Bean Books

This book was originally written as a sequel to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels, or so the Wikipedia page on Dennis McKiernan says. Then McKiernan could not get the rights to create a sequel, so he messed with the names of people and species and published the books anyway. It's easy to see that this is the case because the book is a completely slavish imitation of Tolkien's story and Tolkien's world, only altered in not-at-all-subtle ways that only serve to diminish the original LOTR story into a pale and unsatisfying imitation.

Don't waste your money.

This series is every bit as good as Tolkien.

One of my favorite authors and stories of all time.

All you 'one star' reviewers, get off the sauce, willya? *wink*

As always Dennis L. McKeirnan writes a fantastic tale. However this one is heavy based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. So heavily in fact that at many points it seems more like blantant plagrarism.

This book is good, but it is so obviously his first attempt. The world was not completely formed and nor were the rules of the races that filled the world. His later works fully flesh out the world and people within. This book is good, but many of his others are much much better.

I read these novels when they came out in the 80's and a decade before I ever read LOR. I found out later it was intended to be a sequel to LOR. Nevetheless, going into it without any LOR background I had a blast reading this book. So much so that I reread it again after finding out about the LOR sequel and then read the LOR books just prior to the movies coming out.
While I really enjoyed both IT and LOR, I must admit that I prefer The Iron Tower to the LOR books as there is a hell of a lot better handling of large battles.

Of course this series borrows heavily from Tolkien, the Author acknowledges this upfront.
I find that this series has far more warm and humanity than Tolkien has ever shown.
The more work you read from Dennis L. McKiernan, the more you appreciate his talents,
I highly recommend every book that follows these. Try not to be as blind and shallow as the "Tolkein Purists".

I personally thought that this was one of Nevada Barr's very best books.It is informative and intertaining at the same time; with some amusing content.I highly recommend this one to any Barr reader, you cant go wrong.

After promising to look up other work by Nevada Barr in my review of `Women On The Case', I picked up `Blood Lure'. The premise sounded interesting: Anna Pigeon on loan to Glacier Nat'l Park to do a study on grizzly bears runs into murder most foul on the camp trail.

Barr's description of the natural beauty and the natural world are full-colored and vibrant. She makes grizzly bear DNA research downright interesting.

Her plotting is crafty indeed, her story trail strewn with misleads and false starts, and thirty pages from the end you're still not exactly sure who the murderer is.

Most of her characters are well-developed and fully-fleshed. Others are less so, but that's the art of the lure---how much do we know about these characters and should we bother or not?

Although I'm not entirely happy with the ending, the tale is well-told and is an enjoyable read.

But I wouldn't advise bringing it on a camping vacation.

I'd probably rank this three stars for plot and five stars for the Anna Pigeon character--always five stars for Anna. It's the integrity of her character, how she thinks and reacts. She is consistent, smart and terribly human. In Blood Lure, the work is an excellent combination of field work and office work. I enjoyed the long passage where Anna hikes alone way up into the wilderness, above timberline. Barr is not afraid to let the trip take time and the descriptions of the mountains and terrain are vivid, fresh and sharp. The puzzle pieces are few. In a way, this is a drawing room mystery splashed across the wide open landscape of Glacier National Park. By the middle of the book, the solution is going to be found down one path or the other and Anna keeps going back and forth between the two, trying to wrestle the facts to the ground in a way that makes senese. And it's that wrestling process that makes her so fascinating, the way in which every new piece of information is viewed, reviewed, considered and kicked around. That said, I found the ending also a bit over-the-top, as others have noted. But I give Barr credit for attempting an unusual situation; I just think the plausiblity factor was stretched to the max.

Nevada Barr's National Park-set mysteries are shelved in my mind with Tony Hillerman's books. Both authors present the landscape they are set in as a major character. The events in their books are shaped by the setting and couldn't happen anywhere else. Having a ranger in the Natural Park Service is a very clever device as it gives Barr the opportunity to move her character from park to park, and have recurring characters and new characters in each book.

In Blood Lure, Anna Pigeon, the park ranger heroine, is shadowing a grizzly bear researcher who is doing a population census of the bears by luring them to leave their hair on scratching posts. First Anna and the researcher are terrorized by a huge rogue bear, and then a body is found.

Blood Lure is one of Barr's more disappointing efforts. Although Glacier National Park is a jewel of the National Park System, it doesn't really come to life the way the Natchez Trace or the Guadalupe Mountains do. The resolution of the murders the park ranger heroine Anna Pigeon uncovers is also unsatisfactory. The situation seems contrived and well, unrealistic. I've read about five in the Anna Pigeon series and they were all more enjoyable. I look forward to sampling others and being able to lose myself in a national park once more.

BLOOD LURE brings Anna Pigeon out of the steamy south to Glacier National Park for a stark contrast in environment. Who killer the step-mother? The famed Grizzly or a more deadly creature? Anna searches for answers while playing the role of a student of DNA research on our largest bear.
Nevada Barr's skills of environmental description are in full swing, but the mystery is lackluster. If this is your first read of the exceptionally fine series, I recommend the first TRACK OF THE CAT or my favorite, FIRESTORM. Then pickup others an excellent series with lots of facts and information that spices the mix.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

I've read all of the Nevada Barr mysteries and this by far is the worst. Jumping back and forth between the two stories was tiring and boring. I only made it halfway through, and I had to struggle to get that far. The rest of the books in the series are good, but I don't recommend this one for a first time reader of the series.

I enjoyed the book. My husband likes to listen to audio books on our way cross-country.

Flashback (Nevada Barr): Our favorite national park ranger, Anna Pigeon, is temporarily filling in for the boss at Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys, after the park's head ranger lost his girlfriend, along with his grip on sanity. It is very hot, and not horribly exciting in the park until Anna receives a box of old letters from her sister, who had unearthed them because they were written by their great, great aunt Raffia when her husband was an army captain at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Anna spends her days dealing with sunburned tourists, and her nights getting caught up in the history of the last days of the Civil War.

Two stories then unfold; one in the present involving Anna and the staff at the park, and Raffia's story from the time when Fort Jefferson was an active military station and jail for the conspirators in the Lincoln assassination plot. The time periods start to merge in Anna's mind, however, when she sees and hears people from the past late at night while she wanders through the fort. Anna thinks she may be losing her grip on sanity, which makes her suspicious, since the last person to hold her job was institutionalized for the same thing. When one of her rangers is injured when an explosion sinks his boat, Anna starts to tie all the strange clues together to uncover a nefarious plot. Meanwhile, she's reading about a nefarious plot of old in her Aunt Raffia's letters, involving a sadistic sergeant, a rebel soldier, and Raffia's 16-year-old sister Tilly.

Anna is a solitary person and spends much of her time in introspection. Because of her circumstances at the fort, Raffia is also fairly solitary, but it was obvious that the two main characters in this novel were living very different lives. Raffia's welfare is largely dependent on the men around her, whereas Anna completely takes care of herself, even refusing her boyfriend's offer to fly down to keep her company when things are at their worst. Both stories, though different in nature, had similarities, and it was fun to read about two bits of intrigue happening in the same place at different times, and for different reasons. Nevada Barr is always worth reading, and this book is no exception.

The technique of telling two stories in alternate chapters did not work.Neither story ever got off the ground and the endings were dull!We are Nevada Barr fans,but finishing this book was a chore rather than a pleasure.Sorry!

Paul Davidson, former priest and sheriff in Natchez has proposed marriage and Anna Pigeon isn't sure this is what she wants. To put a little space between her and a long-term relationship she accepts a temporary assignment at Dry Tortugas National Park. An island, anything but conducive to contemplation as she finds herself involved in three different mysteries.
To keep the plot elements separate and moving Nevada Barr executes a splendid juggling act. Molly, Anna's sister send her a packet of letters written by a great-great-aunt who had lived at the fort during it's days as a prison. Rich in historical detail, a clever blend of the past and present, plus Anna's dilemma will insure fans follow the trail to a surprising conclusion. Maybe it is the complexity or diverse elements, but somewhere something is lacking, FLASHBACK isn't up to par for a Barr.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

I enjoyed the story. Like every other book written by Lisa Jackson I think she goes into detail way too much, but I've learned where to skim through her words and where I need to pay attention. While I guessed part of what was going on, I definitely did not figure out the entire story of who the killer was and why until it was revealed and for that, I give the author kudos.

Yes, is some of the story far-fetched, absolutely! But it's FICTION, not true crime. IMO, it's like in the movies when someone enters a scary place and you find yourself yelling at the t.v. - don't go in there and they do (they always do). Of course they do, it's what sells, just like in books. Same goes with the part that everyone seems to be related to one another - I personally thought that part was downright hysterical (which means it's entertaining and isn't that what it is all about).

As for leaving things untied, I see how that happened with Eve's brothers, no real ending with them (which makes me think maybe something more will be explained in another book?). As for Eve's relationship with Cole, I thought there was nothing wrong with the way it ended. And of course the Epilogue sets up the next book, it's a series isn't it?

i thought it started out very slow. Then it got really good, then the end..it just seemed rushed. The ending to me, didn't really have anything to do with the story. As one person wrote, you don't know how Eve's and Cole's relationship ended up, besides them getting back together. It just seemed Jackson wanted to hurry and start her new book which apparently is the sequel to this one.

I've read several of Lisa Jackson's books, and while I've liked the Bentz/Montoya stories, I thought this book was her worst by far.

It started very slow and didn't really pick up until close to the end. The storyline was confusing from the get go because so much had happened already before the book began, and the author didn't do a good job of recapping it. She also didn't do a good job of weaving in previous storylines, so someone reading this book without having read the others in the series would have no idea what was going on with Faith, Abby, Father James, etc.

The story went on too long and the way everyone ended up being related to each other was just beyond the realm of believable. It actually turned the book into a joke.

Too many ends were left hanging. What happened to Eve's brothers? Her father's will? Why the tattoos? What happened with Eve and Cole? They were the main characters through the book, but the whole wrap-up was about Kristi, setting up the author's next book with a cliffhanger, but not bothering to wrap things up for the main characters that we just spent nearly 500 pages reading about.

The book was also poorly edited, just like "Shiver." On one page, Montoya is talking to Bentz, Eve and Cole at Eve's house. On the next page, he's getting annoyed that Bentz hasn't yet shown up for their meeting with Eve and Cole, and Bentz is at the police station interviewing a possible witness. And this seems to continue in the next book of the series, as during the preview, it says on one page that Kristi and Olivia don't get along, then on the very next page it says they get along but aren't close.

Don't waste your money on this one.

I've read a few of the reviews and many have stated that there were some aspects of this book that were unrealistic... true. When I buy fictionally based books, I'm looking at the entertainment value, not whether or not the story is correct in procedures or religious practices.

As far as the entertainment value of this book is concerned, it was good and I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed in the sudden ending. The build up was pretty suspenseful, and then BAM! The story ended without much of an detailed explanation of what happened to the main characters, with the exception of Kristi, who I had a hard time caring about throughout the telling of the Absolute Fear since she seemed like a sidekick throughout the book. The book was a little long, so I'm wondering if the meat of the ending wound up on the editing room floor in an effort to save a few pages of text.

All in all, I'm giving this book 3 stars. A good read, but not excellent/outstanding. I think it's predecessor, Shiver, was a much better book. Better character details, and a lot better ending!

By the end of this book, it seemed that everyone in it was related to everyone else and about the only person who wasn't a blood relative to the killer(s) and/or victims was the reader, and the family tree was so convoluted I began to question my own lineage. And wasn't it convenient that all the people involved in the cover up or frame up or who were unwitting victims all had names that were palindromes? What about the tatoos? Honest, I knew what the tattoo meant the first time it was mentioned and the second time and the third time. I wanted to scream at the detectives in this one: Wake up, idiots! And these were detectives I liked in previous works by Lisa Jackson. This book was kind of interesting for the excitement end of it, but the mystery was no mystery (except when the ultimate bad guy turned out to be someone we hardly even meet in the book) and the romance between Cole and Eve was simply ridiculous. He was so abnoxious, I can't believe Eve was so shallow as to have any interest in him at all. On the other hand, why would this intelligent rising star of a lawyer be wasting his time with such a self-destructive airhead as Eve Renner? Maybe it was because he managed to lose his apparently substantial amount of accumulated wealth in about a month. He lost his house, his car...Everything and for what? Because he was a suspect? Cole definately needed a better financial planner. Okay, he had a great body and she was willing to do the deed with him whenever oppurtunity knocked. I wonder how their relationship will be in twenty years when he isn't the great hunk anymore and she's still hopping into bed with any stud who has a little animal magnetism. I don't know what to make of the explanation of the 'phantom' sperm. That was just way too convenient for the bad guy. Then there was Kristi, who found out late in the book how she was related. Kristi quit her day job on the off chance that she might be successful as a writer of true crime stories. Did she ever stop to think she might have to live for maybe a couple weeks before she started receiving royalty checks? How about an advance check if she had even started to write something? I don't know how that works, but can an unpublished, unknown and even unstarted writing writer earn a living? Anyway, I continue to count myself a Lisa Jackson fan, but this one was close to puting me over the edge and saying no more. I look forward to her next novel, but ABSOLUTE FEAR was not up to her usual standards. Bring on LOST SOULS! Maybe I'll re-read SHIVER or THE MORNING AFTER. Those are Lisa Jackson at her best.

Hunting Season is the second novel I read featuring Anna Pigeon (the first was Track of the Cat). This series, by Nevada Barr, probably has 10 or so books in it now. I was curious whether 1) Barr is still successful with the Anna Pigeon model, and 2) whether you had to have read the previous 9 (or so) novels to enjoy this one.

In Hunting Season, Law Enforcement Ranger Anna Pigeon is in Mississippi, protecting a sliver of National Park Service Land, the Natchez Trace Parkway (never heard of it). She discovers a murder... or is it? As in Track of the Cat, Anna does her normal job while tracking down the human and forensic clues in this case. And as in Track of the Cat, she works with some interesting folk, is still getting over the loss of her husband, and doesn't mind getting dirty. It looks like she has stopped drinking, at least as much as she used to.

I had figured out the cause of death of Doyce about mid-way through the book. But I really missed the boat when it came to "whodunit."

I'll tell you, the pace, action, and employment focus of this series just keeps reminding me of Dick Francis and his mysteries relating to horse racing. Not bad company to be in!

I look forward to my next Anna Pigeon novel.

This was the MOST frustrating Anna Pigeon book I've ever read.

Anna was so incompetent I could have screamed at her over and over, had she been in my living room.
To let Randy Thigpen (among very many others) get away with such insubordination and ineptitude, did not a great boss make!!

And let's not even talk about the deer meat in the trunk!

This book was a DRUDGE to work through...

Like "Deep South," "Hunting Season" is set in Natchez Trace National Parkway. This is one of those units of the National Park system that nobody ever thinks of, but it takes up a 450-mile stretch from southwestern border of Mississippi through the northeastern border and up to Nashville. Because it's a strip of parkway, it is far more a part of the community than many other national parks.

Though she has been there a while now, and is deep in a relationship with a local pastor-sheriff, Anna remains an outsider to this community. She is a Yankee law enforcement officer who finds herself in a world Yankee stereotypes: good old boys, racists, pickup trucks and football. The facts that Nevada Barr loves the region and that Anna is falling in love with a sympathetic local smoothen the rough edges of this relationship between character and place.

As a supervisor, Anna continues to have to deal with some difficult employees. One of her two rangers is a real nightmare, a lazy, sexist, hostile, lawsuit-prone loser. His forms of resistance are so well drawn that they must be based on some people in Nevada Barr's own past as a ranger.

What about the mystery? It's less compelling than most others in the series. In addition, the book has an unfortunate title - - as you may find yourself halfway through the book wondering why it has this name. If you think too hard about this, you'll be in the rare situation of a mystery reader knowing more than the detective knows.

If you're new to the Anna Pigeon series, I'd read a different book first. If you're committed to the series, don't skip this one because there are personal developments that remain important for subsequent books.

I think you either like Anna or you don't. I can't say the plots are air tight. I can't say she's the most intuitive of detectives. I can say she's wonderful to spend time with -- and her insights and descriptions of very real people are, to use a well-worn word, palpable. She's focused, flawed, and fabulous (as a result). This plot is solid, the setting is well used, and the resolution is right there. Maybe not my favorite Nevada Barr, but still an enjoyable ride.

Anna Pigeon has parked her vehicle for a second time on the dark, gloomy Natchez Trace, which allows Nevada Barr time to strengthen characters and develop the atmosphere of setting. HUNTING SEASON treats readers to a return engagement of characters from DEEP SOUTH and allows you to sink deeper into the quagmire of place, local politics and "old friends."
HUNTING SEASON has all of the Barr standards, fast paced, extensive knowledge of park rangers, their problems and duties, great plotting and rapid pace.
You don't become bored with a Nevada Barr, Anna Pigeon novel, no matter where the location.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Product arrived in condition stated and in a timely manner. Would definitely buy from this seller again.

This is one of Catherine Coulter's better Savich/Sherlock stories, I was so interested in it, I read it in two sittings, the only reason it took two was because I started too late in the day to finish it in one!!!! I hope she continues to write these stories, I always look forward to them.

I always love these stories but found this one to be overly contrived and totally unbelievable. The dialogue was poorly done and the character of Rachel was so self-assured I am not sure why she needed the FBI's help. During the gunfight at Slipper Hollow one character actually "laughed" as
he scooted along the floor to go get his gun...come on now you can do better than this. I did not finish the book.

I've been a fan of Catherine's FBI series for quite some time now. I own every book of the series and have loved them all. However this newest edition to the series is lukewarm at best. I loved the interaction between Sherlock and Savich, as I always do, but the rest of the characters were boring and not developed enough. I couldn't stand the heroine, Rachel, and the most of the new characters. The plot was slow and I was disappointed to know I really didn't care to see how it ended. I did finish it though and it was as dull as I expected it to be. I felt like she stringed everything together too quickly at the end and there was little suspense.

What I love about Catherine's writing is she usually paints a vivid picture in each book of the beautiful scenery and the colorful locals. Such as San Francisco in "Point Blank". But in this book she did a poor job painting the background. Washington DC is a wonderful city and she could have used it a lot more in the story, as well as the small towns in Virginia and Kentucky.

I will continue to buy Catherine's FBI books because I can't get enough of Sherlock and Savich but here's to hoping the plots and characters in the next stories are more developed and entertaining!

Adequately written - actually, I think FBI series is getting a bit old - suggest Ms Coulter try something else.
Linda Sheean

The blurb I had read on this book touted it as a romantic mystery. I didn't find it to be particularly romantic or a very good mystery at all. That said, it was a pleasant enough story. The prose is terribly simple, but overall there are worst ways to spend one's days. Definitely not the author's best work, but a lot better than some of the things that are out there.

Who's next? Lillian Harte, professional matchmaker, and successful CEO Gabe Madison. Gabe's a wonderful character - strong and determined, with a will of iron. He's pulled the family business out of the black chasm it fell into after the Harte-Madison split, pretty much at the expense of any social life. Now he wants to marry and have kids (especially since his brother Rafe is happily married), but has no idea where to find a wife. He insists on becoming a client with matchmaker Lillian, and she insists on trying to fob him off. 5 out of his 6 planned dates are utterly disastrous. No #6 for him, oh no, not when Lillian considers Gabe somehow sabotages each and every date. She's retiring, she declares, to his irate disbelief. He follows her back to Eclipse Bay, intent on dogging her heels to make her fulfil her business obligation to him. To his horror she closes her office and takes up painting, for goodness sake. Watching this controlled, modern-day warrior lose his cool with sweet, feminine Lillian is breathtaking. The suspense sub-plot, the ongoing Harte-Madison feud and the entire cast of Eclipse Bay will continue to enchant.

I think I liked this one as much as I did the first stoyr. This is the story of Gabe and Lillian. As usual a Harte and a Madison don't usually mix well. But, in this case Lillian has been hired by Gabe due to her dating service. But, after more than the guaranteed dates and reupping Gabe still has not found his match. He has one data left and he is going to insist Lillian fufill her contract, much to her dismay as she has decided to close her business. They both wind up back in Eclipse Bay and the showdown starts. There are alot of the characters you have come to enjoy in this one such as Virgil and AZ...

I am having bad luck with audio books; in particular romance mysteries. The women just cant do a man's voice convincingly enough for me. This time she made Lillian sound like such a priss. Finally, got the book from the library, forgot the audio and had a great time with it. The first chapter is a howl. Gabe & Lillian are a tough couple to rate, so I just went along with the book. The premise was weak but, it's summer and I have decided to just read and enjoy. Not much time is invested and it is a nice addition to the trilogy. I would recommend the 'Naked in Death" unabridged audio; now there's a woman who can do all voices and make it work!

I have never laughed so hard in my life. At one point I actually had tears rolling... some of the stuff with AZ killed me but the wholehearted tears came from the camera shot... I will not ruin it for those who have not read but the whole red undies thing was hysterical. The sex was a bit weak... a lot of assumptions, which is fine but I think more then one sceen would have made the "clicking" of the characters a bit stronger. All in all though a good book I throughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Summer at Eclipse Bay next! I would recommend this book agian

Nicole Sullivan is an investigative reporter for 24 Hours Investigates. She grew up on Pawleys Island, and is doing a TV special on the only unsolved murder case on the island. Fifteen years ago, Tara Mitchell, Lauren Schultz, and Becky Iverson were all teenage girls that went missing. Although Tara's was the only body discovered, it is assumed the other girls met the same horrible fate. Nicky is bringing another aspect to her show, and that is her mother. Lenora James is a well-known psychic, and she is going to try to make contact with the girls.

Joe Franconi is the chief of police on the island, and after the urging of the mayor, tries to stop the show from taping at the home where the murder took place, but is unsuccessful. He immediately has a showdown with the irritating reporter over the show, but as much as he hates
the thought, finds himself very attracted to her. Joe doesn't believe in psychics, but is there to keep peace while the show tapes.

When Nicky disappears after the show's conclusion, Joe goes in search of her, but doesn't expect her to stumble into his path injured and bloody. She insists he go find her coworker, Karen, because she was attacked too only she fears Karen didn't make it. After everything is sorted out, there is one dead, and a killer left with a fascination for Nicky. No one knows if this is the same man that killed the three teens, but the coincidence is too much to ignore. Joe promises to keep her safe, but when the killer steps up his game intent to get to her, all bets are off.

This was my first book by this author, and I liked it! It won't be my last because a good thriller is always appreciated. Nicky was a little whiney, and acted completely like the prima donna, but her attitude shifted when Karen was murdered. Joe is the embodiment of a man with a tortured soul, and his need to protect Nicky consumed him. The ending was a little hurried, but overall a good read.

I had high hopes for this book but I never really felt a connection with the main characters; Joe or Nicky. I've read a couple other books by Robards and liked them; "Obsession" and "Guilty". Maybe it's the mood I was in, but I didn't enjoy this one.

I think what killed the book for me is when one of the characters had their hands handcuffed behind their back and yet still managed to reach into the front pocket of their pants.

Soft Porn? Some of the descriptions were a bit too much, many of them focussed on Nicky's upper body. Nicky seemed to be in heat throughout most of the book!

Authors - Adjectives are good when used judiciously. However using adjectives to modify other adjectives does not mean you have command of the language.

This book had a variety of plot potholes that should have been patched during the final edit. Shame on you editor.

Finally I would describe the ending of this book as probably the best example of deus ex machina ever.

Let see, Southerners check, girlfriends with kids check, pet pigs check, island check, extended family all under one roof check, psychics check, smartass reporter from Chicago check, hunky chief of police with checkered past check. I think that about covers it.

Cheesy! Silly! Unbelievable... and ... boring!
I actually forgot I was reading this a few times. The plot is lame, the romance is sad... Just ehhhh!

This was my first karen robards book, and it was alright. I liked the charactor interaction and the pace was good, however there were parts that woren't developed well at all. The psycic angle could have been much more interesting for example if the spirit guide and the block had anything to do with the story, not to mention the blocked psycic ability had been explored. I also didn't like how the story was stumbling along and then out of nowhere all the loose ends get tied up in a neat little bow and it turns out being people who have very little bearense on the story itself. I wouldn't recomend it as a fabulous read but it's certainly not the worst book I've ever read and it was interesting enough to finish.

I've only just finished this book yesterday and I've already forgotten much of it. It's just plain unremarkable. There is a villian, the heroine's evil older husband. There are two romances in the story; one of the heroine, and one of the hero's younger, developmentally-disabled sister. The love scenes are trite and although they do not go into graphic detail, there's something vulgar about the language. This novel was written in 1984, and perhaps it read differently then, but I found the dialogue and descriptions during love scenes a bit smarmy. It's not terrible, but there's not much to enjoy either.

I read this book a long time ago, but recently revisited it.

We have to remember that "Bittersweet Rain" was first published in 1984 under the name of Erin St. Claire, so the writing and style reflects Sandra's writing of that time period.

It is a straight-up romance, and a very good one.

Caroline Dawson, the daughter of the town drunk, has always dreamed of living in a house like The Retreat, where the Lancasters live.

She is also "smitten" with Rink Lancaster, but although he could meet her secretly during their magical summer, she knew he'd never want to be with her in public.

She realizes her goal of living at The Retreat... but is it worth losing the only man she's ever loved?

Characters didn't seem real and the sex invoved is too much like her other novels. Seems formulaic.

I am always looking for stories that have a bit of a twist and this one does.Good character and plot development. I enjoyed reading it.

I could accept the premise of star-crossed lovers seperated, only to be brought back together by unhappy circumstance. Even if the circumstance was the marriage of the heroine to the hero's father. Okay, so the father was evil was orchestrated everything. He was cruel and used the heroine, verbally abusing her as well as being physically rough with her.

So how is the son different from the father? When he gets angry with her (which is most of the time), he grabs her, mauls her, tells her she's trash, while she fights to get away from him. How is it we're supposed to believe she loves him? Their summer romance was when she was 15, and this is some 12 years later. He certainly doesn't rekindle any romantic feelings by being kind.

The sex scenes are embarassing with their euphemisms and overall lameness.

The book wasn't a horrible premise. It was just horribly done. A hero should be likeable and it should be obvious why the heroine wants to be with him.

I got to about page 60 and give up. It's almost ALL interior dialogue and boring as hell. If Kat said one more time, "I'm a single mother!!!!" I thought I'd throw up. Did she really think criminals would say, oh, holy mother, sorry, you're fee to go? So she reproduced, big deal. I agree with all the other negative reviews. She was TSTL.

A big disappointment for me. It's the first book I've read by this author. I was looking for a mystery, instead got a cheap Harlequin romance. Fortunately, it was a library book, so at least I didn't spend any money on the matter. I won't be reading any more of her work!

I enjoyed this book overall. It is definitely a big step up from her previous two klunkers. I found the chemistry between Tom and Kate believable. I really liked Tom. Kate did make very stupid decisions, but I could almost see how it happened - getting yourself deeper and deeper into a bad situation. Now for my criticisms (LOL): editing mistakes: her co-worker Bryan is described at the beginning as small and compact. Later on, he is stocky. Also, his name is spelled Bryan, but in some instances, it is spelled Brian. I don't know Philadelphia but it was interesting to read the comments about misuse of the river locations.

And now for my main comment: did anyone else notice the product placement in this book? Maybe it happens in other books and I've just never noticed it. At the beginning, she wears her "Hanes" t-shirt several days in a row. When Tom embraces her, she notices that he uses "Downy" fabric softener. I'm not sure if the author gets product placement fees (as movies do) or if she was just trying to add a realistic touch, but I thought it was a bit overdone. Now I don't mind when brand names are mentioned because it contributes to the story (for instance, you know a character is rich because they pull up in their Rolls Royce, etc.) But these ones seemed to be in there for no valid reason.

My other criticism is the whole gang thing - first, there's only one prisoner who survived the courthouse shooting and no one is suspicious as to why he was the only one who survived. No one interviewd him about what happened? Especially when he is evidently part of the notorious Black Dragons gang (like the Crips only worst, haha). Then at the end it is actually the mob who set this all up? I found that a bit confusing.

But I did like Kate, I liked her son, I enjoyed their relationship. As with most of these books, I thought the final denouement and ending was too quickly wrapped up.

I have to say this was better than her last one but still leaves a little to be desired. Some said the heroine was stupid; I would say she made some really bad decisions. She was a bit annoying in the fact that she lied about everything to her son, to Tom to the police. One could have trust issues with her. The book is a little wordy in descriptions of rooms and places and I skimmed a lot. I really didn't get into the book until the last few chapters. I didn't see the romance between Tom and Kate. It was all pretty rushed. I did like Tom's character and his family and of course Ben. Kate was the only character I wasn't too sure about. Sometimes I could tolerate her and sometimes I just found her annoying. Of course predictibly everything turns out great and the bad guys get caught and everyone lives happily ever after. Not a bad read, just not great. At least it was beliveable as opposed to Obsession which was totally unbeliveable.

I listened to the audio publication of this book. I really liked the story at the beginning (after "Kitty Kat" became "Kate"), but there were way too many "What?" moments, especially at the end, that the book ended up being a disappointment for me. I did like Kate and Tom and their romance and Ben's relationship with his mom was sweet. I am a lawyer so I had to suspend my logic for much of the book, especially when the courtroom massacre at the beginning is not treated like the HUGE news event it would be. Kate, a hostage who supposedly has heroically escaped her captor, has newspeople hounding her for only 1-2 days? Not likely. Also, Kate is a prosecutor and it is incredibly hard to believe that the potential disclosure of a juvenile crime in which she was not even involved would scare her so much that she would put her son's life at risk. I kept waiting for the "BIG TASK" that for some unexplained reason, Kate is seemingly the only person able to accomplish. What a letdown when that comes to light and **SPOILER ALERT** a decoy is able to do it for Kate at the last minute. The confrontation scene at the end made me laugh out loud. We get an uncoerced confession by the bad guy and it all gets wrapped up neatly as though the author's publication deadline was looming and she had to get the book done. I thought the beginning of the story had a lot of promise and it was not fulfilled for this reader.