Silver Thaw

MY RATING SYSTEM5 stars--WOW4 stars--would read again3 stars--was good, won't read again2 stars--read it, but didn't enjoy it1 star--didn't finish, it was so awfulDo I need to read books before this one: noCliffhanger: noSUMMARYSchool is dismissed early due to the weather forecast of -35°. Amanda, cook's aid, walks home as fast as she can because Chloe, her 6yo daughter, will beat her on the bus. They rent a crummy home with only electric heat, have no car or TV, and Chloe wears grocery sacks over her shoes as boots. Amanda writes more notes on pink paper to release into the wind. Chloe has a nightmare of Daddy kicking Mommy in the stomach over and over.Jeb doesn't like finding trash on his land. Then he sees writing in them, a woman wishing for money to buy her daughter boots, wishing men in romance novels existed in real life. He goes to his neighbor, Tony, who's also found notes on his land. Whew, he's not being targeted. But the woman needs a friend, no matter how homely (beautiful women don't wish for men).Amanda and Chloe sleep on the couch because it'll offer more insulation than the bed. Chloe hears scary noises in the roof. The power goes out, no more heat. The pipes behind the walls break, the water freezes on the floor. The landlord doesn't answer.The early morning after the ice storm hits, Jeb and Tony divvy up the neighborhood to ensure everyone's safe and has heat with enough wood. The very last house is dark, no car, and Jeb is leaving when he sees footsteps in the snow. He knocks, and eventually has to guilt the woman's motherly instincts to get her to bring her and her child to his home. She won't go to a shelter; media might be there.Amanda is terrified, but Chloe is blue and catatonic. They'll just stay the one night, and get in touch with the landlord. She's determined to provide for herself and Chloe without help.Jeb and Tony go out again the next day. Amanda asks him to get more of their stuff, especially the SD card. Its importance is second only to Chloe's life. Part of the roof has caved in at her house, right on the sofa. He picks up clothes, knickknacks, sees the bathroom pipe burst, gets the SD card and the tablet of pink note paper, hears noises in the roof, and barely gets out when it all collapses.EVALUATIONBeware: spousal and child abuse described in this story.The suspense is done well, with 3 arcs of scary--first, the ice storm; second, Mark finds them; third, the divorce proceedings. Between is when the romance grows. It gets tense enough that I talked with my husband about a guard dog and guns.Sadly, Jeb gets no character growth, Chloe gets some, and Amanda's happens far too fast, especially without professional therapy.The plot drags at times with so many details and so much stubborn pride. It's sweet that the pink notes continue throughout the story. And I love Bozo and the Sterling family.RECOMMENDATIONTo those strong enough to deal with heinous domestic violence.FAVORITE QUOTESShe didn’t believe the chain would keep out an anemic sparrow.Amanda moved into the room, feeling out of place and as nervous as a witch in Salem."What melted his lips?" "Mastiffs just have droopy jowls."His experience at soothing a hysterical child could have fit inside a cold-remedy cup.Sometimes the most difficult part of recovering from horrible things is forgiving ourselves.“Mental block. You’re hearing Mark’s voice and no one else’s. He created an off-kilter image of you in your mind. Abusive men often isolate their victims, and then they fill their heads with junk. Making a woman feel stupid, ugly, clumsy, and totally without any marketable talent—well, the list is endless. It helps the abusive man to maintain control. He implants in the woman’s mind that if she leaves him, she’ll be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.”“I detest cabbage. Who wants to eat something that once had a gooey, bloody baby under it?”If malignance had a smell, this man exuded it from every pore.She wasn’t just carrying baggage; she was towing heavy freight.“So now you’re Pow-Pow. It beats being called Bang-Bang.”POSSIBLE TRIGGERS (SPOILERS)Sex: 1 detailed scene, other implied scenesLanguage: 0 F words, 40 Lord's name in vain, 27 S wordsViolence: guards with guns, home invasion, fraud, attempted murder, animal violence

I read 'New Leaf' which is book 2 in the series and really enjoyed it. Usually, I will just go on to the next book, but I decided instead to go back and start at the beginning. I enjoyed this book. Catherine Anderson is a gifted writer with the ability to bring you to tears and also to laughter. This story delves into the horror of domestic abuse and how it is sometimes nearly impossible for the victim to escape. The plot was good and so was the dialogue between the characters. I would have enjoyed the book more but a few things did bother me. It was stated several times (and also in book 2) that the heroine looked a lot like the hero's mom. I found that a little icky. Also, I got SO tired of those stupid pink slips with notes on them that I would actually skip a few pages to get away from reading them. The truly shining characters for me, were the young daughter and the dog, Bozo. I enjoyed the book but it won't be one that I will reread. However, I have already purchased the next book in the series.Some language (not a lot) and sexual situations may offend some readers.

This is going to be a review like no other I have ever written. Instead of reviewing one book I am reviewing two, both by Catherine Anderson. One is her latest book, Silver Thaw, and the other is one of her older books, Star Bright. It just happened that I read them back to back and I have never been happier that I did. Mrs. Anderson is known for dealing with relevant social and domestic issues in her books, even her historical romances. These two books are no different. They both address the issue of severe domestic and spousal abuse, the kind that is taken to the extreme where the wife is completely subjugated to the husband for fear of her life. In Star Bright, it is only the wife but in Silver Thaw it is a wife with a child that she must protect because not only has the wife been abused but so has the child. When I first started reading Silver Thaw after finishing Star Bright, I was amazed at the similarities in the stories and I must admit I wondered if Silver Thaw was going to be just a retelling of Star Bright in a different scenario. I am so glad I read beyond the first two pages. These two books could not be more different. Star Bright deals with a woman finding the light, the essence of herself, that can never be touched or put out, no matter how severe the abuse. And when given the chance, it will re-spark and rekindle to lead the woman to be herself again, full of confidence and self-worth. Silver Thaw, on the other hand, is about learning to live again, learning to trust, learning that everyone is not the same as the cruel; man she had the misfortune to marry. Mrs. Anderson takes both of these scenarios and handles them with the delicacy and strength they deserve. While I do not have an abusive husband, I grew up in an abusive household so I know first-hand what Mrs. Anderson was describing. To those who have never experienced this, it is hard to understand why a woman would stay in this type of environment. Read these two books and you will have a much better understanding of domestic abuse as it exists today. Mrs. Anderson obviously did her research for both of these books. Bravo to her and bravo to all the ladies who have had the courage to escape. God bless each and every one of you. If you are in these situations, please seek help.

Every book she writes is full of the most wonderful stories, action, drama, love! You laugh out load and slightly cry. You want to jump in the book and lend a hand. She make you fill like your are there, living it!!

I should start by saying that I have read and loved everyone of Ms Anderson's previous books but this is the first one that I have struggled with. As very much a lover of beautiful Oregon, I was immediately annoyed by someone wantonly sending out endless pink slips of papers out into the wind. I understand the reasoning and the story line but well....Mind you, that is almost an irrelevance. The book seemed very long and very slow. I normally find her books compulsive page turners but on this occasion I seemed to be flipping pages but not getting anywhere fast. I felt it improved towards the end but, in my opinion, one to forget.

Silver Thaw is he first book of three of the Mystic Creek Saga. I had read already other books by Catherine Anderson and like them a lot.The story is rich in emotion and humor. Love of family, trust, faith in other human beeings bring together a group of people that you are glad will follow you into the second and third chapter of the Saga. Another wonderful story!

Already read it

as expected

Ich habe das Buch gewählt, weil ich die Idee mit den in den Wind entlassenen Zetteln mochte und etwas seichtes für ein paar freie Tage haben wollte.Das Buch kombiniert eine Liebesgeschichte mit sehr hässlichen Szenen häuslicher Gewalt an Mutter und Kind. Kann man machen, ist aber dünnes Eis. Die Protagonistin bleibt mir ein wenig blass und zwischen "Ich verabscheue Sex" und "Ich kriege nicht genug von Dir" liegen quasi 30 Seiten. Nicht glaubwürdig.Ein Drittel des Buches erzählt davon, wie sich wer wie bewaffnet, um Schutz zu bieten. Da liegen quasi überall Schusswaffen griffbereit und selbst die Mutter trägt eine. Alles im Haus mit Sechsjähriger. Und am Ende siegt natürlich das Gute, der Böse stirbt. Aber Gott hat alles so gefügt, der arme Mann war halt krank und im Himmel ist ja niemand mehr böse, weil Gott alle liebt!Mir ist das zu klischee-amerikanisch und hat mir die Lust auf weitere Bücher dieser Autorin genommen.