Separate Beds

I was enjoying this book until Clay moved in with Jill. I mean really? Why? I just lost all respect for Clay at that point. He was still married to Catherine and I have no respect for heroes who can't keep it in their pants. I know they were getting a divorce but I just don't like people who don't wait until they are actually free. Also just a few days ago he'd been trying to get Catherine to sleep with him and he has no problem just hopping into bed with another women? He didn't even try to win Catherine over. And Catherine just welcomes him back with open arms at the end of the book. She honestly didn't care that he clearly had very little respect for her if he could just move in with another woman like that. Also, I felt like Catherine changed and grew up but Clay didn't, unless you count the last 5 pages but I don't consider that real. I also felt like Clay always complained about Catherine not letting him into her bed but he really never tried to court her or win her over. Honestly, he had some really good moments but for most of the time I thought he was a bit of a spoiled, selfish jerk. I like it when people recognizes their flaw and try to change and become better. I felt like Clay expected Catherine to change to please him and he also expected her to just fall into his bed.

Someone recommended "Separate Beds" to me as a truly great romance novel. She said it was one of her favorites and that she had read it time and again. After reading it, I'm afraid I didn't see what the fuss was all about. I found it to be not so much a romance novel but rather a novel where two people grow up along with their child. There wasn't a lot of romance here.

First of all, let me preface my review by saying that I found it difficult to get past Catherine drinking while pregnant and not using a car seat for her infant daughter. My older sister had two children in the early to mid 1980's and I'm pretty sure she knew enough not to drink while pregnant and understood the wisdom of using a car seat. Despite those detractors (or the fact that the young characters didn't speak the way most of their contemporaries would have), they weren't the things I was most bothered by. I wasn't even bothered by the dated feel of the novel, either. In fact, I found some of it amusing and absurd (Clay and Catherine listening to The Lettermen in 1985? Puleeze.).

This was a promising tale of a young girl from the wrong side of the tracks who came from an abusive home and married a wealthy, handsome man whose life experiences couldn't have been any more different from her own. The plight of the couple (who had only dated once) and their feelings at the prospect of becoming parents were very relatable and the book kept me quite interested for at least the first half. At that point, Catherine's continued placing of barriers between herself and Clay was understandable but it got old, quickly. Catherine couldn't allow herself to get close to Clay without a commitment so she created all sorts of obstacles to prevent that. For his part, Clay was attracted to Catherine but couldn't feel any strong emotional connection toward her because she never demonstrated any affection whatsoever toward him. I have to say, most of the book was pretty depressing.

Also, I just didn't love the two main characters. Clay showed responsibility at first and he was basically a good person, however, some of his actions were reprehensible, imo. First of all, he slept with Catherine while on a blind date after having a fight with his girlfriend, Jill. He invited that girlfriend to his farce of a wedding and kissed her. He made out with her in front of God and the entire country club on New Year's Eve. He went to live with said ex-girlfriend after he left Catherine and after he knew the ex was a complete and utter liar. Finally, this man from a loving, touching family never held his daughter until the end of the story when she was around eight months old. I found that truly bizarre! I understood why Clay left to begin with. Basically, Catherine had frozen him out to the point where they needed to separate and reevaluate their lives. She overcame much, but she was certainly a trying character at times. As an aside, I found it odd that Catherine didn't seem to care much about who her real father was. I know I'd at least be curious.

The story ended happily, but I still felt somewhat unsatisfied. For one thing, the sudden, sweet ending just wasn't enough, for Clay and Catherine had been combative for most of the novel. I would have liked a little more, an epilogue or something to convince me they were truly a happy couple at last. This was my main problem with the book. The happily ever after didn't feel totally genuine.

Positives: LaVyrle Spencer created a believable story with believable situations and consequences. Her book was rich in detail and made me want to continue reading to see what would happen next. Most impressive was Catherine's emotional journey which showed real growth. Not only did she mature but she learned how to love and be lovable and vulnerable in return. I also really liked Clay's parents for the most part. They admitted they were wrong at first, trying to force Clay's hand. Then again, they were far from perfect, for I surely didn't get why they avoided their granddaughter just because her parents had split up. Still, the connection between them and Catherine was real. You could feel the love and respect there on both sides. In fact, I felt it more strongly than I did the connection between Clay and Catherine!

I give "Separate Beds" 3.5 stars because it was engaging and it did make me think of the story for several days after I finished it. Obviously, I'm not in the camp who adores it, but it's an okay read -- just not an overly romantic one.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I know it is a favorite of many. I read it a couple decades too late and some circumstances and the reactions to those circumstances are a bit out of date now. This book started out with a good plot and realistic reactions to the unexpectant pregnancy. Due to my age, I could actually relate to the time-frame. Initially, I liked both the hero and the heroine and was looking forward to learning how they fell in love.

As the story progressed I became weary of the mind games that Catherine kept playing with Clay. I understand that she was emotionally damaged because of her abusive and alcoholic father and her spineless mother. I think Clay deserved a gold star for sticking with her as long as he did and trying to help her with her problems. She really needed some professional therapy or intervention! Then, toward the end of the book; Catherine suddenly becomes the mature and rational one and Clay becomes the flake. This story had a little too much drama and emotional baggage for me to enjoy.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

A solid story composed of very real, complex and interesting characters, but Clay getting a pass for cheating on wife Catherine with old girlfriend, Jill Magnusson (and moving in with her!), just didn't set well with me. Be a man and get a divorce first. I started out having an enormous amount of respect for Clay for manning up and taking responsibility for his child (despite the absence of DNA as proof back then), but he lost me when he went back to Jill because Catherine didn't know how to love (like Jill did?). I did find it curious that Catherine wasn't at all curious about her real father, who might have wanted to get to know his daughter. Fathers seem to be ignored in most books written by women. Though Catherine was strong, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing. This was a depressing book, the ending bittersweet. I was never fully convinced that Catherine and Clay were in love with each other, but rather they had simply grown together because of their baby. They are the type of couple I can see being relatively happy for a number of years, but ultimately, end up divorcing and finding a greater second love. I thought it would've been more interesting had their baby died and then see if they ended up staying together, for even Jill says something along the lines that it's no so much Catherine she cannot be, but Melissa, his little daughter. I recommend this book only because it is a good read, but falling in love with the characters? Not quite.

Separate Beds is well written and the characters and their motivations are well drawn out. My problem is that I pretty much hated the heroine, Catherine. I understand that she had a traumatic home life and feel badly for her in that respect, but the way she treated Clay was basically cruel. Even from the start, she wouldn't even give him any info on her pregnancy and her decision on whether she would give their child up for adoption or not. As if he had no say or input or any rights. He is just as responsible for their child as she is and she kept saying she had made her plans and wouldn't deviate from it and she even hid from him! I was disgusted by her behavior. Clay's parents were wonderful and he was basically a Prince Charming and she could barely bring herself to smile at him.

She met a perfectly well-adjusted, happy, loving, affectionate person and destroyed him. It really irked me how at the end of the book she was SOOOO happy without him and just went out with other people. She told him more than once he was free to date Jill and go do whatever he wanted and then kicked him out and asked for a divorce b/c she 'thought' he did hook up with Jill. What a ridiculous hypocrite. Catherine was cold, manipulative, selfish and mean. I could not root for her at all. Clay was ever a gentleman to her and respected her inane wishes and she couldn't ever swallow her pride and let him know how she felt. If she was so crippled emotionally, I didn't understand how she all of a sudden transformed into such a "wonderful" mother. She told Clay she couldn't love properly b/c no one ever taught her how, but as soon as she had a baby she was 100% cured? I don't buy it. And I just couldn't take her constant rejection of Clay. All the guy needed was a damn hug after everything he'd done for her!

Even the first time they met, Clay repeatedly asked her if she was sure she wanted to go all the way, he set her up with everything she needed, was always there for her during all her emotional breakdowns, was kind to her friends at Horizon and her family. And he had dated Jill his whole life basically and then lost her b/c he has to ask Catherine to marry him and still he tried to make the best of it. So I didn't blame him one bit when after months of trying to make the marriage work, he kissed Jill. I didn't blame him one bit. Especially since his WIFE gave him permission to date Jill AND refused to let him come near her. Ugh, Catherine really ticked me off.

Lastly, I thought it was out of character that Clay, who is extremely affectionate and loving, had no connection with his daughter. It made no sense. I felt the author was inconsistent here. At the end of the book I honestly did not feel Catherine deserved Clay anymore. She wrecked his life, his career and his relationship w/ his family. All for what? B/c she had the emotional maturity of a 12 yr old and couldn't express that she was scared to lose him? Grow up.

I can't believe this book is described as a romance, b/c any romance in here is one sided on Clay's part and she never reciprocates. Even to the point that the only time they even make love is the very last scene of the entire book! I would have rated this 1 star but I did like Clay and his family so I added another star.

I read this book the first time like 20 years ago. I remember liking the book but not being too thrilled with hero. Thought he was a bit of a jerk at the time.

Now, umpty years later, I find myself loving the story and not really hating the hero anymore. I think my 20 years older self reads a little more critically and find that I can't just fit characters in a 'she's awesome' or 'he's an ass' slot when the author has made them much more than that.

Catherine Anderson is a young college student who lives in an incredibly dysfunctional and abusive family situation. Clay Forrester is the son of a pair wealthy and loving parents. After a fight with his girlfriend that leaves them broken up for a hot minute, Clay goes on a blind date with Catherine where they get drunk and have sex that results in a baby. The sex and the girl were forgettable for Clay, but worthy of a dissertation in Catherine's diary.

The diary is found by Catherine's drunken, dissolute lazy father and he at last thinks 'his ship has come in'. He plans to bleed the rich Forrester's for all they have in an effort to make them support the baby. But Catherine has other plans. After an awkward and humiliating meeting with Clay and his family, She is determined to be beholden to no one. Clay is freaked out. He doesn't remember Catherine at first but it becomes quickly clear that she is indeed pregnant by him. Clays gets pressure from his parents to make things right, Catherine is determined to thwart her father's plans. The two strike a deal where they will get married just until the baby is born.

But things don't quite work out the way they plan.

In my earlier reading of this book, I was squarely on Catherine's side. She was after all the heroine who was a virgin and got knocked up by a rich, privileged jerk who didn't even remember who she was. Clay was largely just said jerk in my head.

But on this reading, I felt the nuances in their characters and their situations more keenly. They were both trapped in a situation that was of both their makings. So while I blame Clay for being forgetful and casual of his sexual partner, I can also blame Catherine for believing that being a virgin makes it ok to know nothing about birth control.

The fact of the matter is Catherine was such a damaged soul, that any relationship she had with anyone was doomed until she healed. This was made very apparent throughout the course of the awful marriage where because of her upbringing she had no idea how to relate to people comfortably. She was aloof, guarded, protective of herself. She constantly pushed Clay away because she felt more for him than he did for her and she wanted to make sure she didn't get too attached. At one point she and Clay are arguing about love. Catherine is adamant about a marriage needing to be based on love and she is determined not to have what her parents have. But Clay point out that 'on order to be loved you have to be loveable'. I had been very frustrated with Catherine at that time and was in full agreement with him because all the time in her head she was blaming Clay for not loving her like she loved him, she was also constantly cold and pushing him away.

On his side, Clay's crime was full on egotism. He felt resentful and trapped. He didn't choose Catherine on his own so he felt thwarted and self pitying. This was especially evident with his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Jill. She was the one he wanted and he couldn't have her so he blamed everyone for his supposed loss. Meanwhile he longed for her. Again, it is Clay who makes the correct observation. At one point he and tells Jill that they only wanted each other because they were told they couldn't have each other.

What worked really effectively for this book is how each character grows and changes. After the birth of their child, Catherine begins to heal and finally learns what Clay was saying about accepting & giving love. Clay also learns what is it to be guarded and uncertain and protective for of getting too close to someone. They each had to step into the other's shoes for awhile in order to finally come together in the right way.

The book was written in 1985 and initially I was concerned about it feeling dated. In some ways it did, with Catherine using a typewriter rather than a computer to write papers. But the story holds up pretty well for the most part. The most jarring thing was the total lack of concern with drinking while pregnant. Catherine had wine for dinner a few times and also drank champagne during her wedding. That, and of course the total lack of automatic condom use, just felt weird to me in this day and time.

After suffering from one horrible paranormal/vampire series to another, I decided to go back to the good ole best selling authors. I'm more of a historical or paranormal romance readers but there are few contemporary novels that I like. A friend of mind suggested this book to me and I gave it a try. I mean why not? What can be worst then the genre I was currently reading?

I have to say it was heaven sent, a breath of fresh air! What a wonderful story and I'm not at all surprise with all the ratings it recieved. I laughed, I cried (I really did!), and at one time my tempers even flared. Seperate Beds is seriously a wonderful story. It's one of those story that can actually happen and when it does, you really do pray for happy ending. This is one of those stories where you can read anytime of the year. Whether it's during the winter, bundled up in your favorite throw tucked in your most comfortable chair or on a hot summer day out in your backyard with a glass of fresh ice tea or strawberry lemonade.

This book will seriously be among my top 10 most favorite romance novels.

I read all of this author's books years ago. She was my favorite author. Since then I have read a lot of other books. I picked this book up thinking I would remember it but it's been too long and so reading it again was like reading it for the first time. It's a lovely story about a girl that makes choices based on wanting to escape her childhood. The author does a good job of the character explaining her emotions and reasons for doing what she does. A good author makes you connect your feelings, thoughts and emotions to the experiences and feelings of the characters and that is what happened when I read this story. I could relate to Catherine and although the story is a bit far fetched it's nice to imagine that someone could have a fairy tale ending in their life like Catherine does.

I love this book, I have read it multiple times and enjoy it just as much as the last time I read it. The characters are so true to life, the writer is so descriptive that she puts you right there in the house, on the campus anywhere the characters are.
I only wish she still wrote. I miss her books so much!

Catherine Anderson became pregnant after a one night stand with Clay Forrester. He had had a fight with his long time girlfriend Jill and had 'revenge' sex with Catherine to get even with his girlfriend. Later when Catherine's father, an alcoholic, became aware of her condition he stormed over to Clay's parent's home dragging his wife and pregnant daughter with him. Catherine's father knew that Clay's parents were very wealthy and he felt fairly sure that he could extort a large sum of money to cover up Clay's indescretion. Unfortunately for him Catherine didn't share his greed.
I enjoyed the book very much and had a very hard time putting it down. I finished it in 2 sittings since I finally gave up at 4 AM and got some sleep! I thought the characterization was good and that the author presented the hero and heroine correctly in order for the ending to be believeable. I fely sorry for Clay during some of the book and Catherine for other parts of the book. But I was happy with the ending.