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Review Date: 5/3/2011
Helpful Score: 1
I did not like this book. About halfway through it, I considered giving up on it, but as I was stuck with nothing else to read, I continued with it. The book seemed to have no actual plot, until the second half when the author seemed to throw in some half-hearted attempts at suspense. The heroine came off as either too young and naive or too knowledgable and unladylike. It seemed to go back and forth between those extremes. To me, the hero seemed like he ended up with her only because she was handy, and his first love betrayed him. I wasn't fond of any of the secondary characters. I found her brother to be something of a jerk, and his family all seemed to be crazy. The ending was a bit over the top, but I was glad to see it end. Overall, I gave it 2 and half stars, as I have read much better, and much worse.
Review Date: 5/6/2010
Dracula and Northanger Abbey brought together into a historical romance novel. That was my impression throughout this book. To me, it was a tribute to the gothic novel, with the dark castle,complete with dungeon and mysterious hero, the great mystery to solve,vampires and a heroine who finds herself in the middle of all of it. It was quite an unusual book to read, very different from the traditional historical romances and different from most vampire books. I like that the heroine and the reader both find out the truth at the same time. The book keeps you guessing, is he a vampire, or isn't he? While the end does provide closure for most of the story, it nicely sets up what will be an intriguing story for their siblings. Overall, a great book I rate 4 stars. Can't wait to read the next one.
Review Date: 4/9/2010
Helpful Score: 1
Having read the previous 5 books in the Carnation series, I had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed. In fact, it is one of my top two from the series. This book is almost like a stand alone story, as compared to the previous entries in the series. There are references to previous characters and plots, but mostly, this is the story of Penelope and Alex, two people who slowly come to realize they belong together. The two must face French spies, cheating husbands, poisonous snakes, death, and danger before they can ultimately be together. My only small criticism was the seemingly convenient way the biggist obstacle to their happiness was removed. After first reading that part, I thought, how easy! Then, later on, I realized it was not convenient at all, only another stumbling block for them. What really adds to the deapth of the story is descriptions of Indian customs and society, that really helped to set this story apart from others set in England and/or France. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance, exotic settings, or historical fiction.
Review Date: 2/14/2011
Helpful Score: 1
A screwball comedy. That is what is book is. It is a light, fluffy, easy read that I couldn't put down. The body moving scenes were hysterical, and the rest of the plot just flowed so well. There were no heavy emotional, serious scenes with intense drama, and the book didn't need them. It is a great way to spend an afternoon. At the end of the book, I was left with a smile on my face, and wishing Suzette and Daniel's story was out already.
Review Date: 4/9/2010
A great PG rated romance. I am not a fan of NASCAR, but I loved this book! Roberto is very appealing as the hero, and Mallory makes a great partner for him. They meet and come together to offset public perceptions they are both trying to change. During their time in the "staged" relationship, they realize how much alike they are, and how much they care about each other. My only problem with the book is that I wish it could have been longer. After reading this, I am looking at the author's other works, as well as other NASCAR books to read, as I enjoyed this one so much.
Review Date: 1/19/2010
I found parts of the this book interesting and suspenceful, but overall, not one of his better works. The first couple hundred pages really dragged for me, with too much background to set up the events and characters, and the jumping from one place to another so much. The book finally picks up midway through, but I found the ending a bit of a let down. Overall, I think it would have been a better book if it was shorter.
Review Date: 5/3/2011
Helpful Score: 2
Kristan Higgins continues to improve as an author with her latest. I like her books more and more each year. This one is a bit different from her previous ones. It features a couple of exes on a road trip for most of the book. While I found the beginning a little slow, it really picked up when Nick and Harper met up again. They have a great chemistry between them that is seen in their great banter. While we never get to read Nick's thoughts or point of view, it really came across that he still cared about her. Throughout the book, the reader sees the development of their relationship in college, their marriage at a young age, their divorce, and their reconcilation. The reconcilation takes most of the book, but they both must deal with their own issues (her abandonment issues and his work-a-holic and control issues)but they both emerge better people, willing to make changes in their lives in order to be with the one person they each realize is their true love. My only tiny complaint is about the cover. I was born and raised in New York state, and I can assure you that the license plate featured on the car hasn't been used in a good 15 years or more. To conclude, a great read and the best of the author so far.
Review Date: 9/5/2010
I really liked this book. I think it is one of best she has written in a while. While some people found it boring or too detailed when it came to the descriptions of the dog training/rescuing, I found them fascinating. The dogs make great secondary characters, and Jaws is really a scene stealer! I love all of the laugh-out-loud scenes (usually involving Jaws and Simon). I like Fiona and Simon as the lead characters, Simon especially. He makes a great (but reluctant) hero. There was not a lot of suspense/mystery elements in this book, and I don't think it needed more. The story works very well without them. It gives a real chance to see the development of Simon and Fiona's relationship, plus explore the world of search and rescue dogs. It's a great book for dog and animal lovers, and of course, for fans of Nora Roberts.
Review Date: 3/30/2011
Helpful Score: 1
This book strikes me as a cross between the movie "Sabrina" and the book "Pride and Prejudice". I liked the first half better, the "Sabrina" part if you will. The latter half I kept waiting for the hero to impress me and grow in my esteem, but he never did. I kept thinking of P&P, where Mr. Darcy starts out as rather unlikeable,but kept improving in my opinion, through his actions and his words, where this book never quite reaches that. Still, this is a good read, illustrating the strict social classes in 19th century England, but managing to be a light, feel good book. Despite my issues with the hero, this is still so much better than many of its contemporaries.
Review Date: 3/25/2010
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of the few books I have ever read where I struggled for 3/4 of the book to find one character I liked. Many times I was tempted to stop reading it, but my stubborn nature prevailed, and I finished it. I did find a way to like the two leads by the end, but overall, I was glad I had gotten my copy for $1 at a used book sale. This is the first book I have read by Cheryl Holt, and it gives me no reason to try another of hers.
Review Date: 11/29/2016
In the first few chapters of the book, you meet the heroine Jacqueline, fleeing from her second scam wedding.She ends up meeting Patrick at his family cabin on Halloween night. He is wearing a kilt and a pair of fangs. She immediately thinks he is an actual vampire, as he has fangs. It never enters her mind that it is Halloween or that vampires aren't real! From this I got the impression that she was in order: shallow, greedy, gullible, and extremely stupid! I thought maybe she changes as the story progresses and I would start to like her. It turns out I also added selfish and childish to the list. I kept thinking Poor Patrick, he deserves so much better, and I was actively hoping they would not end up together. The last 100 pages or so, suddenly they are in love, but why, I have no idea. She was still the same silly, impulsive, selfish person she was at the beginning. At one point, I hoped her getting hit in the head with thermos would knock some sense into her, but no such luck.
This was my first book by this author, and will probably the last, if all of her heroines are like Jacqueline.
This was my first book by this author, and will probably the last, if all of her heroines are like Jacqueline.
Review Date: 7/3/2008
Has everything from ghosts to odd stories to local history. Perfect for anyone wanting to travel off the beaten path in New England. Citro writes with both skepticism and belief at times, as well as with humor. Provides a nice background on folklore in New England.
Review Date: 8/8/2016
Usually I can read a book like this pretty fast, but this one took a long time. I kept reading a chapter and then putting it down. It just didn't hold my attention. The problem is that I could never seem to like either of the main characters. Because of this, I didn't care about their story or what happened next. I thought, like other reviewers, the villains seem to appear only a couple of times, and didn't really add much to the book. I would have liked to know more about those letters and what was so important in them. I also wanted to know more of the backstory of each character, Francesca's marriage and James' early career decisions. Maybe that would have made them more likable. On the plus side, I did enjoy the occasional wit of the author that was slipped in here and there. Overall, this is not one of Loretta Chase's best works.
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