Romance Books

I read a lot of books. I usually enjoy most of them. I loved "Wild at Heart". "The Way of the Wild at Heart" was good, but not as good. "Walking with God" was decent. But The Sacred Romance bored me out of my mind. I couldn't wait to finish it.

I read the Sacred Romance when I was in high school and it completely changed my walk with Christ. I grew up in church, and was very concerned with looking like a Christian, but I was missing out on what really matters. This book is a must read for people who have become disillusioned with religion. The Sacred Romance helped me to understand that I can have a meaningful relationship with God without succumbing to the typical religious stereotype, and by having a less typical, more radical relationship with God, I can come closer to having the true relationship that God desires from me.

During Christmas I was recovering from a demoralizing illness and terrible panic attacks that had shaken my faith. Searching for...something, I began reading the writings of the Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila to learn more about her devotion to Christ. But I found her so advanced, I was overwhelmed. Then a God friend recommended this book. I'm so glad he did, because it met me where I am and set me on my current path. It has had and continues to have a profound effect on me--deepening my spiritual life and taking me to a totally different level of belief. I think I'm beginning to GET it-what God's relationship with me is about and vice versa. The book also made aware of Jesus as a human being-something I'd been searching for for years--and enabled me to begin to reallysee Him in His life and words.

This is the first book that I read after 10 years of being devoted solely to the Bible. I had the book for a year till I felt I was ready and it was worth waiting for. The way it is written is so comfortable yet challenging. It is like they read my 'laundry'! It seems that so many Christians have a book for you to read, and there are many good ones out there but I have yet to find one that really speaks to the heart like all his books do. I now have this book with my Bible and look forward to more. The workbook is great and highly recommend doing it with some close friends!!!!!! I did and I grew in myself and with my girlfriends in a way that was lifechanging.

The Sacred Romance Drawing Closer To The Heart Of God
I was very disappointed in this book. It is not all it is cracked up to be. After everybody telling me how great it was on the Intimacy with God.
I didnot make past chapter 2.

It has been a few months since Thea Conner was attacked. She is still having trouble coming to terms with what happened to her. The ship she is on is headed for the Ta'e'sha world and she'll have to prepare herself for the trial.

During the trip to the home world, mischief is happening all over the ship and Kyrin and his crew can't figure out what is going on. Thea has an idea, but she is distracted by making a marriage veil for Sya'tia, her best friend on the ship.

Will Sya'tia accept the proposal from Thea, Kyrin, and Daeshen? Will Theadora be able to make it through the trial? Can Kyrin and Daeshen distract her enough to overcome her fears? Will the humans be accepted on the Ta'e'shan home world?

Shards of the Mind is INCREDIBLE! As a follow up to Daughters of Terra, Shards of the Mind is superb and almost out shines Daughters of Terra. Theolyn Boese has outdone herself. I had no trouble falling back into her world of myth and legend. Ms. Boese has another winner on her hands with Shards of the Mind. The only problem I have is the wait for the next book in the series! I loved Shards of the Mind so much that I am Joyfully Recommending it!

Jambrea
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Although Thea didn't ask to be taken from the only home she had ever known and transported to a futuristic world in order to breed children, she has to admit that her husbands, Kyrin and Daeshen fill her life with love. Months ago after being kidnapped by an evil force and left for dead, Thea is still healing from the emotional pain and hurt that the attack caused. Now, just when things are starting to get back to normal, little things begin happening that are unexplained. In addition, Thea experiences animosity not just from the unknown but from members of her husbands' families.

Kyrin and Daeshen love Thea and each other. Having been together as a couple long before they acquired Thea, the men know when things are bothering the other. Unexplained hostility from their families aside, they know that the only way they can make Thea happy - and as such make their marriage happy - is to help Thea face her demons. Trying to gain back Thea's trust, her husbands hatch a plan - a plan that only includes rope and her compliance.

I fully enjoyed the first installment of this futuristic series and had no doubts that I would take as much pleasure in SHARDS OF THE MIND. Thea is a strong heroine who has to fight very hard to overcome post traumatic stress. Lucky for her she has two men who want her healthy and whole. Their love and devotion is more than apparent on each written page. SHARDS OF THE MIND enticed me with the publisher's blurb and thoroughly satisfied me with such a well written story. I can't wait to see what Theolyn Boese releases next! ***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

I should've downloaded a sample instead of paid for an order. Now I don't know how I can return this kindle edition book though I really cannot finish it.

The story is full of clichés (the part I read), the words are plain and the plot is very boring. A pretty girl from the modern world met a handsome prince, and they were in love in no time, and probably would be happily ever after. My 9 year old daughter might like it, or might not since she has already out grown the princess stories. It's just a waste of my money and time.

this debut book started well in the prologue, in telling an interesting background of the Legend of the Fairie Glen. My high hopes for a great story were quickly dashed by the sadly cliched, one dimensional hero and heroine. While the hero wasn't so bad, as usual, the author gave all her creative cake to the male lead and left the heroine the crumbs.

Cate was your typical weak, low self esteem "modern" heroine who must continually be rescued by her Scottish Highlander. Unfortunately, this seems typical for most of the Scottish Time Travel Romances I've tried. Authors-please quit teaming such strong male leads with "too stupid to live" heroines!

From the family/lover treachery storyline to even the "instantly loyal" wolfhound, the book rang of an amalgamation of storylines done to death and then some. I'm being generous with a 2.5 stars as this is a debut novel, but I won't be bothering to read the other books in this series.

This books was very entertaining. It is a fun read full of handsome men, magic, adventure and romance. I really enjoy historical fiction but tend to shy away from time travel books. This book, even though it had the time travel component, was very well written and completely captured my interest. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, historical romance and a little bit of magic.

I basiclly picked this up because it was a time travel book not knowing the author. Most time I am disappointed but NOT this time! I loved it so much that I ordered her other 2 books and I'm reading the 2nd. one in the series now (which is turning out just as good) and I'm taking the book 3 in series on vacation with me! You SHOULD read this book you'll like it.

I found this one to be altogether ho-hum. Obviously the author put much thought into building the backstory. I did enjoy the fairytale told at the beginning and how it effects the rest of the tale. However, the author should have invested just as much time in the characters. I liked Cate and Conner well enough, but I felt like I was only getting surface emotions from them.

Between the fairies and magic, the Scottish setting, someone trying to kill the heroine, AND throw in the fact it's a time travel historical romance, there's alot going on. Given all that, you'd think I could recall enough to give you a thorough synopsis- but that's way more effort than the novel deserves as far as I'm concerned.

LK Hamilton is a great author. If you love vampires, her Anita Blake series is the one for you.

I love the books about Anita Blake. Always keep you going and guessing about what will happen next.

I didn't like this one quite as much as the last one, The Laughing Corpse, but I liked it more than the first book. The most important thing for me is that this book showed another layer to the series: in the first book, the focus was on the powerful and terrifying vampires; the second centered around the undead and humans who raise them -- the evil of humans rather than the evil of vampires, in other words. This book is about the humans who have to deal with these evil things. The bad guy in this one was good, though it centered a lot more on Anita and Jean-Claude and Anita's attempts to live a normal life, all of which are effectively ruined by her association with Jean-Claude, because she knows who the Master of the City is and where his daytime resting place is, so everybody who wants to kill him -- and it's more than a few -- wants to bribe, threaten, and torture the information out of her. It was an interesting depiction of what it's like to be a human drawn into the vampire's world. It also made Anita seem much less high-powered -- though she did have her bada$$ moment at the end, oh yes she did.

I liked Oliver enormously; I thought it was a fantastic idea and a wonderfully drawn character. I liked his motivation and the ways he intends to accomplish his goals, as well as his obvious personal power as seen through his control of such incredibly powerful minions. I didn't like the lamia, but I'm not supposed to, so that worked out well; it's an interesting way to handle the villain, to have a personable mastermind with loathsome henchbeings. On one level I wanted Oliver to win, mostly because I'm tired of Jean-Claude's assurance that he'll win and that Anita will surrender to him. Why? Because he's pretty, that's why. He's way too much of a prettyboy, utterly confident that his looks will enable him to get any woman, utterly convinced that once a woman gives in to her attraction to him, she will never resist him again. It's annoying. The conversation just keeps happening the same way:
"I'll never give in to you, Jean-Claude."
"But you want me."
"But I can't love you."
"But you liked kissing me."
"But I can't love you, and so there will never be anything more than a kiss."
"I'll wait, ma petite."

And on and on it goes. Now, this doesn't detract from the books, and it did make this one better for me because of the events that happen between Anita and Jean-Claude, how she turns on him and why, and the end result of her unexpected (to Jean-Claude; seems like it was always just a matter of time) betrayal of him, and I do agree with Anita's final choice of Jean-Claude as the least of the several evils facing her -- but I want her to slap him. A lot. Maybe muss up that pretty face a little bit. Although more scars would just give him character, like that damn cross scar gives to his chest. And I have to admit that I prefer Jean-Claude to the alternative, Alejandro. Basically this character and his dealings with Anita make her a more sympathetic character without having him become truly loathsome -- this is the problem Anne Rice had with Lestat, for instance. His villainy was just too villainous, and it couldn't be maintained over a series -- and there was a series without a sympathetic character. So I much prefer this to that. He still needs a slappin', though.

I'm seeing great potential in these books to go the distance: the main character is both powerful and, as this book establishes, very human and thus a bit outclassed by her immortal enemies -- though she uses all of the tools at her disposal to maximum effect, which works out quite well -- and the other main characters are complex and multi-dimensional. Because despite my irritation with Jean-Claude's prettyboy seduction techniques, he is actually much more than that as a, um, person, which is why I don't really hate him. But it isn't just him: Willie McCoy, and Anita's boss, Bert, and the other animators, including the new guy, all have their strengths and weaknesses. They are all very realistic, and thus very interesting. At the same time, of course, there is some serious booty-kicking going on in these books, and who doesn't like that?

This author was suggested to me by a friend. I am pleased to report that it was all and more than they had boasted.

Laurel K. Hamilton is an amazingly brilliant author. Her writing is elegant and captivating, yet simple and effective. Truly a series of novels that keep you wanting more from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this book to everyone - Especially if you like vampires!

Anita Blake returns in this third installment of her well-known series. The police call Anita to consult on a murder and she quickly detects that the victim had been attacked by five vampires, mostly like a master and his pack. Since the few masters resident in St. Louis don't seem likely to have committed the crime, Anita starts looking for newcomers, but they just might find her first. As if this isn't enough, she receives a visit from her old friend Edward, the master assassin, who threatens to kill her if she doesn't reveal the name and resting place of the city's Master Vampire. All of this is just the start for Anita as she struggles to save the city, and herself, from a threat more ancient than anything she's ever faced before.

Circus of the Damned returns the focus to vampires and their politics after the voodoo detour of The Laughing Corpse. Jean-Claude, the city's Master Vampire, has given Anita two marks out of four toward becoming his human servant and very much wants her to accept the last two. Her refusal to do so is hurting is position among other vampires in the city. Other masters have come to the city ready to challenge Jean-Claude and try to woo Anita into joining their cause. Anita has to choose where her loyalties lie.

The major strength of this book shows in the action scenes. They take up a significant portion of the book and are uniformly suspenseful, even gripping at times. Anita lives in a very dangerous world and the author does an excellent job of portraying this. The weakest portion of the novel shows up whenever there is a conversation or Anita's narration includes her own thoughts. If Anita is talking to the police, they basically have the same conversation every time they meet at a crime scene. If she speaks to Jean-Claude, she has the same conversation every time. Even her own thoughts take on the exact same form over and over again.

After enjoying Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter), I was disappointed by The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 2). I was hoping that Circus of the Damned would be a tie breaker of sorts to see if I would keep reading more or not. This is certainly a more entertaining book than The Laughing Corpse and provided a welcome return back to vampires as the chief villains. Unfortunately, Laurell Hamilton's writing style has grown so stale and cliché for me that I don't have the desire to go any further with Anita Blake. These books all read like a poor imitation of Dashiell Hammett and the style never grows or varies in the slightest. I'm glad I bought this book because it ties up all the loose ends from the prior two books, but there's nothing here compelling enough to make me want to keep coming back for more.

This was my favorite of her books in this series for a long time. I think I have read it 6 times now and it never loses it's allure for me. I have read the entire series in order and then buy favorite books and then starting all over again.I never tire of her books.

As with all of Christine Feehan's Paranormal Romances, this is excellent too. So steamy arousing. Sometimes I feel as if these books of hers are written totally from a man's mind though(please don't take offense Christine). Men would diffidently enjoy reading them just from what many men think are a woman's reaction to their sexual prowess. The women only wish it were so. Read and enjoy women.

I could do with more of the suspense or mystery. Also, the romance gets to be so detailed steamy too often in the middle of what should be action (I roll my eyes and want to skip). I do love the parts where I cannot read very well because my tears are disturbing my view.

I was only introduced to Christine Feehan's books two months ago in a discount book store by another woman browsing beside me. I have caught up to waiting for her next publications, already! I always purchase books because I read them over every two or three years. They are fresh to me then.

Dark Legend (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 7)Dark Prince (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 1)Dark HungerDark Magic (Leisure Paranormal Romance)Dark Fire (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 6)Dark Desire (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 2)Dark Challenge (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 5)Dark Gold (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 3)Dark SymphonyDark Melody (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 10)

I adore this entire series and I have just finished Dark Guardian and I'm on to the next one. I have to say that I get a little annoyed by Jaxxon and all the women like her who are all "Sex me Sex me" but then two seconds later are like "I want my freedom ya' BIG Jerk" It frustrates me to no end.
I loved Dark Legend and Aiden's story as well. I recommend these to everyone just maybe not so much Dark Guardian.

and then there'll be the other ones you read afterwards.
Well this is just how I feel.

I picked up "Dark guardian" without knowing that it was the 8th book in a series, but as it's happened to me in the past it didn't surprise me too much:)
Anyway I have to say I was memerized by this book, I couldn't put it down, I felt it was really well written and so fascinating. So the few days it took me to read it, I really enjoyed it immensely.
Afterwards, I sought to get more books from the same series... and I've been hugely disappointed. It feels to me like it's always the same basics. Different characters, different bad guys, but same storyline all the time. I'm on my 4th book and I'm not sure I'll be reading any more after that.
Dark Prince was great because it was interesting to discover Mikhail and Gregori... but I'm currently reading Dark fire and it's just "same old, same old". Yeah, the characters are new, but the story is just the same. Beautiful girl found by equally handsome Carpathian guy, who makes her his lifemate, bla bla, bla bla.
Dark guardian stood out in the way that it was a whole new universe for me. I found the sex scenes well written too. But then again, I skipped most of them in Dark Prince, there were just too many!!!
I don't know, I'm not sure I'll read more.
My advice if you're getting started on this series: choose your first book well, as it'll probably end up being your favourite. and you don't need to read all the books in order, because you'll get all your explanations in whatever book you choose.
I thought the Anita Blake series (Laurell K Hamilton) was becoming a bit.. boring, but each book is still very different from the previous one. And sadly, it's not the case for Christine Feehan's books. A shame.

I found this book to be a much better read then the other 'Dark' books I've read.

However,I felt the author should have made Jaxon more objective to her 'Carpathian' transformation, instead of calmly accepting it. After all she is supposed to have a very independent nature!

The other complaint I have about this book is the use of the word 'honey'
Come on, Lucian is 2000yrs old, with Old World manners. So, wouldn't he use terms of endearment he learnt eons ago before he lost all emotion, and since his speech tends to reflect this, instead of the modern day endearments?
Except for those 2 objections, I enjoyed the book and found I couldn't put it down, till I reached the end. The chemistry between the H/H was great, very believeable.

A star less, because of the two complaints.

Lora Leigh creates a stunning world where mother nature has ensured the continuation of a race of shape shifters that man actually created and now attempts to destroy. But mother nature has different plans for these species that should never have come to be and that comes in the form of their mates. Each book in the breed series is the story of mates coming together and the overall story line focuses on the story of how the breeds came to be and the challenges they face trying to integrate into mainstream society all while the organization that created them tries to destroy them. This series is phenomenol. Lora Leigh has created a captivating story line that is riddled with some seriously spicy romance.

Very well done for Lora Leigh's breed novels. Picks up the story about Dawn and Seth Lawrence. A good addition to the series

Dawn's Awakening is a awesome book and it kept me glued to every page. A must read for Lora Leigh fans.

This book was a great addition to Lora Leigh's Breeds. The characters of Seth and Dawn were well suited to one another. The ending of the book left me anticipating future books in the series, especially Cassie's story.

She was a product of human tampering with genealogy, a Breed who possesses the DNA of a cougar. As the runt of the litter, she suffered the most at the hands of the Genetics Council. Before she even reached maturity, they ensured that any hint of gentleness was wiped out by subjecting her to countless rape and torture so severe that she bears the psychological scar to this day. Saved by their pride leader, Dawn Daniels has spent years shielding herself from the memories of her horrific childhood. No longer the weakest member of the group, she is now a Breed Enforcer, one who commands and leads. She has worked for the control she had desperately fought for so many years never allowing anything to shatter the control. However, nature could be unmerciful to the Breeds in the form of the mating heat.

Seth Lawrence has been a staunch supporter of the Breeds ever since they revealed themselves to the world. What he never expected was to fall for the slight beauty whose soul-deep sadness seemed to permeate every part of her. But knowing about Dawn's past and what pursuing her could mean, he stayed away for a decade denying himself the right to claim her as his. For ten years he has suffered waiting for her to come to him dreaming of the day when Dawn would finally awaken.

Now the time has come and the mating heat demands to be appeased. And just as their passion strengthens, so does their determination to defeat their enemies, especially the one from Dawn's past.

After reading the first Feline book Tempting the Beast (Feline Breeds, Book 1) Dawn's story was the one that I have eagerly awaited for. Her character was the one that has touched me the most and I simply could not wait for her to find her mate and I was glad that it was Seth. Noble, kind and patient when it comes to his mate, Seth is the epitome of the man that a woman like Dawn deserves in her life. I was touched by his devotion and I really felt his anguish over Dawn's pain. Here was a man who waited patiently for her to come out of her protective cocoon, ready to help her overcome her nightmare every step of the way. And Dawn's past is enough to bring you to tears as you read about the physical and emotional abuse that she has suffered.

This was well worth the wait and almost on par with Elizabeth's Wolf (Wolf Breeds, Book 4). Lora Leigh has once again given us an enthralling novel that leaves the reader wanting more. And this was exactly what happened as I reached the last four chapters which practically had me on the edge of my seat. As she answers some questions, so does she give you new ones, just enough to tantalize you and make you eagerly await the continuation to this fascinating saga.

I've read most Mcnaught books, this one was particularly fun to read. Recommended for all historical romance fans out there...

I was afraid that noting could top "Whitney My Love" but this one is just as wonderful. Couldn't have been a better book!

This was another very enjoyable historical by McNaught. I count on her for a good story and this one did not disappoint in that...her writing always allows me to clearly see every scene and that helps keep a book interesting. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars from me was that the heroine got on my nerves...a lot. I don't like it when a heroine spends the majority of the book angry with the one she "loves." I often find myself wondering how the hero could possibly love her when she's so mad at him all the time - not to mention the heroine's repeated public humiliations of the hero in this story. She clearly redeems herself in the end though, but, in my opinion, after too many "too stupid" situations. Still recommend for a good read though...McNaught is just too good.

This is the third Judith McNaught book I've read and I am now a fan of hers. This book was without a dull moment and you can definitely see the chemistry between Royce and Jennifer. You will not be disappointed! I immediately started RE-reading the book after i finished it because I didn't want to leave the characters.

I have reread this book many times through the years, and I have to say it is as good everytime as it was the first time.

I thought Royce was a wonderful hero. The heroine is kidnapped because she is the daughter of the enemy. Even though the hero and heroine was placed into an adversarial role by circumstance, the hero was understanding and even admiring of the heroine's attempts to escape.

The nature of their relationship was allowed to evolve slowly. Admiration and attraction slowly culminating into love.

The heroine finally escapes, but the king orders the two to marry as a means of restoring peace with her rebellious clan. Even though the hero has felt betrayed by the heroine, it does not take him long to consider the situation from her perspective. He is even willing to admit to himself that perhaps he was to harsh, and quite willing to start over and make their new marriage work.

I thought it was a very romantic and beautiful love story! Give me more like this please!!!

I can't get enough of Merry Gentry's world. Love it. Better than the Anita Blake series. Love the play on Celtic lore, the love story, the push for non christian perspectives. Absolutely adore Dole. Laurell finally got a powerful man right, no breaking this one down into fluff like she did with her vampire hero in the Blake series. Great read.

Just when I think I have figured things out she throws me a curve ball. I love it! =) This book was all that and a big bag of chips. Without giving away anything I was really happy and very sad at how things turned out for Merry. I cant wait to read Darkness, but I really hope we are done losing essential guards, especially Darkness. I think I would actually morn his loss. =)

Thanks Laurell! Your books are never a disappointment! :-D

This is not bad erotica or bad porn. While LKH is getting heat from her fans for her Anita Blake series, I find that there is no complaint for her Meredith Gentry books. I found this series to be a much better story and so far each book has proven satisfactory. However, unlike some series, and like her Anita Blake stories, read them in order. They don't stand alone because each book usually picks up where the previous one has ended. Besides, I still feel the first book was the best.

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for Meredith to get pregnant already and for there to be some forward movement of plot in these books. Also, I was getting tired of the strung together scenes of sex...new magic...more sex...some more new magic.

This book really toned down on the sex, thank goodness. And, to be fair, the plot did inch forward infinitesimally. But this book was quite boring. It was a bunch of mirror conversations. First Merry talks to Taranis is the mirror for eleventy-billion pages. Then she talks to Andais for eleventy-more-billion pages. The she talks to the goblins. And then we hear about some more new creatures her sex has brought to life.

In the course of these conversations we get more of Stark Raving Crazy Andais, something of Skeevy Perv Crazy Taranis and of course there is Just Psycho Crazy Cel lurking off in the background. Talk about tedious characters. If Merry is so dang powerful why doesn't she off some of these people already? I do agree with Andais, Merry has turned into a wimp.

I remember the first book when she got her hand of power and used it. Actually, I remember the first book and so much happened just in that one book. Le Sigh.

This book just ended horribly. It is not enough that the Anita Blake books are in the toilet but come on.... This ending was a cop-out on picking A king. Its awfully convient how LH makes up new "legends" to make the most pathetic ending "plauasble"

I enjoyed this novel very much. I am looking forward for the next book

I loved this book...can't wait for the third and final book to come out. Sad that it'll be almost a year before I get to read it.

I was promised a new book and I got a new book and received it fast. I trust this company based on my current experiences.

"An Unexpected Love" is the 2nd book in the Broadmoor Legacy series by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller. And I found this sequel to be somewhat more enjoyable then the first book--"A Daughter's Inheritance". I read the book in 2 days. But most of that had to do with the fact that I didn't have power for 3 days and had nothing better to do with my time. :)

Cousins Sophie, Fanny, and Amanada Broadmoor are sent to England by Amanda's father Jonas Broadmoor. He was hoping to marry Fanny off while they were in England so he could gain control of her money. However while in England, Sophie meets and falls heads over heels in love with Wesley Hedrick--a wealthy widow. Wesley promises the world and what not to Sophie but she soons discovers his promises to be nothing but empty and finds herself in a very compromising situation. Enter Paul Medford, the man who works with her father at the Home for the Friendless. He offers Sophie an arrangement that could benefit them both. He obviously has genuine feelings for her but can Sophie learn to love again after suffering such heartbreak and sorrow?

I really enjoyed Sophie's side of the Broadmoor story. We see a dramatic change in her character from the first book to this book's end. And what a heartfelt change it is. I also enjoyed reading tidbits about Fanny and her situation with Michael. I was hoping he would return in this book but I suppose it shall happen in the next. We also get to know Amanda a bit more and someone new enters her life. I also really liked how the book didn't dwell much on Uncle Jonas trying to scheme his way into controlling Fanny's money. Yes the beginning had its share with Daniel Irwin, the boy Jonas sent to England with the Broadmoor girls. However it was nice to see that once Fanny turned 18 it died down a little. And getting to know more about Paul Medford's character was enjoyable. He was portrayed as an annoying busy-body person in the first book but in this book we see he truly loves Sophie and is a man of compassion and kindness.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and was glad to see the 2nd book improve upon the first. I really look forward to the 3rd book. I'm hoping along with Amanda's story, we learn more about Sophie and Paul's married life and see Fanny and Michael get their happily ever after. Too bad the 3rd book's not out till summer 2009.

This book was wonderful.

As I was hopeful would be the case, this series is continued with the story of Sophie Broadmoor. The spunkiest of the cousins, she is constantly rebelling against her family and social norms. Since her mother's passing (a year earlier) and a father buried in grief, she has gotten worse and is able to get away with it.

This story follows the girls as they travel abroad to England. Here, Sophie falls in love with the older, sophisticated Wesley Hedrick. He travels back to America with them and things blossom.

That is really only a portion of the story. In this book we also continue catching tidbits of Fanny's tale (who is still waiting for Michael and thwarting advances created by her uncles scheming). We get to know Amanda a little better (prepare for her story in the next installment!) and really get to know Paul, the man who Sophie clashed with in the previous book.

There is much going on in this book-- alot of stories to follow. It is not an adventure but a saga all its own. Characters are WONDERFUL!!! Realistic, relatable and well developed. I truly enjoyed this book. I am eager to read the next book!!

This is the first of Sarah Dessen's that I've read, and I'll definitely be reading more of her books in the future. I REALLY liked the style of the book, the way she wrote these characters, and the story here. I mean, this woman knows how to write teens in a way that many authors do not. Every word was just so completely real. It hasn't been too long since my teen years (I'm 24) and I can easily imagine how my friends and I would have felt and behaved in a situation similar to the one in the book, and what I imagine is pretty darn close to the way Halley and Scarlett were. I'm not going to lie to you people - the ending to this one totally made me cry. I have a love/hate relationship with books making me cry - on the one hand, it means that I got emotionally involved and really felt for the characters, which means it was probably a really good book; on the other hand, I don't much enjoy crying, especially if it's about something sad. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but let's just say that in this case, it was a worthy cry, and not one I felt resentment about. Go read this book, especially if you are a YA fan - it's a very good one.

I wasn't happy when I started reading this book becuase I figured out that this book is the same as the movie How to Deal with Mandy Moore in it. Character names and all. I thought that this book was a waste of money.

After reading The Truth About Forever, I backtracked to Sarah Dessen's second published novel, Someone Like You. Thinking back on this, I probably should have at least waited a day before plowing into more Dessen books, because I couldn't help making comparisons and switching so quickly between first person books can be disorienting. Of course, that didn't stop me in the least.

Someone Like You is very much an early novel, filled with firsts for Halley and her best friend, Scarlett. First relationships, first sexual encounters, first parties...right down to first pregnancies. This legion of firsts quickly pile up as an obstacle course for Halley and Scarlett's friendship, testing it to its limits as lifelong best friends switch roles and navigate through high school life with a baby on the way. Scarlett is the bold one, and Halley is the shy one, both suffering through reversals of very unexpected proportions, and while their circumstances shove them into different roles they are still very much pressing on each other and depending on each other at the same time. Halley is going through her first relationship with bad boy Macon, the best friend of Scarlett's unborn baby's deceased father (that, is quite a mouthful), and feeling the pressures of giving in to his relentless need for sex. Scarlett, with enough experience behind her to know better, stands as Halley's obvious moral compass, much to everyone's distress. When things start to come apart, the baby is on its way, and friendship is certainly the one thing that is going to keep them both on their feet.

This isn't as well done as The Truth About Forever, with a rushed ending only the miracle of birth can supply. Halley and Macon's relationship is left teetering on a cliff of will they/won't they, leaving it up to the readers as to where Halley stands on the issue. The book is mainly Scarlett and Halley, as it should be, and their new addition to the party. Which is just fine, just not as satisfying as it could have been in the end.

Have you ever had a friend who cared so much about you and would do anything for you? Well that's what the relationship between the main character (Halley) and her best friend (Scarlett).
Halley and Scarlett have been best friends since Elementary School, and now they are teenagers struggling through high school. With Halley getting a new boyfriend and the death of Scarlett's boyfriend there is a lot of drama surrounding the town of Lakeview. But there is quite a surprise that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This realistic-fiction book will take you for a full roller coaster ride.
I thought this book was good. It wasn't a book that you knew what was going to happen. It wasn't too wordy where your tongue would get twisted; there were enough words for you to visualize and not overwhelm you. I would recommend this book for young adults. It has situations that teens deal with today and I think they would make a good connection with the book. I also liked that the book was a good length, it wasn't too short or too long. It was just right.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the summary on the back of the book. It gave away too much information, which ended up ruining the big surprise of the book. So if you were to read the book, which I highly recommend, then don't read the back of the book you will enjoy it more.
Overall I thought Sarah Dessen did a good job writing the book. So if you're a teeny bopper looking for a good book to read then read Someone Like You!

Love this book. Sarah Dessen is one talented writer. The story is captivating, truthful, and realistic. Funny, sad, and all together great!