Virginia Books

I bought this book the first day it came out and enjoyed it tremendously. There's even the speech Homer Hickam made at the memorial to the Sago miners in the back of the book. I got to meet him at a book signing and he is a gracious man. There were a lot of people at the book signing who enjoyed Mr. Hickam's writing as much as me. He is without a doubt West Virginia's favorite author.

Most of the mining descriptions are accurate. The rescue I have some questions with, however, it is very intertaining.

I have sat and digested this book the best that I can. First off it is not by any stretch my favorite Hickam book I like all the Thurlow and Coalwood books better, with that being said though this book was still a very interesting read. I did not particualrly like either main character maybe thats my own fault just didn't like the personality of either Song or Cable. This book starts off with almost strictly a love story through roughly the first 10 chapters then it gets interesting. This is when Hickam saves this book, the suspense makes you want to finish the book in one sitting. I reccomend this book for anybody but Hickam fans should not open this book expecting another Coalwood book it is much different in both good ways and bad ways.

For those who enjoyed Homer Hickam's previous "tales" of life in Coalwood, West Virginia, you will not be disappointed in this latest work. The conflict between two recently-marrieds, in concert with the drama in the coal mines, makes for a fast-moving story that is dificult to put down. The author's best work, I think, has always been when he's writing about his beloved mountains and people of West Virginia. And though I enjoy Hickam's Josh Thurlow series, I thoroughly get involved with what he really knows best--life in a coal mine community! And one needs to know nothing of coal mining to enjoy the story because Hickam does a masterful job of explaining what goes on "down there." Order this book and enjoy the ride with Song and Cable and all the other colorful characters as they find out many things about themselves and each other in an exciting conclusion to a wonderful story. If this is a first-time read of Homer Hickam, I would certainly recommend going back to Rocket Boys, The Coalwood Way, and Sky of Stone. Those are all non-fiction, but they serve as a good background for Red Helmet, making it all the more enjoyable.

Homer Hickam, in "Red Helmet", transports us to the small mining communities of West Virginia. With characters that make us love them, laugh with them, wipe away a tear or two, and become a part of their lives, struggles, and mysteries, "Red Helmet" is a great read. Curl up on your sofa with a hot cup of tea and a blanket and be carried away to West Virginia!

CAN'T WAIT to use the information from the book to actually trace JEB's steps.

Fred Ray was kind enough to send along a review copy of his excellent book Shock Troops of the Confederacy: The Sharpshooter Battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia. Fred is the descendant of one of those sharpshooters, which is what got him interested in the subject.

To be candid, before Fred's book was published, I was not aware that such special duty battalions even existed in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, other than references to Eugene Blackford's sharpshooters in the first day's fighting at Gettysburg. The book has changed that misperception of mine.

Fred Ray has written an exceptional book. It's a comprehensive tour de force of its subject, and one that should probably stand as the definitive word on its subject for a very long time. It's an extremely valuable and useful addition to the existing body of knowledge about the Civil War that was probably long overdue. The book is thoroughly researched and well-written. From my perspective one of the book's best features is the abundance of detailed, useful, and quality maps. Those maps address actions that have not been previously mapped. Fred drew the maps himself, and he did an excellent job it.

Of most value to the book for is its emphasis on the critical role played by the Confederate sharpshooters on many battlefields of the Eastern Theatre of the Civil War. Of particular value to me was the focus on the role played by the Confederate sharpshooters during the fighting for the Jug Bridge during the July 9, 1864 Battle of Monocacy. Before reading Fred's work on the subject, I had never seen any discussion of the role played by the sharpshooters in the fighting for the stone bridge on the National Road. Fred's analysis is detailed and comprehensive, and helps us to fill a big hole in our study of Jubal Early's raid on Washington.

I can't say enough good things about Fred Ray's book and can highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the subject. I guarantee you that you will learn something new. I certainly did.

Fred Ray has seized upon a little known aspect of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and through extensive research has, incredible for 2006, developed his research to add a new wrinkle to its accepted history. My own research centers on only one of these battalions and my scope is therefore somewhat narrower, but I know that these sharpshooter units existed and that they were in reality utilized to their fullest. I would therefore probably be considered a pretty tough critic. Fred has independently discovered many of my own more focused sources and added many more to satisfy his premise.
His in-depth narrative incorporates proof ranging from mere mentions to laudatory thanks for the actions of the sharpshooter battalions in virtually every action from summer of 1862 through the end. Although the narrative is obviously meant to demonstrate the value of the sharpshooter battalions to the army, it presents a well-written, accurate military chronology of the war. His endnotes are rigidly supportive of the narrative and his maps are excellent and precise, again always supported by endnotes.
Fred Ray goes further than just the ANV, exploring weapons, opponents' sharpshooter organizations and similar tactics in the western Confederate Army of Tennessee.
I would highly recommend this book to any serious student of Confederate military actions during the War Between the States, particularly those who want to understand everything about the Army of Northern Virginia.

In his book, Shock Troops of the Confederacy, Fred Ray covers a little known aspect of the Civil War. Napoleanic warfare was still the primary means of conducting battle during the American Civl War however, the sharpshooter units on both sides did remarkable work. These men received little mention but by all accounts were deadly adversaries and prized by their commanders. They were also the predecessors to the modern day snipers, currently at the forefront of the war on terror. The tactics and method of warfare used in Civil War skirmishes by the sharpshooter units are still applicable in the modern military.

Mr. Ray's work is an excellent reference for modern day students of the art of sniping, whether law enforcement or military.

Brian K. Sain
AmericanSnipers.org

In this thought provoking book, the author starts out with a brief history of light troops followed by the history of the skirmishers of the Army of North Virginia. Although the Union side began the war with more and better light troops, they allowed them atrophy while the Confederates who faced them, learned from them. Innovation in the ANV tended to originate in Ewell's old division, commanded by Rodes. When the war began, the standard system was for each regiment to have one or two light companies sent forward as skirmishers. This had flaws. It was difficult to coordinate between all the companies, with Rodes' bad experience at South Mountain clearly showing the potential result. Soon, he formed for his brigade a special sharpshooter battalion to cover the front, and by the beginning of 1864 this was standard in every brigade in Lee's army. Because Lee's army was decentralized, innovation of this sort was encouraged and could spread. To enter a sharpshooter battalion, high standards of bravery and marksmanship had to be met so that the units did not become a collection of misfits. The men fought as light infantry, not as snipers in the modern sense, and used the best weapons available, including captured repeating rifles. The psychological effect on enemy infantry could be great, knowing that someone who was aimed at would likely be hit. The author's battle descriptions are quite useful. He shows how at Gettysburg Iverson's sharpshooter battalion got diverted into the low ground to face the Union XI Corps, which was threatening the division's flank, but with Iverson's brigade not protected properly, disaster resulted. At North Anna Confederate sharpshooters successfully screened the entrenchments, hiding them from view and allowing the Union army to unknowingly enter a trap. Most of the book covers the Overland Campaign and the '64 Valley and Petersburg campaigns, by which time new assault tactics were being developed to capture enemy pickets or assault earthworks. This, the author argues, shows a link to later infantry tactics developed by the German stormtroopers in World War I.. Unlike many other Civil War historians, the author is broad minded in looking at the broader tactical context - looking to events abroad both before and after the Civil War. The Franco-Prussian War, however, is given little attention. The author's interpretation of the use of Prussian columns differs with Nosworthy's, who believes that skirmishers were the main effort, with the company columns merely supporting them. So the author may over-emphasize the Boer War as a result. This is a minor flaw only; the book gives a good discussion of weapons and their accuracy and flaws as well as a good treatment of range estimation training. The book fills a void and should be a treasured volume to anyone interested in Civil War tactics.

The novel tells a true story of destruction of ourland and community to turn it into money. The author captures the pathos of the people involved while accurately depicting the appalachian culture.

This is a great novel about a people, it's culture and attachment to the land, and it's destruction to fuel our never ending appetite for energy. It is the same story occurring in many parts of this country (i.e., in New Mexico, Kentucky, etc. See: [...]). I couldn't put it down, but didn't want to finish it either.

The exquisite beauty of the land, the deep rich connections of the characters to that land, the complete integration of these people with the land, all so startlingly portrayed in the very different tongues of each member of a family living in a hollow deep in West Virginia, watching their lives being destroyed by coal companies ripping the heads off ancient mountains, and fighting back or running away.....

This book is as deep and powerful as the sludge ponds it tell us about. It was so interesting I had actually to find out the real events of the Buffalo Creek disaster. But even pictures can't effect you like the raw emotion in this book. Well written, emotional, and hard edged. Read it, weep, discover, and then pass it on!

The beautiful, lyrical, and poetic descriptions of places and people in Ann Pancake's new novel create an atmosphere of lush imagery and evocative narrative voice. But the resonance of the novel's "voice," and its capturing the visual and auditory ambiance of a dying West Virginia coal town, the hollows, and the people who live there, is only the canvas she uses in order to flesh out entirely believable characters, and themes that resonate beyond the confines of the book. As I read, amazed by how she puts words, sentences, paragraphs, together on the page, I never questioned the essential validity of the characters.

Each chapter takes the perspective of one character: Lace, Jimmy Make, Bant, Dane, Cory, Tommy, Mogie, and Avery. One example of how well Ms. Pancake captures the personality and sensibilities of a character is Corey. Ten year old Corey is, as the expression goes, "all boy." He is obsessed with machines: his dad's truck, the massive coal train, the giant coal trucks, and even the diggers that are destroying Yellowroot mountain above his house.

However, there is also a sizable cast of supporting characters that interact with, love, teach, hate, fight, etc. the primary cast. The shifting (chapter by chapter) point of view lends a layered richness of various perspectives to the novel. The overall result is that I believed that the stories of the characters were their stories, and not imposed upon them by the author.

"Why So Slow" is the most useful book I've ever read on gender issues. It is packed with evidence from psychology and sociology of the ways in which gender affects the way we judge and the way we're evaluated. I took an entire course on the sociology of gender, I found Valian's book more thorough and detailed. And while readable, it's meticulously credible, including citations for every fact. There's no soapboxing or ranting -- just reason and data.

I read the book 5 years ago, ended using it heavily for a thesis I wrote, and still end up referring back to the book every 6 months or so to retell some particularly interesting fact or study to others I know.

Valian is a cognitive psychologist. I saw her speak at a local university and was impressed by the breadth of evidence she presented re: how ingrained gender discrimination is in the thinking of both men and women, but also with her logical suggestions for addressing this problem. (She, as a matter of fact, was invited by women students and faculty to help them strategize how to get more women into higher positions.) In her convincing talk, I was struck by the evidence that discrimination is not something "done" by men to keep women down, but is, in fact, "done" equally to women by both men and women. So I got her book and was more impressed when I read it.

Valian presents experiment after experiment showing that women are held back by psychologically ingrained ideas held by both men AND women. She calls these gender schemas, which are a way for the brain to organize complex information. (They are close to stereotypes, but schema is a more neutral term). The evidence is fascinating and convincing. Examples: if a man and a woman of identical height stand in an identical height door frame, viewed separately and then rated, both men and women perceive the man to be taller. Or how a woman can make a suggestion during a meeting and no one hears it, but later a man makes the exact same suggestion and everyone hears it and thinks it's great. (Example after example you will all recognize and be disgusted by!) While the knowledge presented in this book is depressing, Valian ends with suggestions for ways to become aware of these fallacies in thinking and then actively counteract them within organizations.

I LOVE this book and it is a true eye-opener. It has really opened my eyes to what women have to surmount to get ahead when there are so many hidden negative assumptions ingrained in our culture. While it is written in an academic style and perhaps less accessible than a pop-psychology type or journalist-written book, one could read the introduction and conclusions to the chapters and skim parts of the in between text if it gets too heavy. (Like all academic writers she says her main points in the chapter intro, then presents evidence, then summarizes at the end of the chapters.) I highly recommend this book!

Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women, by Virginia Valian, is a book with a mission. It is not Professor Valian's objective in writing this book to discuss the issues of women in leadership positions with the limited number of other academics studying the issue. It is her objective to shake the people responsible for "the accumulation of disadvantage" of women, and to make them, or their supervisors, accountable for the recruitment and retention of women.

I know this is particularly acute, and action needed, at our nation's universities, where women tend to be recruited less often than men, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, and are promoted at a rate slower than equally qualified males. The book reviews relevant research, discusses the psychological issues involved in our development of "gender schemas," and discusses remedies.

I have heard Professor Valian discuss the issues raised in her book, and she speaks (and writes) with authority and conviction. This book, while not light reading, is written for the educated non-specialist. You can't read it and not be disturbed at how qualified and competent people can be considered unqualified or less competent.

This is a book to read, then get to work.

I waited too long to read Prof. Valian's book. Had I been armed with the knowledge offered in it earlier, I might have been spared some of the most unpleasant experiences and obstacles in my professional life. The breadth of the research covered, on everything from how young girls are channeled into certain careers or non-careers to the publishing patterns of men and women in academics, is its most impressive quality. I find myself referring to it often in everyday conversation, and recommending it to female friends and family members of all ages and levels of employment. If I have more confidence and a more positive outlook on my life's work now, it is in large part due to Prof. Valian's superb mega-study and her suggestions for moving forward.

If you're interested in the empirical findings which back-up many often dismissed feminist claims that women have a raw deal...then read this book.

Easy to read with some engrossing anecdotes (included only to illustrate, not prove, her points as pointed out by Valian herself), this book is a convincing tour guide of women's achievement in male-dominated professions.

My advisor in graduate school actually recommended this book with only one warning: don't read it when you're already depressed about the plight of women! By the middle of it, you might be ready to throw your hands up in the air and think the situation is hopeless...but luckily Valian includes a careful analysis of possible solutions. By googling her I also found out that she's making some proactive efforts (as a professor at CUNY) to put theory into practice. Bravo.

Some fifty years ago I could recite this book by heart. It was a precursor to my later infatuations with Gilbert and Sullivan. It has not lost its charm: medieval setting, whimsical plot, rhythm and rhyme, amusing observations of human foibles. I relate to the duchess today in ways that I might not have suspected as a child, and make it my favorite gift to other parents of little girls.

An untypical tale of a duchess who's clutzy in the kitchen. Read this story to my daughter years ago, now I got this copy for my granddaughter, and she loves it too.

All my kids (4,7, & 9 yrs) loved this book! We especially enjoyed the rhyming text. Even so the text was extensive enough to tell a full story. In general, most pages have many lines of text. We read it as a Five in a Row book, but I am sure it will be a requested book for years to come. We were able to talk about many side issues including cakes, yeast, consequences, calories, catapults, castles, alliteration, complementary colors. The duchess decides to make a "lovely, light, luscious, delectable" cake but doesn't accept any advice or follow any instructions. As a result, she puts everything in it and way too much yeast! She sits on it and rises high in the sky unable to get down. It sounds rather silly but it is very well written and was a worthwhile purchase.

I love, love, love this book! It's playfully delightful and now that I can get one at a reasonable price, I'll be ordering a copy for my 4 y/o niece soon!

Most fun I've had with this book is rapping it with a friend for a talent show...

This was one of the truly formative books of my youth. Silly and fun and with a wonderful rhyme. I have the most wonderful memories of my mother reading this to me. Years ago, when I first had children, I HAD to find this book for them and it was out of print. I managed to find an excellent copy but spent nearly $100 for it -- and thought it worth every cent! Now that its back in print, I've bought FOUR more copies -- for gifts for all the children of the right age that I can think of. Highly, highly, highly recommended!

Fearless by Tom Stephen and Virginia Starkey-Stephen is a lovely book, well written and beautifully illustrated with photos by Hank Foto of Hawaiian surfing. Written with the reflections of a peaceful day ahead, it is truly inspriational that can be used again and again. Wonderful!

This book looks like a coffee table book on surfing. In truth, it is packed with insiteful guidance on how to navigate through life. Using surfing and extreme sports metaphor, the book walks the reader into a much better understanding of what drives us - good or bad - and what God wants. I find myself reading one or two pages every few days, putting it down and chewing on the content. Worth every penny.

This is an awesome devotional. It connects on so many levels and is applicable whether you surf 7 days a week or live 1500 miles away from the ocean. Whether you are a committed follower of Christ, new believer or anywhere in between, or you just like great surf photos, this devotional is great for you. We have been using Fearless in our youth Sunday School class and the kids have been loving it. They love the pictures, the scriptures are relevant, the short readings are really easy to follow and connect with and the questions really spark thought and conversation. In a world that's pretty scary and messed up, the idea of fear and God's answer to that fear is so important. Buy this book. Read it. Use it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and benefited from it. The writing is excellent, the photos are terrific, and the messages are truly inspiring.

how often do you find a great devotion and coffee-table book in one? the cover caught my attention and i started flipping through this book to look at the (fabulous) pictures. before long i found myself reading the insightful, surprisingly personal questions and great scripture excerpts. i've really enjoyed dwelling in the devotions and i look forward to more books by these authors.

Just finished the book in one sitting and I could not put it down! Shawn and Gwenn's story is so inspiring and the book is incredibly funny!

I had seen the two of them speak while I was a student at UVA and was inspired the first time too. Shawn has been an advocate, friend, Homecoming King, musician, husband, and author in 30 years on this planet. Much more than most people will ever do in 90. Do yourself a favor and buy this book right now! And then join me in anticipation of the next one!

Despite the hardships that he has faced throughout his life Shawn Decker has shown that it is possible to be positive, happy, and accepting- even when those around him did not understand or accept him themselves. Through this book Shawn uses his humor and intelligence to teach not only about HIV but about how to be a better human. As someone who has suffered through hardships of their own I know what a difficult task this can be yet Shawn pulls it off effortlessly and with grace. This book so captured my mind and my heart I read it in one sitting. I laughed, I cried, and I learned. Everyone should read this book.

This is a well-written book about living with a life-threatening disease. Decker writes with humor about the fear and adjustments he and his family go through as they come to terms with his disease. At times hilarious, often poignant, I loved it. I bought it for the people I love who are going through the same thing.

Simply a great book. The author is my age and I felt a connection in his stories. It didn't matter that I have not been directly connected to someone with HIV or Aids. The story has an amazing love story built in to a life full of love, support and true creativity. Excellent read!

I have been anticipating this book for quite sometime after stumbling onto Shawn's page on myspace- then meeting him one night at a local restaurant. I read the book in one day- I could not put it down. He writes about his life in such an easy and charming way that you really feel like you were there with him the whole time. Gwenn, his family and friends are amazing- and I am so happy to have gotten to know them better through the book. This book is wonderful and I am so happy that Shawn did something positive with his pet virus instead of letting it take over his life. I also am waiting for the sequel. :) Everyone should read this book. You are one of my heroes Shawn...well done!

This book is not just another tale of a personal fight with cancer. Rather, it is an account of Ms. Hansen's focus on cure for the sake of her family. She injects both humor and honesty during very harrowing times without minimizing the impact it had on her. As a physician, I believe that everyone in the healthcare field should read this book as it gives a very realistic perspective of the fears, wishes and hopes of someone facing a life threatening illness.

Plain speaking Virginia Hansen relates a harrowing tale of one family's battle against Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

This book makes two important contributions: One, it provides step by step real-world instructions for combating a vicious and persistent disease and secondly, it clarifies the uses of stem cells and stem cell applications. The reader can plainly see that stem cell research is not the "boogeyman" some would like us to believe.

Please note, this is not a medical "textbook" account of this disease; rather, it is a heartfelt monologue about a personal triumph over fear and uncertainty.

Michael and Judy

This book was such an inspiration to me as I felt while reading it I was actually there with Ginny. Not only informative but such honesty and the raw truth of what she endured will help me and others to be a better friend, mother, wife and all around person in the event that I have a loved one with such an unforgiving disease. She left me wanting so much more and I am sure she will deliver. Thank you so much Ginny for putting to paper such an incredible story and making it available for all to read and learn from.

As a physician, my ears perked up when I heard the author interviewed on TV last week. I met the author and purchased her book at a booksigning the next day. I later read the entire book in one sitting. It has the ring of authenticity, and is recommended to anyone, even if you think neither you nor anyone you know will ever get cancer.

The book is written in an entertaining, conversational, sometimes humorous, sometimes dramatic, style and always pure Ginny. Thank goodness for the health care giver who advised the author to keep a journal, this brings an immediacy to her story which is hard to duplicate.

Perhaps not the best book for hypochondriacs (a chronic itch becomes a clue to cancer), this book may save more lives than many physicians, simply by illustrating the importance of listening to what your body tells you. It also slips in tips on being assertive when managing your own care. Unlike most treatments of the subject, there is little or no bitterness over the usual early 'missed diagnosis'. Instead, the book is definitely upbeat. Her story demonstrates the importance of having someone with you at all times to serve as an advocate.

This book will be helpful to anyone who has felt uncomfortable knowing what to say when they learn that someone they know or care about has cancer. There are some inspiring heartwarming moments in this book that I will not divulge.

We have been privileged to share an inside look into what it's like to be a patient, and more importantly, what it takes to survive the sometimes bewildering hurdles that confront us when we are least capable of dealing with difficulties. Ginny obviously was blessed with that goodnatured 'cancer personality' which all too often seems to be afflicted with this adversity.

Author and cancer survivor Virginia Hansen has written a book that is not only entertaining and informative, but it is also inspirational. Her debut book "Stems of Life" is a personal memoir of her courageous fight for her life against cancer.

The author uses a simple narrative to weave her life experience. She shares the inmate details of her battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma in much the same way that one would have a conversation with an old friend. Her writing style allows the reader to feel like the author is personally relating her experiences to you. It feels like you are sitting cross the kitchen table having coffee together.

This book could become a life saver for some people but it is certainly an inspirational story for all people to read regardless if they are struggling with some life threatening disease or not. I was personally moved and felt a desire to learn more about this woman.

I first meet the author at the television studios of Channel 10 in Sacramento this year (2007) where we were both waiting in the greenroom for our on-air interviews. She came across then, as someone very special, even though she makes no pretense to be anyone other than herself. She is more than just a cancer survivor--she is a real hero! I feel privileged to have run into her and to have read her wonderful book.

The American Authors Association (AAA) has nominated this book for one of its yearly awards and gives it their highest book rating of FIVE STARS! I also personally endorse and recommend this book!

I'm not a science fan but I loved learning about the space program and the rockets. I read the book within a few hours. Nice job, authors.

I'm not a science fan but I loved learning about the space program and the rockets. I read the book within a few hours. Nice job, authors.

I really enjoyed learning about this private base where our rockets were developed. The writers made it so clear and easy to read. Neat!

I bet those two authors couldn't get on that base today. How lucky we are to have this book prior to terrorism. It gives a good feel on what goes on behind the scenes. The postcard photos are great.

I bet the authors wouldn't get clearance now to go to this government base...what with 9/11 and all the terrorism. That makes this book all the more valuable and treasured. Neat photos and fun info.

Having read the first book in this series, I couldn't wait to read Con's story and I was not disappointed. Ms. Kantra in a master of characterization.

I thoroughly enjoyed Con's story -- one of the best books I've read all year. Con is a very real-life hero, intelligent enough to think before reacting. He accepts that the heroine, Val, isn't a ninny but rather an independent woman who just needs a helping hand. I adored Con and can't wait for Sean's story! Hurry up September!

Virginia Kantra's writing is, quite simply, extraordinary. Humor, tenderness, action, sizzling sensuality -- this story has it all, and then some. With vivid, evocative prose, the author creates characters whose heartbeats become the reader's own. While sexual tension shimmers throughout THE COMEBACK OF CON MACNEILL, not once does it seem artificial or contrived, but rather a natural, explosive reaction between two brilliantly crafted characters. And her ability to tightly interweave the romance with other aspects of the plot is unsurpassed. Brava!

Virginia Kantra has joined my list of favorite authors, after I read a few other books and then stumbled across Book 2 of the O'Neill brothers trilogy (the first book is Kantra's second THE PASSION OF PATRICK O'NEILL; the third book is THE TEMPTATION OF SEAN O'NEILL). Another book MAD DOG AND ANNIE is a sequel to some of the events that take place in THE COMEBACK OF CON O'NEILL, although both books can pretty much stand on their own - which is the secret of a great series romance.

Kantra writes category romance, i.e. romances published in a monthly line by publishers such as Harlequin and Silhouette. I cut my eye-teeth on category romances (along with Georgette Heyer), but most of the authors I loved back then leave me cold now.

Kantra's second book of her O'Neill trilogy is set in a small town. Financial consultant Con O'Neill, with his lean clever face, has been forced out of Boston and his high-paying and high-flying job. Not only has he lost his job, but also his fiancee. Con comes to small town USA when he is hired for a job or project by the local bank president - to bail his daughter Val out of trouble with her restaurant. This is small potatoes for Con, but if he can pull off the job, he will get a badly-needed recommendation with which to stage his comeback to the world of high finance.

Con is not too enthusiastic. What does he know about restaurants after all? Pretty soon, he realizes that Val Cutler, the restaurant owner, is something special. Val has her own demons too - including being emotionally smothered by her too-helpful father and her distant mother. She wants to run a purely vegetarian show in a town where the usual call is for steak and fries. Con tries to reorient her cuisine with unexpected results. He then begins poking into the business's finances with even more unexpected results.

Woven into this story of a woman's effort to prove herself to her father and the town is the story of her friend Annie who is married to the local "golden boy" [For more on that, read MAD DOG AND ANNIE]. There is suspense, there is heartache, and there is the need to combat prejudices of all kinds - the town's against the outsider Con and for the local "star", Val's father's about his daughter's efforts to make her own living, and more. Throughout this, there winds a honeyed strain of sexual tension (along with tension of another kind) which brings the book to a dramatic close.

Con and Val's problems are not solved by the end. We know that life will be a struggle, and that Con will have to make a choice - between big-city glamour and fame and small-town success. Elder brother Patrick, his second wife Kate and their family make a brief appearance.

If you liked this book, try either the last part of the O'Neill trilogy or MAD DOG AND ANNIE (which tells the heartbreaking story of Val's friend).

After reading THE PASSION OF PATRICK MACNEILL, I had certain expectations for Con. He had to be strong, handsome, intelligent and most of all compassionate. His story had to have the same depth of emotion and character, the same intense and quality writing. That seemed a lot to ask, but I did anyway.
I wasn't disappointed. THE COMEBACK OF CON MACNEILL is just as well written as Patrick's story. Virginia has consistently given us strong men, and holding her to that, I'm looking forward to Sean's story, which is now on shelves.
For those of you who don't normally read category romance, this series about three brothers is one that might just make you change your mind.
~sue
Sue Waldeck
Road to Romance
http://www.roadtoromance.dhs.org