Romance Books

I like the Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels and I can't wait for
the following books to come out to see what happens. The series
has humor, romance and suspense. Some of the paybacks are a little
extreme and farfetched but overall the books are a good read. This
one I read in one day as I couldn't wait to see what happens next.
I recommend this book and the series.

I found the book to be really good, just like the other books in the sisterhood...

I was so pleased Fern Michaels didn't stop with the Sisterhood Series but chose to continue the stories in the Rules of the Game Series. Even though each book stands alone, it is definitely more pleasurable to read the entire series from the beginning. If you read this book first, you will find yourself looking for the forerunners and not stopping until you get them all. In Hokus Pokus these amazing women are at it again with more intrigue and suspense. For all of you who would love to 'get even' for yourself or someone else because of injustices, these books are for you. I can't wait for the next one to be published.

Hokus Pokus is the last in print at this time. I have read all of Fern Michaels "Sisterhood" series. All deal with women getting justice or even, when the Court system fails. This book continues where the last one left off with the women living on a mountain top in a foreign country. They are still fugitives, even so they enter the U.S.A. to help once more a friend in trouble. The story moves fast I could not put the book down and I did not want it to end. I want the next book. Who could believe the women could pull this off again? I was caught from beginning to end. Some do not like her books, but I for one love them. If you like books where women win or get the chance to pull one over on men,then I highly recommend this

HOKUS POKUS is a five star addition to the saga of the Sisterhood. Yes, the story line is hokey, but for dead tired summer fun reading it is great. Fern Michaels doesn't disappoint her fans with the high level of comedy. This time the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court needs the help of the Sisterhood. Her cry for assistance through Judge Easter brings the full force home with the aid of "Lizzie." Maybe the Queen keeps this fun series under her pillow as a great escape from the affairs of family and state.
A tall glass of lemonade and HOKUS POKUS will lift all summer doldrums. We're not going to spill anything about Murphy's Law at work. Why spoil one the the best escape series to come along down an overdone realsim path for you the reader.
Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarUnder the Liberty OakQualifying Laps: A Brewster County Novel

This is the beginning of a new series by Suzanne Enoch. I really love how the title fits into the book. After the kiss is exactly when the book takes place. Lady Isabel encounters Sullivan as he is robbing her home and the only way he thinks of to distract her is by kissing her. Lady Isabel comes across a little spoiled and bratty in the beginning of the book, but changes throughout the book as she falls in love and comes to realize what is important. Sullivan is living his life for revenge, but he too comes to realize what is important. This is a story of overcoming your past and learning who you really are. I really liked this book, and can't wait to read the next in the series.

Lady Isabel Chalsey is by far one of the more interesting characters in recent romance novels. She has a belief in love and is one of those women that find easy to believe. She falls in love and stays in love in her youth. I find her extremely realistic in the portrayal of her youthful love with the dark man, or bad boy in our modern society. This is the captured time of young love. The only problem with the tale was that I did not find Sullivan Waring very appreciative of the great love he had and then damaged.

Lady Isabel comes downstairs to catch Sullivan Waring the stealing from her family. To stop her from calling for help - he kisses her and she takes his mask. Later Lady Isabel finds out the the notorious thief is Sullivan Waring and she blackmails him... I wish I could tell you more - but there is lots of sexual tension with the character and since they are in a different 'class' there is frustration. Enjoy!

Off to find her next novel Before the Scandal - Lieutenant Colonel Phineas Bromley story.

Like another reviewer, I too had been disappointed with Ms. Enoch's recent historicals (see my reviews on Sins of a Duke and Something Sinful). However, being an equestrienne with a love of Regency romances, the basic premise certainly piqued my interest.

I thought Isabel's (or Tibby's, as she's frequently called) character was well developed and the majority of her actions made sense from that perspective. So often, romance heroines are inconsistent and leave readers scratching their heads. Isabel's motivations for her actions were always in tune with her character, which can be especially difficult when writing a character who undergoes such a drastic shift in personality and beliefs during the course of a novel. Isabel shifts from a sheltered, spoiled princess to a more mature, worldly woman in the course of 384 pages. Throughout it all, she remains likable, as Enoch gives us plenty of indication as to why Isabel acts and thinks as she does. By allowing us to understand her, we are able to like her better.

Sullivan too is a character who develops over the course of the novel, going from a scorned, bitter son bent on revenge to a man who is capable of loving the very sort of girl he was determined to hate. What might have started out as a desire to see one of Society's princess fall from grace morphed into something else as he saw that she too had vulnerabilities and she too was at the mercy of Society's mercurial temperaments.

The secret, forbidden courtship of Isabel and Sullivan also made things enjoyable. Both knew what they were doing would be seen as wrong (which of course made it all the more delicious) but the attraction between them was simply too strong. This is a common device, I'll grant you, but in After the Kiss, you really believe that their attraction cannot be denied. What's more, both characters understand that what their doing is wrong and that there will be consequences, causing a realistic amount of hesitation and thought on the part of each. So often, characters leap into romance without a thought as to what their friends and family might think, which, I'm sorry to say, just isn't how real life works.

Finally, as with most of Ms. Enoch's novels, the secondary characters are not just a distraction but truly enhance the novel. Tibby's family, her friends/enemies, even the requisite 'villain' all helped to both move the plot forward as well as present obstacles which forced Isabel and Sullivan to make choices that furthered their growth. This novel is truly an exercise in character development. Sullivan and Isabel are dynamic characters whose actions ring true with whatever the current state of their personalities is, a rare thing in the modern romance novel. I highly recommend this novel, both for those who have never read Suzanne Enoch and need an introduction and for those who have been longtime fans recently disappointed by her latest historical fare.

After disappointment in some of Ms. Enoch's more recent historicals, I'm so glad to have read this book. This book is definitely a keeper for me and worth every penny!

This book is about a bastard son, Sullivan Waring, who is a famous horsebreeder and also secretly a thief of paintings, or rather someone who is reclaiming paintings which originally belonged to his late mother and sold without his permission. Sullivan meets Lady Isabel Chalsey during one of his nightly painting retrievals and in order to silence her, he kisses her. That kiss begins everything...

Initially reading this synopsis, I was a bit skeptical about the believability of this story. I mean, seriously, who kisses a thief in the middle of the night in their house? There are a lot of elements in this story that another author might have made less believable and made me roll my eyes at, but Ms. Enoch unravels the story so wonderfully and realistically that the jaded historical romance reader part of myself just disappeared while I was reading this book. Not only is the story engaging, but I loved everything in-between! I absolutely loved the subtleties. The subtle humorous comments within the dialogue and narration were a delight! Nothing was over the top. I loved that the author didn't accommodate for the lowest common denominator when writing this book. Although this isn't the most complicated of books, not everything was simple, like some historicals I've read.

This book has depth and realism. I love that when Isabel is slightly shunned by the ton, the author portrays the issue a little bit more realistically than other authors have. Isabel doesn't quickly wave away the consequences and reaction of the ton. Although there have been heroines in other books which have and have been made to seem stronger for it, I like that Isabel doesn't. She's human and not infallible. She's real and multi-dimensional. She stops and considers everything. She knows she has something to lose that is significant to her because she's been raised a certain way. Which one should she sacrifice?

I also enjoyed reading about the development of Isabel and Sullivan's relationship. Of course, there was the initial attraction, but there needed to be something more between them to build and Ms. Enoch does that incredibly well...and at a good pace. And it isn't just lust! There's flirtation, trust, suspicion, and everything in between! And...in their thoughts, they admit to the attraction and there is nothing coy about it! I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate it when characters feign ignorance or avoid their feelings for each other when it is clearly there. These two know they are attracted to each other and maybe it takes one of them a little longer to figure it out, but once they do, it's openly admitted and no one is trying to pretend something's not there. It's refreshing!

I even loved the secondary characters, the villians...everyone. They all played their parts wonderfully. Also, the heroine has a very supportive, loving, and complete family! I don't know how many historicals I've read where there's always someone who's the "evil" family member or where there's only part of a family.

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful this book is. You really have to read it for yourself and see. I am very glad to know that there are still these type of historical romances around. :) With that said, I'm off to pre-order Ms. Enoch's next book to this series, Before the Scandal: The Notorious Gentlemen!

IN these days of rehashed and reworked, this is truly a good read. It kept me awake for two nights until I finally finished it and having finished it, reached for more. Definitely worth a bad night....

Really enjoyed it . I was glad to not be able to put it down until it was finished. I look forward to reading all of her books..

It started out strong, I loved the characters and storyline...and the chemistry between Romain and Jasmine was great. But the ending was terrible...it just seemed very abrupt, they got their HEA but without really resolving some of the issues. There were elements that were left hanging. I don't want to give away a big spoiler but the epilogue made no sense whatsoever.

Jasmine Stratford has spent the last 16 years looking for the man who kidnapped her younger sister Kimberly, whose kidnapping destroyed what was left of her fragile family. She has devoted her life to helping other families in similar situations, and being somewhat psychic, has managed to help the FBI profile assailants and locate some victims. After appearing on television, she receives a package postmarked New Orleans with Kimberly's missing bracelet, which takes her on an odyssey to the Bayou state. She turns to Romain Fornier, the father 0f another victim recently paroled for murdering the man charged with the kidnap, rape, and murder of his daughter Adele who was released on a technicality. Romain wants no part of the investigation at first but as clues surface that he might have killed the wrong man, he wants answers too. A cunning killer has them both in his crosshairs and wants to play a game of cat and mouse while covering up a lucrative black market adoption ring.

Novak's second installment in the "Last Stand" series is heavy on the romance and suspense, as her two broken lead characters emerge from their shattered shells to find a second chance for love, forgiveness, and redemption. The culprits are a pretty unredeeming lot, and Novak manages to make them more than cardboard character typically found in many novels. Overall, it was a really good sensuous and emotional story, which can stand on its own, and Novak continues her reign on my wallet as a must-buy author.

Stop Me (Last Stand, Book 2)

Romain Fournier wants nothing to do with people. Four years earlier his young daughter Adele was brutally murdered, and he served two years for the shooting of the man responsible. Now he's out, living a lonely life on the Louisiana bayou...until Jasmine Stratford finds him.

Jasmine is still searching for the man who abducted her younger sister Kimberly sixteen years ago. When her sister's bracelet is mailed to her in a package bearing a New Orleans stamp, she leaves Sacramento and the Last Stand office to do her own sleuthing. A similarity in the Fournier case and her sister's abduction sends her on the trail to Romain, but he chooses to keep the past in the past.

Each carries a boatload of baggage, however, an undeniable sexual attraction overwhelms both of these well-drawn and intriguing characters. As clues begin to appear and events to unfold, Jasmine and Romain are caught up in a chilling and sometimes gruesome hunt for the truth.

The sex sizzles, the suspense dominates and Ms. Novak superbly manages to captivate the reader as she delves into the criminal mind. This is a complex story that will keep you guessing right up to the final pages.

I'm a Brenda Novak fan, so I expect her books to be good. Stop Me, the sequel to Trust Me in The Last Stand trilogy surpassed my expectations and then some.

Highly recommended.

I had a great reading about Bobby, Teri, Rachel, Olivia and Grace. It had me laughting and crying at some places.

The worst part about this book is waiting for the next one. I love Cedar Cove. It's like visiting with friends or catching up on family. It is also easy to read when you have a hectic life and can only read in short time spans. I think each book gets better, but I found the whole Russian evil chess player story a little out of place in the series. Don't get me wrong, it didn't slow down my reading.

I love all Debbie Macomber's series and books. But this series is the best and warmest by far. I hope it never ends.

I went into the romance department of the bookstore and picked out this book. This is my first (and probably last) novel by this writer. It just simply wasn't what I was looking for in a summer read. For me, I wasn't really interested in these characters. I didn't find myself wanting to know more and some of the characters were too similar and the women seemed to have confidence issues.

74 Seaside Avenue

It won't be my last either! At first I had trouble who was who etc. But after awhile I caught on and I couldn't put it down. I loved all the characters and I can't wait to get my hands on all the previous books and the newest one. Debbie writes with such a style that has you begging for more. Maybe it does seem a little too gossipy but I loved it and heck it was enjoyable. Debbie writes so well I didn't notice I just couldn't get enough!! I loved so many of the characters I couldn't even begin to think who was my favorite.

What I like most is she doesn't have to use filthy language and dirty scenes for it to be enjoyable, which is hard in this world today. I am finding it harder and harder to escape these days so I will take it when I can get it! Thanks Ms. Macomber!! Keep on writing! :)

I have read the entire series and will read No. Eight that is coming out as a library book. I won't pay for it because I am not sure it will be great. I loved the books from the beginning especially the first four but the last ones are not nearly as engaging. The seventh one was somewhat silly and unbelievable. A chess master and a beautician? THe premise is rather unlikely and I did not care for her quirky family - rather trashy. I would skip it.

"The House at Riverton" begins with Grace Bradley, now 98 years old narrating the story of her life in service to the Ashbury family at the English country estate at Riverton.

In 1914, at age 14, Grace worked as a housemaid at Riverton Manor, and the book unfolds through flashbacks and the memories of the events that took place.

The premise is an interesting one. Servants are so often privvy to secrets, and this is true in Grace's case.

Some reviewers comment about the 'upstairs/downstairs' aspect of the novel, and I can certainly see that. But it's all been 'done' much better. For me, the novel did not hold a great appeal. The plot never 'grabbed' me, but I am not a romantic at heart. While the Edwardian era is a fascination, the novel's focus left me cold. Perhaps I am just not into the devoted servant thing.

This book is very similar to the PBS TV show from the 70's called Upstairs/Downstairs. It was about an English household told from the domestic service maid, Grace. It flips from 1924 and back to 1999. The story is alittle mystery, alittle love story and lots of great reading!
This is a joy to anyone who reads it!

Loved it!

This debut novel got off to a wobbly start by borrowing straight from REBECCA. After that blip, I couldn't put the book down and almost made myself sick by staying up all night 3 nights in a row to finish it, not to mention reading all day instead of attending to responsibilities. What a stunning debut novel & what a shame it took 2 years to get to the USA. There aren't any great insights into human nature, but Kate Morton takes a somewhat complicated plot line, weaves in and out of the present and the past seamlessly and delivers a stunning whopper end that left me wanting to start the book over to see where I missed the hints (well, one "surprise" was fairly obviously given away) as to how it would end. I can't wait for her next book and I sure as heck hope her agent gets an overseas contract that gets it published here the same time as the UK. Not fair to make us wait!

This book was on every best-selling list in europe and every magazin I read talked about it. Usually I don't like the books on those lists but when I saw that book at the bookstore I bought it anyway, and boy am I glad I did! It is the first book that really touched me in a while.

In 1914 Grace started to work at Riverton Manor as maid at the age of 14. Now she is an old woman and she thought she had left the past behind her. But she gets a letter from a woman who is doing a movie about what happened at Riverton so many years ago: The love triangle between the two Harton sisters and the poet R.S. Hunter and his suicide at Riverton. Grace is the only one left alive and she finally decides that she must tell the secret that affected her whole live.

I can't really tell more about the plot because it would just spoil too much of the book. I haven't read many books set in this time period so it was really interesting to see how the servants lived and their point of view of their work and the relations to their employers. It was also interesting to see how WWI affected everybody. But the most interesting aspect for me was later in the book when society changed in the 1920s from those old-fashioned times to modern times, similar the way we live now. Hannah, the older sister, was raised in the old-fashioned way and all she ever wanted was to break free. Emmeline, the younger one, had all that freedom Hannah could only dream of and she took full adventage of it.

The book started a little slow for me (it is still really good but not much action) but it picks up later with all the tragedies happening. The really, really, really enthralling part is the last part when Hannah, Emmeline and Robbie Hunter manage to get themselves into a love triangle and it comes to a bitter, but surprising, end that choked me up.

"The House at Riverton" centers on the lives of Grace Bradley, a housemaid at the English country estate of Riverton and two of its residents, sisters Hannah and Emmeline. The novel spans the years of 1914 to 1924 in Essex and London. During a soirée at Riverton, a young poet, Robbie Hunter, commits suicide and only the two sisters and Grace are witnesses to the truth behind his tragic death.

The novel begins in 1999 with a 98-year-old Grace, now nearing her end as a resident in a nursing home. A filmmaker who's directing a retrospective of Riverton approaches her, eager to plumb her memories of the house, her years of service and Robbie's death. This project becomes a catalyst for Grace's revelations of her time at Riverton and the disastrous misunderstanding that led to that fateful night. The story unfolds through flashbacks, alternating between the early 1900s and 1999.

One can almost tell that Ms. Morton is a romantic at heart. Her characters are imbued with the tragic romanticism pervasive in historical fiction. Whether this is a welcome element or not depends greatly on the reader's preferences. I find it to be tedious only because I prefer stark realism. (For example, it would have been far more interesting for me if WWI had been woven into the characters' lives in more than a cursory way, considering that it toppled four empires and its casualties numbered in the tens of millions.) Even setting that aside, the "Upstairs Downstairs" redux here is too obvious. The characters that populated the 1970s miniseries are unashamedly `resurrected' so to speak--Mr. Hudson is now Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Bridges is now Mrs. Townsend, Ruby is now Katie, Rose is now Grace, etc. One can almost `hear' Gordon Jackson, Jean Marsh and Angela Baddeley `speaking' the dialogues in this novel.

There are two mysteries in the story--first is Grace's paternity, and second is what really happened the night Robbie supposedly killed himself. The first can be easily discounted. Only the most inattentive of readers will miss the clues that were evident by page 50. Ms. Morton doesn't so much as drop or couch clues as she allows them to sprout hands and wave hello. Not a good thing for a mystery. The second is treated much better, and though one can still guess the secrets Grace has been keeping for decades, the truth is still satisfactory since it is incorporated in a very touching way to her final days with her family.

Re the plot, Ms. Morton has dutifully listed the sources of her inspiration, but I have some difficulty reconciling `inspiration' with the `lifting' of plot points. Anyone who has read Margaret Atwood's "The Blind Assassin" or L. P. Hartley's "The Go-Between" or Barbara Vine's "A Dark-Adapted Eye" will immediately recognize the similarities. (Even the book's opening line is derivative of du Maurier.) Re the devices, there's nothing new with an elderly person nearing the end of his/her life needing to reveal decades-long secrets through flashbacks ("The Thirteenth Tale," "The Brimstone Wedding," "The Chatham School Affair," "The Sixth Lamentation," etc.). Same with the unexplainable `lure' of a manor (Manderley, anyone?), the noblesse oblige of the upper class, past secrets that haunt the present, female frustration over restrictive social mores, hysteria, etc. Even a casual reader of Gothic already knows these devices and tropes by heart.

I appreciate the fact that historical fiction is a daunting challenge to a writer who, at the minimum, has to accurately depict the place, time and lingo of a past era. However, there are minor flubs here that could have been easily caught by the editor. (Ms. Morton is Australian writing in the voice of an Englishwoman.) `Cane' should have been `walking stick'; `ma', `da', `wee' are Highlands-speak, the characters are English, not Scottish; `Selfridge's' as anyone who's shopped in London knows should be `Selfridges'; `haberdashers' sell notions if they still exist, they certainly don't sell Dictaphones; `salary' ought to be `wages'; Grace buys Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Valley of Fear" before it is published as a book when it would have been more believable for her to have read Strand Magazine's prior serialization of it; the carrying of handguns was not outlawed until the 1950s, yet here, it occurs in the 1920s; etc.

Call "The House at Riverton" derivative or pastiche--both are true--but, surprisingly, it still manages to be an enjoyable read, especially its latter chapters. Lovers of historical fiction will derive much pleasure and may be much more forgiving than I've been. For a first effort, the writing is skillful, and if one dismisses from the mind the many sources of its characters and plot, it really can be engrossing.

Hi! I really love this series. Its so nice to find a paranormal romance series that is really enthralling. The characters were fun to read and the pace was fast. I can't wait for the next one!

I was looking forward to the second book after I discovered her first dragon story. I enjoy reading paranormal romances and Deborah's stories about dragon is different than my normal vampire/dark hunter/etc story lines. I enjoyed both of her Kiss books and look forward to future editions.

Thanks.

This book surprised me. I honestly didn't expect the power of the first book in this series to be replicated in Book 2. And, I was right. This one was actually better!

Donovan is fabulous...(I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers, that's for sure!!). His "firestorm" is unwanted, and he feels tricked into the heat he experiences with Alexandra. Donovan has a long-term history of distrusting women, and that interferes with his acceptance/trust of Alexandra.

Alex and Donovan plan to "cheat" their firestorm using condoms. Instead, they find the un-satisfied firestorm only gets hotter! The relationship between these two extremely different characters is witty, and paced beautifully.

The Slayers get a new weapon in their war against the Pyr while Boris, the extremely nasty Slayer, is finally beaten down (but not out!).

This book is enchanting, and makes shape-shifting dragons almost believeable.

I particuliarly liked D. Cook using the Green Machine as the target of the Slayers. In todays' world...anything that brings more awareness of global warming and possible solutions into the mainstream is appreciated.

I can't help hoping that Nikolas the newly-un-enchanted Pyr ends up with Sophie...they are too cute together.

The dragon war continues between the Pyr and Slayers over saving or destroying humanity. Both sides know of the legend that one day a wizard and warrior will change the stalemate; each has a need to find the legend.

Human research scientist Alexandra Madison believes she is about to make a major find only to have her lab destroyed in an arson assault and her partner killed. Pyr dragon Donovan Shea is sent to keep Alexandra safe. To his shock and chagrin, the frail human ignites his firestorm; a desire he thought died when love betrayed him. Meanwhile Alex is attracted to Madison in his human form even as they are under assault from stalking Slayers.

The second Dragonfire paranormal romantic suspense (see KISS OF FIRE) is a terrific thriller that enables the audience to believe in the world this author Cooked up. The story line is fast-paced and filled with plenty of action yet fans will believe in the firestorm destined soulmates romantic subplot so critical to the tale. KISS OF FURY is a superb romantic fantasy starring two wonderful lead protagonists and a horde of nasty Slayers assigned to kill both of them.

Harriet Klausner

The Pyr warriors have protected humans for thousands of years without anyone realizing. As protectors and guardians, these shape-shifting dragons strive to keep the treasures of the Earth that they have been entrusted with safe. KISS OF FURY is Donovan's story.

Scientist and inventor Alexandra Madison awakens in the hospital days after witnessing the brutal murder of her partner and annihilation of her lab. With just days left to unveil her secret invention, the Green Machine, she overhears a doctor telling her nurse that she is going to be moved to another ward of the hospital because of the nightmares she has been experiencing since landing in the hospital. Weak from her burns but with only minutes left to spare, Alex decides to escape. Before that can happen, however, she is whisked away by a compellingly handsome auburn-haired hospital worker and placed in the back of a hearse.

Donovan Shea is a warrior first and foremost and as the second lunar eclipse reveals the next firestorm, he is sent to Minneapolis to find and protect Alex Madison. Still reeling from his cousin's death, Donovan is willing to continue the Pyr fight against the Slayers. What he isn't willing to do is accept a firestorm - he adamantly refuses to fulfill that part of his destiny. When he inadvertently touches Alex while whisking her away to safety, Donovan is shocked to feel that telling spark and dismayed to realize that the firestorm has found him.

Alex is unwilling to allow herself to be captured, but in escaping Donovan she puts her life in danger. When he rescues her time and again and she witnesses what she thought was an imagined dream, Alex decides she and Donovan need to come to an understanding. While she is attracted to him and desires him, she does not want to be someone's destined mate. No matter that he is the most beautiful man she has ever seen, Alex is determined that it will take more than mere sparks to light her fire. But when that happens, the results are combustible.

I finished reading KISS OF FURY a couple of days ago. Since then, I have been thinking about what I want to tell people about this book. Should I mention that some questions about characters are answered but more questions are not? Should I tell about how Donovan fights his firestorm with every breath in his dragon heart but deep down inside his fight is null and void because Alex is the perfect mate for him? But most of all, how could I let readers know just how much I truly enjoyed this book? And I did. Anticipating its release, I have been haunting Deborah Cooke's website for months. The cover alone on Amazon was enough to make my heart flutter with palpitations.

Let me be the first to state that while Donovan on the book's cover is extremely fascinating and completely drool worthy, the cover of KISS OF FURY by no means even touches the surface as to how just devastatingly hot he is in printed text. He is loyal, he is steadfast, and he is a true Warrior among his men.

Deborah Cooke has only touched the surface about these wonderful men called the Pyr and their battle with the evil dragons that are called Slayers. I am dying for more and can't wait to further dive into future books as they are released. ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

I never thought this would be me needing a book like this. My husband is not "the type" to have an affair, but he did. It blew my world apart. This book helped explain why it happened, how it was not because we had a bad marriage, how to recover, and it validated all the feelings and thoughts I was having. This book is truly amazing. Glass really left a gift for so many people in writing this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and SO HELPFUL.

I think this book is very helpful,just a lot of info to take in at once. She bounces from one couple to another so it's hard to keep up with. I am trying to just take pieces of it that fit my situation. Not a book to be read quickly.

I never ordered this book. If some one bought it from you, it wasn't me.

I just finished this book and what a Godsend. I found out my husband was having an emotional affair on March 31st of this year. An old high school girlfriend Googled him and they'd been talking for six months. He saw her in Feb. when he went to visit his brother for an ice fishing trip and they were planning on meeting in April for "more". About a month after he started talking to her I noticed he was distant, but thought it was because we'd just celebrated our 20th anniversary and things were getting old. Little did I know "she" entered the picture. On Jan. 1st I suspected he had a gf, but he called me crazy and paranoid. After reading this book so many things made sense and I was able to make sense of the mess my marriage had become.

He claimed he never intended for things to get out of hand and they were "just friends"at first. He told her we were having problems and he put up a wall between us and opened the window for her (this is in the book). My H has always had such strong morals and good character. He badmouthed everyone we have ever known to cheat, but here he turned around and did the very same thing. Of all people I TRULY never thought he would do this.

The only problem I had with the book is that the affair partner is talked about as being a single woman. In my case the other woman is married and has kids the same age as mine. She didn't plan on leaving her husband until her youngest was in college (in 5 years). She was ok with my husband meeting her 3 or 4 times per year until then. This woman is also a churchgoer, provides daycare in her home, prepares peoples taxes, lives in small town MN, was a soccer-mom, etc. I'm guessing she was bored and needed some excitement. Too bad she didn't realize that my husband made things sound so wonderful on the phone and online. Maybe if they lived with each other they would have realized that life is much more than what we can make the other believe.

My husband and I are trying to get our marriage back on track, but it's so hard because he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. From reading the book I understand this is natural for the betraying partner, but I need to talk and figure this stuff out. I asked my husband this week to read two of the last few chapters hoping he will understand my point. How am I to have compassion for him, as discussed in the book, if he doesn't have much for me?

Simply fantastic. Gives full credence to the pain the betrayed partner goes through without ripping up the betraying partner. Quotes statistics, is no nonsense, gives excellent PRACTICAL advice for how to move on. Even explains the point of view of the other woman or man-what they might have invested.

I have a master's degree, betraying partner has a PhD, between us we found most books too difficult to slog through. Not this book. Plain, simple, elegant, and willing to hope. I cannot say enough good about it. May buy a second copy just so my spouse can have own!

I've recently discovered Sarah Dessen and could not put any of her books down. I borrowed this book from the library, and was bummed when I had to wait a week to get it, but it was worth it!!! Definitely a good read!!!!!

LOCK AND KEY
SARAH DESSEN
Contemporary Young Adult

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Ruby is living a secretive lifestyle with her mother, an emotionally dependent alcoholic. Ruby also has plenty of secrets that she hides from others, even her closet friends. Ruby always does what she's told and never questions her mother, even though most of the time she should. Ruby also helps support her mother by working at a job where she delivers peoples lost luggage to them. Ruby, though fun loving, is also very stubborn and sticks to her ways.

Seven months before Ruby's eighteenth birthday, her mother disappears. This isn't the first time, so Ruby assumes that she'll be back. When a few days absence turns into a few weeks, Ruby does what she can to keep her living situation in the yellow farm house afloat. School by day and work by night, Ruby thinks she's going to be able to get away with it, until her nosy landlords comes into the house to fix the dryer. That's when everything falls apart. Ruby is taken into protective custody until her older married sister, Cora, can pick her up. Ruby is taken to live with Cora and her always upbeat husband, Jamie, and introduced to an upscale, affluent lifestyle. Ruby, still wearing the key to the yellow farmhouse around her neck, is skeptical about her new living situation and private school. When Ruby meets Nate, a popular neighbor boy, she tries to keep to herself and hide her past. But one upsetting afternoon changes everything.

LOCK AND KEY is a very real story to read. The story sucks you into Ruby's world of hiding with her mom from creditors and moving to new places all the time. You feel for Ruby when her mom disappears without a word. The story drags in some parts, but it picks right back up, and you want to keep reading to see if Ruby is ever going to feel like she's a part of her sister's family. Nate is also a very mysterious character with some secrets of his own that are surprising to hear. The story flows very smoothly and is very fast to read. I also liked how Ruby's down-to-earth nature. Even though her sister and brother-in-law are rich and willing to pay for everything, Ruby still insists making her own way.

Ms. Dessen is a well known author from her other books, HOW TO DEAL, THAT SUMMER, JUST LISTEN, KEEPING THE MOON, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, and THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. On www.amazon.com, you can check out a video that goes with LOCK AND KEY. Ms. Dessen talks about the book and points out some places from the book and what gave her the idea for it. You can also visit her site, where she blogs at www.SarahDessen.com.


Holly
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
August 2008

Ruby is abandoned by her mother. She thinks she can sail on through living alone until her 18th birthday until she is discovered by her landlords and is sent to live with her sister who she hasn't seen in 10 years.

This is my first book by Sarah Dessen and I rather enjoyed it. I saw the movie that two of her books was based on, How to Deal, and didn't exactly like it so I never tried out her books until now. But I'm glad I did. Lock and Key had a really nice theme of family, more specifically sisters. It also speaks about losing the hard shell that a lot of us walk around wearing from day to day.

I felt there were enough secondary characters to keep the story interesting but not so many that I started forgetting who was who. I especially liked Ruby's friend Olivia and her cousin Laney. The book is rather long but I read it pretty fast because the story was so great. Nothing too shocking happens, it's a quiet sort of story but none the less very worth the read. It's sort of a snippet of life sort of story.

Title- Lock and Key

Author- Sarah Dessen

Rating- 4/5

Good-

I've been waiting forever for this book. I am a huge fan of Sarah Dessen, have been for many years. When I got it, I could not wait to read it... Now, onto the book. This was a very very deep book. The characters had many layers that made them unique and interesting. None of the major characters fit any typical stereotypes. Lock and Key had a very different plot line that intrigued me from the very first moment I read about it.

Bad-

I find myself running out of good things to say... That doesn't make it a bad book though. It's just that I don't think I'd be able to honestly say that the book wowed me. I wasn't amazed, I didn't feel the need to stay up late in the night to finish it. There's nothing truly awful about the book... but I didn't feel the same connection with it like I did with This Lullaby or Dreamland, my two favorites of hers.

Lock and Key was a wonderful book, very Dessen style. The story line was simple, but really made you consider what was happening in the story. It wasn't hard to keep up with, an easy read. I give it four stars because the ending didn't really do it for me, but the rest of the book was great!