Roberts Books

If you read one book on Grace in your life, it sould be this one. Grace doesn't stop...it keeps going. The question is, "How for does it go?"

This was my first Capon book and it made me fall in love with his writing and the way he uses stories and dialogue to expound the meaning of grace.

I think almost all of his books are on grace and that's because he has been captivated by the grace of God.

This novel, like most of his other books, may not be that simple a read but once you get what he's getting at, then you start to stand in awe of the amazingness of God's grace.

Capon is pretty lutheran in his view on law and gospel and it shows clearly in his books.

This particular novel is interesting in the way he tries to convey God's grace to us. It's about two people who are married but carries on with an affair together. This story is meant to outrage us, but Capon uses this storyline to show us that God's grace is like that. Despite the sins we do, He still loves us and accepts us in Christ.

Has Capon gone a bit far in illustrating grace to us? Well, i don't know. All i can say is that he's at least half right! A good book to read and ponder about God's grace

This was my first Capon book and it made me fall in love with his writing and the way he uses stories and dialogue to expound the meaning of grace.

I think almost all of his books are on grace and that's because he has been captivated by the grace of God.

This novel, like most of his other books, may not be that simple a read but once you get what he's getting at, then you start to stand in awe of the amazingness of God's grace.

Capon is pretty lutheran in his view on law and gospel and it shows clearly in his books.

This particular novel is interesting in the way he tries to convey God's grace to us. It's about two people who are married but carries on with an affair together. This story is meant to outrage us, but Capon uses this storyline to show us that God's grace is like that. Despite the sins we do, He still loves us and accepts us in Christ.

Has Capon gone a bit far in illustrating grace to us? Well, i don't know. All i can say is that he's at least half right! A good book to read and ponder about God's grace

We have clear conceptions of important abstractions that we have heard named, but not defined, since we were children. We live with misconceptions born while we wait to understand when we are able. Unfortunately, these images take on a life of their own, and crowd out any possibility of there ever being any real understanding.

Grace is one of those concepts. We hear the word repeated in sermon and song, we use it ourselves in characature. The image of what we think Grace is limits our access to its reality in our lives.

Enter this annoying book. Capon twists and tweaks and disturbs our sense of what is right and wrong. OUR sense.
Only when the shocking first section is trumped by the final section do we realize what is happening to us. Even though he warns us repeatedly along the way, and taunts us into dialogue.

I admit the central section merely annoyed me without enlightening me ... yet. Maybe I will get it later. Sacred adultary, a mafia hit, and a coffee hour give-and-take seem unlikely parables to expain Grace. It works. With style and grace. Anyone who has tried to live a life of faith honestly in the midst of the contradictions of life will feel this book resonate within their soul.

No wonder it is subtitled "Romance, Law, and the OUTRAGE of Grace."

Capon continues to tantalise, entice and stimulate with this revised edition of Between Noon and Three. Capon captures the incredibly lavish Grace of God through a combination of wit, exegesis, and a carefully crafted story. This book is a real shock to the "grace-fearing spoilsport in every one of us". Capon confronts the menacing ugliness of legalism and drags it screaming into the light of the lavish Grace and Love of God. Capon expounds the Grace of God in such a way that one can't help salivating at the beauty of God made complete in his glorious Son. Throughout the novel one is continuously shouting AMEN (I Love you) to the Father who so loves his children that he does not give grace so that they will feel "much obliged" but rather extends totally free, unconditional, absolutely radical, all encompassing Grace. This is the grace for Dead people, and as Capon eloquently describes: all that is required of a dead body is to stink. I Love my God who makes the little, least, lost, last, losers and the DEAD - ALIVE! FREE and all this is GRATIS!

This book is a must for anyone who wishes to understand the Bible. The authors go into the history of this important book that has impacted so many lives. They look back into pre-history when the words of the Bible were repeated around a camp fire each night.

The evolution of the Bible, described in this book, gives the reader a better understanding of how the Bible came to be.

I am quite the biblical scholar (well, to be honest, I'm quite the scholar in lots of fields, as the depth of the average title in my multi-thousand-book collection belies), and I am hard-pressed to find a biblical history/Bible as literature/biblical exegesis book that compares to this one. I could argue that Reader's Digest has, as is its wont, produced a volume that brims with less than exceptionally profound scholarship, but its purpose is to enlighten, amaze, and entertain, so never mind the academic nits. Even the most diehard atheist would be hard-pressed to maintain his separation after his eyes alight on this breathtaking volume. I simply can't sing its praises enough.

This is a wonderful overview of the Bible illustrated with color art from down through the ages. Quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version, a translation which is favored by scholars for its accuracy. The comments are insightful, interesting and accurate. A great supplement to this book is THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS by Cody Jones. Numerous characters from throughout the Bible are pointed out who illustrate King Solomon's witty observations on human nature. Many of the riddles and mysteries of Proverbs are explored with surprising new answers. Proverbs are a treasury of God's wisdom and give practical applications of Biblical values in punchy memorable sayings.

This is not the ordinary book you are apt to find in Bible study class. THE BIBLE THROUGH THE AGES is much more interesting. It is a topical tour of the Bible arranged around five themes: the Oral Tradition, the writing of the Old Testament, the writing of the New Testament, the copying of the Bible by monks in the Middle Ages and the distribution of the Bible after the invention of the printing press. One topic I find to be particularly interesting is the discussion of the debate over the canonicity of Christian writings during the first three centuries after Christ. A related topic covers certain writings left out of the New Testament. THE BIBLE THROUGH THE AGES is a thick book and it is richly illustrated. Although it is not exactly a reference book, it contains much information not available elsewhere.

"Sweeping in scope, alive with fascinating information and incisive commentary, this lavishly illustrated book presents an unparalleled look at the most influential work in human history. It brings to life the breadth and beauty of the Bible's message, its impact on countless generations, and its enduring inspiration and influence throughout the world." Reader's Digest


The Beautiful Encyclopedia:
Storytelling and the oral tradition
Papyrus: Egypt's Gift to Writers
Poetry in the Old Testament
Words of Wisdom from Proverbs and Amen-em-ope
The Oracles of Isaiah
Shaping the Pentateuch
Ezra: The Second Lawgiver
The making of the Septuagint
What was left out: the Apocrypha and the Pseudoepigrapha
Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls
The World of Jesus
Letter Writing in the first Century
Who wrote the "Other" Epistles?
Telling the story of Jesus
Present at the Apocalypse
Shaping the Mishnah
Invention of the Book, 'Codex'
the Gnostic Challenge
Origen and the Sixfold Bible, 'Hexapla'
Apostolic Fathers
Desert Fathers
The Bible in the Eastern Churches
Tatian Harmonized Gospels
Guardians of the Scriptures
The Art of Illumination
Picture Bibles
Wyclif and the Lollards
The age of Gutenberg
The Path towards an Authorized English Bible
Taking the Gospel to the New World
Joseph Smith and "The Book of Mormon"
Translating Scripture Today
modern Biblical Scholarship

A tour with the Bible:
You embark on a tour through the ages guided by a team of the most distinguished bible scholars of our time lead by Bruce Metzger. Those editors, researchers, art consultants and designers include David N. Freedman, Eugene Nida, Jonathan Sarna in a great team. In the 384 pages they meticulously researched, beautifully illustrated, and creatively written. this is a book to read, a story to enjoy, reflect, and share, and a reference to return to whenever you need clarification, illumination, or advice. This is a great work the Reader's Digest, and every contributor should be praised for.

Amazon.com Reviewers Say:
* This book gives an objective view of the Historical aspect of Christianity and Judaism.
* This is not the ordinary book you are apt to find in Bible study class.
* This is a wonderful overview of the Bible illustrated with color art from down through the ages.
* This book is a must for anyone who wishes to understand the Bible.
* stunningly beautiful, a bibliophile's treasure : I have not encountered a more thorough, thoroughly enjoyable, straightforwardly written, ABSORBING journey through the history of the Bible.

Once again I am drawn into the gritty world of the London crime scene. In Ken Bruen's books, I am never sure who is more vicious and criminal, the serial killers or the police who are searching them out.

This book has our serial killer going after the police starting off with a traffic warden and aiming toward the protaganist himself, Ken Brant. We have all of the usual police who we got to know in previous books including Brant (of course), Falls, Roberts, the incompetent Super with his "golden boy - snitch" McDonald. Alas, we no longer have my favorite, Lisa since she killed herself in McDead.

This book may be a little rough for many readers and it might be hard to follow by people who have never been exposed to the peculiar language that is spoken in South London (some say that it is English, but I would not swear to that).

After years of reading George Pelecanos, James Lee Burke, John Harvery, George V. Higgins, Raymond Chandler, Ross Thomas, and others who can turn a phrase while inducing me to turn a page, I've finally started reading Ken Bruen. "Blitz" introduced me to a world so sloppy and hungover it feels as real as anything the aforementioned writers have created.

Here's the 3rd person narrator on Brant, one of the protagonists: "Brant considered asking her for a ride but she looked the deep type. She'd have issues and want to talk after. He hated that." Sharp, politically incorrect, perfectly believable. And the killer, who decides to create his public persona as a vicious murderer who only takes out cops? A complete, drunken screw-up.

Bruen is the real deal. The most exciting thing about finishing "Blitz" was knowing that he's written a shelf and I'm just starting him.

Blitz is the name of a sadistic killer who begins bumping off London bobbies. Tell the truth, I loved BLITZ. I loved the main cop characters, Detective Sergeant Brant and Chief Inspector Roberts, and hope they show up in another book. This is an alcohol-saturated book: it seems all the characters are up till 3 am boozing and look like hell the next day at work. What fun! Wouldn't we all like to be like that, throwing our health to the wind, devil-may-care like. No, probably not. But it is somehow liberating to live vicariously through such tough, hard-as-nails characters. In our overly PC age, when smoking a cigarette is a fineable offense in many places, it does the soul good to see people being free to make mistakes even if only between the covers of a novel. Living badly should be a choice, not a crime, in a free society. Brant and Roberts live badly and are tough, funny and likeable. Ken Bruen has written a series of novels with Jack Taylor as the protagonist which I haven't yet read but have received good reviews. BLITZ is my first Ken Bruen book. Tell you what, mate, it won't be my last.

...he'd probably ask Ken Bruen to write his scripts.

Ken Bruen's "Blitz" is a rock `em, sock `em, no-holds-bar brawl of violent men and hard women on both sides of the law - an in-your-face tale told from the wrong side of London.

Remember the days when Lawrence Sanders was bringing crime fiction to the masses with NYPD's tough Captain Delaney and gripping crime drama like "The First Deadly Sin?" Well, carve up Sander's pedestrian prose with a broken-off beer bottle, run Captain Delaney through the gutters for some edge, strip out any regard for political correctness or social redeeming value, and you'll start getting a feel for Bruen's brand of raw drama on the mean streets. There's no genius in the story - a maniac decides to declare open season on London's cops, and starts indiscriminately killing them. In tracking down the murderer, this is not as much a police procedural as it is a character study in misfits and miscreants - and that's just the good guys.

This is black prose that finds beauty along its jagged edges - a searing journey through vicious deeds and twisted minds that builds to an unexpected and cynically satisfying climax. Ken Bruen is the real deal - if you're hooked on Lehane, Child, Huston, Rankin, or Gischler and haven't added Bruen to your reading list, don't wait another day.

Call it "Irish Noir," "Post-Modern Noir, " or whatever other adjective or descriptive phrase you can come up with; it matters not one bit. There's noir ... and then there's Ken Bruen. Blitz is the sequel to Bruen's The White Trilogy, a series of novels that introduced us to the cops in the South East London squad. A more dysfunctional collection of police officers would be hard to imagine. This time around, their loyalties, their training and what's left of their fragile sanity will be put to the test as they attempt to collar a sociopath who is out there killing cops with a hammer. (Leading Bruen, of course, to insert an irreverent reference or two to the Beatles' immortal "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Would you expect any less?). The killer, nicknamed "the Blitz" by London's rabid tabloid press, is a total `nutter. As the novel progresses, the reader is left with the sneaking suspicion that this whack-job is probably going to get away with his crimes and maybe even make a few pounds selling his story to the highest bidder. The fact that you are tempted in that direction, however, is dead giveaway that the author has something else entirely up his sleeve.

What Blitz lacks - relatively speaking, that is, compared to some of Bruen's other novels - in terms of sheer primal energy and visceral impact, it more than makes up for by means of a subtle and not-so-subtle sense of humor that is as grim and as dark as it gets. It's not that Bruen has become domesticated. It's just that his technique has become more sophisticated over time. Indeed, the author's implicit indictment of society is all the more searing because it is couched largely in such outlandishly humorous terms in this novel. You'll laugh your arse off in places while reading this book. Five minutes later you'll realize that what tickled your fancy was definitely no laughing matter a' tall. And five will getcha ten that's what the author bloody well intended in the first place! So strap yourself in and grab a motion-sickness bag. You're in for a wild ride through the sights and sounds of a London that will never, ever make the pages of any guidebook.

Read the entire text of this review in MYSTERY NEWS (October/November 2004)

Bold Moves captured my attention with a unique story that developed into mulitple levels. The insightful messsages can be applied personally and professionally. It uncovers and affirms one's inner wisdom and initiates action to fulfill a wish, goal, or dream by making a bold move. The first jump is to read the book. Bold Moves will soar and maintain flight for years.

I purchased the book and 2 short days later I made the decision to start making bold moves in my personal life as well as my business career. With the help of Allan and Shayla, I know that the next moves I make will jump start me into the life I have envisioned for myself. Thank you for all your wisdom and direction. I am forever grateful

I love how the authors present very complex, and thought provoking concepts through a simple yet very compelling story. Whether you're a CEO or student just starting out, Bold Moves: Jump to Outstanding Self-Managed Action will help you think clearly about your goals and motivate you to take action.

I completed the book in a few days and I loved it. It is a masterpiece. The story is both compelling and enrolling. The format is unique and extremely helpful as key points are reinforced in multiple forms throughout the book. The authenticity and patience of the authors shines through as the story builds to a crescendo, and a belief that all of us have, or can learn, what is required to make bold moves. A must read for anyone ready to take their life and contribution to the next level.

This is a great book to read is you want to jump into massive
action and make some bold moves in your life. This book is great for
anyone that is in business today. Go, Go, go... I highly recommend it.

Matt Bacak
Author of Secrets of the Internet Millionaire Mind
and The Ultimate Lead Generation Plan

Excellent book, especially for those who are preparing for a case interview, I would recommend it for everyone. Easy reading and superb explanation!

I've alredy been thru the typical i-banking and consulting interview rush and I only wish I had this book back then. Not only will it introduce you to the type of questions you may be asked, it will also get you to start thinking in a smarter way. I highly recommend this book.

hi! i just wanted to let everyone out there whos interviewing for any investment banks or other jobs that this book will definitly help you out. the author worked in the best investment banks on wall street and gives you common interview questions that will have you very prepared. also, the book is really interesting, and just really fun to read through.

The puzzles and brain teasers presented in this book have been enormously helpful for my recent interviews! i was astonished when top banks asked me the EXACT same puzzles that were illustrated in this book! i HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYBODY who is interviewing at any banks, it will help you tremendously!

I have been going through job recruiting for the past 3 months and I only wish this book had come out earlier. Not only has it helped me sharpen my skills but it contains a lot of the identical questions that I am being asked.

Explains your brain, and how different foods affect it, in layman's terms. Many helpful dietary suggestions for preventing disease and treating depression. A great read.

"[T]he most practical and helpful book you will ever find for preserving every precious brain cell. "
-John McDougall, MD, Director of the McDougall Program

"Dr. Hatherill certainly caught my attention! With so many people writing about nutrition and the brain, he has provided an up-to-date summary that is comprehensive, reliable, and readable. This book should be on the shelf of everyone who cares about maximizing the utility and longevity of his/her
brain."
-Dr. Pierce J. Howard, author, The Owner's Manual for the Brain

...Fascinating....[O]f enormous interest to clinicians, patients, and anyone who wants the very best of health."
-Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Doctor J. Robert Hatherill has done an oustanding job with this book! As a health and school psychologist I have already started recommending this book to helping professionals and parents. This author goes beyond writing about the links between good nutrition and health. This is the only book I have read that also demonstrates the critical role of nutrition in the promotion of learning as well as health. I highly recommend this book!

We usually see bridges as an extension of the road we're on, never realizing that every bridge is a great venture unto itself, where creativity, engineering genius and big capital all come into play.
Mr. Cortright's book highlights the most beautiful and unusual bridges from around the world, covering a span of nearly 3000 years. They're all here, from ancient Roman arches to extravagant futuristic showpieces. Whether the locale is Buenos Aires or Shanghai, you'll find yourself daydreaming about who built these bridges and what it would be like to cross them. I picked up this book in an odd moment and found myself captivated for hours.

Ideal for bridge fans, but even better for those who simply like to travel in their imagination. Highly recommended.

An amazing book. Great photos of bridges all over the world. Very insightful. The book has inspired me to go Bridging and I use the book as a reference handbook.

Bridge aficionados are lucky that Bob Cortright is alive, well, and traveling the world with his camera and lifelong, unabashed love of bridges. In this, his third magnificent volume, Cortright takes his camera further afield to bring readers stunning, full color photographs of bridges from 28 countries across six continents. His witty, succinct commentary conveys fascinating lore and trivia about each bridge. A perfect gift for travelers, students, and pontists of all ages. To see more of Cortright's bridges, visit [...].

If you take bridges for granted, perhaps as part of a daily commute, you likely won't again after reading Robert Cortright's lovingly assembled book.

Whether it be a multi-century old stone bridge in the old world or a recently built cable-stayed structure, you can't help but pause to admire the hundreds of examples of man's handiwork in Bridging the World.

Grouped by the method of construction used, these bridges are a tribute to man's ingenuity and his need to communicate. Featuring bridges from almost 30 countries and from 6 continents, the book is guaranteed to leave you wanting to see more, perhaps even in your own locale.

BRIDGING THE WORLD would make a wonderful gift for anyone with an interest in engineering or architecture, an armchair traveler or history buff, or anyone who just likes beautiful photography. Cortright is a retired American banker who just loves bridges. This is his third book filled with bridge photos, and he's obviously very good at his craft. The photos are gorgeous, displaying bridges from all over the world, with 306 clear, colorful photos from 28 countries and six continents.

The photography is exquisite -- you can see the individual cables, the shadows on the water or canyon beneath the structure, and the texture of the stones and other materials used in the bridge construction. The book arranges the bridges more or less chronologically or by length of span. The photos are divided by method of construction used in the bridge -- beam, arch, suspension, cable-stayed, aqueducts and special bridges. The book begins with structures built in ancient times and moves on to huge, modern works of art. To see several of the photos, visit www.bridgeink.com. Strongly recommended, especially as a gift.

For loved ones with any sort of mental abnormalities within the family this is a wonderful story of dedication, love, and tireless patience. I was amazed at these two parents and how they stretched themselves in every direction to help their suffering daughter.

BROKEN GLASS: A FAMILY'S JOURNEY THROUGH MENTAL ILLNESS tells of an unhappy child who grows up to have a serious personality disorder. Elene reached her teens in the middle of the counterculture years: her professor father here shares his story of the family's struggles with Elene's ongoing mental health issues, charting hospital and doctor snafus and interactions, family adjustments, and ups and downs which eventually led to helping her raise her own children. An eye-opening story evolves with plenty of lessons for other families struggling with mental illness.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I have read "Broken Glass" and found it extremely good.
I notice one of your reviewers calls it a novel. I can understand that
because it reads like a novel, a real page-turner. But it really is
not fiction but what the author says, a heartfelt account of a
father's relations with his daughter. Being a parent to a beautiful daughter, this book makes me realize that I should always support my daughter as Dr Hine always did.
I assume Dr Hine is right in saying everything is told as it was.
I have friends who can be called mentally ill, and reading
this book has helped me enormously in my feelings toward them.
Dr Hine is thoughtful, kind, and generous, and he understands and
explains all the paraphernalia of the mental health world. I completely agree with the W. Los Angeles reviewer, this book should be a must for people majoring in Health and Human Studies. A high recommend.

Dr Hine thanks for the beautiful, very descriptive and magic way of your writing, I also enjoyed your "Second Sight" book very much (a must) !!
I guess I'm an avid fun !!

Robert Hine has written the seminal book on parenting a mentally ill child."Broken Glass" chronicles Hine and his wife Shirley's heart-breaking and often harrowing experiences as they watch their daughter Elene veer into the world of mental illness. Never has the debate of "Nurture vs. Nature" been answered more clearly,for despite a loving home,two educated,cultured,concerned parents and the benefits of a middle-class upbringing(music,dance lessons,travel) Elene becomes increasingly more disorganized and disturbed. Hine's descriptions are unsparing,tender, and without attendant sentimentality.What makes this book rise to the top of its kind, is that Hine takes the reader beyond differing diagnoses,treatment modalities and eventual hope for a cure. He places us in the hearts and minds of aging parents who wrestle with their own aging issues, as they alternately assist Elene and attempt to employ "tough love" methods. Elene, now grown with children of her own, continues to have episodic bouts with mental illness."Broken Glass" delivers a mandate to a mental health delivery system and legal system that often fall short of understanding and meeting the needs of a mentally ill citizen.This book should be a required text for nursing,medical,social work and law schools.

This helpful book is aimed at parents who struggle everyday with their mentally ill children. The author, Robert Hine, not only helps the reader understand mental illness in children, but also provides the tools and resources to help assist parents deal with such a challenge. Parents play an important role in the first line offense of mental illness in children. In being able to identify the early warning symptoms, it is the author's hope that we can reduce the stigma and improve the quality of life for such children.

This book should definitely be a required text for those majoring in Health and Human Studies. It is also a great resource for practicing mental health services providers such as, social workers, psychologists, nurses, etc. Needless to say, law enforcement officers and law practitioners are not immune to the type of problems parents and mental health providers encounter because they also assist individuals with severe mental and emotional problems.

The focus of the book is on communication and patience and its approach is humanitarian, emphasizing empathy in dealing with the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, as well as practical in suggesting guideliness for dealing with specific situations. Elene is among the few fortunate children whose parents never give up on them and support them in all aspects trying to figure out what's in their children's best interest. Broken Glass is the type of book you will want to read to the end. It is a remarkable story about Mr. and Mrs. Hine's strength and determination to travel in any direction on any road at any given time, just so that they could provide their daughter with the tools to achieve self sufficiency.

Dr. Hine, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story of heartache and triumph. Your unbreakable spirit shines throughout this book.

A wonderfully told story with great character development.

As I read this moving, and beautifuly written, accont of a family trying to put into a focus the suicide of their son, I kept re-reading the dog Prince's coments. The entire ankst of the family can be seen in the dog's (youthful) padding around seeking the lost son, and then her various thoghts about the family as she ages, and ... Can't reveal plot lines here. If I were a teacher, I would reccomend this book to young students. The incidence of teenage suicide is so real, and disturbing, that this novel, and the fully developed lives of the characters after the suicide, might be a powerful message.

The sophisticated writing of this author indicates wide popular audinece, but somethow I don't think he will find it with this book. It brought many tears to my eyes, but I am old enought to
have lived through some of these scenes. And have old dogs.

This is a painful novel, from which comes no resolution, just hope, - which is what I think the author intended.

GMS

I really enjoyed this book. It was a pleasure reading fiction that developed the characters as Boswell did. This book really kept my attention in ways I wish many others did.

this book was absolutely amazing. the emotions, themes, ideas, etc., throughout the book are incredible. i've never been so entertained by a novel. i highly suggest this to anyone who likes to laugh, cry, and read.

Century's Son was a truly rewarding read. if you enjoy rich characterization, then you will enjoy Boswell's writing. Few authors are able to create such textured characters with as much feeling and depth as Boswell does here. If anything, the only character that did not strike me as particularly real or original is Peter Kamenev, who is slightly stereotyped as the precocious, over-sexed, hyperbolic old man. Nevertheless, Kamenev if extremely enjoyable as a character as well.

The only reason why people may not like this book is that there were no earth-shattering developments in the plot. Nothing truly happened to resolve the lingering tension in the book. But to me, that's precisely the point. The richness of the characters is not drowned out by a schmaltzy plot device. Every character is allowed to develop and reveal his faults at their own pace. They develop organically.

You know that you've found a satisfying read when your chief complaint is that the book is too short!

When I read The Cad, I was bowled over by the depth of the characters created by Edith Layton. The story itself was complex and well constructed. As I closed the book, I wondered at the fate of Gilly and Bridget. Now, in The Choice we know.

The erstwhile street urchin has made good and become a feisty lady. Who better to pursue her than Damon Ryder, the Season's most eligible bachelor? But there are two other suitors hovering in the wings. Who will Gilly choose? Will her past get in the way of true love?

Edith Layton in the tradition of classic regency romance writers such as Georgette Heyer has succeeded where others have failed, in producing a sequel that stands on its own merit. Again the characters are well drawn, and given during the course of the book space to develop and reveal the many facets that make a person whole. These are definitely no cardboard cutouts, but characters that you can identify with. A spellbinding story.

Well done. I can't wait to read her next book!

Enjoyed The Cad by Edith Layton? Wondered what happened to the urchin Gilly who masqueraded as a boy to protect herself? Well, The Choice is her story.

It's set four years after The Cad; Ewen and Bridget have made Gilly and her little sister their wards, and are bringing them up as educated young ladies. (No-one claims that they are in fact 'eligible' by birth, and rumours circulate that they aren't of good family).

At a ball one night, Gilly is attacked by a young aristocrat who, having heard the rumours, assumes that she's fair game. As he's standing nearby, Damon Ryder prepares to come to the rescue; but instead he finds himself having to pull Gilly off the young man! Just who is this young woman who can fight as well as any man?

In revenge, Gilly's attacker tries to ruin her reputation, but Damon again comes to her rescue by claiming that they are long-standing acquaintances and are actually engaged. Thus begins what to Gilly is a pretend betrothal; Damon very quickly realises that he'd like nothing more than for it to be real, and sets about persuading Gilly of his intentions.

But there are several things he doesn't know about Gilly. Readers of The Cad will be aware of her origins in the slums of London; to Gilly's surprise, Damon isn't at all bothered by that discovery. So she reveals her deepest secret to him: as we know from The Cad again, it is that she was raped as a very young child. Again, Damon is only sympathetic, not disgusted as she expected.

So she agrees to marry him. But at the same time there are other complications. Drum, Ewen's cousin (minor character from The Cad), with whom Gilly has been in love ever since she met him, returns and, as the book jacket informs us, seems to see Gilly in a new light. Could he be in love with her after all?

And what about the disreputable Hathaway Wycoff? A married man legendary for his affairs, he treats Gilly as a friend - and she returns the compliment - but he makes no secret of the fact that he would like her to be his lover. And that he is aware that being somebody's mistress might be the only option open to someone of her background.

Three delicious men - all of whom will, I hope, eventually get their own stories: which one will Gilly choose?

Damon Ryder felt the magic of Miss Gillian Giles from the first time he saw her. He didn't care that because of her humble beginnings she was ineligible to become a nobleman's wife. She was his soulmate, his other half. But he was beginning to despair that he would ever convince HER of that!

Gilly wanted desperately to believe him. But it was obvious that she was a disappointment to his family. Although she had learned to look and act like a lady, she was afraid she would never truly belong in that world. And she worried that she would never love Damon as truly as he deserved to be loved...because her first love would always take first place in her heart, even though he didn't reciprocate.

Or did he? The Earl of Drummond never expected Gilly to turn into such a desirable woman. How could he let her marry Damon Ryder when there was just a chance that she might be the one for HIM?

A poignant tale of a woman learning about love in its many forms, as well as her own value and purpose in life. And a man who learns to fight for the desire of his heart. A real winner!

And, considering the existence of several luscious potential heroes in this book, I am eagerly looking foward to hearing more about these fascinating characters in future sequels.

In "The Choice" by Edith Layton, the hero and heroine of the book are two very interesting characters to read about. Gilly is not your usual "lady" and Damon is not your usual "lord." The novel had a great dialogue and I especially enjoyed the conversation between them. It was an amazing thing that Gilly could get over past and not be weighed down by it and not make her into a man hater or bitter person. Damon is a truly chivalrous fellow and I love his character all the more for it. What guy would give up the love of their life just so that she can be happy? And what guy would still do it even thoguh it would break his heart? Well, not many! The one thing that really juts out of my mind when I read the story was at that inn and Gilly was waiting for Damon with Drum (Lord Drummold, the guy who she thought she was in love with) and when Damon burst in throught the door, she ran to him and Gilly and Damon were staring at each other. He had a grave look on him and his eyes were serious but when he looked into Gilly's love filled eyes, his expression started to change into one of hapiness. Then they kissed infront of all those people and felt that they were the only two people in the room. This part was the most memorable to me. Read it! This is one great book.

Read The Cad and want to know more about the characters, especially the young street-urchin, Gilly? Well, don't miss this wonderful book. The story commences four years after the end of The Cad; Ewen and Bridget are still very happily married, with two children. In the interim, Ewen made Gilly and her young sister Betsy his wards, and Gilly cast off her boy's clothes and learned to live as an educated and ladylike young woman, taught by - among others - Ewen's friends Rafe and Drum (the Earl of Drummond).

As the story starts, Damon Ryder - newly returned from America - is strolling in the garden at a ball, and sees a beautiful young woman apparently in danger of being embraced against her will by her companion. He rushes to her rescue, only to find that she doesn't need help; he ends up having to pull her off her attacker. Thus he discovers that there is a lot more to Gilly Giles than meets the eye. However, since her attacker then tries to destroy her reputation, Damon claims that they are secretly engaged.

Gilly, although grateful, is anxious to free Damon from this obligation, but he is only too happy to make the engagement real; he fell in love with her the moment he saw her, and the more he learns about her only makes him love her more. Even when Gilly tells him the truth about her background - that she comes from the slums of London and that her father was a docker, *and* that she was raped as a small child - his feelings don't change.

But Gilly still feels that she isn't good enough for him, or for his family. And what she hasn't told anyone is that she's been secretly in love with Drum, her old friend, for years. But he never saw her as more than a child... until he returns, and it seems as if he's beginning to see her in a completely different light.

And as if having to choose between Damon and Drum isn't enough of a problem for Gilly, Lord Wycoff - married, but who lives apart from his wife - also makes it clear that he would take her any way he could have her.

Can Gilly choose between three men, all of whom want her? Or will she leave it too late to work out who she really loves, and risk losing them all?

Having read this, I now can't wait to read The Challenge, to find out how Hathaway gets on in America; and I sincerely hope that The Conquest is going to be about the last member of this little group of men!