Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Joan (mollybolt2) - - Reviews

1 to 20 of 25 - Page:
Almost Home (Homespun)
Almost Home (Homespun)
Author: Debra S. Cowan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 1/8/2011


Cowan does a good job in establishing the time period and setting in this book. I thought the husband was too-patient-to-be-true, but it's still an enjoyable read.


Blood Stained (Lucy Guardino, Bk 2)
Blood Stained (Lucy Guardino, Bk 2)
Author: CJ Lyons
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 7/22/2013
Helpful Score: 1


This is the second in the three-part series featuring FBI agent Lucy Guardino. I recommend you read them in order, starting with "Kill Zone" because you don't want to miss the other agents and especially Lucy's husband Nick and daughter Megan. These are intense books , not only because of the awesome suspense that Ms. Lyons writes but the subjects are heavy as well. She gives you a lot to think about. This second book focused a good deal on a new colleague, Jenna, which I thought took too much away from Lucy. But, nevertheless, it was a good read--one not to be started late at night, otherwise you'll stay up far to late to finish it I highly recommend it.


Crooked Hearts
Crooked Hearts
Author: Patricia Gaffney
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 24
Review Date: 12/24/2010


This is the first title of Ms. Gaffney's that I've read and I will continue to read others! Not only was it a believable and authentic historical romance but the humor made it a real treat.


Crusader Captive (Harlequin Historical, No 1050)
Crusader Captive (Harlequin Historical, No 1050)
Author: Merline Lovelace
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 1/8/2012


Ms. Lovelace returns to historical romance with this adventure during the Crusades. I enjoy her historical romances because she always makes the setting and the era feel so real. And, her heroines are smart and strong and her heroes are sexy.


Dead March
Dead March
Author: Ann McMillan
Book Type: School Library Binding
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 4/13/2011


Well-researched and written suspense that takes place in Richmond at the beginning of the Civil War. The author has woven an intriguing plot into a rich tapestry of the period. Civil war buffs, historical fiction fans, and fans of strong women characters will all enjoy this first in a series of four books.


Diablo (Texans, Bk 1)
Diablo (Texans, Bk 1)
Author: Georgina Gentry
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 18
Review Date: 10/6/2010


This was the second book by Georgina Gentry that I read, after reading a highly favorable review in "Romantic Times Book Review" magazine/website. Sadly, I was disappointed. Yes, Ms. Gentry does a good deal of research and shares that with the reader in an afterword in her books, which I greatly appreciate (and in this book, she lists all of her books, their time periods, and how they are connected).

But, this particular book lacked any spark. My biggest complaint was there was far too much telling and not enough showing, so the story dragged. Also, there were a few plot holes that she never follows up on. It seemed like she had to get the story down on paper but she never went back and enlivened it so that the reader could feel what the characters were feeling. Also, she continually repeats herself, usually with the exact same wording, as in "don't worry your pretty little head," etc. And, she has Diablo and Sunny ruminate on the same topics, over and over again. At one point, I was going to not finish it, but I kept on, thinking it would surely improve. It did not. Unless you want to read this because you're interested in her series, I would suggest you pass on this.


Early Dawn (Keegan-Paxton Family, Bk 3) (Kendrick/Coulter Family, Bk 11)
Review Date: 7/13/2010


This is the first Catherine Anderson book that I've read and I enjoyed the historical setting and the characters. I'll agree w/ the reviewers who wondered why Mathew didn't shoot the bad guys but only spooked their horses and why he stopped to bury someone. But, if he had done what you expected the author would have had to create other bad guys to run from. Even given these flaws I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and wish she had more around that time frame. BTW, can anyone argue w/ the fact that Eden can shoot?!?! Yeah, girl!


Flashback (Anna Pigeon, Bk 11)
Flashback (Anna Pigeon, Bk 11)
Author: Nevada Barr
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 180
Review Date: 11/15/2010
Helpful Score: 1


My bookclub read this selection from Nevada Barr and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, she alternates chapters and one of our members read the book in that manner--first all present day, then all in the past. I don't, however, recommend that method. What I found intriguing was the history about John Wilkes Booth and those who helped him along with the woman who was married to the commander of the prison there on the islands. Her letters and Nevada reading them and having a mystery of her own to solve made it a doubly enjoyable read. If you enjoy historical fiction you'll especially like this. It's the only book of hers that I've kept.


Foxfire Bride
Foxfire Bride
Author: Maggie Osborne
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 39
Review Date: 1/8/2011


Normally, I delight in stories of courageous, feisty women, but for some reason I couldn't get into Fox. The setting was believable as were the secondary characters but she left me lukewarm.


Gone to Soldiers
Gone to Soldiers
Author: Marge Piercy
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 40
Review Date: 5/16/2010
Helpful Score: 1


This is one of my all-time favorite novels. Ms. Piercy is a talented writer and in this she brings the WW II era alive. I admit that the beginning can be a bit confusing as she is introducing so many characters, but if the reader stays with it, you will be awarded with a spell-binding novel. There are hundreds of fictional books on battles and the men who fought them, but this will give the reader not only another perspective of the American Home Front, but of the Resistance in France and how it connects with people in the U.S. In addition, there is a woman who becomes a Women's Air Force Pilot, aka WASP, and a Merchant Mariner on a Liberty Ship (too often ignored in most accounts). All in all, a gripping novel.


Journeys: An Anthology of Life
Journeys: An Anthology of Life
Author: A.L. Hotchkin
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 6/19/2012


A collection of lesbian stories, and a few poems, by A.(Alane)L. Hotchkin.

From the back cover: "From the first to the very last the collection is a rollercoaster of emotions. Some, I hope will make you laugh so hard you will cry, while others may cause your heart to ache. Within each story is a little piece of myself, a small window into my world. They are short trips which I invite you to share with me...a journey into my life and perhaps into your own." Published in 2010 by L-Book.


Lifelines
Lifelines
Author: C. J. Lyons
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 43
Review Date: 2/19/2012
Helpful Score: 1


This is the first book I've read of CJ Lyons and her debut novel and I am astonished at how good it is. Lifelines features four women working in a Philadelphia hospital. She skillfully weaves in the stories of all four, although the main protagonist is the doctor, Lydia. (In the next three books of the series, each of the others have their own starring role). I have not read a medical thriller in years but someone suggested her writing and she does a top-notch job of holding you in suspense, keeping you interested but not bored by all the medical duties and jargon, plus she offers a bit of romance. In real life, she was a physician in an ER and other places before turning full time to writing. So, it's very realistic. I'm off to get the other three books in the series. Well Done, Dr. Lyons!


Lily of the Tower
Lily of the Tower
Author: Elizabeth Hart
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 2.6/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 6/19/2012


For fans of Regency/Victorian England, you'll like this lesbian romance.

As the cover says: "In this richly detailed story of Victorian and Regency England, debut author Elizabeth Hart asks the tantalizing question: What if Jane Eyre had lost her heart not to Rochester, but to the woman in the tower?"


A Savage Beauty (Morgans, Bk 1)
A Savage Beauty (Morgans, Bk 1)
Author: Merline Lovelace
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 21
Review Date: 7/26/2010


Mereline Lovelace incorporates historical persons, places, and events in this story to bring it alive. I've found her books to be accurate in their depiction of the times and she has a way with words so that you feel you are there with the characters. This takes place on the new frontier of the Louisiana Purchase in the early 1800s.


Springwater (Springwater Seasons, Bk 1)
Springwater (Springwater Seasons, Bk 1)
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 160
Review Date: 5/16/2010


This is the first book by Linda Lael Miller that I read and now I'm hooked. I especially enjoyed this first in the Springwater series because I thought she did an admirable job of describing the setting so that the reader feels she is there with the characters.

This historical romance should appeal to those who enjoy a Western setting, with all its challenges whether it is the weather, Indians, hardships, etc. Ms. Miller gives us believable characters and a realistic plot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did


Summer at Seaside Cove
Summer at Seaside Cove
Author: Jacquie D'Alessandro
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 30
Review Date: 8/13/2012
Helpful Score: 1


This was the first contemporary book I've read of hers and I greatly enjoyed it. I thought she developed her characters well and her descriptions of Seaside were vivid and inviting. I recommend this book.


Surrender (MacKinnon's Rangers, Bk 1)
Surrender (MacKinnon's Rangers, Bk 1)
Author: Pamela Clare
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 113
Review Date: 10/19/2011
Helpful Score: 2


I second the other reviewers---Ms. Clare does an outstanding job with weaving a wonderful romance into historical times! This is the first book I've read of hers and I'm looking forward to her other historical romances as well.


Untamed Women of Yesteryear
Untamed Women of Yesteryear
Author: Helen Dunn
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 4/25/2011


Collection of three short stories, all lesbian romances, by new author Helen Dunn. "Trucker" is set in 1975 when Toni, stops her truck at an all-night cafe where she meets Sonar. "The House of Soleil Levant-Dark," is an intriguing tale set in New Orleans towards the end of the Civil War. "Wild Guns" is just as it sounds, a western.


A Wanted Man
A Wanted Man
Author: Susan Kay Law
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 20
Review Date: 10/16/2010


This is the first book that I've read of Law's and I intend to read her other historicals. She does an excellent job depicting the setting and the romance between her characters is engaging and hot at times.


Washington Goes to War
Washington Goes to War
Author: David Brinkley
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 7/25/2011


Brinkley has written a wonderful account of how Washington, D.C. exploded with war-time workers, servicemen and women, politicians and everyone else and how it hasn't been the same since. As he was someone there during this period, who also can write in an engaging manner, I felt I was there with him. I found this book a pure delight.


1 to 20 of 25 - Page: