Romance Books

I was so excited when this came out but a bit disappointed with the ending. I can't wait to read the 3rd book!

I loved this book. It had all the charm of the first book, but really fleshes out the characters further.

I loved this book. I read the Original Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (after I saw the movie, which I loved)and decided I need to read all of them. I highly recommend this book as well as the previous one. You will love reading about these four girls who basically have been together since they were all in their mother's wombs and have grown into very different teenage girls. The relationship they have with one another is so wonderful and special. I can't wait till I read the rest of them, which I just ordered.

After the fantastic first appearance of this book, (The first summer of the sisterhood) this book was a bit of a letdown. The only character really interesting to read about was Bridget, and some of the action between Kostos and Lena is a little too mature for the young teen. I reccomend the first of the books, but the others are not nearly as good.

In the second summer after discovering the mystery pants, Bridget, Carmen, Tibby, and Lena are getting ready for summer jobs, a break from school, and another summer where they will not all be together in the same city all summer long. But they know from last year that they will stay close and share the beloved pants to keep the magic alive. But unlike last year, each of the girls summers is off to a disappointing start.

Bridget has not been feeling herself all year long and her friends are worried about her. She discovers that her grandmother has been attempting to communicate with her for years but her father has kept the cards and letters a secret. Frustrated and curious, Bridget decides to move to Alabama for the summer to see what she can learn from her grandmother and rekindle the lost relationship.

Carmen is beginning to date and wondering how her life will be affected by boys. What she least expected was for her mother to begin to date again as well. That change concerns her more than her own love life. Add the complication of dealing with her stepsister who appears practically at her door after running away and Carmen does not know which crisis is worse.

Tibby is off to film school for the summer and feeling less appreciated by her mother than ever. In an effort to impress classmates that she thinks are "cool" she manages to offend Brian - one of her closest friends and, she later realizes, a true friend. She must work to repair the damaged relationships in her life all the while dealing with the pain she still feels after Bailey's death.

Lena is wrestling with the feelings she still has for Kostas even though in the spring she wrote to him and broke off the relationship. She is trying to salvage a friendship while ignoring the love that she still feels for him. When he surprises her by appearing on her doorstep things look as though the relationship will only improve. But Kostas has a secret that threatens to ruin their happiness.

Brashares has written another fun installment perfect for summer beach reading. It is light and simplistic yet arguably more emotional than the first novel. The reader gets a sense of the strong friendship between the girls and can relate that relationship to the reader's own friendships. But the individual tragedys pull at the heartstrings and are believable as well. This book is the perfect beach read and will entertain from the first page. Sprinkled between chapters are fun and appropriate quotes - both real and invented - that make the perfect transition from chapter to chapter.

I found Secrets of a Summer Night incredibly sweet! Although all the real romance is towards the end, once I got there I was like "Oh! God that's so sweet." The main characters have good chemistry and it shows in their dialogue and actions, especially when a certain kind of animal bite is involved. Yeah there were a few plot holes that I wished were filled, ex. Simon's decision to get married but overall I really liked this book. Oh, also the first love scene is again one of the sweetest things I've ever read.

I generally love Kleypas' books. I like her style of writing, I like the character-driven romances. But the hero and heroine in this book were a bit... flat, lacking a certain believable chemistry. I found Anabelle to be somewhat disagreeable, unlikable. A very shallow, snobby creature who seems somewhat insipid compared with Simon. His character had a depth that was lacking in Annabelle. I couldn't see why he was attracted to her in the first place, and maybe that's why I didn't like the book. The secondary characters--the other three Wallflowers and Simon's friends--were better written characters, infinitely more likeable. I'm assuming the next story will be about Lillian and Lord Westcliff, which I am looking forward to reading. But this book was somewhat unforgettable.

I really loved this book. The characters were all wonderful and I was hooked almost immediately. It was very refreshing to have a Hero fall first and boy was he determined. My only complaint was toward the ending. Sex, sex, sex! I'm not a prude but I do read these books for the romance and there was just page after page of sex in the last chapters. After the excessive fornication Lisa Kleypas gave a very solid ending. Looking forward to the next in the series.

If I were a writer, this would have been a book I would have enjoyed writing. I suspect Ms. Kleypas smiled wholeheartedly after writing endearing scenes such as "rounders in knickers", "checkmate" or "champagne from slippers". And these are only three such scenes when there are so many I could mention. Overall the story was creative and novel in that it included funny, sad, tragic, loving and historically educational moments. If all's equal in writing style, these added themes have a far more likely chance of a successful book.

The growing interest and desire between Simon and Annabelle was enjoyable to track and watch unfold. I watched as our hero's grew in admiration and love for this young woman who surprised him in her frolicking playfulness, attempts to fit in where she felt unfamiliar and humbled by his notice. It's no wonder she fell in love with him as Ms. Kleypas drew out his many attractive qualities. He was romantic too. He murmured and whispered to Annabelle throughout the book; he invaded her personal space or locked eyes with hers far across the table. I literally watched Simon make Annabelle fall in love with him. It did help that Annabelle was a warm, empathetic, funny, straight forward, loyal, and an endearing young woman. A character like hers would not fail to realize his fortune was one of his least attributes (as she expressed later on in the story).

Some reviewers didn't like Annabelle's sole interest in marrying a "peer" and her thwarting Simon's ("in trade") attempts at appealing to her. They felt she was cold or spoiled. I didn't see it that way. Simon desired her as his mistress. Readers could have disliked this characterization but no mention was found in disguntled reader opinions. Baffling. Simon ignored and scoffed at most behaviors consistent with the gentry familiar to Annabelle which contributed to her reactions towards Simon, yet it was her character called into question by readers. In my opinion Annabelle's quick repartee with Simon was at times negative, daring definitely, darling certainly--blunt, for sure--but never cold, mean or hateful. I would have liked my daughter to be like her had I had one. If my boys turn out like Simon, oh would I be a happy mom watching the right woman fall in love with him!
On a side note, I completely related to Annabelle's reaction to her first kiss with Simon in the Panorama: I too ran away, as far away as I could--not in proximity but emotionally--from the boy who first kissed me. I was so shocked I couldn't think of him again. It makes sense then that Simon had to slowly maneuver Annabelle to consider outside her comfort zone.

Rent the four part adaption (movie) called, "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell. A brilliantly written love story depicting the same time period in history (Industrial Revolution in England) and the conflict between a middle class gentry woman and a misunderstood industrialist. 312 viewers give it a 5 star rating, it's that good! The book is better but see the movie first. I would normally never suggest seeing the movie first but in this instance my friends and I agree. The screenwriter made a couple of significant changes (why?!) that changed my opinion about the movie after I read the novel. Yet prior to reading the book I couldn't have enjoyed a movie more!

Annabelle's family financial standing is in dire straits. As a result for the last couple seasons she has been relegated to wallflower status despite her obvious physical appeal and charm. She's 25 and the clock is ticking as this is the last season she will have to land herself a husband. She and three other wallflowers make a bargain and a plan to help each other find husbands, the oldest first. Not adverse to a little scheming and manipulating, the girls will do whatever it takes to find suitable husbands.

What Annabelle doesn't count on is the affluent Simon Hunt. Rich and successful but not a member of the peerage, Simon is always on the outside of the inner London ton circle. Annabelle has been refusing his attentions for years, but suddenly saying no is getting harder.

I really, really liked this story. The main characters and their chemistry sort of reminded me of Rhett and Scarlett. The banter between Simon and Annabelle is often humorous and I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading. Their passion is titillating and their love affair memorable.

The wallflowers are hilarious and the antics they engage in are outstanding. I look forward to seeing what the four of them come up with next in It Happened One Autumn (The Wallflowers, Book 2). This is a wonderful historical romance, very entertaining.

Cherise Everhard, August 2008

My daughter bought this book and said I HAD to read it! I was a bit skeptical, as I thought it was a period piece. Was I surprised! Ms Hale combines a love for Jane Austen in a modern day setting. I won't go into the actual plot, as I don't want to give too much away! Just be assured that it is a clever, fast read, with a great cast of characters. I am recommending this book to all my gal friends.

As far as any other book that Ms. Hale has written, after researching this, I found that her other books to date were young adult or grammar school level. I sure hope she writes some other adult reading level books. Tally ho!

This was a great quick read about a girl who lived part of her life in reality (has a job she doesn't quite like, and boyfriends she refers to as numbers instead of names) and part of her life in Pride and Prejudice fantasyland (where she is looking for her Mr. Darcy). She is bequeathed, in a relative's will, a trip to Pembrook Park. Pembrook Park is a resort where female guests pretend to live in Jane Austen's time era (they have to talk the talk, live by the societal etiquittes of that day, wear the clothes, etc.) At the resort are also actors who pretend to be the guests relatives and, hopefully, love interests. In fact, one of the reasons some of these women go to Pembrook Park is to have forbidden love trysts (especially since they know there will be no strings attached). Jane is reluctant to go, especially as she is not really looking for love; but she finds herself torn between two men, Martin (a gardener) and Mr. Nobley (a Mr. Darcy-like character).

One reason I thought the book was interesting was the fact that these actors were so in character throughout Jane's stay at Pembrook Park, it was hard to distinguish reality and acting. In fact, Jane has this feeling as well. It was interesting to see how deep the pretenses of Pembrook Park really reached (and to find out what was real and what was not). Also, the author, in between each chapter, included brief summaries of each boyfriend (and the inbetween boys) that Jane encountered throughout her life.

I really enjoyed this book. I had no expectations of a masterpiece and was not disappointed in that respect. Shannon Hale tells the story of Jane, a closet Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth admirer. Jane hides her A&E Pride & Prejudice DVD set behind her houseplants so as not to give herself away. However, her great aunt discovers her secret and forces a confession from her. Months later the same great-aunt leaves Jane a bequest in her will - an all expenses paid 3-week trip to a Jane Austen fairyland in the English countryside where Jane can totally immerse herself in Austen's time and characters. Will Jane finally kick her Darcy obsession? Will she find true love? Will her bust pop out of the top of those regency dresses? You'll have to read the book to find out. This book is well written in a fun, casual style and I enjoyed the whole thing. It is a fairly quick read, you can probably polish it off in one evening with little effort.

If you like Jane Austen's works and feel that Pride and Prejudice is without a doubt the BEST love story ever, then this is a book for you. I can't wait to read it again!

Austenland was very descriptive. It was a wonderful romance, even for teenagers. Hale has a beautiful way of telling a story, especially one that was inspired by one of the world's greatest authors, Jane Austen. This is an original story, but has elements of Austen's books, especially from Austen's most famous book, Pride and Prejudice. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend you read Austenland.

Nora Roberts is a great author any book written by her is hard to put down

If you like the style of writing Nora Roberts gives us read all her books.

I picked up Treasures by Nora Roberts, I had not expected it to be much more than a semi-interesting read. However, with every page turn, I became more and more attached to the novel's heroine, and actually found it very difficult to put the book down. Since reading this book, I have highly recommended it to all my girlfriends. It's a beautiful story about life, love and friendship filled with excitement, heartbreak and hope!!! I'd also recommend reading K. G. Glaub's novel -- Circe's Song --if you haven't yet!!

Other titles to read: Circe's Song

The stories heroin Kate Hardesty was a successful professor, after her father dies of a heart attack she discovers her father's dream which has life changing implications for herself. She returns to the island (Ocracoke Island) where her father has invested years of research on a lost sunken ship named Liberty, and reunites with her first love (Ky Silver) Several years pass and she realizes that not much has changed within him. She struggles to fight the feelings she once had for him and asks if he would join her in fulfilling her father's dream. It would take long for Kate and Ky to realize they needed each other in and off land. On a quest for lost treasure amidst danger at Sea and fire in their hearts; these two people from different worlds discover that the treasure they are both in search of can't be found in gold at the bottom of the Sea.

Editor of the highly recommended novel: Fates by Georgiou Tino: Best of 2008

I found Nicholas a slow read at first. I had to suffer through the proper English sections to get to the meat of the book. In the end, I found it rather exciting and I will continue with reading teh next book in the series "Raine".

I bought the first book in the series and I will recommend no one else waste their money on something that deals with strange sexual exploits and is equally as poorly written and the sorry strange plot the story follows. Recommendations for this book, it makes a great fire starter. Please don't waste your money.

I have to agree with the other reviewers who mentioned a coldness to this book. I didn't connect with any of the characters so it was hard to care when negative things happened to them.

That said, my biggest pet peeve is that Nicholas tells his wife that if she's ever unfaithful to him, he will divorce her. Then he promptly runs off to his mistresses and spends hours having sex with them. Then he changes his mind and forces his wife to have sex with both of his brothers "for her protection" even though she really doesn't want to. Properly written, sharing can be hot. This wasn't.

I saw this cover on MySpace. Do I need to say more? On the front cover of NICHOLAS: THE LORDS OF SATYR, it has "Highly erotic..." The back comes with a warning label. What more did I need? So imagine my surprise when it took forever to get to the "sexually explicit" part. And before you think I've become tainted by too much erotica fiction, I can count the number on one hand.

Don't get me wrong. The book was good, great in fact, but it didn't have the "HOT" scenes like TEMPTED by Megan Hart, COLTERS' WOMAN by Maya Banks, or WILD WILD WEST by Charlene Teglia. For some readers, this might be a good thing. I just thought the publisher overstated the "This is a REALLY HOT book."

If I had to classify this, I'd list it under fantasy paranormal. But since Jane didn't know she was part fey and Nicholas kept his identity well guarded, it had more of a historical feel to it.

NICHOLAS is part of The Lords of Satyr Series. The next book is RAINE, which I have on the shelf already and look forward to reading it. I loved the author's writing style. So much so, that I neglected all the other books I've been reading to finish it. LYON, the third book, will be published in August of 2008.

Although this book gets a 5-star rating, I am betting the next book is even better.

Ok, I am not going to go into detail. I see this has been done already.
Nicholas and his brothers (half human/half satyr) are ordered by the king of Elseworld to find and marry his illegitimate daughters (who are half human/half fairie) because they may be in mortal danger so the author has decided on 3 tales, one for each brother and his pursuit of his own girl. This is Nicholas's story. On Nicholas's hunt he first mistakes one girl for his bride because she smelled of faerie magic. Nicholas takes the girl to see a furtune teller, only to be surprised to find that the fortune teller (in age altering costume) is his true conquest, Jane. Determined to fulfill his duty he sets up a meeting with his lawyer and her guardians for a speedy marriage so he can return to his home. After quick, and brutally honest, negotiations they are married and off to Nick's home.
Once home Nick is more than pleased with his new wife. He expects no more of her than to bear his touch so she can have his children. But when Jane realizes that Nick has mistresses she confronts him. Once more Nick is brutally honest, he will either continue with his mistrisses, or she is to take their place (in all circumstances). While finding the idea daunting, Jane agrees because she does not want Nick in the arms of other women. Together the passions rise and spark. Can Jane handle what Nick dishes out? Will Nick reveal what happens to the Satyr when the full moon comes? How will he keep her safe from the mortal danger her real father disclosed in the letter? Read this book and see how this all comes together.

I want to start off by saying I have not been impressed with Aphrodisia books in the past. I have considered them more FANTASY PORN genre then romance/erotica genre.
Well, the bar has risen with this book. I thought the story was compelling, the characters indepth and believable...not to mention it was HOT erotica. But it wasn't too much, it more or less built up to the steamy pages which we all know, the journey is half the pleasure. I was a little thrown off by the physical changes that overcome the Satyr during the full moon, but luckily the story was not too focused on those changes so it did not alter my overall rating too much. I would recommend this book and I will be checking out Raine's story.

Congrats Aphrodisia, you have done well with this one.

Author Thompson writes hot erotic novels, but she can also introduce elements of pain and violence. Therefore, be warned: if you're of tender heart and sickened by sadistic behavior, even if imaginary, stay away from Golden Angel.
As for me, I thought the rough parts over-done, but enjoyed the other parts. All in all, it was an interesting story. Also, Thompson may offer scenes of use for those interested in writing fiction. In the end, to each his (her) own.

A WORD OF WARNING, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED AS IT HAS ANAL SEX AND RAPE IN IT!!! I WAS SO ENRAPTURED WITH SLAVE JADE THAT I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT IT ENDED. GILBERT JOHNSON WAS A WANNABE TEXT BOOK DOM WHO THOUGHT HE WAS GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD AND WHEN THINGS WENT WRONG IT WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE FAULT! GILBERT FALLS FOR SLAVE JADE FROM THEIR BDSM CHATS AND HE SLOWLY WEEDLES PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM JADE, TRACKS HER TO HER HOME, THEN LEARNS EVERY DETAIL ABOUT HER BEFORE HE KIDNAPS HER TO MAKE HER HIS SEX SLAVE WHERE HE THINKS ABUSING HER WILL MAKE HER FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM AND THEY CAN JET AWAY TO THE CARRIBEAN AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

I've read a number of Claire Thompson's softer BDSM romances. This is the first non-consensual abduction story of hers I've read. Laura Sidel, an innocent (not so innocent, works in a strip club) is abducted and taken for slave training, so she can be sold to the highest bidder in a secret society of wealthy sex maniacs.

It was kind of scary and heart wrenching reading the torture stuff, but it was also sexy as hell and beautifully written. I was in there cheering for her and screaming, No! No! And the sexual stuff was so sizzling I had to, um, take a cold shower!!

The BDSM stuff was super hot, if you are into the whole kidnapped and sexually tortured fantasy, which I am. Ms. Thompson always writes real scenes, that make you feel like you are right there with them. I love that about her work.

I liked the ending too, which I won't give away, except to say our heroine emerges from this harrowing ordeal with flying colors! I'm off now to find more of her non-consensuals. Great stuff!!!

I was baffled by the reviewer who hated it because it wasn't a romance! Whoever said it was - at least not until the end, that is. This is the kind of book you feel guilty for loving - dirty, dangerous, sexy as all get out. Well written, too, an added plus. An actual plot! And obviously the author knows her stuff. I felt like I was there. If you like dark, sensual BDSM, this is definitely the book for you!

This is an awful book. It is violent and has
no redeeming quality. Certainly such violence
exists in the world, but it isn't necessary
to write a whole book about it and then call
it "romance."

Something Wonderful almost gets a five star rating it was enchanting, extremely well written and very witty. The major drawback is the heroine seems to switch personalities mid stream in the book; this was jarring as I absolutely loved her character up to this point in the novel.

Jordan the Duke of Hawthorne is jaded world weary, resigned and has almost no trust in anyone except perhaps his grandmother. He is accosted by highwaymen and who should ride to his rescue but what looks like a knight in shining armor, or in this case rusty armor. I actually laughed visualizing this scene.

Alex is heading home from a birthday party that had a jousting tournament when comes to the rescue of this man. He takes her to an inn believing she is hurt and discovers the lad is really a girl.

Alex is simply charming and unaffected, truly one of the most sweet and caring heroines Miss McNaught has ever written. She is guileless, so it is with a heavy heart that she is forced into marrying Jordan due to her mother's insistence about her reputation being ruined when the locals talk about her and Jordan at the inn.

Jordan goes along with this mostly because he feels he owes Alex for saving his life. Their time together during their first days of marriage is lovely because Alex shares her absolute love of life with Jordan. McNaught really shines here, the scenes are beautifully written with tender dialogue.

Unfortunately, during their first week of marriage, Jordan is kidnapped and finds himself imprisoned for over a year, but he just cannot forget his lovely wife and wants another chance with her.

Alex is heartbroken over Jordan, he is believed dead. She goes on with her life and when she discovers that her husband was a womanizer before they were married she becomes livid and changes from a heartbroken grieving widow into the darling of the ton. Here is where I had problems with the story. Why would this seemingly sweet noble woman hold Jordan accountable for things he did PRIOR to their meeting. It is patently unfair. Also, her character became more cynical and hardened.

When Jordan comes back to London he finds his wife wants nothing to do with him. I don't even think she asked about his imprisonment, she certainly shows no sympathy for this man who endured a year of terrible hardship. Again, this was not the same sweet girl in the beginning of this novel. She publicly humiliated Jordan, letting the ton know she was through with him by placing a wager she would not support him in a well attended race. Jordan overreacted to her antics which prompted Alex to become even more contrary.

Fortunately, both of these people come to their senses and rediscover why they liked each so much. The ending of this novel is as sweet as the beginning, if only the middle portion were too.

I liked this book a lot. It was rich in detail, plotting and character development. This is my second favorite McNaught book(Kingdom of Dreams is number one for me).

This book was in my tbr pile for over a year. I was convinced that no book could live up to the hype or even the title. I was so wrong. Jordon and Alexandra were a great couple. I was fully invested in their love story and was so happy when they FINALLY got their HEA.

A few minor gripes which in no way detract from the overall quality of the book: 1) the HEA came rather abruptly 2) the book dragged at sometimes. A little bit too much detail 3)Jordon, like some other McNaught heroes-most notably Clayton in Whitney, My Love, jumped to conclusions about the heroine and, in his mind convicted her without giving her a chance to explain herself.

But for these little issues, the book could have been called Something Perfect, because it was darned close to it.

McNaught has a knack for making you fall in love with her characters. I feel as though I know them so well and I become so engaged with her books for that reason...I become emotionally invested in the outcome of the characters. My only complaint about this one is that the ending was too abrupt. After going through so many struggles for so long, it just ended too quickly. But I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and highly recommend.

I loved every single page of this book, every single emotion that was living in this book, waiting to be exposed!!! I strongly recommend this to all the fans of McNaught and also to all fans of romantic novels, the story of Alexandra & Jordan will get you involved as soon as you'll open the first page, it will make you laugh our loud, shout out loud and cry - first of sorrow, then from happiness. You'll want to read this story over and over again and never become bored of it!!!

When the innocent country girl Alexander Lawrence saves Jordan Townsende, the handsome powerful duke of Hawthorne, she is on the verge of being ruined for the act. The duke decides to take pity on the plain 17 year old, and marry her. After another attempt on his life causes them to separate for A year, Jordan comes home to find that the plain child has turned into A beautiful woman who has the whole ton at her feet. Will they trust one another enough to build A love that none can destroy?

I am being generous with A 3 star review because even though this book did not really thrill me, it had some good qualities. The beginning of the book up to Jordan's and Alexander's seperation was great. I laughed out loud reading the scene where she saved him and that was one of the funniest scenes I ever read! I loved Alexander's innocent and adoring character in the beginning. She blurted out the sweetest things to Jordan and I thought she was adorable. I know some other reviewers did not find Jordan appealing, but I thought that JM portrayed his character wonderfully. I love reading about A handsome rake that every woman wants! It was nice to see A little reality in the fact that his mistresses were actually fond of him and was hurt when they could not have him. I hardly ever see that in A romance novel. The mistresses are usually evil women who are only after the heroes money and title and couldn't care less about them. I really wanted to like this book because of those things, but it took A turn for the worst in the middle.

My biggest problem was that Alexander's character went from the sweet girl that I fell in love with, to the mean heartless heroine. The change in her personality was so drastic that I found myself disliking her immensely. I was also very disappointed that she did not seem happy when Jordan returned. Actually, I was shocked that no one seemed really happy that he was alive. No one even asked him if he suffered much! That annoyed me to no end! Another problem with this book was that when Jordan was missing it became boring. I didn't really care about Alexander becoming all the rage. especially since I couldn't stand her anymore. It was all down hill from there. The book never redeemed itself and did not hold me enthralled again.

This was the first book I've ever read that I will read over and over again! The romance is increadoble, and it leaves you wanting more. Garwood's "The wedding" is the perfect sequel! I loved this book

You can get the plot in the other reviews, so I'll give you impressions. I love this book. It is laminated (clear contact paper) to keep it together. The Secret is a regular re-read for me. I seem to miss the characters. It has my favorite first line in any book, 'They became friends before they were old enough to understand they should hate each other'. The prologue alone was delightful! How often can you say that? Endearing, funny, very human characters and situations. Garwood has a way of understanding of how people really act sometimes totally illogically and emotionally.

In her book 'Randsom' you revisit these people as Brodrick's story evolves. I wish she would write some more historical books.

I've read three Julie Garwood novels which were similar: The Secret, Saving Grace and Ransom. All three have an English heroine going to Scotland and falling in love with a Scottish laird. All three women were too saccharine for me. They bring some changes and knowledge to the Scottish people by telling them not to commit certain crimes, to be polite and to have better manners. For example one heroine says never steal horses, just borrow them and return them later. One tells the ruling council to give more rights to women. One says a husband doesn't curse in his wife's presence. In two of the books, the heroines bring improved medical knowledge to the Scots. These were too much of the same story, and the heroines were too syrupy sweet for me. The heroes were the same, strong, silent warrior types and excellent leaders. In both The Secret and Ransom, the author creates mystery by not having normal communication between the two main characters. In The Secret, there is a mystery for several pages after Iain tells Judith they are leaving, but not saying why or anything more. She doesn't know why or where they are going. In another part of the story Iain asks her if she saw the person who threw the stones, she lied to him saying no. I would have preferred she say yes, but she'd like to deal with the culprit on her own first, before telling who it is. This was not fun to read. There were a few interesting parts, but also a few times I wished it would be over.

Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: 1181 and 1200 Scotland and England. Copyright: 1992. Genre: historical romance.


To date, I've read the following Julie Garwood books. All my reviews were posted 6/21/08 except for the Saving Grace review posted 1/19/07.
3 stars. The Bride. Copyrt 1989.
3 stars. Saving Grace. Copyrt 1993.
2 stars. The Secret. Copyrt 1992.
1 star. Ransom. Copyrt 1999.

When Judith Hampton met Frances Catherine Kirkcaldy at a summer festival on the border between Scotland and England, the two girls were too young to realize that they should be enemies. The two grew up and maintained their friendship, despite the fact that Judith was British and Frances Catherine Scottish. When Frances Catherine moved to the Scottish Highlands after her wedding, she made Judith promise to come to her when she became pregnant. Frances Catherine's mother and grandmother both died and childbirth and she was afraid she might suffer the same fate. At the beginning of The Secret, the time has come for Judith to go to her friend, and Frances Catherine's highland clan is none too pleased about having an Englishwoman in their midst.

Iain Maitland is the laird of the Maitland clan, and Frances Catherine's brother in law. Since his brother needs to stay by his wife's side, Iain volunteers to travel to England to bring back Judith. In his mind, he has no doubt that the woman will refuse. The English are notorious for breaking their word. Still, Iain is a Scot, and therefore has honor, so he goes on this fool's errand. He's surprised when Judith is waiting on her front porch, more surprised that she's beautiful, and most surprised that he finds himself attracted to her. He brings Judith back to Scotland, and the two spar verbally the entire trip back. Judith is the first woman, if not the first person, to challenge Iain's authority or question his actions. Despite himself he finds it attractive. And once he sees how Judith insinuates herself amongst his clan, making herself indispensable, Iain Maitland knows that he's not going to be able to let her go.

The Secret is arguably Julie Garwood's best novel, and without a doubt one of my favorite romances ever written. This story is written with depth and layers that go beyond just hero and heroine. We start with Frances Catherine and Judith, children too naive to realize that their countries are at war. Their innocence allows them to be friends, and their connection allows the friendship to continue despite the space that time and distance might put between them. Then we meet Iain. A fiercely proud warrior. Laird of his clan. Someone that the Maitlands look up to and admire. Iain is a man made of steel who shows no weakness. That is until he falls in love with a small English girl and vows to protect her from anything that might do her harm, including his own clan. From there we meet the supporting characters. Ramsey and Brodick, two Maitland warriors who got their own story in Ransom, both of whom flirt shamelessly with Judith while also being willing to lay down their lives for her. Graham, one of the Maitland clan elders, who at first opposes the idea of an Englishwoman among their clan, and later embraces Judith because of her kindness and compassion. It goes on from there. Every character in this story has a purpose, a story, a history. Perhaps that's what makes this novel so stellar--nothing is insignificant.

The Secret is that rare breed of romance that you can enjoy countless times and it only gets better. The plot gets deeper, the characters more endearing, the love story more poignant. If you haven't read Garwood, this is a great place to start, and if you love romance, you won't want to miss this book.

Have you ever felt that you're swimming against the tide? Well, I'm afraid that the praise received by this book definitely has left me with that feeling, and I think that Garwood may well be a taste that I simply haven't acquired. For this reason, I want to put forward an alternative viewpoint.

The main turn-off for me is the heroine turns into a social crusader - which could be acceptable except that the book is supposedly set in the Middle Ages. She tackles head-on the attitudes of the clanswomen, the Church, clan elders, and clan politics as well as shining a light on maternity practices (at a time when such things were most secretive, and definitely not discussed with men). Garwood does give the odd nod to medieval history, with passing references to King John; however the attitudes expressed by her characters definitely are not 13th Century - for instance, when the hero tells Judith to work to change the customs she doesn't agree with - too PC for the times by far. Equally jarring is the emphasis placed on washing and bathing - this at a time when both were generally considered unhealthy!

The other difficulty for me is Garwood's language. The Vocabulary used is modern, with her favourite words repeated time and time again. Hardly a page goes by without the words "quit" or "visitation" and I just could not get over this. Also, there is little use of traditional Scottish dialect - so she uses "children" instead of "bairns", "creek" instead of "burn", and so on. Unfortunately this meant that neither the setting nor the timing of the novel were believable, which spoilt it totally for me.

The central romance is fairly well drawn out, but became bogged down in the social crusading, and therefore became side-tracked.

I bought this because it has been highly praised everywhere - and found that there is nothing here which lifted it above the mediocre. Sorry Garwood fans, but I really couldn't get into it.

Hmmmm . . .Let me start off with this statement: The book was NOT bad. It definitely wasn't great, but I didn't want to gouge my eyeballs out so that has to mean something. To make this review simple I'm going to list some pros and cons of the book.

Pros:
*I Love the storyline. There's just something about Psychics/Clairvoyants that fascinate me. . .even if I actually believe it's a little hokey. However, I was able to suspend my belief to a certain degree due to the (attempt of a) explaination by Lily (the heroine of the novel).
*There was comic relief at tense parts.I guide REALLY into any book I read (it's as if I'm in the book) and I'm a naturally nervous person so that was good.
*Jeff - my favourite character (even if he was minor . .at least he wasn't obssessed with sex . . .)

Cons:
*Too much sex . .It overpowered the storyline (I think only, like, only a third of the book consisted of the storyline) and honestly, it wasn't even romantic sex.This leads me to con #2
*the male and female leads were annoying. All They did was pine for each other (mostly in sexual ways). .even when one was in mortal danger . . .
*If you ask me there was no love in this book . .only lust, obssession,and an infatuation which led to maybe a quasi-love but, even in the end, I wasn't convinced the main characters were truly "in love".
*Sometimes it would seem as if the characters got out place. A serious character would suddenly become goofy (and/or perverted) or whatever.
*Grammar issues and some awkward sentences. I would recommend a better editor

In the end, I give SHADOW GAME 3 stars. Am I being generous? Maybe, but I still plan to continue the series, but only if I can find the books cheap or at the library.
Good Luck with your decision!!

-Ronnie <3

I rather like this 1st Ghostwalker book. Rather good storyline and characters. It was tough to get into the plot in the beginning but once I read through, I realized it wasn't too bad. Good effort by Ms. Feehan.

I have been reading the Dark Series of Christine's. I enjoyed this book almost as much as I enjoy the others. I suggest this book for a good read.

Is an excellent book. It's fast moving with very intriguing characters. Christine Feehan is the queen of romance. I loved this book and would definitely buy more books by this wonderful author. The story is riveting and full of passion.

I wasn't expected developed characters, symbolism, or a well developed plot when I decided to read this book. Sometimes I'm in the mood to read something with a fast plot that doesn't require a lot of attention or concentration and is sexy. I just wanted to say that first so everyone knows I had realistic expectations.

My problem with this book wasn't so much the Ghost walker, psychic, telekinesis, military plot. My problem was there was way too much sexual innuendos and sex. From the very first chapter (when Lily and Ryland first met) to the last chapter I felt like almost every paragraph was full of, "He/She makes me so hot, crazy, all I can think about, body is amazing/beautiful, all I can think about is sex sex sex." It was talked about so much; I actually got bored and didn't feel like there was any kind of romantic climax between the two characters.

Also while I am not expecting the most believable plot, I found it ludicrous that it didn't matter what the dangerous situation was--friend unconscious with possible brain bleeds, beat up by unknown assailants, father dying, or at a party full of bad spies-- Lily and Ryland managed to get turned on and have sex, not just once but repeatedly.

Midori Hunter has the perfect married life--- as one would see on the outside looking in. She's married to a doctor/Chief of GYN and has any and every materialistic thing that she desires. She's just not happy until she hooks up with Jaydah B., the sassy, best selling author. Her and Jaydah encounter sexual escapades, drama and more drama. Jaydah turns out to have secrets/drama of her own and of course Midori is full of both.

This story had me wondering what in the world they were going to come in contact with next. Anna J does a good job with this novel by keeping the reader wanting more. Neither women know what they really wanted to do or who they wanted to be with. It took me awhile getting through the first few chapters because it was a little too much girl on girl action for me but that didn't take away from me liking the novel. Kudos Anna J!

****3.5 stars***

This book was ok it was a lot of sex and not much of a plot. I will say it is worth buying.

I really enjoyed this read although it made me think once again if Anna J was telling her own story. I loved that Monica was back, and that only made me want a part three to My Woman His Wife even more. This was a quick read, took me about a day or so. Go ahead and get it, it's worth the money.

I was disappointed in Anna J's "My Little Secret", there was more sex than there was plot. I really didn't see where the secret was because you know the secret from the first chapter, so really there was no secret.
The back and forth between Jayda and Midori and the husband was a little annoying. I enjoyed Anna J's other novels but this one just didn't do it for me.

Usually, I don't write reviews, but I love Anna. This was a good book. I feel that she put her heart in this. The thing is I don't think there will be another my woman, his wife. That was a true classic. It was also her first, which makes it her baby. I can't say that I was dissapointed. This book had a lot of drama. It kept you turning the pages. If you want a good read I say pick this up. Anna J is the shi%%. Go uy this book and support her.