Hoffman Books

The characters were ok and other plot developments were ok, but on balance, I wouldn't recommend it unless the reader is in love with the series. The characters and sex scenes were very similar to other breed books.

This is Book 2 of The Breed series which is an offshoot of the Feline Breeds series. The Genetics Council used genetic experimentation to create humans with animal DNA, called Breeds. The Breeds were tortured, experimented upon and kept in captivity, but eventually escaped. The Council and other groups are trying to capture and/or kill them.

Jonas is a breed. He is head of the federal dept. of breed affairs. Scheme is human. She is daughter of Cyrus who is a member of the Genetics Council. Scheme hates Cyrus and becomes a spy for Jonas. Scheme continues to work for her father, but thwarts many of his activities against the breeds over a several year period. Tanner is a bengal breed who works for Jonas. They know that Cyrus has a spy among the breeds, but they don't know who it is. Tanner doesn't know that Scheme is working for Jonas. Tanner kidnaps her with the intent of getting evidence from her and turning her over to the Breed Council for punishment.

CAUTION SPOILERS!
Tanner saves Scheme from being killed by an assassin sent by her father, which is the beginning of his doubts that she is evil and in league with Cyrus. During the several days of the kidnapping captivity, Tanner falls in love with her and wants to help her, but she wonÂ't communicate because she thinks Tanner might be a spy for Cyrus. If I had been in her place, I would have at least told Tanner that Scheme suspects Tanner might be a spy and until she knows the truth she wonÂ't trust him or cooperate. Instead she was silent, and he sensed that she was lying. This was the major conflict for 2/3 of the story. This is one of my pet peeves: conflict created through vague communication and inaccurate assumptions.

My second plot problem: Cyrus wants to kidnap Scheme who is staying at the breed sanctuary. The breeds know Cyrus has a spy among them and that this will happen soon. At an evening function, Scheme secretly leaves her protectors to have a private conversation with one of the women, outside, alone. Of course, the spy comes up, shoots them with a stun gun and carries Scheme off. This was stupid on SchemeÂ's part. I would have preferred that the spy come up with an elaborate plan to get Scheme alone (that would foil almost anyone) and not have Scheme do something stupid to get caught.

Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: ten, most several pages long. Setting: 2023 Washington, D.C., Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Copyright: 2007. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.

I really love this book. Tanner was to die for and Scheme was sinfully sexy, together they turned up the heat to untold levels. My only problem with the story was Scheme's early years, I was left wondering if she only began caring about the Breeds after she was personally affected by her father's evil. I am hoping, (though it wasn't made clear,) Scheme was in the dark about the real horrors the Breeds endured until later when she herself was abused by her father. It wasn't made clear though, which is what I didn't like. Beyond that, the book was excellent, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great story with lots of twist and all the sex you can handle.

I love Lora Leigh!!! I have been a major fan since she started out at EC. Her books are always hot and full of great characters. This is her first mainstream book that I have read and its not as...arousing as her EC stuff but then that is to be expected from main stream books. This is a great, awesome series and to appreciate it you should really start at the beginning, the very beginning. I will have to go back and read the others. I have been a LL fan and will remain so.

A great book to continue the series with Dawn's story finally and was worth the wait.

Yes, and its a fiery blend. I am not going to go into detail, I see this has been done quite well. I really enjoyed this book. I did not read Harmonys Way, but this book stands alone with its own compelling plot. I thought the story was unique (not to mention hot sizzling pages) and the characters believable. Lora has outdone herself again with this fascinating Breed tale. I also like the fact that you do not have to read the books in order, there are no gaping holes that the other stories must fill so each story can stand alone. I recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading Cabal's story.

The book is well written and useful. I've a need to write scripts and
do some coding in my job. I feel that this book will help me get past some of the disconnects, in my way of thinking, when it comes to programming. As a Hardware designer I can understand a piece of logic. But I've often struggled with interpretting or writing my own code.

This was the first book that I used to learn Perl. I would agree with some of the other reviews that it would be tough to learn Perl with just this book. I ended up filling in some of the gaps with "Learning Perl" by Randal L. Schwartz.

The book is an overview of the language and its different uses. It uses a lot of small snippets of useful code for examples which is great when you need that snippet. However, chapter 4 is the only example of a fully written out program and is only used to illustrate what a program would look like. You will not find a fully written out solutions or examples here.

This, in addition to its spartan coverage on certain advance topics, can make parts of the book not very useful and confusing. Do not get this book if you want to learn about the following subjects as it covers them only briefly:
-Object-oriented programming with Perl
-Perl modules
-CGI scripting or other involved server-side scripting
-XML processing

I basically use Perl for data munging and not for web purposes. I generally need to write a quick and dirty script to munge some legacy data. To this end this book is valuable to me. It is a good reference for remembering the quirky Perl syntax. I keep it handy when I need to remember how to write a section of code. I use it as a mini "Perl Cookbook".
I would give it:
4 stars for teaching the basic language
3 stars for coverage of advance material
5 stars for basic reference of regular expressions and data structures.

I BOUGHT PERL FOR MY GRANDSON AND HE WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK. AMAZON WAS VERY CHEAP COMPARED TO OTHER COMPANIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE BETTY WEEKS

I bought this book to 'fill in the gaps' after several years of perl programming. It is providing valuable insights into new areas as well as being easy to learn from. This is particularly true in the area of databases and what different language versions can do. Highly recommend.

This was my first book for PERL and let me tell you, it was the worst written piece of garbage I have ever read. This book lives up to its name - it makes you feel like a dumbass. This is due to the authors approach in showing you PERL. Rather than breaking down the structure and powerful commands (telling you what they are and what they can do), he instead takes the approach of just showing you countless examples of complex code that the reader hasn't been properly introduced to. To show an example of how to use the chomp command, he buries it within examples along with other commands that he hasn't even talked about. That is confusing for a beginner. If you knew how to read his code, you wouldn't need this book in the first place.

I recommend going with O'Reilly books instead. They tend to take a systematic approach, discussing and breaking down the structure and use of specific commands and then showing you small examples using only the code and commands they already discussed. Believe me, it is better than dummies approach of making you try to read a 50 line code example to see what a specific command can do.

Stay away from the dumies series. All these books do is make you feel like a dummy.

While this isn't Twain's strongest work, he delivers another literary treasure in this book. This is a rustic, grassroots novel where Twain again shows his gift for capturing the lighter side of life while offering some thought-provoking observations about human nature. This isn't as memorable as Tom Sawyer or as strong as Huck Finn, but it is still well worth your time. While I don't recommend this book as a starting point if you haven't read Twain (Tom Sawyer is the place to begin), this is a great read that all Twain fans should enjoy.

Mark Twain might have been a sad, grim man with the bleakest conceivable outlook on life, but the man could turn a phrase like nobody's business.

Pudd'nhead Wilson is a fairly short novel, but there's a lot going on. There's a white baby switched at birth with an identical-looking 1/32nd black baby (who is therefore a slave). There are political and financial machinations all around.

Most interesting is Twain's use of fingerprinting as a crime-solving device. He was, in fact, ahead of his time, as governmental police agencies were only beginning to use fingerprinting to identify criminals a few years after this book was published. What seems to us now to be rather common sense and everyday must have been cutting edge, CSI type stuff to Twain's original audience.

Twain uses his trademark distinct, vivid and real vernaculars when writing dialogue, including the heavy use of the N-word, which ignorant people have been fussing about for generations.

We also get a very vivid idea of exactly what it means to be "sold down the river" in its original sense.

My copy of the novel has an introduction by Langston Hughes, which I recommend first-time readers skip until they have completed the novel, because he basically walks the reader through the book's plot in five pages.

Pudd'nhead Wilson is a fast, engaging novel, combining mystery with Twain's typical biting social commentary.

RECOMMENDED

Pudd'nhead Wilson is classic Twain: it manages to be as fun and as funny as it is disturbing and bleak. The entertainment results from both the comedy inherent in mistaken identity and the straightforward detective story that frames the narrative. The tragedy arises from Twain's complicated treatment of social hypocrisy, slavery, racial identity, and the debate between the influences of one's heredity and one's environment.

The novel, like Twain's earlier "The Prince and the Pauper," features switched-at-birth boys: Tom, who is born to Judge Percy Driscoll, and Chambers, who is born to a slave named Roxy and is 1/32 black. Roxy exchanges the babies to keep hers from being "sold down the river," and the two change names--and races. They later become rivals when the new Tom lords his authority over the new Chambers. A second pair of boys, the dashing Luigi and Angelo, are former vaudevillian actors who arrive in town and become implicated in a murder. (In an early draft of the novel, the two were conjoined twins--and Twain didn't quite excise or revise all the relevant passages.) The amateur investigator and accidental detective, David "Puddn'nead" Wilson, is a lawyer who has become the town outcast and who pursues the mystery to expose the townsfolk's self-importance and self-deception.

If you're looking for a detective thriller, this one is a bit far-fetched. (There is a subplot involving Wilson's dabbling in the new "science" of fingerprint identification that is fascinating.) But the plot is incidental to Twain's humor and, especially, his themes.

There has been on ongoing debate between critics of this book that will never be resolved: between readers who condemn Twain, for implying that Tom's wickedness and indolence result because of his genetic make-up (i.e., because he was "born" black), and readers who defend Twain, who feel that he was arguing that Tom's faults resulted from his family and the society (i.e., because he was "raised" white). Similarly, Roxy's portrayal is alternately troubling (she is devious, wicked, and mad) and sympathetic (she is quite intelligent and will do anything for her child). I tend to side with those who defend Twain, because it's clear that Twain doesn't much care for the traditions and principles of (white) society, which is why an outcast like Wilson must become the hero. But I also feel that Twain, deliberately choosing ambiguity over pedantry, was investigating the nature versus nurture debate without definitively answering the question--and the fact that readers seem split on the verdict hints to me that he succeeded. Twain dares to ask the question: What is race, and does it really exist?

In spite of its occasional profundity, the novel as a whole, which is quite short, is really an exercise in absurdity that perhaps only Twain could make work. (Most young readers who know Twain through his early works won't cotton on to "Pudd'nhead Wilson.") The book has an unfinished, first-draft feel, and it feels almost patched together from various stories and plots (which it is). But fans of Twain's other works would be making a mistake not to read it.

It is a shame and an irony that really, really good writers end up with their books becoming required reading in school, a fact that, naturally, makes students avoid them like the plague, "them" referring to both the writers and their books. Happily, though, PUDD'NHEAD WILSON is pretty slim for a novel, the edition I have weighing in at only 149 pages, so it might actually attract some reader other than a poor, benighted student on whose bowed shoulders yet another inscrutable assignment has been laid. Such a reader will be greatly rewarded for having picked up this book, for it fairly bursts with Twain's ironic humor, biting social commentary, and fascinating character studies.

Now, I have no idea as to why Twain chose to title this tale as he did, for "Pudd'nhead" Wilson is hardly more major a character than many of the others who populate the story, and is perhaps even less so than some. Roxy--slave, freed woman, and slave again--is more of a catalyst for much of the action than is Wilson. Tom Driscoll, not the real Thomas a Becket Driscoll, but Valet de Chambre, who grows up believing himself to be Tom, is another nominee for the role of principal protagonist. Wilson's receipt of his nickname, it is true, gives us one of Twain's first commentaries in the book on people who cannot distinguish sarcasm from literal fact, and, yes, it is Wilson's acumen that saves two innocent men from hanging and brings to light the web of deception that Roxy began spinning years before. Still, had I written such a story, I do not believe that choosing the name of that particular character as the title would have occurred to me, but perhaps that is Twain's genius. The nickname is assuredly ironic, and this story is full of ironies.

Also curious is the presence of the twin Italians, Luigi and Angelo. Their part in the story is clear enough, of course, for their treatment by the townspeople is a powerful indictment of a society that can revere an idol on one day, only to cast the infidel down into the mire the next, thanks solely to rumor, innuendo and erroneous appearance. Still, this could have been accomplished with a single foreign visitor to the town, and Twain's choice to present us with twins is perplexing, particularly since Luigi consistently overshadows Angelo in the story line. Twain's own preface to the story is not to be taken as an explanation here, for he is being as witty and non-literal is the preface as he is in the story proper. Thus far, I can find no satisfactory explanation for the use of twins, although I have no doubt that Twain could give one were he so inclined (and still able to communicate in the mortal world).

Conventional analysis of PUDD'NHEAD WILSON makes much of Twain's condemnation of slavery, and such examples as Chambers' inability to rejoin white society successfully after his true identity as Tom Driscoll is made known clearly show the demeaning and destructive nature of slavery. Yet, I feel that Twain goes far beyond the institution of slavery in his commentary on universal human nature--and that commentary is anything but an affirmation of positive aspects of humanity. Can any son sink so low as Chambers in deceiving his own mother and selling her back into slavery "down" the river? For that matter, could any mother sink so low as to ensure that both her son and the babe entrusted to her care both grew to sordid manhood through living a lie? Pudd'nhead Wilson, Luigi and Angelo may be the only fully honorable characters in the story--and the twins hightail it back to Europe as quickly as they can, leaving the sordidness of society in Dawson's Landing as far behind them as possible.

Inasmuch as comprehending a novel such as this hinges on both the writer's creativity and the reader's skill in interpreting the creation, and because the reader's skill has much to do with his knowledge of the society that the writer is depicting, I do find myself wondering whether a reader who is intimately familiar with the culture of the "Deep South" may understand and, therefore, enjoy Twain more fully than one who is not. Will a reader from, say, the Midwest, who may never have listened to speech along the southern reaches of the Mississippi River fully appreciate the phonetic spellings of Roxy's discourses? Will every reader understand equally the significance of Roxy's reaction when she realizes that Chambers has sold her DOWN the river rather than up? These are neither criticisms of the book nor weaknesses in it; they are merely cautions that not every reader may find PUDD'NHEAD WILSON as meaningful as others may.

For my part, I suggest that this tale is both fascinating reading and accurate commentary on a large segment of society in the U.S. I also suggest that the society described in the story did not entirely vanish at the end of the 19th century and that Twain's depictions of many of the flaws in that society are as valid today as when they were set to paper. In short, I can think of no reason whatsoever not to read PUDD'NHEAD WILSON. It is thought-provoking but in a most enjoyable way.

Twain's Puddn'head Wilson is typical of his other works in that we see many of the same exploits and devices--satire and witticisms, boys dressing up as girls, slave dialect and southern slang, mistaken identities. Perhaps this short novel goes out a little more so than others in that it not only is a comical portrayal of stereotypes and the problems that they cause, but it has elements of both drama and mystery as well.

The story begins with Puddn'head Wilson, a man named so because many of the people don't understand his eccentric ideals, coming to Dawson's Landing to establish his career as a lawyer. He has an unusual habit of collecting fingerprints, which most in the southern town don't give much credence to--however, this is great foreshadowing for the final climactic courtroom scene. Roxy, a slave, makes a decision to switch her baby with that of her master's in order to try to give her child a better station in life. After successfully doing this, many years pass without anyone suspecting what she has done. Thus, Chambers is actually Tom, and vice versa, and they go about this way in life.

One of the interesting aspects of the book is the title. Pudd'nhead Wilson comes to be the most important character by the novel's end, but he is not the focus of the book. Tom is the major focus, and we see him find out who his real mom is, as well as his real identity, his actual history. There are times when Tom appears to be on the verge of changing from an arrogant, self-centered person to someone better, but his "true" self always seems to get the better of him and he never makes that change. We can see that the way he treats his mother as well as Wilson.

Twain's point interposed in the storyline is the devastating effects slavery has on society. While he uses several scenes to highlight this, perhaps one of the most moving is Roxy's willingness to be sold "down the river" to help out Tom out of a jam, something that Tom doesn't even truly appreciate. This is a moment of complete and utter self-sacrifice; Tom's reaction to his mother's cries seemingly is parallel with society's indifference about the harshness of slavery.

Still, while Twain is able to make a point about slavery and take serious views on its ill effects, he is also able to maintain his humorous edge and then take the novel into an interesting direction--leading to a final murder mystery. In this scene, Wilson is able to use some of his fingerprinting tactics to successfully prove who the real murderer was.

This novel does have its problems, and seems a bit disproportioned at times. For instance, while we follow Tom throughout his early childhood and beginning adulthood, we never really follow Chambers, the one who he is switched with at the beginning. Also, there is only a scattering of focus on Roxy, Tom's mother, within the novel.

Over all, this is typical Twain, but maybe not with the same impact of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer. Still, this is a quick, fun read.

This novel is centered around water and a town that prides itself on being dry. Tragedy strikes and the town is flooded but two special children save the day.

The book ,Indigo, is a book to read. The reason why,well even if your a slow reader this book will be easy on the eyes.The book ,Indigo, is best suited for the preteen and under for the text is not small and there are only eighty four pages.

Indigo starts out introdusing the main character,Martha,and explaines her life and the fact that her mother died and she lives with her dad.There town is named Oak Grove,or as some locals in the book called it "the high and dry town".This odd nickname originated from the fact thatwater was forbidon besides the ocasional bath.Martha is sertantly not fond of this.Her and her two friends Eel(Eli)and Trout(Trevor)have to deal with throwing rocks.They are getting tired of this and are planning to sneak out.Martha,Eel,and Trout start there trip it ends up Tevor did the math and it willtake them ten days. The travelers destination is Ocean City this plase is not forighn.Trout and Eel were born here.The first night is rough and a branch fell on Martha's arm.They later came to the conclution it was brocken.The group dicided to go back and check the arm.When Martha and her friends came back and it was flooded.Trevor and his little discover that they have unateral swimming powers.Martha goes to find her father and see the docter.trout and Eelgo to save the day or town.Finally it is over, the docter says that Martha's arm is okay.Trout's parents decide to take them back to Ocean City.Martha onthe other hand dances in the moon light having fun.

This is a simple book written about 13-year-old Martha Glimmer and her two unusual friends, "Trout" (Trevor), 13, and "Eel" (Eli), 11, McGill. Trout and Eel are unique due to the unusual webbing found between their fingers and toes. They are also unique because of their affinity for water in a town that prides itself on being dry. This town is known as Oak Grove and believes 'the drier the better' since it suffered from a disastrous flood many years ago. This dry town is disappointing to the McGill brothers who dream of seeing the ocean. Martha and her two friends set out to "run-to" see the ocean as opposed to runaway from home and find that a storm/flood brings them back sooner than expected.

This book started out well, but ended disjointedly. I felt like Martha's reaction to finding out why the boys were "special" was unrealistically non-existent. Some parts that were supposed to be believable, such as the boys single-handedly moving the huge stones in the wall, were not presented in such a way that I was able to believe them. In addition, the disaster or aftermath of such a flood were not even acknowledged. I didn't so much have a problem with the fantastical element of the book, just the huge gaps left in the book that if filled would give the book more credibility. I also believe that the suggested reading level of 5 may be a bit high.

Indigo is a perfect book for young children to adults because it teaches to be yourself and care about others that aren't actually normal.

In this book a girl named Martha Glimmer moved to Oak Grove and lost her mother when she was 12. She is 13 now. This older woman who pays no attention to what Martha says, brings over casserolesfor her grieving father. Her name is Hidly Swoon. Martha's best friends, Eli and Trevor McGill,(who have a thin webbing between their fingers and toes)always sit with her the roof of her garage throwing rocks at 10 tin cans they lined in a row on the ground. Until one day, Martha, Eli, and Trevor decide to run away from home to Ocean City. While on the way to Ocean City, something bad happens, a tree branch falls on Martha's arm! Now, a whole chain of events happen. If you want to find out what those things are, check out the book in the library.(bottom shelf second case on the wall as you walk in)

Indigo is a perfect book for young children to adults because it teaches to be yourself and care about others that aren't actually normal.

In this book a girl named Martha Glimmer moved to Oak Grove and lost her mother when she was 12. She is 13 now. This older woman who pays no attention to what Martha says, brings over casserolesfor her grieving father. Her name is Hidly Swoon. Martha's best friends, Eli and Trevor McGill,(who have a thin webbing between their fingers and toes)always sit with her the roof of her garage throwing rocks at 10 tin cans they lined in a row on the ground. Until one day, Martha, Eli, and Trevor decide to run away from home to Ocean City. While on the way to Ocean City, something bad happens, a tree branch falls on Martha's arm! Now, a whole chain of events happen. If you want to find out what those things are, check out the book in the library.(bottom shelf second case on the wall as you walk in)

I am a regular person who doesn't know all the ins and outs of medical health. This book "Chasing Life" opened up many topics that i was unaware of but wanted to know. I am 48 and still think of my self as being young. But reality is that our physical body is not. Therefore, i believe a book like this is most timely. Most important for me is Mr. Gupta mentioning the different studies behind the supplements or sciences, thus providing proof about them. Now i have more confidence in the reputation of each and can research further on my own. Which i did and now developed my own health regimen each day, be it doing exercise or taking multivitamins. I also recommend the 7 Pillars of Health by Colbert, that too is an excellent book. I wrote this review to save others time, our most precious commodity, and help in extending life as Mr. Gcupta aims to do for all of us who read his book.

In reading this book I did not learn anything other than what one finds usually in newspaper articles covering general health subjects. I felt the title of the book promised much more than the actual contents delivered.

This Kurzweil-wannabe author has written a drudge that's filled with misleadingly fudged "facts." Would give negative or zero stars if allowed.

Seems like Dr Sanjay Gupta did a lot of research to write this book. I read couple of chapter and I already feel like I am slowing my aging process by eating till 80% full, eating big breakfast and drinking antioxidant rich drinks and fruits.

This is an excellent book. Unlike other books of this type which ask readers to make drastic changes to their lifestyle thereby making the reading a scary experience, this book tells the reader to make very subtle changes in day to day life and still make a huge difference and of course, in an easy to understand language.

This is not a deep read but I found it enjoyable and it kept my attention. There are a few different themes going on in the book, the main theme being Robin who takes a chance on the man found raised by wolves and takes him into her home. Lessons on human nature but not preachy. This is a good read.

I have been meaning to read another Alice Hoffman book since "Here on Earth". Finally, I've gotten around to it! And am glad that I did!

Second Nature is a unique story about a man who was basically raised by wolves. Although the story revolves more around his circumstances now that he has been discovered and his movement into mainstream society and his trying to find a way to learn what it means to be "human". Just as much, the story is about a small town and the people in it and each of their own love stories.

I'd definitely recommend this book, in fact I'm going to give this book to my mother in law to read. It was a nice easy, fast read. This author has a way of immediately pulling you into the story and the characters, so much so that you have a hard time putting the book down. I especially enjoy a unqiue story, since I'm an avid reader, and so far Alice Hoffman has not disappointed. I am already planning on reading Turtle Moon next!

Alice Hoffman is a master at taking an entirely bizarre and improbable situation and make it seem like something that could happen to anyone at anytime. She has a spare and yet fluid way of writing that is faintly magical and yet entirely believable. I have read most of her books but I think this is my favorite (this and "Turtle Moon"). What Hoffman does better than anyone else is create characters who are loaded with flaws and faults and yet are somehow amazingly lovable.

Stephen, the central character of this story, is a man who was raised by wolves. Don't we all know someone like that? And yet, with her deft hand for counterbalancing toughness and vulnerability, Hoffman makes him seem like the guy we have all been waiting for. I'm not a fan of the popular genre of books that are identified as "romance" --- for me Hoffman is the consummate romantic. Her characters are utterly unique and entirely ordinary with that one curious little twist. Stephen, as designed by Hoffman, is the original "sexy beast". Read slow and savor.

A modern wild "child" tale of a man, Stephen, raised by wolves brought back into society by a gardener, Robin. They quickly fall in love as he adapts to life among humans. The story deals with the relationship between Stephen and Robin, her son Conner, her grandfather Old Dick (a crotchety old man), her brother (the psychologist originally asigned to his case) and his ex-wife, and Robin's exhusband, an arrogant alpha male, Roy. The book is well-written, though often long and tedious about how he adapts to human life, and the human beings' relationships juxtaposed with those of the wolf pack. While the book shows the difference between the "cultures" of the wilderness and civilization, it also highlights the similarities. Human beings have adapted cool logic and intellect and a complicated sense of morals in order to try to remove themselves from the "wilderness", but it becomes strickingly obvious that there isn't much difference. Ironically, this is when Stephen--suspected of thoughtless crime--must leave human civilization. A thoughtful modern fairytale, but it rambles in an attempt to be mainstream. Grade: B+

SECOND NATURE is not your typical love story--which means, of course, that it's very typical Alice Hoffman fare. The novel centers on Robin Moore, a divorcee with a teenage son and a failing landscaping business. Robin feels empty and dissatisfied with her life--until she impulsively decides to bring the "Wolf Man" home with her from the psychiatric hospital where her brother works.

The nurses call him the Wolf Man because he was raised by wolves, had been living with his pack since he was three years old and a plane carrying him and his parents crashed deep in the wilderness of northern Michigan. Years later, he's discovered in the woods by two hunters, near death, his foot caught and mangled by a steel trap. When Robin sees him in the hospital, he awakens a yearning in her, and she takes him home with her, to the timeless island her own family colonized at the turn of the century.

The Wolf Man's name is Stephen, and over the next three months, under Robin's diligent tutelage, he begins speaking again, and even reading. Soon after, he and Robin begin a passionate affair, one that awakens both of them to a new level of awareness--and awakens Hoffman's readers to a new awareness of human nature itself.

But then a little girl is found dead on the island's shore, her throat neatly slashed, and when the community learns of Stephen's true identity, all fingers point to him as the murderer. All at once, Stephen and Robin are forced to face the fact that the fairy tale they're living in just can't translate into the real world. Love, the most powerful of all human emotions, cannot conquer Robin's fear or Stephen's wild nature.

SECOND NATURE is not your everyday modern love story, but it definitely is a meditation on love in all its forms: love between the young and between the elderly, love that is all-consuming, passionate, tortured, breathless, animalistic, platonic, doomed from the start. Hoffman is the master of telling a magical story that her readers will still believe--in fact, we'll eat up anything she says, just because she says it so beautifully. Her prose is so otherworldly, so beguiling and authentic, you just can't help but be entranced. Her characters remain incredibly real even in their magic-laced world--but I've found that I don't really read Hoffman's books for the characters. I pick up her novels to learn something about myself--to learn what it really means to be human.

Reading a book by Alice Hoffman always requires suspending your disbelief. In SECOND NATURE, readers are required to do this quite extensively; we're asked to believe that a man who's lived with wolves since he was three somehow develops an advanced vocabulary and grasps adult concepts and etiquette in a matter of months. Completely unrealistic, right? Well, yes, but readers who are deterred by this are missing the point. Hoffman's novel is about how we react when we're in a relationship we know can never last; it's about how we sometimes receive fulfillment from the most surprising of places.

While SECOND NATURE is not Hoffman's best work, poignant insights into humanity and the author's seductive, masterful prose make this dark, magical love story worth the read.

Seventh Heaven, which takes place in the 50's, is a book that almost everyone can relate to. The growth of the diverse characters, and the introduction of new ideas throughout the book was amazingly well-written, and the transistions were great. Five stars for Alice Hoffman, and another one pulled down into the category of best-selling.

Beguiling - a marvellous word that sounds as good as its meaning and it sums up this book and its writer perfectly. The plot turns and surprises but all the while remains credible. Like another reviewer here, I trusted my instincts on reading the blurb on the back and was not disappointed but, as with all great writers, went out soon as I could to find other titles. A slightly eccentric woman with more than a dash of the supernatural in her family tree buys a slightly haunted home in a small perfect town and unwittingly moves all those she meets to break out of their carefully regulated emotional lives and take risks they never dreamed of, sometimes with good, sometimes not so good, consequences. Some marvellous turns of phrase that really do bring that proverbial lump to your throat and also some very funny, bordering on slapstick, comic moments. A book that really cares for its characters, flaws and all.

Again, Alice Hoffman's superb writing style appears in this book. Set in Long Island's 1959 suburbia, it's a takeoff of life in Levittown. The cookie cutter community which settled rapidly after WW2. You find a young divorcee out of place with the All American families with their 2.5 kids. Life is very normal for 9 years prior. But, as life has it, nothing ever remains the same. The changes & turmoil in peoples' lives is true to life. The unaccepted becomes the accepted, the change inevitable. If there is one anchor character it is the out of place divorcee. The book ends without much fanfare giving you the feeling life just progresses after you close the cover on this book's final chapter and move to another chapter elsewhere. Life is a constant change & the book does well illustrating that point

In a "Pleasantville"-like suburb set in the fifties, men bring home the bacon, women vacuum in high heels and children play baseball and fall asleep to the sound of late evening lawn mowers. Apart from the infrequent domestic disturbance, all is peaceful, until Nora Silk moves in with her two young sons. Nora is something of a scarlet woman in the community, being divorced, attractive, and an indifferent housekeeper. She tries but continually fails to live up to the standards set by the other women as wives and mothers. Her arrival causes a series of rifts which cannot be easily repaired. An otherwise ordinary housewife leaves her family out of the blue, and other residents explore options and pursue dreams they had never considered before. Although "Seventh Heaven" doesn't have much of a plot, the book is an enjoyable read.

"Seventh Heaven" by Alice Hoffman is a most unusual coming-of-age tale. Here, it is not just one youth who matures into self-discovery and understanding, but a whole community of neighbors--children, adolescents, and adults. The catalyst comes in the form of Nora Silk, a vibrant, independent, freethinking divorcee who moves into the neighborhood with her two young sons. Twenty months later, everything and everybody has changed.

Don't expect detailed character development--there are far too many characters in this novel for that. This work is more like a collection of interlocking short stories than a traditional novel. But this is Alice Hoffman writing so, trust me, you will not feel shortchanged. Her characters are spot-on perfect--so credible, they practically bleed off the page. With just a few deft words, she can capture an emotion, a life, emptiness, a dream, and make you feel that person's essence. It's uncanny, magical--it's Alice Hoffman. Clearly, I love this author!

The whole plot takes place in a mere 20 months. It is 1959 in the suburbs of New Jersey. This is a time way before the women's movement. This is like Pleasantville, U.S.A. From the first moment they see her, the neighbors know that Nora Silk doesn't fit in. She wears tight pants and high heel shoes. Her house is untidy, her kids unkempt. She runs her household, holds down a job, and does all the manly fix-it jobs around the house...and she acts as if all this were perfectly normal. From the very beginning, all the mothers in the neighborhood give her the cold shoulder, but the husbands can't keep their eyes off of her. Naturally, this doesn't help the situation. The children take cues from their mothers and start taunting and bullying Nora's third grade son, Billy. All poor Billy can do in response is to try and learn as much as he can about Houdini so he can become invisible.

But there is magic working on Hemlock Street--subtle, believable magic. The magic is Nora's authenticity. It makes all the neighbors who come in contact with her eventually question their own sanitized lives. One-by-one, the facades that each neighbor has constructed to obfuscate their inner selves begin to melt. Lives change. People get hurt, then recover, then go on to become better, more complete, and self-aware human beings...and all because of Nora.

This novel isn't for everyone. Most of these characters are deeply flawed, and some of the actions they take can be interpreted by some as being highly immoral. But, they are people who are true to their inner natures, and that's what makes them real. See if this book doesn't help you love these people for themselves, without judgment. Then perhaps you'll find it easier to love yourself and those special people in your life also without judgment. We know we should, but most of us still find this so difficult.

I am not going to go into too much detail, I see this has been done quite well.
Harmony (a genetic breed) has been seeking vengeance on criminals that prey on innocents for the past 10 years, since she escaped from the labs. When someone starts copying her kills she is placed on patrol with Lance (not a breed, but no less alpha) as sheriff. Unknown to either of them, Jonas (Harmony's brother) has intentionally put them together because he knows that Lance is Harmony's mate and he intends to use their relationship so Harmony will get pregnant and draw out the attention of the first Leo created. How will Harmony react when she learns about her brothers conspiracy? How will Lance react when he realizes that Harmony is responsible for numerous killings? Will Harmony be able to leave her vengeance behind for Lance? Read this book and see how it all comes together.

I have to start by saying this is the first Lora Leigh book I have rated that received less than 5 stars. I am not a huge fan of the female breed/human male genre...I feel the female alpha is not as enticing as a male breed. Nevertheless Lance was a total alpha and the book still sizzled with the lust between Lance and Harmony. I enjoy the fact that you do not have to read the books in order. Overall I would recommend this book and I will be checking out the next in the series.

In general, I thought Harmony's Way was an okay story. Not the best I've read, but certainly not the worst. I had not read the first book in this series prior to jumping in with Harmony's Way, so I was a little out of the loop with the background. Still, Leigh did a good job filling in the blanks and my lack of familiarity with the Breeds wasn't much of a stumbling block. My biggest issue with the story is just that the sex started to get in the way. I had no problem with the first couple scenes, which were very long and very explicit. But by the midway point of the novel, I found myself skimming these scenes, which quickly became repetitious and two-dimensional. Leigh dirties up the language during the sex scenes, which I guess is supposed to be erotic, but there was just so much abandoned use of the f-word, the c-words (both of them), the p-word, and the d-word, that they began to lose their impact after a while.

Also, I'm not sure if I buy the postulation of Harmony (code-name Death) as this big, mean killing machine. She just never seemed very menacing to me. The hero of the novel, Lance, also seemed to lack much substance. He spent most of his time barking out orders -- because evidently he's more alpha than Death and if he barks at her with just the right tone, she comes to heel -- telling her she deserved a spanking, and having sex with her. Harmony's brother, Jonas, at least had some depth to him. I found myself wanting to know a lot more about his story.

Anyway, the book wasn't bad. I certainly don't feel that I wasted my time or my money, and I even went out and bought two other books in this series, because I AM interested in the backstory of the Breeds. I just have a feeling I'm going to be skipping some of the porntastic sex scenes.

Lora Leigh does it again!! Awesome, Sexy, HOT, HOT, HOT!!! Couldn't put it down!

As far as female characters go in this genre, it's hard to find one this noble and courageous. With romances it's mostly left up to the guys. Or the heroine suceeds with the help of others. Well it is nice to be saved ocassionally I suppose, but I am all for saving ones self and that's not femanism speaking just good old fashion common sense. Despite the common sense involved it didn't make this book quite as believable as others in the series. Yet it still managed to be a good read, infact I like the hero more than some of her past hero's in the same series. He was different. With series books the author runs a real risk of becoming a formula writter. But Lance is not a typical hero, oh he has all those traits common to a male but he is alot less forceful and demanding than alot of Leigh's men. So he makes a nice break in the series. Harmony does too, not only is she self sufficent but she delivers her own brand of justice in ways that male hero's in this series have wanted to do for a while but stopped for fear of a public relations nightmare. Other books in the series gave you the feeling that the men were better fighters, not with Harmony. Put her in the ring and she could take them all out. I didn't quite buy that Harmony choose to be coerced into helping out. I think she'd have done it on her own and then disappeared afterward. Still this book is awesome, I like the "wind." The end is unique and a teary ride. The truely perfect ending which in my opinnion makes up for the tinnier things. Endings are the most important part of books, get it wrong and you ruin the whole piece. Do it right and the book is elevated beyond a good read. Leigh got it right in a big way, which is why she gets 5 stars in my book.

This series was previously published by Ellora's Cave. So the Breeds Book 2 isn't actually accurate. Lora Leigh says she wrote the books to be read in any order, but I am obsessive compulsive about reading books in order. So whatever... Anyhoo, if you want to read the books in the chronological story line try them as follows: Tempting the Beast, The Man Within, Elizabeth's Wolf, Kiss of Heat, Soul Deep, The Breed Next Door (in the Hotspell anthology), Megan's Mark, Harmony's Way, Tanner's Scheme, Dawn's Awakening, Wolfe's Hope (in the Primal Heat anthology), Jacob's Faith, and Aiden's Charity.

And, by the way, I definitely recommend this series.

Yes, there are a ton of typos and grammatical errors. And the cover art was just horrible. However, I really liked this book. The characters worked for me; the story worked for me; and I was left hoping for a sequel that will likely never be.

I think that I'd recommend that you buy this used, as this is a POD and thus waaaaaay overpriced for what you get. Sorry, but like most PODs that is the unfortunate truth.

But don't write this off as not worth reading if you can tolerate the lack of editing.

This book was amazing...first, it's "outside-the-box"...it seems to me that's why some of the reviewers didn't care for it. It does NOT fit easily into any genre. It's certainly better written than a great many of the most recent vampire novels out there. It IS truly a fun read, the characters are a blast, and the plot was decently intricate. I have to agree it shouldn't be read by those subject to moral outrage, because the title says it all...what's a little murder, when there's family involved?
This is probably one of the most, if not the most, original vampire novels to come down the pipeline in a decade.

If you are looking for a simple plot, a typical vampire romance, or good versus evil....you probably won't like it. Romance it has, and vampires, and good, and evil....but there is NOTHING simple about this book.
Yet, it still is...pure pulp. FUN!

I would have given it 5 stars, but for the fact that it has some room for technical improvement by the author, and you can tell it's a "first novel"...I expect very, very good things from her in the future.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER is not your average vampire novel. Ironically, I think it's a romance, because there are several romances happening between different characters. The story follows the lives of several people who pair off into couples and we follow their lives from there. We have the humans, vampires and the thralls (walking undead but rather than gross like zombies, are pretty much normal). Because there are so many active characters, I had a hard time following some of the dialogue, and did a fair share of re-reading paragraphs (or sometimes pages), to understand which character was talking. Add to that, the editing isn't the best.

This all being said, our main heroine is Amy Reilly. Like any unenlightened-human, she has her problems, only mostly hers are on an emotional level. She can't feel anything emotionally or physically; hence she is really into S&M. This all changes one night when she is left for dead in front of the hospital after visiting her favorite club.

Several months later, Amy is positive vampires are real and that someone will come after her. Her paranoia's become reality when one night her roommates Sophia and Diane, visit Victoria's Loft-an exclusive night club, and life as the three human women know it ends. On this same night, Amy is attacked in their apartment, shot and to stay alive she enthralls herself to Lorcan. Suddenly, Amy finds herself outside the "human rules" and in the middle of a vampire feud that started the previous November when she was attacked by a vampire but didn't die (remember, she was dumped at the hospital).

I have to say, I enjoyed BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER regardless of my confusion between characters and the bad editing job. The plot was very well thought out and the vampire history very fascinating to learn about. Vampires come from different families, and therefore they all have different traits and abilities. I found this very believable and it made for an interesting story.

There are some great one-liners in this story. I also really got a hoot out of Paul's perspective on the existence of vampires. There is a lot of interaction between the six main characters that really lets you get to know them as individuals. I think what impressed me the most with this story is how everything ties together at the end of the book. In the beginning of the story you have the lives of six individuals who are pretty much strangers. Yet through the manipulation of one goddess and as the story develops, they all have a connection to each other. I love how the family ties together and I found the title very appropriate: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

If you are looking for something different, look no further! However, this isn't a story for everyone. This story contains a lot of subjects generally glassed over in books - S&M, rape, murder, necessary violence/graphic physical abuse, some of the characters are practicing Wiccan's, etc. That being said, this story still isn't going to be for everyone. Yet at the same time, this isn't what the book is about so you really have to be open minded when reading the story.

I would have to say that if Quentin Tarantino wanted to turn a book into a movie, this would be an excellent choice. If you enjoyed the movie Pulp Fiction, and understand the violence of Reservoir Dogs, you would probably like BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

To those that are looking for something different, I defiantly recommend this book. I'm really looking forward to the sequel!

i read just about anything - this time, it was a curse instead of a blessing. i SUFFERED through 'blood is thicker than water' to prove to myself that the book was not as poorly written as the first few pages lead me to believe. the plot was weak, the characters were annoying, and it had enough pop culture references (star trek, etc) to fill my lifetime.

i bought this book based on the winning reviews it received on amazon, but i am now of the strong opinion that those reviewers must have been the author's family and friends offering kind words of praise. anyone with an ounce of honesty would have posted a more accurate review. save your money and take my word for it - it was truly unreadable.

Before the reviews of this book is a note from the publisher stating that the book has now been proofread. It's hard to imagine how bad it must have been before, because it is still awful. The author does not know the difference between "to" and "too" and uses them interchangeably. Also "loose" and "lose". She does not know how to use the possessive form correctly and just sticks in apostrophes more or less at random. There is a good deal of stuff like that throughout the book. It made reading it really frustrating and irritating. I wondered why the publisher didn't find a decent proofreader to go through the manuscript. Then I went to the author's web site and learned that she self-published the book. She should have found an English teacher and paid her a hundred bucks to go over her manuscript.

She also did a poor job of transitioning from one character's point of view to another. She has at least six "main characters" and she jumps back and forth from one to the other but it is frequently difficult to tell when this happens so that a lot of going back and rereading is necessary to keep in mind who is doing what.

On the cover she promises hot sex, but doesn't really deliver. The sex scenes were mildly kinky but not very interesting. There WERE however, some really horrible torture scenes which I could have done without.

And now let me mention the amorality. In most of the vampire books I have read, we either have all bad vampires or we have some good vampires and some bad vampires. Good vampires still drink people's blood, but they don't kill them and usually make the experience either a good one or wipe it from the person's memory (or they only drink from willing groupies). In this book we supposedly have good and bad vampires but it turns out that the good vampires still kill people. In one vampire book I read, the good vampire had to kill people when she was first turned, but her mentor took her out hunting for drug dealers, so only bad guys were being killed by the good vampire. In this book the supposedly good vampires usually don't kill people, and they usually wipe their memories after taking a little of their blood. But if the vampire is new or injured, they will keep on bloodsucking until the person is dead, and there is no attempt made to find bad guys for this. They just take the first handy innocent bystander and suck him dry. The unspoken assumption is that the vampire's need to survive is more important than the human's.

Another example: There are three young women who are roommates. Two of them meet up with and are attracted to vampires. One of the vampires is supposedly good; the other bad. When the bad vampire begins to kill Sophie's roommate, she protests to her new boyfriend, but doesn't try to actually do anything about it, but the boyfriend doesn't step in to save the roommate either. Apparently at this point in time it would not be politically wise to upset the bad guys, so he just lets them kill the girl. And the surviving girl, Sophie, just sort of shrugs it off. "Oh well, she was kind of an irritating roommate anyway," is her attitude. Again, the vampire's convenience was more important than the life of a human woman.

I'm supposed to identify with these characters? I don't think so.

The weird thing is that I kept on reading it, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. I wanted to stop but I couldn't. This is probably the worst book that I ever actually finished. However, I really don't recommend this book. If you want to read vampire books, try Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris, or Patricia Briggs. You will get much better value for your money.

P.S. The ending of the book makes it clear that it was intended to be the first of a series, and there are many story points which are left hanging for the next book, but don't hold your breath: This book was written ten years ago and that sequel still hasn't been written.

I got this based on recs at another site. honestly, I was underimpressed when I read the recipes. I've been using a crockpot for several years and consider myself a relatively good cook without using recipes much...the recipes to me appeared to be very similar to what I already throw together. but...the minor changes have helped me to make the most delicious food...in fact, yesterday I made the brisket with picante sauce (I really didn't want to make it but had already purchased the ingredients) oh my gosh, it was delicious. I would highly recommend this everyone - even get it for people as a wedding gift. I am so glad I gave this a chance...

I have tried a couple of recipes out of this book and the spaghetti meat sauce was excellent. However, the layout of the book itself is terrible. It's a paperback book and I prefer cookbooks that will stay open on the counter such as spiral bound. I also like slick, glossy pages in cookbooks as they stay cleaner. It really bothers me that the size of crockpot needed for each recipe is not stated. Some cookbooks state which sizes are necessary. I just have to figure it out based on the number of servings, but I wish it were stated in the recipe. The center of this edition has some color pictures that are on glossy pages, but they are staring to fall out of the book. The book is not very well-made.

Of all my slow cooker cookbooks, this is the one that basically gathers dust on the shelf.

Was somewhat disappointed in this book. I had ordered it to replace one I previously had and it has been revised. Several of the recipes that were in it before are now gone. I also don't remember the print being so small.

I bought this book because I couldn't find my original after moving. It's a great cookbook except for the size, it is a pocket book. WAY too small for a kitchen cook book. My fault for not looking at the discription closer, guess I will check out the used ones, maybe I can find a decent original. It rates 5 stars but I gave it 3 because of the size.

Hoffman's recipes sound delicious, but in fact are often flavorless. If you use her recipes, you WILL learn slow cooking tecniques (stacking meat in the pot, thickening sauces, etc). But after 7 years of using this book, my notes on the recipes have a continual refrain: "Needs more pizzaz"; "Add vegetables"; "Flavors need more depth".