Browning Books

I really enjoy Laura Child's writing style. Enough detail to paint the scene but no overkill. Like the settings. Mysteries are believable and keep you guessing. A quick read and enjoyable. Prefer her tea novels to the scrapbooking novels.

This is not my first Laura Childs Tea Shop Mystery, although this is the first I have reviewed. I read the others years ago before I started reviewing on Amazon.
I find this particular one to be just as charming as the others. I cannot say the mystery was a big draw for me, but like other reviewers the tea information is wonderful. I also find the descriptions of the town to be lovely. It makes you want to take weekend getaway there, and visit Theodosia's tea shop.
One of my favorite characters is Drayton. I just find him so proper and old fashion that I hang on to his every word. I really love the old world, proper attitude that Laura Childs gives him. Some may find him stuffy, but to me he is definitely charming like the rest of the story.
Like I mentioned above I totally agree with some of the other reviewers who have remarked that the mystery could be taken out and the story would have been just as great with the descriptions, characters, and tea facts. I think this is the main reason why I read the books. I have never been a big mystery fan until I found the cozy mysteries anyway.
I recommend this highly for fans of the art of tea, and those who love the cozy, charming life.

Larua Childs is becoming one of my favorite authors. Jasmine Moon Murder was well written with tidbits about tea and tea shops inserted well. There is a surprise ending but book has a great finish!

I enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the tea shop, and it is abundant here. This book isn't quite as good as the last because the motive of the murderer is a little lame. I'm not sure someone willing to commit murder wouldn't think things out a bit more to make sure they were murdering the right person. The second murder was even more "unthought out" - circumstantial evidence of such a thin nature being the reason to get a gun and shoot to kill? I don't think so. One last complaint about the heroine's relationship with her boyfriend - could it be any less passionate? Yikes! Tidwell the policeman seems to like Theo more! The warmth of the book is definitely in the tea shop and with Theo's tea shop family - and not with her romantic relationship! That all being said, it still is fun to read to be part of the cozy family.

Laura Childs has certainly found a niche with her Tea Shop Mystery series. For fans of both mystery and tea alike can find something to enjoy in these fast-paced easy reads. Yet Childs and her amateur sleuth don't seem to be making many improvements as the series continues down its predictable path.

"The Jasmine Moon Murder", the fifth in the series, finds the amateur detective Theodosia Browning dealing with a murder that hits very close to home - the uncle of her boyfriend, Jory Davis. When Jory's uncle collapses at a local fundraising event, Theodosia finds a synringe on the ground nearby and knows that his death was not accidental. And although Theo promises the now familiar detective Burt Tidwell that she will keep her distance from the crime, she can't help but investigate when Jory asks her for help. And just like always, Theodosia's sleuthing winds up with her getting a little too close to the truth and making herself a target for the killer at large.

The Tea Shop Mystery series is a unique series, and it seems a shame that the recipes and information about tea are almost more entertaining than the mystery at hand. Childs will certainly never win any awards for writing, as she refuses to believe that her audience is as intelligent as she believes her own creation to be. Her writing is strewn with repeated descriptions mere pages apart and similes that land as softly as an atom bomb, (not to mention that this particular edition had an awful lot of typos in it). All in all, taking the bad with the good, these mysteries are a pleasant and thirst-inducing escape from reality.

Forster does a good job of pulling us into the plight of Wilson, the maid. She effectively demonstrates the selfishness of employers and the desperation of servants in that era. The book is long and sometimes slow and seems to repeat itself in certain points, and I wish Wilson had come to her realization of self-sufficiency earlier on, but overall I liked it and wanted to see how it ended, however sad.

I was expecting a very interesting read from this book, but just could not finish it. The characters were dull and the storyline was monotonous and never seemed to go anywhere. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was just plain depressing. I kept hoping something exciting would happen, so I kept on reading, but stopped before I reached the halfway mark. Just too tedious.

Told from the intriguing perspective of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's maid, Wilson, this book asks us to look at the relationship between the English upper-class and their personal servants in the nineteenth century. Where close bonds can develop, as they do here, what are the obligations of a maid to her mistress, and what are the obligations of a mistress to her maid?

Here, the Brownings (especially Elizabeth) do not necessarily come off well, at some points seeming to deliberately throw up obstacles to the happiness of Mrs. Browning's maid, even though to help her would come at little or no cost to themselves, and would seem to be no more than she deserves after years of loyal and devoted service. But Wilson also makes poor choices; is she relying on the Brownings for their help inappropriately? That she continually chooses her employers over herself and her family is frustrating, as is the Browning's continuing inability to recognize the sacrifices she makes.

The resolution of the book is not entirely satisfactory. After a lengthy, drawn-out process, Wilson more or less accepts that she is on her own and that the Brownings owe her nothing. But it feels more as though she was forced to this realization, rather than coming to it naturally, and showing some growth as a character.

This book was our book club pick last month. I would say only half of us read it . It was so slow in starting , I almost did not finish it. However, I loved Elizabeth Barrett and Robt Browning when I was younger . So I gave it another try and finished it. I felt it was too drawn out and very slow to start. This is the reason why I only gave it 2 stars.

Dr. Phil is right in that you teach people how to treat you, and that is the lesson this "lady's maid" needs to learn. She spends the whole book letting her famous employer deprive her of a human existence (the dog has a better life), whining all the while but rarely taking the necessary steps to ensure a life of her own. Or even believing that she deserves a life of her own. She's mostly content (whatever her whining) to bask in vicariously living through what crumbs her employer throws her. I lost patience with her very quickly. What little she learns is mostly too little and too late. As for those who say "this is how life was for maids -- sure, for some. But they aren't the ones worth a novel. I can't recommend this book at all. I do recommend "Not in front of the servants" which is a fascinating description of true life tales "in service" that doesn't involve hair shirt flagellation.

This book is probably the weakest personal account of an eating disorder i have read. Chelsea is juvenile in her idealisms and shallow in her everyday thoughts and concerns.I am not saying she didn't suffer, I just think that this was one journal that didn't need to go to print. I highly recommend WASTED by marya hornbacher< spelling? that is a deep, teeth to the bones story. she dosn't dance around anything. it is served straight up and often leaves those who have been there speachless.

I think this book is realistic. From her journal, she lets you in on her thoughts and concerns, when in most cases you would never be able to get that kind of insight. Coming from having an eating disorder myself, it helped to know that I wasn't alone in my situation. Also, the added words from her mother gives most of us a point of view we would never truly get an opportunity to hear. As long as you remember to take it as the story of her struggle and her recovery, I think it is worth reading. If you can't relate to it, it still has good insight for a friend or a family member, or anyone interested in the subject of eating disorders.

Finally a book about eating disorders that isn't all sarcasm and would be wit. A book about a girls battles and triumphs, fears and ambitions, but most importantly about herself, her needs and her recovery.

Vapid, self-important, and poorly written, this book is also chock full of religious claptrap and the rationalizing of a spoiled brat. I'm happy that Chelsea recovered, but can't believe that anybody decided that this "journal" was worth putting into print. Very few redeeming qualities.

Chelsea Smith's diary entries become tediously repetitive in their adolescent appeals to "God". "I'm so glad I have God", she writes. I believe that faith can help those suffering from eating disorders overcome their obstacles to recovery, but Chelsea's book didn't really delve into the emotional roots of her eating disorder. The entire book reads like a pre-teen's diary (even her entries as a young adult), full of empty platitudes. Nothing new here. I recommend instead Cindy Nappa Bitter's book, "Good Enough." It opens up all the emotional agony that provokes an eating disorder, but in such a way that anyone can relate.

I loved a lot of things about this book. Kate is funny, smart, modern, and you feel like she could be your best friend or your sister. But it is a lot of build up for an ending that leaves you feel unsatisfied. One of the reasons, I think, to read a Romance Novel as opposed to something else, is for the happy ending. This has one...to a point. Just be warned.

This book had a lot of promise, but I have to say, I could barely get through it. The ending was a bummer, certainly, but the rest of the book never really reached me.

To Hell with Love had a very interesting premise, Hades the god of the underworld is out to find a loving companion to end the dark loneliness of his immortal existence. Interior designer Kate draws Hades notice when she responds to the question of who would be the perfect man to date and replies that it would be the devil but it would take more than a couple of dates before she'd be willing to give up her soul. But of course Hades who makes his appearance a year later as rich and handsome Owen doesn't do souls, and anyway what he really wants is Kate's heart for all eternity.

Though the premise was great the execution is not typical of your standard romance novel, more time was spent developing Kate and her family than the relationship between Kate and Owen, making the romance between the two not developed enough in the first two thirds of the book to give it a real intensity. In fact Kate spends way too much time dreaming of being with Owen and waiting for his calls and not enough time in his company. When they actually do spend time together, Owen is so omnipotent that their conversations have a very odd feel. Also since Owen does grand gestures but doesn't do a great deal of acting on the emotion that Kate sees in his eyes -- while he also keeps fending off Kate's blatant seduction -- it felt at times that all the love between them was in Kate's head.

As strange as it seems with everything I've said so far, the book did redeem itself in the end. So while I can understand why some reviewers couldn't get past all this, somehow in the last third of the book once Kate and Owen got to the crisis point in their relationship, where he reveals his true identity and wants her to make the choice of loving him at the cost of giving up her life and her family, I really started to finally connect to these two. And since this crisis point also coincided with a family crisis for Kate, the final development of her character and the clarity that brings really added depth to the story. Add to that Owen finally learning the selflessness of love and sacrificing when there was no compromise along with the bittersweetness of his sacrifice and I ended up liking the book. But I have to admit that I did cheat and read the other reviews, so I was prepared when the author didn't succumb and give us the easy typical romance novel happily ever after.

If you don't mind unconventional HEAs and like the mythological tie-in of To Hell with Love, you might want to consider checking out P.C. Cast's books. She has several goddess related works that have a similar bittersweetness if you are looking for something a little out of the mainstream romance norm.

P.C. Cast's Goddess Summoning Series:
Goddess of the Sea (Goddess Summoning, Book 1) (Berkley Sensation)
Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning, Book 2)
Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning, Book 3)
Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning, Book 4)

I haven't read this one but am including it for completeness.
Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning, Book 5)

Not really interesting, hard to keep you interested. I found it boring and would not recommend it to anyone. Not a keeper

I'll have to differ from some of the other reviewers here to say that I, for one, loved the very thing that they didn't. For me, Owen's (Hades) gift to Kate was incredibly romantic even if the ending was bittersweet. And there IS a HAE to come - even if it's after Kate's mortal life is over. Seriously, did those other reviewers really think there could be a perfect love between a mortal and a god here on earth?

While Mrs. Pearson crafts an engaging tale and a gut-wrenching tribute to POWs during World War Two, the way this book is packaged tarnishes the story. On the cover is written, "A POW's inspiring true story of faith, courage, and survival aboard the infamous WWII Japanese hell ship Oryoku Maru." A picture of the Oryoku Maru adorns the top of the front cover. In fact, the protagonist spends 10 pages of the narrative onboard the Oryoku Maru, out of a 265-page story.

Furthermore, on the back cover: "On December 13, 1944, POW Estel Myers was herded aboard the Japanese prison ship Oryoku Maru with more than 1,600 other American captives. Almost 1,300 of them would be dead by journey's end...." Again, this sounds as if 1,300 prisoners perished aboard the Oryoku Maru, but this is not what Mrs. Pearson details inside the book! Included in this figure of 1,300 are deaths in the Philippines, on another Japanese vessel, and in Japan. Horribly misleading.

One final note. Skip pages 200 and 201 of this book which state that during World War Two Emperor Hirohito chose "not to be involved in his government's actions or decisions." For the truth behind Hirohito's role during and leading up to World War Two, read Herbert P. Bix's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan."

This false advertising from Penguin Putnam prevents Mrs. Pearson's book from receiving the 4 stars it deserves. Shame on you, publisher!

To start with the title might lead you to believe this is a 'POW's true story" except the POW passed away in 1973 and never wrote this story. It is nothing more than using a mans name to lend some authenticity to the "based upon a true story" concept. The dialogue is completely made up by the author and it reads like a 1950's television show... "Gee fellas... those japs sure are nasty". In my opinion this should be listed as fiction. The author claims in her opening that she did not want to distract the reader with footnotes. I can see why because there wouldn't be any. Overall this 'novel' could have been put together with a dozen or so Wikipedia searches and some overly cheesy dialogue. If you are looking for a true accounts similiar to Night by Elie Weisel this isn't it! Ghost Soldiers and Baa Baa Black Sheep are two that come to mind that give a much better treatment of the subject. If you are only interested in the glossed over Ladies Home Journal version this might do, but barely.

Author Judith Pearson has written a riveting tale about the improsonment and ultimate mistreatment of American POWs by the Japanese. The story centers around Estel Myers, a young man who joins the Army as a corpsman. After serving a tour in China, Myers was assigned to the Philippines shortly before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The Japanese invaded in mid-December, 1941, and Myers was taken prisoner by the Japanese.

Myers suffered for two years in a Japanese prison camp with very little food or water, but his ultimate punishment was soon to follow. The Americans had turned the tide against the Japanese,and were fighting their way back to re-capture the Philippines. Realizing this, the Japanese began loading their POWs on "Hell Ships"; grossly overloaded freighters; for the long voyage to prison camps in Japan. Myers was loaded aboard the ship Oryuku Maru with approximately 1,600 other POWs. Only about 400 arrived in Japan alive. Myers survived the sinking of the Oryuku Maru as well as transfers from two other Hell Ships before reaching Japan.

The conditions on the ships were much worse than in the camps. Each man was allotted approximately 1/4 cup of rotten rice per day, along with a tiny amount of water. Men were unable to sit or lay down in the holds of the ships due to the massive overcrowding. Sanitary facilities amounted to a bucket lowered by the Japanese. The death rate was astounding. In the later stages of the voyage, as many as fifty men were dying per day.

Upon reaching Japan, many of the men were put to work on docks, in coal mines, or building defense shelters. Many died, but some, including Myers, managed to survive to be liberated by the Americans. Myers eventually succumbed years later due to the toll taken on his body by the Japanese.

This is an eye-opening book. The atrocities committed by the Japanese are unbelievable, and it is a miracle that Myers managed to survive for so long. Read this fine book and live the life of a POW.

the best book i have read so far on this subject.i felt i was living every moment, but so glad i was not. a true testimony to the spirit of human courage and endurance. and a valuable insight to the inhumanities of mankind.

I speak from the perspective of someone who has known several Philippine POWs and have read extensively on this subject. This book is so full of inaccuracies it is not worth anyone's time to read it. There are hundreds of better books out there on the subject. Save your money!

This review is concerns the Heritage Press edition of 1966.

Housed in a matte, pumpkin-colored slipcase. Black machine-tooled cloth with gold details with a sewn binding.

Preface and translation of the Aeschylus by Rex Warner. End Note by Mrs. Shelley. 161 pp on ivory paper with 16 full page Farleigh illustrations.

An understated yet impressive design.

Prometheus Bound is the tale of Prometheus, a titan, who is being punished by Zeus. It is an interesting story and well worth the read, although it is only the first of three plays. The other two are lost to us. The price alone makes this a great deal.

I always find the prospect of reading ancient literature daunting, but this play was very easy to understand. I would definitely recommend this as a supplement for those studying ancient Greek Mythology. It really added depth to my understanding of Prometheus, Zeus and the mind set of the Ancient Greeks.

This is a stunningly modern translation of The Prometheus Bound. James Scully, the poet-translator, has done the impossible, he's turned one of the world's oldest dramas into a can't-put-it-down pageturner. If you've never read the Prometheus or read it and found it dull and archaic, read this translation. Additionally, there's a fascinating discussion at the end of what territory the next two plays in the Prometheus trilogy probably covered and this includes all the fragments of the other two plays that have been found. It was a great loss to Western Civilization when the rest of the trilogy failed to survive the Dark Ages for all the fragments hint that, where the play we have is pure defiance, Prometheus as the lone rebel against tyranny, the trilogy as a whole was about reconciliation, the ability for irreconciliable opposites to come to terms with each other without surrender or compromise. Still, even without that, the play we have gives an overwhelming image of the unbreakable human spirit and that alone makes it well worth reading. Prometheus Bound in a good translation is a must read.

Don't spend the extra money for this translation. Buy the Dover Thrift edition. You get the same story for a buck or two, and this translation is nothing spectacular.

If there ever was "a good guy" in baseball, then surely it was Tom Browning. Growing up a Reds fan in Wyoming, he ended up being noticed in college by none other than the Reds, the only team who ever had an interest in drafting him. After an incredible rookie season (going 20-8), Browning struggled in his second, being briefly demoted, before coming back and then really making his mark on the team.

"Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout" (196 pages) focuses on the obvious highlights in Tom's career: first and foremost, his perfect game in September, 1988, which almost no-one actually saw, due to a 2+ hour rain delay; the wire-to-wire 1990 season in which the Reds swept the mighty A's (with the so-called "Bash Brothers") in the World Series, Tom's rooftop appearance acorss the street from Wrigley Field while the Reds and Cubs were playing, etc. Tom's observations on team owner Marge Schott and managers Pete Rose, Lou Pienella and Tony Perez come across heartfelt (Tom's still disgust with the firing of Perez after only 44 games flies off the pages).

Tom takes enormous pride in having recently been elected to the Reds Hall of Fame (the longest operating team Hall of Fame in the country, incidentally), and rightly so. Contrary to so many of today's professional athletes, Tom Browning is an unassuming, down-to-earth guy, and he brought the Reds fans many thrills during his career. Thanks Tom! This book is enjoyable to read, and brought back many good memories for this longtime Reds fan.

Tom Browning was one of the nicest guys in college.
The few pros I've met who played with him or knew him well always agree.
While not a literary classic, this book is pure Browning - always said from the heart and with that sheepish grin.
The image of flannel shirt, down vest, spit cup with a chaw enlarged smile shines through the pages.
It was fanTAZtic!

This is a book that no Reds fan should be without. Even baseball fans in general should consider picking up this gem. The chapters flow well throughout the book and the writing is entertaining. Stupp has done a tremendous job of tying in outside resources to further detail Browning's stories.

September 16, 1988, a day every Reds fan should remember. After a lengthy rain delay, Browning took the mound and threw a perfect game against the Dodgers. This event was the sole reason I purchased this book. Several chapters cover the events leading up to the game and at-bats as the game went on. This was my favorite part of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Browning's performance and the World Champion 1990 Reds.

Overlooked by virtually every other major league club, the Cincinnati Reds drafted left-hander Tom Browning in the ninth round of the 1982 amateur draft. After he learned the screwball in the minors, his career flourished.

The perfect game, the Ol' Left-Hander Joe Nuxhall nearly knocking himself out after that game, the wire-to-wire 1990 World Series championship team, his 20 wins as a rookie, the rooftop incident in Chicago, and the battle with Marge Schott over the new Chevrolet are the stuff of legend here.

Then there's the not-so great moments like his broken arm and the marijuana bust, and, of course, the fallout over Pete Rose's admission that he had indeed bet on baseball after years of denying it.

What you've got here are funny, brutally honest stories. It's been said that you can often judge a culture by how that culture portrays its heroes and a person by how that person portrays himself or herself.

For his brutal honesty off the field and competitiveness on it, Brownie is one of my favorite Reds of all time, and if I sound a little biased, I happily plead guilty.

I am an admirer of fine firearms and I own three double barrel shotguns; one of which is a Browning Superposed, SN 69172. I bought it used back in 1970 for $288. Wow! Say goodbye to the good old days. When I saw this book, I had to have it. The author went into great depth and detail regarding what has to be one of the finest double barreled shotguns ever made. Nothing is left to chance, from its first years as a production item through to the present, when it ended up becoming a custom made item. Chronological dates are provided concerning production and when they were made. Mine was made in 1959. I was especially impressed with the chapter on the engraving department for the FN Works. The number of engravers employed by the factory was extensive and it is no small wonder the higher grade Brownings are some of the most beautifully engraved guns I have ever seen. This is borne out by the very extensive use of color photographs of the engraving and custom guns found throughout the book. If you are an admirer of fine guns like I am, then you would enjoy sitting down in your favorite chair one evening and reading this book. This is a book to be read again and again and enjoyed. Buy it. It will be money well spent.

This book held great promise for me. But as I read through it, I began to realize how few real facts about the Superposed it actually contained. Oh, there are plenty of sales charts and market projections... photos of beautiful guns, too. But these can only suffice to a point. The collector and aficionado wants to know more than the story of engraving and sales histories. The inside story of the gun is crtical. The steels. The design. The mechanism's function and evolution. And with so much access to the FN records and personnel, actual on-site contact in Liege, and an apparent interview with the late Val Browning, author Schwing managed to reveal very little beyond the empirical. Many of the facts that are contained in the book are also repeated. Some more than twice. It's still a great photo feast, however. And it inspired me to go out and buy two Superposed shotguns. So the book does have a certain value.

As an owner of a Browning Superposed, I was interested in the history of its' design. This book is, in many ways, an excellent overview of this popular over/under which combines American design with Belgian Fabrique Nationale Herstel craftsmanship. I did, however, find the details of Browning's business history excessive, boring and unnecessary; charts, sales figures, etc.. A few pages on this subject would have been more than adequate; I wanted to know about the gun. The color photos are excellent, although, of course, I would have liked more. Paper quality is also excellent. In short, everything is here for the Browning or double enthusiast. Just filter through the boring stuff. If you're interested in the Superposed there's really no alternative to this book. Plus it's reasonably priced for what you get. Hope this review helps anyone considering the purchase of this book.

I enjoyed this book for it's illustrations and written content. I dissagree with the some of the other reviewers comments. The "Salt-Wood" problem was discussed, several paragraphs worth covering it's origin. There is also discussion of the design changes made during the course of production and well as a sidebar on the Simmons/Cordy & Sons barrel conversions. The text does focus alot on the financial dealings of the Browning family and the FN factory, but the Superposed was a commercial venture so the health of the company producing it is relevant. I also enjoyed the lengthy discussion of the engravers with samples of their workmanship. It was ammusing to compare the photos to my '69 Grade I Broadway. The book could have used more engineering drawings of the design. However, I didn't expect this book to be focused on the repair of Superposed shotguns.

The book is a good tabletop piece, with some well researched facts about the Superposed history and some excellent color illustrations. If you are buying the book to guide you in the purchase of a Superposed beware! There is no discussion of the salt wood problem that existed from 1966 to 1973. Unless you are excited about statistical data covering models, grades, etc. you will not be pleased with the large percentage of the book dedicated to charts and graphs. You can learn more about the Superposed from other books and articles than is available here. Caveat Emptor!

I think this book could be outstnding but is very vague on the do it your self portion and programs that can accomplish the desired pictres! I think the author wrote tis book to sell his scroll saw patterns, and not to provide the information the title suggests.

If you want to turn your photographs into patterns you might look else where. There are no instructions telling you how to use software. You are told to get a software product that will let you work with pictures. In one photo you are shown a dog with one ear being dark. You are told to copy the ear from the other side onto the dark ear. You are not told how to do it---just do it.
Ther are many patterns already made. If you are looking for premade patterns then you may enjoy this book.

I gave this product as a gift to a relative who is very good with scroll saw tecniques. He was unaware of this book. It gave him a new perspective particularly in creating his own designs. Thanks.

I Loved the Book Scrollsaw Portraits! I just started scroll sawing & I can do the portraits. I think Gary is very talented & should make another book! A must for any scroll sawer!

The author compressed his vast knowledge and experience into simple tips and instructions. I was able to immediately make several excellent scrollsaw patterns. Plus, the patterns he provided add tremendously to the value...and his patterns are highest quality. One of the best craft books I've come across.

Since the back cover synopsis is already given on this page, I'll skip straight to my review:

As another reviewer has stated, the editing job on this book is atrocious. So many glaring mistakes made for a very annoyed reader. Not just with continuity, but with logic. For instance, in the last story, it's stated that the 8 1/2 months pregnant heroine's flight got cancelled. Um, hello? 99% of doctors (not to mention airlines) will not let you fly in your third trimester, especially not when you're that close to your due date. But whatever, I'm sure most readers can just ignore these kinds of mistakes for the sake of the romance.

I did somewhat enjoy Leanne Banks' story, FAITH'S SUGAR PLUM DADDY, but I felt that this story really suffered from the page restriction. There was just a little too much reliance on physical chemistry, and not enough focus on actual romance. I don't expect my romances to be squeaky clean, but I need more than just flying hormones to cheer a couple on. I'd like to see what this author can do when she's given enough room to work. Three stars.

I didn't expect much from Dixie Browning's CHRISTMAS EVE REUNION, since I hadn't liked her work in the past. I'm afraid that this story did nothing to change my mind. I found the way the heroine kept pining over a long-ago date (of one night!) a little bit pathetic, considering it had happened over twenty years ago, and in high school, no less! Also, there was not much interaction between the characters (apart from inside the heroine's memories) for a long time. We don't actually meet the hero in real life for a long time. Couldn't finish this one, I'm afraid. Two stars.

Kathie DeNosky's NEW YEAR'S BABY was an okay read. Nothing new is covered here that hasn't been done many, many times before. Heroine is pregnant and in dire straits because the baby's father has left her. Hero swoops in to the rescue. Hero and heroine pretend to be engaged for rather silly reasons, but wind up falling in love. Nothing groundbreaking here, but a mildly entertaining read. I did have a few complaints, though. I didn't like how the heroine was constantly putting herself down ("I'm so fat", "I'm not pretty"). I was left feeling like she was fishing for compliments from the hero, which is not at all attractive. And the way the hero instantly lusted after the heroine, while she's nearly nine months pregnant with another man's child just didn't ring true with me. I would have liked to see a bit more of the tender feelings between them and a bit less of the unbridled lust-fest. But, given that this author writes almost exclusively for the Silhouette "Desire" line, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Three stars.

This is an okay anthology to put you in a bit of a holiday mood, but not an outstanding collection to read over and over. See my list "Christmas romance books worth buying" for a list of books that are worth keeping a re-reading. As for HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, I recommend that you borrow it or look for it at a garage sale, as it's not the best the romance genre has to offer.

Again Leanne Banks does a wonderful job of telling a heartwarming story. I love this author!

"Faith's Sugar-Plum Daddy," a novella by fan-favorite Leanne Banks, is the highlight of this anthology. "Home For the Holiday" offers three stories of sisters who return for a Holiday reunion to a small Texas town. The heroines are appealing and the heroes, sexy. This a great Holiday treat for a cold, winter night!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a three story anthology about the Baker sisters, Faith, Ann Elise, and Marilou. Ms. Banks,Ms.Browning, and Ms. DeNosky weave an anthology worth reading. Readers will enjoy meeting Gabriel, Joe, and Tate, the three sexy men who sweep the Baker sister's off their feet. I truly enjoyed these three heartwarming tales and wouldn't have missed them for the world.If you are a romantic at heart, then HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS will surely touch you.

When I read the first story "Faith's Surgar Plum Daddy, by Leanne Banks, I could feel the chemistry between the characters Faith and Gabriel Raines, after reading this book I kept thinking about these two and Faith's kids great read, the second book was OK, in this story I did not feel the Chemistry with the characters in this one, Ann Elise and Joe, he did not to anything for me. Now I must say the last story did it from me, I loved it so much more than the first story and that is saying a lot because I loved that one. Talking about Chemisty these to have it, oh everytime Tate would call Marilou darlin, I had to stop for a moment and take it all in, in this book they have Gabriel and Joe, It was good to have Gabrel in this book, oh what a enjobable read :)