Carla B. (puppyluv) reviewed on + 552 more book reviews
Publishers Weekly
The latest by Michaels (Celebration) is an eventful tale of sisterly love and simmering obsession. When their parents die suddenly under mysterious circumstances, five-year-old Abby Evans and her six-year-old sister, Mallory, are adopted by their dad's friend Donovan Mitchell and his new wife. Troubled Mallory is sent off to an institution and banished from the now-prosperous Mitchell family for more than a decade. Still missing her sister, Abby suffers yet another loss when her boyfriend, Connor, dies suddenly. The sisters are finally reunited in their early 20s, and Abby's life seems complete once again, with a wonderful new man, an opulent house and an instantly successful writing career. Trouble soon arises, however, when Mallory becomes convinced that their parents, along with Connor and several others, were actually murdered--and that Donovan Mitchell is the culprit. Abby bases her newest novel on that idea, and the two young women hunt for the clues they hope will roound out the story and clarify their complex past. The evidence is inconclusive until Abby and Mallory throw a lavish book-completion party, at which a violent encounter leads to the truth. Although the plotting is marred by coincidences, Michaels has crafted a smoothly written, dramatic tale full of incident and emotion. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Born with a port wine stain that obscures half her face, Abby Mitchell is dogged by tragedy: her parents die, she is separated from her only sister, a surgical procedure to help her face fails, and her boyfriend croaks. Through all of this horror, she behaves like a saint and is eventually reunited with her sister, the so-called "bad seed." As it turns out, Mallory isn't all that bad, but she does have some disturbing revelations concerning the deaths that follow Abby around. When the sisters throw a fancy party to lure a murderer into the open, they get more than they bargained for. While some of the plot elements in this story are laughable (such as the repeated lack of autopsies on people dying under questionable circumstances) and the whining narration by Jen Taylor irritating, it's difficult to stop listening until the absolute end. Michaels's (Yesterday) message is that happiness often comes with a high price and everything does not always turn out well...something seldom seen in romances. A marginal purchase. Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
The latest by Michaels (Celebration) is an eventful tale of sisterly love and simmering obsession. When their parents die suddenly under mysterious circumstances, five-year-old Abby Evans and her six-year-old sister, Mallory, are adopted by their dad's friend Donovan Mitchell and his new wife. Troubled Mallory is sent off to an institution and banished from the now-prosperous Mitchell family for more than a decade. Still missing her sister, Abby suffers yet another loss when her boyfriend, Connor, dies suddenly. The sisters are finally reunited in their early 20s, and Abby's life seems complete once again, with a wonderful new man, an opulent house and an instantly successful writing career. Trouble soon arises, however, when Mallory becomes convinced that their parents, along with Connor and several others, were actually murdered--and that Donovan Mitchell is the culprit. Abby bases her newest novel on that idea, and the two young women hunt for the clues they hope will roound out the story and clarify their complex past. The evidence is inconclusive until Abby and Mallory throw a lavish book-completion party, at which a violent encounter leads to the truth. Although the plotting is marred by coincidences, Michaels has crafted a smoothly written, dramatic tale full of incident and emotion. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Born with a port wine stain that obscures half her face, Abby Mitchell is dogged by tragedy: her parents die, she is separated from her only sister, a surgical procedure to help her face fails, and her boyfriend croaks. Through all of this horror, she behaves like a saint and is eventually reunited with her sister, the so-called "bad seed." As it turns out, Mallory isn't all that bad, but she does have some disturbing revelations concerning the deaths that follow Abby around. When the sisters throw a fancy party to lure a murderer into the open, they get more than they bargained for. While some of the plot elements in this story are laughable (such as the repeated lack of autopsies on people dying under questionable circumstances) and the whining narration by Jen Taylor irritating, it's difficult to stop listening until the absolute end. Michaels's (Yesterday) message is that happiness often comes with a high price and everything does not always turn out well...something seldom seen in romances. A marginal purchase. Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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