Annie's Song by Catherine Anderson

Blurb...

Annie Trimble lives in a solitary world that no one enters or understands. As delicate and beautiful as the tender blossoms of the Oregon spring, she is shunned by a town that misinterprets her affliction. But cruelty cannot destroy the love Annie holds in her heart.

Alex Montgomery is horrified to learn his wild younger brother forced himself on a helpless "idiot girl." Tormented by guilt, Alex agrees to marry her and raise the babe she carries as his own. But he never dreams he will grow to cherish his lovely, mute, and misjudged Annie; her childlike innocence, her womanly charms and the wondrous way she views her world. He becomes determined to break through the wall of silence surrounding her; to heal... and to be healed by Annie's sweet song of love.

At the time I bought this book I hadn’t yet read anything by Catherine Anderson, nor had I ventured into the world of American Western Historical Romance but because so many of my Goodreads friends were raving about it I cave in and ordered it. Day after day I checked the delivery status and as soon as it arrived - as I often do - sat it on my To Be Read shelf, which over time morphed into a Too Many To Ever Be Read shelf. Sadly, Annie’s Song got pushed to the back and was, I'm ashamed to admit, forgotten. Fortunately - albeit years later - it fit right in with one of my monthly reading challenges, so I picked it up, dusted it off, and dug right in.

And then kicked myself silly for having waited so long to read it!

See, the problem was that I was concerned that the story would be overly dark and angst ridden so I was waiting to be “in the mood.” I mean, honestly, it has the makings of a gut wrenching, heart breaking story, and while there certainly are some tense moments, as well as some sad ones, overall Annie's Song is amazing, uplifting and a true joy to read. I shed both tears of sorrow and tears of happiness. There were moments that made me laugh out loud and those that made me so, so angry I wanted to scream. The way the story is told is real, the reactions of the characters - while shocking at first - are believable because they were honest and in keeping with accepted medical beliefs and practices of the times. So while I definitely found myself frustrated at some of their narrow-mindedness, I also came to understand where they were coming from.

So yes, this is an emotional story and in the end I came away feeling incredibly enriched by Annie’s Song, and had found another book for my Keepers shelf, a new couple to add to my Favorite Couples shelf, and another author whose books I’m looking forward to reading.

The bottom line? Annie’s Song turned out to be so much more than I had hoped for. This story is incredibly romantic, deeply passionate - both emotionally and physically, and has a happily ever after that I can believe in because Alex and Annie truly deserve it. That happily ever after didn’t come easily though - they had to work for it, fight for it, and that made it all the more sweet when they finally got it.

Click here to purchase Annie's Song on Amazon