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Whitehorse
Childhood sweethearts Leah Starr and Johnny Whitehorse had nothing in common. She was a senator's daughter. He was the grandson of an Apache medicine man and the local "bad boy." But their passion made the rest of the world seem unimportant, until a cruel deception forced them apart. Years later, Leah has returned to her hometown, burdened with memories, familiar with struggle and hard work - but when she sees Johnny again, her strength is tested. Now one of the most powerful men in the country, Johnny has also returned home. His mission is to bring Leah's power-hungry father down in the dust. When their love becomes too strong to ignore, both must make the ultimate choice, between the obligations of duty - and of the heart...
Audio CD
First published November 1, 1999
About the author
Katherine Sutcliffe
43 books75 followersKatherine Sutcliffe was born an only child in East Texas. After working for a time at an oil company and as a headhunter for a computer personnel company, Sutcliffe decided in 1982 to quit her job and attempt to write a novel. Three years later she sold her first book, Desire and Surrender to Avon Books. She works eight hours a day, five to seven months a year. Sutcliffe also attempts to find a single CD that will provide inspiration during the writing of each book. In the past, she has used the soundtrack to Somewhere in Time and Kitarō's Silk Road.
In 1995 and 1996, Sutcliffe worked as the Consultant Head Writer for the soap operas As The World Turns and Another World. Sutcliffe was offered the job after Bill Graham, who searched for writers for Proctor and Gamble, mentioned to his wife that they wanted to refocus the soap opera stories on romance. His wife, who loved Sutcliffe's book, insisted that he contact her. During her time as a soap opera writer, she concentrated on developing the six-month story lines, which the breakdown writers would then develop into dialogue and individual scenes for the show. During this time frame, Sutcliffe also made a guest appearance on Another World, playing herself. She resigned from her position after the networks began to insist that she move to New York City to be more accessible.
Her historical romance, Notorious, sold out its first printing in a mere four days.
Sutcliffe lives near Dallas, Texas. She met her husband, an English geologist, while they worked for the same oil company. They have three children, Bryan, Rachel, and Lauren. Sutcliffe also raises and shows Arabian horses.
In 1995 and 1996, Sutcliffe worked as the Consultant Head Writer for the soap operas As The World Turns and Another World. Sutcliffe was offered the job after Bill Graham, who searched for writers for Proctor and Gamble, mentioned to his wife that they wanted to refocus the soap opera stories on romance. His wife, who loved Sutcliffe's book, insisted that he contact her. During her time as a soap opera writer, she concentrated on developing the six-month story lines, which the breakdown writers would then develop into dialogue and individual scenes for the show. During this time frame, Sutcliffe also made a guest appearance on Another World, playing herself. She resigned from her position after the networks began to insist that she move to New York City to be more accessible.
Her historical romance, Notorious, sold out its first printing in a mere four days.
Sutcliffe lives near Dallas, Texas. She met her husband, an English geologist, while they worked for the same oil company. They have three children, Bryan, Rachel, and Lauren. Sutcliffe also raises and shows Arabian horses.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 27, 2009
”Whitehorse” byKatherine Sutcliffe (audiobook/Kate Reading - Reader Talent = 4.5*)
Modern Day Contemporary/Political Intrigue Romance
Johnny and Leah
This audiobook novel hooked me immediately with not only a very expressive narrator, but the class struggle type setting absorbs the reader right away. Sutcliffe does a wonderful job of drawing you into the economic and prejudicial world of what many American Indians still face today. Although much of the usual political themes are present (senator’s daughter falls for “inappropriate” local American Indian bad boy with a cause), Sutcliffe gives it a nice pace, a plot that tracks well (takes some nice twists and turns), and does a good job in the romance department with a very likeable cast of characters.
Johnny Whitehorse has struggled growing up with a down and out suppressed alcoholic father and a community that is insupportive of the local Native American presence. While in high school, Johnny works, along with his father, on the ranch of the extremely class conscious and prejudicial Senator Foster, and soon finds himself falling for his beautiful, sweet and popular daughter, Leah. The two become high school sweeethearts, and pledge everlasting love and devotion to each other, but without surprise, Leah’s powerful father puts a stop to it and threatens Leah with action against Johnny’s father if she continues seeing him. Leah accordingly pushes Johnny away (for his own good) and they part under a guise of feelings of betrayal and misunderstanding. Thirteen years later, Leah has gone on to obtain her veterinary degree, been married and divorced, and given birth to a handicapped child. Johnny has become a famous model and movie star, along with a reputation as a powerful political activist for his people’s welfare. As Leah returns to their small town in hopes of raising her disabled child and furthering a veterinary practice for herself, she finds Johnny has also returned and is now the owner of the ranch once owned by her father. Leah faces a less than welcoming attitude from Johnny -- a particularly painful fact, as she’s never doubted he was the only man she ever really loved. Once these two confront each other, there is no denying that they never stopped loving the other, and everyone else who entered and exited their lives in the interim was only marking time.
Several characters have a lot to lose if these two reunite, unfortunately. Johnny is still involved with Dolores, an Indian beauty from his and Leah’s high school days, whose now an extremely career hungry reporter for a local station. She’s all about making Johnny her own, as well as obtaining a plum career in the national reporting spotlight. Likewise, Leah’s father, still a long-term senator, has plenty of money and lifetime career focus riding on Johnny’s Indian Tribe not obtaining their goals of opening a local casino with the potential of eventually rivaling the gambling and entertainment success of the likes of Brandon, MO and Las Vegas all rolled into one. Sutcliffe does a very nice job of pulling all the various characters interests into a nice tidy plot that is intriguing and exciting as it unfolds.
Meanwhile, the story keeps its focus on the romance between Johnny and Leah, and doesn’t make the reader feel like it’s an afterthought. They are front and center with their emotions and the resolution of their lost love for one another throughout the entire story. I liked that Sutcliffe didn’t leave them hanging onto the “big misunderstanding” too long, but rather kept them actively working it out and walking toward their HEA. Johnny is a hero that never stopped loving Leah, and makes that pretty clear to her in fairly short order, despite all her misgivings. A secondary plotline of outlining the difficulties of being the mother to a child with cerebral palsy is quite heartwrenching, and adds a lot of dimension for many of the characters to highlight their personalities.
The only real fault that lowered this book for me from a 5* to a 4* rating, was the very ending of the book. Sutcliffe gave it an abrupt “halt” once the action and political mysteries wrapped up. I actually almost thought my iPod had stopped and was about to click over to a new book prematurely, until I heard the audible narrator “rolling the credits” for the book. I thought for certain the epilogue would be related next. I felt disappointed that my “solid HEA/future calm life” for the H/h wasn’t clearly laid out. However, there are few books that end at the very resolution of the “action” that I feel satisfied with, so this may not bother many readers. Overall, it’s a VERY well written and intriguing contemporary romance with plenty of mystery and suspense, and if you enjoy this type of book, you won’t want to miss this one!
K.
Sexual content mild to medium in graphic descriptives; 2-3 sexual scenes of “mainstream R” rated depictions; Graphic language inserted as appropriate, but infrequent; Violence minimal and non-graphic (suggested); Recommended for ages 15 and above with parental review.
Modern Day Contemporary/Political Intrigue Romance
Johnny and Leah
This audiobook novel hooked me immediately with not only a very expressive narrator, but the class struggle type setting absorbs the reader right away. Sutcliffe does a wonderful job of drawing you into the economic and prejudicial world of what many American Indians still face today. Although much of the usual political themes are present (senator’s daughter falls for “inappropriate” local American Indian bad boy with a cause), Sutcliffe gives it a nice pace, a plot that tracks well (takes some nice twists and turns), and does a good job in the romance department with a very likeable cast of characters.
Johnny Whitehorse has struggled growing up with a down and out suppressed alcoholic father and a community that is insupportive of the local Native American presence. While in high school, Johnny works, along with his father, on the ranch of the extremely class conscious and prejudicial Senator Foster, and soon finds himself falling for his beautiful, sweet and popular daughter, Leah. The two become high school sweeethearts, and pledge everlasting love and devotion to each other, but without surprise, Leah’s powerful father puts a stop to it and threatens Leah with action against Johnny’s father if she continues seeing him. Leah accordingly pushes Johnny away (for his own good) and they part under a guise of feelings of betrayal and misunderstanding. Thirteen years later, Leah has gone on to obtain her veterinary degree, been married and divorced, and given birth to a handicapped child. Johnny has become a famous model and movie star, along with a reputation as a powerful political activist for his people’s welfare. As Leah returns to their small town in hopes of raising her disabled child and furthering a veterinary practice for herself, she finds Johnny has also returned and is now the owner of the ranch once owned by her father. Leah faces a less than welcoming attitude from Johnny -- a particularly painful fact, as she’s never doubted he was the only man she ever really loved. Once these two confront each other, there is no denying that they never stopped loving the other, and everyone else who entered and exited their lives in the interim was only marking time.
Several characters have a lot to lose if these two reunite, unfortunately. Johnny is still involved with Dolores, an Indian beauty from his and Leah’s high school days, whose now an extremely career hungry reporter for a local station. She’s all about making Johnny her own, as well as obtaining a plum career in the national reporting spotlight. Likewise, Leah’s father, still a long-term senator, has plenty of money and lifetime career focus riding on Johnny’s Indian Tribe not obtaining their goals of opening a local casino with the potential of eventually rivaling the gambling and entertainment success of the likes of Brandon, MO and Las Vegas all rolled into one. Sutcliffe does a very nice job of pulling all the various characters interests into a nice tidy plot that is intriguing and exciting as it unfolds.
Meanwhile, the story keeps its focus on the romance between Johnny and Leah, and doesn’t make the reader feel like it’s an afterthought. They are front and center with their emotions and the resolution of their lost love for one another throughout the entire story. I liked that Sutcliffe didn’t leave them hanging onto the “big misunderstanding” too long, but rather kept them actively working it out and walking toward their HEA. Johnny is a hero that never stopped loving Leah, and makes that pretty clear to her in fairly short order, despite all her misgivings. A secondary plotline of outlining the difficulties of being the mother to a child with cerebral palsy is quite heartwrenching, and adds a lot of dimension for many of the characters to highlight their personalities.
The only real fault that lowered this book for me from a 5* to a 4* rating, was the very ending of the book. Sutcliffe gave it an abrupt “halt” once the action and political mysteries wrapped up. I actually almost thought my iPod had stopped and was about to click over to a new book prematurely, until I heard the audible narrator “rolling the credits” for the book. I thought for certain the epilogue would be related next. I felt disappointed that my “solid HEA/future calm life” for the H/h wasn’t clearly laid out. However, there are few books that end at the very resolution of the “action” that I feel satisfied with, so this may not bother many readers. Overall, it’s a VERY well written and intriguing contemporary romance with plenty of mystery and suspense, and if you enjoy this type of book, you won’t want to miss this one!
K.
Sexual content mild to medium in graphic descriptives; 2-3 sexual scenes of “mainstream R” rated depictions; Graphic language inserted as appropriate, but infrequent; Violence minimal and non-graphic (suggested); Recommended for ages 15 and above with parental review.
August 12, 2009
Johnny Whitehorse is an Apache who works for Leah Foster's bigoted Senator father. Johnny & Leah are "first loves" who, after being together for 4 years, are cruelly torn apart due to the Senator's deceit. The story begins 12 years later...Johnny is now a model/movie star (and OMG the ultimate definition of "hotness") and "voice" of the Apaches, who uses his fame to bring notice to the unfair treatment of his people who have suffered great loss at the hands of the (possibly) corrupt Senator. Leah is a veterinarian and a divorced mother of a special needs little boy who moves back home because, ironically, she is now the one struggling financially (Senator is a pr*ck who won't even acknowledge his grandson). Can an adolescent love between the H/h withstand time and the harsh cruelties of life and develop into an amazing love of a lifetime? (If you read romance novels it can!) :D
Excellent book!
Excellent book!
November 30, 2009
It's true! The Apache movie star model rancher politician is still in love with her and he always has been. She's a struggling Veterinarian with a handicapped son and jolly black home-nurse/maid and an evil politician father. Emotions are both stilted and overwrought how does one mange that? Evil Father tries to kill studly lover. I don't care. My head hurts.
January 31, 2012
SOA Listening Challenge 2012: Contemporary 1/4
3.5* rounded up for goodreads
(4.5* narration by Kate Reading-- my first book by this narrator)
Grade B+
This is a difficult book for me to rate. For much of the story, I was uncomfortable with the actions of both lead characters. I was also frustrated by their lack of communication. As the story unfolds, you understand the characters better, and even sympathize, but both Whitehorse and Leah are very flawed and stubborn individuals and not always likeable.
Johnny Whitehorse, as introduced in the beginning of the book, is selfish and opportunistic. His relationship with Delores is self-serving (for both) and put me off. The entire restaurant scene with Delores and Johnny, and Leah and her date is weird and unsettling. And I guess that's the watch-word for the entire book: it's unsettling.
Sutcliffe gets on a few soap boxes during the novel, mostly about the plight of Native Americans and the needs of children with cerebral palsy. The monologues are informative and even moving, but feel forced.
My last complain is the abrupt ending of the book. I'm not a big epilogue fan, but there is absolutely no denouement after the final climatic scene.
On the plus side, the writing is excellent, and the author does an marvelous job giving the reader a sense of time and place. The descriptions were detailed without being wordy, drawing the reader into the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions. The main characters, while not always likeable, are very real, flaws and all. Some of the best scenes in the book are between Leah and her son--very beautifully done.
I have a feeling this is a book that will stay with me long after it's over.
3.5* rounded up for goodreads
(4.5* narration by Kate Reading-- my first book by this narrator)
Grade B+
This is a difficult book for me to rate. For much of the story, I was uncomfortable with the actions of both lead characters. I was also frustrated by their lack of communication. As the story unfolds, you understand the characters better, and even sympathize, but both Whitehorse and Leah are very flawed and stubborn individuals and not always likeable.
Johnny Whitehorse, as introduced in the beginning of the book, is selfish and opportunistic. His relationship with Delores is self-serving (for both) and put me off. The entire restaurant scene with Delores and Johnny, and Leah and her date is weird and unsettling. And I guess that's the watch-word for the entire book: it's unsettling.
Sutcliffe gets on a few soap boxes during the novel, mostly about the plight of Native Americans and the needs of children with cerebral palsy. The monologues are informative and even moving, but feel forced.
My last complain is the abrupt ending of the book. I'm not a big epilogue fan, but there is absolutely no denouement after the final climatic scene.
On the plus side, the writing is excellent, and the author does an marvelous job giving the reader a sense of time and place. The descriptions were detailed without being wordy, drawing the reader into the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions. The main characters, while not always likeable, are very real, flaws and all. Some of the best scenes in the book are between Leah and her son--very beautifully done.
I have a feeling this is a book that will stay with me long after it's over.
September 22, 2011
I love a good romance and this was a good one until I got to the end. The ending was so abrupt...too abrupt. I was reading along and then BAM! it was over. I wanted to know more about the future of the characters. It needed an epilogue or something because there were questions I wanted answers to. Did Johnny and Leah's dad ever get to a point where they could at least be civil to each other? Did Leah's dad go to prison? Did they have more kids? Did the paparazzi find out about their wedding in Vegas? Was there even a wedding in Vegas? How did Johnny's reputation suffer, if at all, after they got married? Did he continue to act or did he retire to the ranch to live happily ever after? Did Leah go back to her job at the racetrack? What happened after she said her final word of the book? "True" is all we got?! I wanted to know more.
And since when is "Indian" a bad word? I'm part Indian and I don't care if somebody calls me that. Is it politically incorrect to say the word Indian? I understand that Native American is probably more politically correct but the author of this book treated the word "Indian" like it was a dirty word.
Other than the reasons I mentioned above, this was a good read. The story was fast-paced. I loved the characters. The only bad part was the ending.
And since when is "Indian" a bad word? I'm part Indian and I don't care if somebody calls me that. Is it politically incorrect to say the word Indian? I understand that Native American is probably more politically correct but the author of this book treated the word "Indian" like it was a dirty word.
Other than the reasons I mentioned above, this was a good read. The story was fast-paced. I loved the characters. The only bad part was the ending.
June 4, 2011
Narrated by Kate Reading, a good contemporary from Sutcliffe who tends to major in historicals.
I sold this five years ago in CD format. Now I'm in the mood for a Sutcliffe and I recall truly enjoying this is audio. So, I took advantage of Audible's sale and purchased it tonight. It's scheduled for a relisten in the near future!
I sold this five years ago in CD format. Now I'm in the mood for a Sutcliffe and I recall truly enjoying this is audio. So, I took advantage of Audible's sale and purchased it tonight. It's scheduled for a relisten in the near future!
December 25, 2008
Beautiful story. :-)
December 27, 2009
I listened to this a few years ago and enjoyed it very much.
June 26, 2010
Easy, interesting read. More serious than the usual romance novel, but definitely a page-turner. I read in one day!
May 31, 2020
3.5 stars
The synopsis is well covered elsewhere, so I won't repeat the storyline. This book was released over 20 years ago; and I don't know if that's why it read like a movie script in many places - the way a certain chapter would end (e.g. with the heroine drawing out photographs she is given) and the reader left to imagine the likely outcome (which may or may not be confirmed by chapters ahead). I just can't quite recall if titles back in the late 1990s favoured this sort of chopping style.
If you can leave with hanging scenes, it is an absorbing read and for me it was a solid 4.5 stars until the middle when the protagonists officially picked up where they left it 12 years ago. After 12 years of no contact, it seemed incredible to leap into that previous relationship - I guess the author was trying to show that "Love Never Ends" (extracted from the cover blurb). But this is where I stopped feeling the connection between the MCs, that Love Which Never Stopped. I kept waiting for that emotional connection a reader makes with the MCs, but it left me feeling stilted as if I were watching a movie instead (as opposed to being immersed in it). 1 star was knocked off for this reason.
If you are looking for a solid 90s romance writing and love that "Love Never Dies" trope or second chance love; nothing fluffy like what you find nowadays, give this a try. Who knows - you might find that emotional connection I couldn't feel.
The synopsis is well covered elsewhere, so I won't repeat the storyline. This book was released over 20 years ago; and I don't know if that's why it read like a movie script in many places - the way a certain chapter would end (e.g. with the heroine drawing out photographs she is given) and the reader left to imagine the likely outcome (which may or may not be confirmed by chapters ahead). I just can't quite recall if titles back in the late 1990s favoured this sort of chopping style.
If you can leave with hanging scenes, it is an absorbing read and for me it was a solid 4.5 stars until the middle when the protagonists officially picked up where they left it 12 years ago. After 12 years of no contact, it seemed incredible to leap into that previous relationship - I guess the author was trying to show that "Love Never Ends" (extracted from the cover blurb). But this is where I stopped feeling the connection between the MCs, that Love Which Never Stopped. I kept waiting for that emotional connection a reader makes with the MCs, but it left me feeling stilted as if I were watching a movie instead (as opposed to being immersed in it). 1 star was knocked off for this reason.
If you are looking for a solid 90s romance writing and love that "Love Never Dies" trope or second chance love; nothing fluffy like what you find nowadays, give this a try. Who knows - you might find that emotional connection I couldn't feel.
March 17, 2020
nice cheesy romance for this time of hunkering down
Want to Read
July 19, 2020elibrary
October 28, 2010
OOOOOH Johnny,Johnny I love UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
hmmmm....now that's entertainment at it's BEST.
great audio..!
hmmmm....now that's entertainment at it's BEST.
great audio..!
March 10, 2013
Good read.
Read
April 25, 2017good
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews