Children's Books

Oh man, my dad bought this book at the university when I was a teenager and the book was (and I think probably still is) a complete scream. I laughed all the way through. I remember it talking about pot made you laid back, mellow etc but then it went on to clarify that the Hell's angels were not laid back and mellow, in the purest sense of the word. However, imagine how mean they'd be if they were NOT smoking pot? and went on to paint a really awful scenario - can't remember all the details.

In any case, it was very educational and really took the edge off my teenage curiosity. As a result, I never did really want to try the stuff out. I smelled it all the time around me and observed the people who were users and decided I didn't want to go that way.

So this has been 30 years ago and at some point in time, before I went to college, the book "disappeared" from my bedroom. Neither parent would admit to disposing of it but both looked guilty... but hey, now this book is worth $41.50 and I bet that is ten times the price that dad originally paid for it in the mid-70's. Pretty good investment, if I still had it! Heh!

This is my favorite book and my prized possession. Not only is it informative in a variety of ways - it is, as the title informs you, a Handbook for Marijuana Users - it is also deftly written in a lighthearted, goofy, tongue-in-cheek style that epitomizes late 60s and early 70s humor. While the sections on legality and availability are now incredibly out-of-date, the amount of fairly accurate information and the sly, good-natured sense of humor more than make up for its dated nature.

This book was brilliant. It's funny, cute, and very informative. A must read for anyone who is, knows, or has even seen a stoner. Absolutly hilarious!

I discovered this book at the library of the Catholic elementary school I went to around 1973. Yep, apparently the nun in charge of buying books was browsing the bestseller list and assumed from the title that it was a childrens' book. Ha haaaaw!! Rick D. and I checked it out in turns and loved it. Of course its content was soon discovered and it was removed from the library (no doubt incinerated), but Rick and I did a joint order (heh heh) to Pocket Books and got each of ourselves a copy. I haven't laid eyes on this title for nearly twenty years, but I can still quote it at length. Like the part that warns you not to get *too* good at rolling joints, because you'll end up sitting in the corner rolling your stupid joints while everyone is going down to the lake for skinny dipping. Or the intro, where the authors say they don't smoke grass and never have, everything in the book is based on what their friend "Ernie Lundquist" told them. Or that nothing is bad when you're stoned, except getting arrested, and even *that's* a learning experience. Or that the results of using a "steamboat" (their term for a big glass waterless bong) would make "even the mighty Zeus shake his head in disbelief." Or referring to the things you will do stoned and not get bored or feel silly, like picking lint off your dog or watching The Flying Nun. I actually think of this book often, after all this time. Highly recommended, even if you've never had a puff in your life (which is, looking back on the effects grass had on my life, my recommendation).

The LP by the same title is also hard to find, but worth looking for as well. I noticed that laughdome.com currently carries the CD.

Christopher is an only child of two parents that constantly bicker, and every night, Christopher travels to other worlds for great adventures. He has a cool uncle Ralph that seems the understand him. Soon, Christopher is meeting a young man named Tacroy in the other worlds and running "experiments" for his uncle, smuggling magical supplies back to his own world. Christopher, it is discovered, has nine lives and his so magically powerful that he is destined to become the next Chrestomanci. He befriends a similar powerful young person, a Goddess, in another world. Slowly and without realizing it, Christopher falls into darkness, becoming an angry, unkind, and disagreeable child that is breaking the laws of magic. Christopher must determine who is good and who is just trying to use him. My favorite character is Tacroy, who is quite ambiguous, and yet is sort of Christopher's Sirius Black, as the only one who can identify with him as a spirit traveler and understands him. The book itself is just another beautifully written, incredibly clever and imaginative and magical work from Diana Wynne Jones. The images and so vivid and so brilliant. Grade: A-

I read this book many years ago, and did not even realize that it was part of a series until recently. I bought the other books in the series, and was expecting the other books to be similar to this writing style. While the other three books in the series are good stories and entertaining reading, it is "The Lives of Christopher Chant" that is the best of the series. This book has more depth and humor than the other books in the series. I devoured this book in one setting, because of the wonderful imagery and use of dry humor and wit. I actually don't think that you need to read the books in the series in order; besides the first two in the series, these books really don't have much in common with each other, besides the Chrestomanci character. Each book is a wonderful book in its own right. However, it is this book that gives the best background of the world in which Chrestomanci lives. Highly recommended, especially if you like J.K. Rowling - this book is the most similar to Rowling's style.

This an incredibly lovely book that I have read a million times; and each time has been just as enjoyable as the last.
This book is the second in the Chrestomanci Quartet, and is my favorite of the four. The story is about a boy named Christopher Chant who discovers that he has magical powers, and, in due time, a truly amazing and exciting life ahead of him. Buy this book! I assure you that you won't regret it;~)

Diana Wynne Jones tells the backstory of everyone's favorite enchanter, Chrestomanci, in "The Lives of Christopher Chant". Chrestomanci turned the sterotype of old, sagely wizards upside down in the first Chrestomanci book with his dapper attitude and humorous qualities. However, I'll be frank; I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed "Charmed Life". The story was very slow in places and the ending was very rushed. But, Jones still won me over with her delightful characters, quirky magic, and adept talent at writing meaningful and thoughtful fantasy.

Christopher Chant starts out as a normal boy who doesn't quite understand everything that's going on around him. Christopher never even bothered to tell people, ecspecially his feuding parents and nannies, about his dreams and the worlds he visits in them. But one day, Christopher's new nanny discovers all of the objects Christopher brings back from his dreams, and informs Christopher's Uncle Ralph, a charming enchanter, about them. It turns out that Christopher is a spirit traveler, or a person who visits the twelve related worlds in their dreams. Uncle Ralph soon recruits Christopher for many "experiments" where Christopher must bring him back various goods from the related worlds, and Christopher is only too happy to oblige.

On these experiments, Christopher soon loses many lives at such an obvious rate that he realizes he has nine lives and is a powerful enchanter, even though Christopher can barely manage the simplest of spells. Christopher is soon sent to live in Chrestomanci Castle for training, and he hates it. He would much rather play cricket than become the next Chrestomanci, but everything changes when Christoper realizes that his "perfect" uncle is really an inter-world illegal smuggler, and Christopher so happens to be his partner-in-crime even though he didn't know what he was doing in the first place.

The story is told with Jones' usual quirky prose and humor. Many readers who read the first book will smile as the story goes on and many of Chrestomanci's background is cleverly explained. Christopher as a character is skillyfully progressed from a naive and somewhat cold child to an aware and powerful enchanter. However, the story, as much as I would like to deny it, does suffer some problems. The beginning is a very long drawl, as well as the middle, and nothing interesting happens till Christopher finally arrives at Chrestomanci castle. From there to the ending its a smooth ride. Unfortunately, it appears that Jones didn't know what to do with her ending as its very quick and jumbled. For the last fifty pages, everything is unusally described and very confusing. I just wish that the story had ended with a strong conclusion rather than the sentence "that is really all, except for a letter that arrived for Christopher from Japan soon after New Year ..."

Even though the ending was a jumbled mess, we're still talking about Diana Wynne Jones here, and her brilliant writing and humorous details makes even a very weakly plotted book enjoyable. While I did not enjoy "The Lives of Christopher Chant" as much as I enjoyed the first book, readers everywhere are sure to enjoy how Chrestomanci went from a timid boy into a powerful enchanter.

"Oops!" The dragon spews fire all over Christopher and "There goes another life!" The Lives of Christopher Chant is a book about a nine-lived boy named Christopher. Every night he dreams he gets out of bed, walks around the corner of the fireplace in his room, and slips into a dreary world called "The Place Between." While conducting experiments there Christopher loses some of his nine lives.

Strong things about this book are that the story line moves along quickly, so your interest stays captive. You'll also appreciate how Dianne Wynne Jones's story line is unique. No other author has ever written anything like her "Place Between!" Her strong characters really pull the story together. Take "The Christomancy" (The Magic Governor) for instance. It seems like he was always a strict and stern man born to be "The Christomancy." However, he actually started out like Christopher, angry and bewildered.

More details would improve The Lives of Christopher Chant. Having additional information would make it easier to visualize Asheth's Temple, and why The Living Asheth (the girl who acts as a channel for the god Asheth's power) wanted to get away. More explanation about why silver stops Christopher from working magic would be helpful. Was it Christopher's dad's fault that silver stops him operating magic?

Rush out and buy The Lives of Christopher Chant, it's a page turner! The story line is new and interesting. It is a magic book, and you can never tell what's going to happen! I hope you don't lose your nine lives as quickly as Christopher Chant!

I'm sharing this review with the intention of being particularly helpful to parents of toddlers and preschoolers. I found that having a very young child with the attention span to sit through chapters of a novel left me scrambling a bit to find novels that were appropriate in theme and content for her age. I am reviewing each novel we have read or tried in the hopes of being helpful to other parents in the same situation.

We read Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne in this collected volume, moving from one book right into the next until we'd completed the entire volume. This was a great beginning for us because it is a glossy-paged, color illustrated version. Moving into novels from picture books is a transition, so having pictures in full color was still very much expected by my daughter when we started reading this at two and a half years old. The edition is something of a monster, a heavy lap book, but it was well-suited for bed-time. Well, with the exception of the extremely long chapters - you'll definitely need to start the bedtime routine early. But another thing that makes this book an ideal transition book is the fact that each chapter is a self-contained story. You can read any of the chapters in any order without upsetting the plot line of the novel (as there really isn't one). This is good because Meridian was accustomed to picture book length stories that move through a plot line in a relatively short period of time. This way you can read a story as a chapter, but still have the continuation of the larger work to introduce the idea of reading longer works of fiction.

The material was the perfect transition into novels in it's fantastical tour of the imagination through the eyes of stuffed animals come to life. At this time I don't think my daughter really got the concept that these were all just imaginary stories going on in the head of Christopher Robin as he played with his toys. To her Tigger, Pooh, Piglet and friends were almost more real than Christopher Robin who comes and goes from time to time. It's neat to think that when she rereads these stories in a few years, she'll discover a whole new layer. I don't think we could have found a better match for the level of suspense needed than we did. Though we're now reading books that are far more suspenseful than these are, it was perfect to start out with these gentle stories which so expertly navigate young readers through the concept of emotional characters (gloomy Eyeore, grouchy Rabbit, cheerful Piglet, etc). At her age, my daughter was just beginning to really explore emotion and give name to it. Seeing it in characters on the page could have been overwhelming, but Milne doesn't over-do it. He really understands that what constitutes catastrophe to young readers need only be something as small as a balloon popping prematurely. In fact, the only edit I did in the entire course of reading the book was to eliminate the part where Christopher Robin used a gun to pop a balloon. We don't do guns as toys, and it was easy enough for me to have him throw a rock. But now, so many months after completing these and so many books later, I can say what value there is in having a book you can just read from the page without having to worry about acquisition of inappropriate language or attitudes.

For those who already know these tales and poems and those who have never been introduced to them THIS is a sublime edition of A.A.Milne's work. I regret the Disney's works on Winnie the Pooh. THIS is the "real deal"known a the Classic Pooh. The colored illustrations by Ernest H.Shepard make it even more delightful! Also included are the two books of enchanting poetry. This anthology should be part of everyone's library young and old and revisited often!

This is a wonderful colletion of all the tales of Winnie the Pooh....I have had a copy for more years than I care to disclose, but recently bought a copy for my secretary's new daughter....It is a classic and something all children should grow up with, even today!
May Winnie the Pooh remain in your heart forever!

It doesn't matter which Winnie story or poem one loved most when growing up. They're all here to share with new generations of children and grandchildren, together with the the original art work (albeit colorized).

Personally, I'm rather fond of the poems--especially "Rice Pudding" and "The Mirror," from When We Were Very Young. But of course all the favorite Pooh Bear stories are here, too, one of my favorite being "In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and gets into a Very Tight Place."

This is 557 pages of pure delight, and at used prices, it's hard to imagine finding a better value for a gift, or simply for reliving a bit of childhood fun with your family.

Words cannot express the joys to be gained from reading Milne, over, and over, and over....

I have reviewed all of the books in this collection individually, and let me say that trying to read only one of them without reading the other three is like digging up only one leg of a completely intact Tyrannosaur skeleton - neglecting buried treasure when you know for sure it's there. Who would do such a thing? Who COULD do such a thing? And imagine how much worse it would be if the skeleton were that of a Heffalump instead of a Tyrannosaur! Even the frightened little Piglet would come hunting you down.

This is the favorite Goosebumps story of a 10-year old relative so I wanted to get her her own copy. She rates it highly.
A story of a young girl's experience at summer camp. Her peer problems seemed bad enough for her to think of faking her own death, but then her plan backfires and she almost drowns. Then she starts seeing things that cause her to act strange and increases her peer problems.
It is not my own interest and I feel kids today have enough strangeness in their lives without these scary things to wonder about, but perhaps they appreciate the safeness of their own world after reading about a more scary one.

Unlike most kids, I didn't start reading the goosebump books at a young age. I had book-a-phobia! I was twelve when I first read this book and that's when I decided to read the series. It's a surprising and unpredictable book with great charectors. I love how Sarah is a little scared of camp, and I can relate. But my favorite character is Della, the ghost. I like the "ghost world" that Sarah temporarily goes to, and how the whole world was very interesting. The people, places, and situations were very cool! I couldn't put the book down! Read it in one night! (That's a record for me.)I couldn't find any flaws with this book and the awsome, suspenceful, scaryness of the ending. I don't want to spoil it for you, but i think you should read it!

These books are helping my grandson learn the enjoyment of reading. He was having a hard time, but these books hold his attention and he really looks forward to getting a new one in the series.

This was an eerie tale of a haunted camp where a girl, Sarah Maas is having a hard time, and she pretends to drown, but only finds herself haunted by a ghostly girl, named Della, who Sarah believes is a girl who drowned.

I was pulled into this book as I was reading it. It is an eerie tale that gave me shivers as I was reading it. I loved this book and thought that it was one of, if not THE best of the books in the series. Anybody who loves a book for children and who loves a good thrill should buy this book because it is a great thrill.

I am totally fumed that they didn't make an episode out of this masterpiece of a Goosebumps book!!

This book is about a girl named Laura who goes to sleep away camp. She hears a girl singing in the woods every night. When no one is around the girl who sings in the woods tries to run Laura over with a boat. Will she escape from the girl in the woods? Read this story to find out.

I bought this for my nephew who is 18 months. Like most tots, he is obsessed with "dog-dogs" and puppies. I was excited to find a great book with realistic pictures of dogs that he could easily recognize. This has quickly become a huge favorite for him, and it's so dang cute that nobody minds "reading" it to him over and over again!

As always, Amazon came thru for me. A perfect gift for a little boy. He
loves it.
MLC

We showed the cover of this book to our son in the bookstore, and he was in love with it from that moment. We have a pug at home, and our son was so excited to see "Jaa"(his name for our pug) on the cover wagging his tail. We took some time to read the book to him at the store, and he was so excited the whole way through. We also have the book "Tails" by the same author which is the only book our 11 month old will sit through without trying to squirm away. We have not yet given this to him as it is a gift from the dog for his first birthday. However, I am more excited for him to get this book than I am for him to get the climber he is getting from us! I know he will love it! I love this author and his books, and will continue to purchase these books as gifts! Great books!!!

This is the cutest little book! Full of activity and laughter to keep a little one (and parent) enertained! The photos & rhyming story are FUN!!

My 1 1/2 year old loves this book. Pulling the tabs, feeling the dogs fur, and just looking at all the diferent dogs.

I only have one "complaint". When I bought this book (it was from a bookstore) there were three copies of it... Two of them were a little broken. (On the "Wet dog... shake shake shake" tab) On one the head was missing entirely. On the other one the head just didn't move (it had probably been dislodged and was on it's way to falling off.) I realise this is probably due to use being at a bookstore, but I thought I'd warn everyone... Test EACH tab before buying.

:)

It's a wonderful book and I think most children would love it! (I also recommend getting Tails with is made by the same guy or people.)

When a Earthquake hits Sweet Valley on the twins 17th birthday, 2 people are killed one of them is Enid's ex-boyfriend.The other is Olivia Davidson.I didn't care for her because she had no brothers and sisters.I hate that! Jessica tries to save a little girl,Alyssa,who had a party,too but failed. You're a teen,Jess.Not a Superheroine! Steven Does find Ned and Alice ok at The Plaza Theater,and Billie is ok,too at the Shop N Hop.

Earthquake by Francine Pascal is at times touching but overall a very excellent book. As the story starts out, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, the twin sisters in Sweet Valley, are having their 17th birthday party. They live in California, along a fault line, and their town is prone to earthquakes. During their party, a devestating earthquake shatters their celebration. They have to look through the rubble of their once standing home to try and find their friends. But who out of their friends survive? Read Earthquake and find out!

I would recommend this book to mainly teens who enjoy drama and love/relationships.

This is truly an amazing work of art. I wish in a way I could go back in time 45 years, to when I was in high school, and be presented with such an emotionally, charged, well-written novel. I am afraid that in my coddled youth I may not have been up to the task, unfortunately. If I was one of those really hard-nosed high school teachers, like Crazy Joe Clark in "Lean on Me," my students would read nothing but Sweet Valley High. I do not believe there is anything better suited to preparing "real-world" kids to the emotional and physical trials and tribulations of life today.

The context of a devastating earthquake sets a perfect stage. As she lies buried under the rubble, Jessica Wakefield laments her family's tragic history of emotional, and yes, physical, abuse. As I read I could feel the conflicting emotions she experienced as the rubble cleared above her. The light revealed not only a hope of continued life, but also the scowling face of her abusive and perverted father. Meanwhile, just yards away her sister Elizabeth, the "flighty" twin, worries about her missing press-on nail (right ring finger).

I have read nearly 200 novels centering on these characters, but I realize that I never really KNEW many of them until picking up this book and watching the grotesque physical disfigurements many were faced with, and the utter devastation in their lives...

Overall, I must give this book 5 stars. Within the genre of tragic teen drama, "Earthquake (Sweet Valley High Super Edition)" gives "Romeo and Juliet" a run for its money. Only time will tell if this book achieves the cult status of "R&J," but I do believe that "Earthquake (Sweet Valley High Super Edition)" is significantly better written.

I really likek these book. I feel soo bad for KEn, Losing Olivia adn being mad at her in the 1st book about the protrait. I would hate to be Jess,havign to hear Alyssa's last scream, that painful scream. And alyssa's brother being angry at her for not being alble to save her. I was worried for Todd and Lila. It was sad

I thought this was really good.i hate that oliva died though.she was one of my faves!francine pascal is a great writer and i love all her books

This book taught me to go for what you want in life. It teaches that no matter how impossible it may seem, it can be done. I read this as a child, now I am 29 and I still think of it. I still like to sit down with a chunk of cheese and a loaf of bread as a snack, just like Dakin took with her on her journey. When it snows in the winter I think of the colored snow on the mountain that Dakin was determined to investigate. I have even tried to make colored snow myself. Gargoyles have a whole different charm to them once you know this story. Just from writing this I am excited to read the book all over again.

I read this story to my daughter for the first time when she was 4 and she loved it. A year later she wanted me to get it out of the library again. Recently, she insisted that we buy it. We read it through twice and now, since she is an excellent independent reader at 6, she is reading it again for atleast an hour at night to herself. Her favorite part is when the gargoyles say that they can "still feel". She has made her own stuffed gargoyles out of paper and pretends to be Dakin talking to them. This story is pure magic. It combines all of the elements of a questing story, but the fact that it is about a brave girl who knows her own mind, makes it special. There aren't many stories written for young girls like this and that makes it even more unique. I highly recommend it to anyone with a child who has a thirst for adventure and an interest in all things magical.

This adventurous, amazing, edge of your seat tale is my all-time favorite book! I've read it about three times and I've never gotten tired of it. When ever I see it in a library, I jump up and down and tell everybody "that's my favorite book!" I suggest anybody I see and all of my friends to read it. It is extremely entertaining.

I remember my mother reading this book to my twin sister and me. It was a hard back copy that she had gotten from the Library. My sister and I would come down out of our bunk beds and sit on the floor with my mother as we were enthralled to listen to her read this story. I loved the colored snow and the gargoyals. When I was married and had my first child I desired to read this book to my son and I did but it was mostly for me since he was only a few months old at the time. I will read it to him again. But I love this book. This story is a great treasure to me that I will always remember.

I discovered this book when I was in the Fourth grade and have read it about 5-6 times a year since then! Now that I am in my early 20's Dakin and her hopeful attitude and her high spirits always bring me comfort and courage through tough times in my life. I have shared this book with children I have met and every one of them discovered the same magic and mystery I did when I was a little girl! Lynne Reid Banks is an amazing author who puts all the hopes and fears any 15 year old girl experiences into the heart and mind of Dakin, a heroine we all truly fall in love with! This is my favorite book of all time and I will cherish it always!

This was a favorite of mine as a child, so I was excited when my daughter was the right age to read it. She enjoys it immensely and loves to point out and name all the details in the colorful pictures.

I love how the paperback version offers a gerat book at an affordable rate for my boys. I remember watching it on "Reading Rainbow" as a child and was happy to share it with my own boys.

This is a wonderful rhyming book fun to read and kids love it. This is the second one I have given away.

I read this book when I was a child and LOVED it. I remember the thrill of seeing that HUGE loaf of bread and the jam. Sent my imagination soaring. Then there was the satisfying end to the bees (I was terrified of bees as a child so you can imagine how thrilled I was at the end. =D) I think it was my most favorite childhood book.

I found this book in the library some years ago and shared it with my son (now 12). I've just bought it to share with my younger son...and my older one is THRILLED. =D We both can't wait for it to arrive.

This was my favorite book when I was a kid, and now my son asks for "Sandwich" as well. I started reading it to him when he was 6 weeks old. We had to take a break to board books when he was in his eat books and turn their pages roughly phase, but now he appreciates having this book read to him. I and my parents, and one day my kids, all know the words by heart. You won't get sick of reading it either. Since I have the words memorized, I can look at the pictures, and even after reading it so many times, I keep finding new details in the pictures!

Writing is how I process existence; it's how I make meaning out of my life. ~Ellen McLaughlin

Catherine Dee has created empowering collections of quotes in her "Girls' Book" series. Through quotes and short notes she explains why being positive is a tried and true strategy, why you should set goals and how solitude can increase creativity. She explains the importance of spirituality and how to add practical items like walking out in nature to your daily routine.

The entire book is really about balancing your life. You may find yourself inspired to start a journal. You may find out some interesting facts about Tyra Banks and her love of going to movies alone. I loved the quote by Renee Zellweger when she explains how much she loves to be out in nature.

You will also find quotes by Miss Piggy, Goldie Hawn, Sark, Calista Flockhart and Rebecca West. There are quotes by scientists, musicians, executives, writers, actors, athletes, doctors, Internet pioneers, world leaders, daughters and moms.

The quotes will help you to understand life, feel more confident and build good relationships.

~The Rebecca Review

not as impressed as i wanted to be... quotes weren't that great. good idea though.

This is a nice little book full of quotes for girls, women too. The cover says these quotes are "Empowering and inspirational" and I found that to be true. There are quotes here from women from all walks of life, like Rosanne Cash, Jane Bryant Quinn, Janis Joplin, to name a few, and there are even quotes by some people you've never even heard of, like Debbie Tsai, age fifteen who says, and I quote, "Life is like a bus: you can get on it and go somewhere, or you can just sit there and watch it pass you by." I for one am getting on the bus, you should too. And you should get this little book for the girl in you or the girl in your life.

After reading this book I have begun to think more about my life. It has really inspired me to be more outgoing and to take better care of my body by playing more sports.

I purchased this book several years ago, and just took it off my bookshelf to re-read it again - and I just have to say that I have truly enjoyed being reminded of the pearls of wisdom strewn throughout these pages!

"The Girls' Book of Wisdom" has 45 short chapters - each characterizing a different part of life. These chapters start off with a small but insightful discussion on that topic, followed by a bunch of really great quotes - some by famous people, some by not-so famous people, and quite a few from the teenagers of America. There really is a great variety of thoughts & perspectives - a great way to learn about thoughts/ideas you may not have considered.

Some of the chapters included are:
Self Awareness
Journal Keeping
Solitude
Loving Yourself
Confidence
Beauty
Health
Intuition
Leadership
Adversity
Optimism
Success
Happiness
Giving Back

And many, many more...

Overall, I found this book to be a fun, easy, insightful, inspirational read, and would highly recommend it to all those teenage girls out there (since much of the "pieces of wisdom" are geared to help you to grow into self-confident, self-sufficient women), as well as for women (there's a lot of great insights in there for us too - smile). It would be a great gift for someone to give their daughter &/or neice!

A Heart So Wild................


A gunslinger with one name and one purpose .. To avenge the tragic deaths of his loved ones
A innocent timid young woman trying to forget the tragedy that took her father from her leaving her in a cocoon of insecurities
Unknown to them, the two tragedies have them linked , forever bound to each other

Four years later... Chandos the gunslinger loaner enters the little town of Rockley, Kansas. Where the beautiful Courtney Harte is living with her stepmother. Immediately Courtney sees the stranger and feels a warmth of safety in his eyes..... Chandos's need to protect the innocent beauty leads them on a path to Waco, Texas. To find her once thought, dead father.

I loved this book .. It had all the qualities of a romance novel, A hero of Strength, Integrity, and the Unspoken words of intense passion . A heroine of Inner beauty, to match the beauty on the outside ,the hidden Courage and Strength that busts out with her maturing

The timeline was nice JL takes the reader on a ride through the old west with its vast assortment of open land and she grabs you with the feel of traveling the tough terrain with nothing but trees and rivers and the occasional threat that stirs the feelings of Unbridled passion when you see, I mean really see that the person your traveling with is yours ....

Read the book!!
It will leave you Breathless and wanting more!!!

Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Chandos was the perfect hero. This is my all time favorite Johanna Linsey romance. The story had everything you could ask for in a romance - adventure, tension, suspense, danger and above all love and passion!
I read it in one sitting, (till 5am) I couldn't put it down. I wish I could read it again and again as if I hadn't read it before. I try, I read it every year or so. This is the kind of story that you hold in your heart for a long time after you have finshed reading.
A pure gem!

Picking up this book to read, I had great expectations since it was a Johanna Lindsey. And she definetely didn't disappoint. The book started out great if a little graphic but it drew me in instantly.

The relationship between Courtney and Chandos was electric. Their chemistry so perfect. Chandos was the ultimate hero. Is there anything he couldn't do? Courtney was a lady through and though. She was written very realistically for a lady of her time, struggling with the feelings Chandos created in her and also with allowing herself to give in to him.

The plot was great as well and made me turn page after page in anticipation of what would happen next. I enjoyed reading about life in the west during that time period. Ways of surviving the travel in Indian territory and the hardships of the vast empty land were truly an interesting read.

I'm all for a happy ending and Johanna aimed to please. Never a boring moment. Definetely worth the money and the time to read. I'm reading its sequal now and hoping it will be as good. Keeping fingers crossed.

I enjoyed this book, but I hestitated to give it 5 stars since the characters could have been written with a little more depth. Chandos is the dark, strong, and brooding hero that romance fans continue to slobber over. Of course his heart is melted by the too beautiful herione before the story ends.

I have been meaning to review this for ages, and I'm finally getting around to it! If I could I'd give this book like 20 stars! I think I have read this one 8 times. I've read almost all JL's (Love her!) and this is the best. If you like romance, this story is a must. I came across this book in a hotel when I was twelve years old. I was a bit shocked by it at first, but I ended up loving it. This is the book that got me hooked on romance. I loved it then and it is still my favorite book. The characters are extremely memorable and there is loads of chemistry between them. The way their relationship evolved and they fell in love was very believable and convincing. I love westerns, but sometimes the plots are confusing/ repetitive. Not this one!

Chandos is the hottest fictional character ever written, in my opinion. I REALLY WISH HE WERE REAL! What's so engaging and memorable about him is that he's extremely manly, strong-willed, and even sometimes brutal, but he is very protective of Courntney, and "gentle when it matters". It's so cute the way he calls her "Cateyes"!

Courtney, the woman he falls in love with, is adorable. She starts out quite shy and timid around him, which is understandable, considering he's a studly, macho gunfighter-type guy. It's a wonder she even manages to ask the intimidating Chandos to guide her across Indian territory in the first place. However, as their journey progresses, I was glad to see courtney show a side that wasn't originally apparent-very passionate and brave.

It's very romantic how these people meet after a chance encounter four years prior, and fall in love. The plot was deep, complex, and greatly enriched by the story of chandos's past and his struggle for revenge and justice. Some might say the ending is sappy, but I loved it! this book is terrific from the first sentense (even though it's kind of graphic!) to the last, including all the components of a great and memorable romance: passion, true love, adventure, heartbreak, an engrossing plot, interesting secondary characters, a happy not sappy ending, an engaging leading lady, and an extremely hot, on-fire, out-of-this-worldly attractive hero. READ IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED! YOU WILL END UP READING IT OVER AND OVER!