroine. Race is a former gunslinger who now has a cattle ranch, and Rebecca is from a religious sect (sort of like the Amish) that doesn't believe in violence. It's a great premise, especially as Rebecca confronts the inherent barbarity in her new surroundings. Her group of travelers is wiped out by robbers who want the money they carry to their fellow sect in Santa Fe. The robbers continue to harass Race and his men as they continue their cattle drive after saving Rebecca.
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. ( )

Cherish is one of Catherine Anderson's older, stand-alone, historical romances. It’s the story of a young woman who was raised in a strict religious sect. Her church community decides to head west where there’s more open spaces free from the encroachment of secular society, and they take a large amount of money with them from the sale of their lands that’s intended to help them survive in their new home. Unfortunately, during their journey, the settlers are waylaid by thieves who brutally rape, murder, and pillage their wagon train, and our heroine is the sole survivor. She’s found by the hero who is driving cattle to his ranch. With no other women for miles around, the job of caring for her falls on his shoulders, so he looks out for her and protects her. But their burgeoning relationship is tried by the thieves who never found the church money and keep inflicting murder and mayhem on the hero’s men and cattle in an effort to get their hands on it. I had a few minor quibbles here and there that I’ll address as I go along, but overall, this was a very good story that I enjoyed.

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. ( )

**3.5**

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 influenced my enjoyment of the book a teeny bit. I'm not a religious person myself, so I typically don't enjoy books with a heavy religious message (so any Christian/inspirational fiction), but given that religion was much more prevalent in everyday life in the past, compared to now, when one reads historical fiction, there is an understanding that religion is going to play a part in the story. Typically this is fine, and I wouldn't consider this religious fiction at all, but given that the heroine was raised within such a strict religious sect, loses her faith and the hero works to restore it, religion played a slightly larger role in the story and dialogue than you would usually find in historical fiction. And thats the part that I didn't enjoy nearly as much and probably knocked this down half a star for me. ( )

Its an Awesome Book!! I love this book! Its about Race Spencer, an Apache disendant, he does not know how to read, write, and speak. However, Race captured Rebecca's heart. Its a story about two different people from different worlds that are brought together by love. Race sees Rebecca as an Angel sent by God for him to protect and cherish. As for Rebecca, she sees Race as her protector after all her family were killed on an attack. Rebecca stoped believing in God and left her old believes behind. However, Race helped her believe again. Together, Race and Rebecca start believing in God in new dimentions as well as cherish each other, as they find true happiness in each others arms. The era in which this story takes place is unique and during the Treaty of Guadalupe. The author does a wonderful job in descibing the scenery and each even that happends in the novel.... Overall, its an explendid love novel! ( )

From BackCover:
He Longed For…

Race Spencer's gunslinging days are far behind him. He is now a respectable rancher, 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.

A Woman to Cherish

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 knew 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?

Awards:
A TRR 5 Heart Keeper ( )