Independent Books

The book is interesting reading but not all that great. Enough said.

An informed and anecdotal account of the process of making indie films from the talented and accomplished Polish Brothers. However, it's a bit remedial and general for the initiated filmmaker. There are a couple of bonafide pearls of wisdom and the book moves right along, covering the process of making indies. Which makes it a fun read, but for my time and money there are much better books on independent filmmaking.

There are plenty of indie books out there, but this is the only one I've found which is comprehensive and made by real indie filmmakers. It's highly technical where it needs to be, like in the camera chapter, and easily understood throughout. My favorite chapters were distribution and writing as they illuminated the process in ways I hadn't fully understood previously. The book was a pleasure to read, I recommend.

I'm a big fan of this book. I live in Los Angeles, I'm very serious about pursuing a career in independent film, and I've read a great deal of ground-up Hollywood "making it" books. Some like "Rebel Without A Crew" were actually pretty inspiring and others like "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking" were very helpful in terms of, well, the nuts and bolts of filmmaking.
But no book I read really addressed the "big picture"- why people make independent films, and how they go about making independent films. This book was admirably neither bogged down in self-congratulation or in tiny, picky details.
The Polish Bros and Sheldon started from the ground up and guide you pretty much step-by-step through the indie filmmaking process, and it was great to get their advice based directly on their own experiences, with concrete examples.
The book doesn't offer anybody any false hope, but at the same time it's pretty damn inspirational. It offers the notion that you CAN have a different and original filmmaking vision AND successfully translate that to the screen. Through hard work and cleverness, the Polish Bros and Sheldon succeeded in making daring and thoughtful films outside of the conventional Hollywood model, and you, perhaps, can too.
I read this book at the right time, and it made a huge impact on me. It gave me both hope and cold-shower, practical advice. I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in independent film.

This book is a great read for any emerging or established filmmaker. It provides an interesting and intimate story of two brothers struggle to make independent feature films. Throughout retelling their journey the brothers pass on useful knowledge, tips and allow the reader to learn from their mistakes. This book gets right down to specific problems on and off set and exactly how they dealt with them and the results... it has a refreshing straight-to-the-point style of writing, and taught me a few things about the Hollywood system that I didn't know. This book will inspire you to work harder and wiser to get your films made.

This book is an introductory guide for newbies in publishing. Being a small and easy to read paperback, it's a good starting point for anyone who never read about publishing before and wasn't involved into the publishing or self-publishing business.

The book covers two major areas. The first area is publishing in general (how to produce a book and get it selling), including self-publishing. The second area is business aspects of running a small book publishing company, including accounting principles, sales tax issues, business structure, and so on. Being the author of the business titles: "Thinking Like an Entrepreneur" and "Becoming an Investor", Peter I. Hupalo couldn't resist from exposing basic entrepreneurship principles in this book.

To the date of publication, the book was is very timely: it gave valuable and up-to-date information on prices and conditions on various services related to book publishing: offset printing, Print-On-Demand, book storage in climate-controlled warehouses, retail distribution channels, sales through amazon.com, and so on. This information helps to the reader to make the right choice. Moreover, there is a special, deep chapter "How Many Copies You Should Print".

The author also gives valuable experience of being a member of various publishing-related Internet discussion lists. At the time of publication, publishing-related discussion lists were not known to be mentioned in other publishing and self-publishing titles.

While this book is concise and is not tedious, there is never enough. Consider getting more information and valuable references from "Complete Guide to Self Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book" by Tom Ross and Marilyn Ross.

When I initially saw this title and the positive reviews, I decided to purchase it to see if it had any more information to add to what I read in The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom & Marilyn Ross. ...

I was disappointed with the first part of the book, which seemed to be nothing but promotions of other books. And while he does discourage direct mail advertising, he does so for pages! He seems to find it necessary to explain ad nauseam why direct mail advertising is wrong. Other topics are covered in such a way that he ends up referring you to another book for more information.

There are a few areas that he does go in-depth about, such as the matter of bookkeeping and accounting, but at times he goes into too much technical detail - possibly even more than most budding publishers would ever have to encounter. And when it comes to the issue of printing he has a tendency to over-promote POD publishers, especially since his book is printed through a POD publisher (which tends to be more expensive that other books of its type and size).

About the only useful information that I was able to glean from the book were web sites where I could find additional information as needed. But this isn't enough to justify an overpriced book that is more hype than substance.

Peter Hupalo's book was very highly recommended on Amazon.com so I was quite excited to see what information it could give me about starting my own publishing business. I knew that I was going to be disappointed when I saw the book and realized how cheaply the book was designed. While I know that it is important to cut costs in production, I felt that the author was lying when he said that it is easy for an author to learn to design a cover by himself and still look professional. Who is he trying to kid? The book is obviously self-published and designed. The author uses shameless self-promotion by repeatedly mentioning other books that he has written that could help the reader with other aspects of running a small business so that he can milk you for more money instead of giving you a few tips in this publication. I also thought that the title was misleading because it is really geared towards self-publishers - not a publishing company. I don't mean to say that the book is completely useless, as there was some decent information inside, as well as some suggestions as to printers and designers who don't mind working with smaller companies. However, as a whole I was pretty disappointed because there is little or no practical application for most of the topics that are covered in the book. For sections on inventory accounting, profitable book pricing, etc. the author spends a great amount of time running through math problems to show the reader all of this gobbledegook that doesn't make sense because you don't run your own publishing business and are not really sure of what the heck he is talking about! Other sections like cover design & book layout are obvious - make your book look good so it will sell. Duh. How do you make it look good, what are some things that have sold really well in the past? Anyway, it is a good introduction to publishing in general, but I was left with a lot more questions after the book than I had before!

How To Start & Run a Small Book Publishing Company: A Small Business Guide To Self-Publishing And Independent Publishing by author, publisher, and book reviewer Peter I. Hupalo is a highly practical, useful and "user friendly" guide written especially for authors who are considering private publishing as an alternative to being published by an established press, as well as those who are considering launching their own independent publishing businesses for producing their own works and/or those of others. Individual chapters address a range of relevant issues ranging from the determination of how many copies of a book to print, to successful and unsuccessful marketing techniques (direct mail is strongly discouraged due to its expensive nature and low likelihood of turning a profit), to pricing the book for maximum commercial return, to itemizing deductible costs, inventory accounting, book production, record keeping, and much, much more. A first-rate primer and a "must-read" for anyone seriously thinking of entering the exciting and often competitive world of independent publishing, How To Start & Run A Small Book Publishing Company is a welcome and recommended addition to any personal reading list or professional "do-it-yourself" instructional reference shelf.

Peter Hupalo starts off with a caveat; he suggests caution. Starting at the beginning, he asks you to determine if and why you want to be a book publisher.

He is down to earth and up to date. For example, on Page 37, he (rightly) recommends against direct mail advertising for books.

Hupalo is strong in finance and marketing and he applies sage advice to books.

I love his statement on page 77:
"With the book industry, the entire industry squeaks.
That's probably because it's a very old industry."
With advice from Peter Hupalo, some of us will break the bonds of tradition and make book publishing more profitable.

He covers inventory, accounting, sales taxes, deductions, business structures, record keeping, typesetting, printing and more.

This book is about the nuts and bolts of setting up and running a book publishing business.

As an author, publisher and advisor to the book publishing industry, I recommend this book.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

How To Start Your Own Country
Really interesting book about very specific matter.
Many not popular, but very interesting historic and another data.

I found this book to be quite entertaining, I myself started my own country with the help of this book (The Principality of Saint Corjimia). Although this book is wirtten with em' big words and all, its a great read. I also noticed you get funny looks when reading this book in public.

This book was very entertaining. I dont think the age mattered very much. It was confusing at parts, but over all a great read. Very little seemed outdated.

Many people wonder whether or not their current government or state is able to hold firm through times of economic crisis, war, corruption, and natural disaster. Others wish to secede for their own agenda; profit, heritage, lifestyle. And many just want to have fun and create their own country. This work by Erwin S. Strauss provides information, ideas, and concerns with starting your own country.

Ironically, the author of this piece has most of his work in science fiction. But don't let that turn you away from this scholastic effort. Strauss begins this small book by introducing the present opportunities available, the five approaches, and the pros and cons of each. This is quite a simple process and is easily understandable to someone with little or no knowledge of history or government. From there he presents the unlikelihood of being able to produce your own traditional sovereignty and encourages the construction of a model country, unless of course you are inclined to form a large army and play with the big dogs (any developed country). The remainder of the book is a presentation of case studies. This presents examples of the many failed and struggling attempts by individuals and groups to create their own country. Some stories are in depth and very well known, others are minute and little is known of them. But it does give great examples of countries that were completely serious and others that were just fun. The examples range from all 7 continents, on islands, on water, in space, underground, in homes, and even in someone's backyard. The economics, population, type of government, and success of each are listed. A great addition is the black and white photos and scans.

Although it's an extremely difficult idea to succeed at, in a serious sense, starting your own country is achievable. It is quite simple to start with your own model country and take the effort in a serious manner, eventually working your way up to a legitimate country. I would recommend checking into this book for the overall outlook Strauss gives in regards to the difficulty of achieving such a task and then use the case histories for ideas on your own. Please also note the technology he speaks of is outdated as it was written in 1979 and last updated in 1999.

Unlike most of the projects described, this book is pretty realistic about the problems facing prospective nation founders. It contains an excellent compendium of past projects, with some amusing commentary. While the title is rather overstating the content, it does provide some decent ideas about how to go about this difficult task. The material is dated, but at least its not absurdly utopian or impractical like some of its competitors (ie Marshall Savage).

Expect humor pointed at foolish projects, some hard talk about realism, and some good ideas to get started. Don't expect a true handbook or fleshed out ideas, its a short book.

Brookner creates a fascinating window into the interior monologues of human beings, particularly women. In Fanny you can see all the ways one can mentally reformat their experiences to try and make them more tolerable. You also see how practiced one can become at forgiving instead of becoming angry, and how we may not always be paying attention to those who really love us.

The novel tells in dramatic detail how Nick and Alix Fraser casually break the heart of Frances Hinton, a well-behaved and observant young woman who works in the reference library of a medical research laboratory dedicated to the study of problems of human behaviour and who longs, in her subdued way, for love. She is an orderly young woman and Spartan in her habits. If she suffers loneliness it is because she has settled for the harsh habit of dealing with all matters by herself.
And soon Frances is disappointed in love. "I knew about love and its traps ... I never speak of it" and turns to writing as a form of therapy and escape, as a way to reorder her world. She writes when she feels swamped in her solitude and hidden by it, physically obscured by it and rendered invisible. Writing is her way of piping up, of reminding people that she is here. We may well guess how much of her own personality the author put in her heroine's character.
An altogether convincing portrait of failed love and solitude, reminiscent of so many of Anita Brookner's protagonists.

How sad Fanny has made her life. What strikes me odd is that she is quite intelligent yet doesn't see that she may be to blame for the unimportant life she leads.

This novel is not the typical formula novel. There is no huge plot, no large turn in events, but just the thoughts of a young single girl in London. She is quite perceptive, if not overly contemplative when she meets and makes temporary friends with Nick and Alix. Then she meets James, and things don't seem so gloomy for her, for now she has reason not to hurry the days away.

I think this is a great book for what it's worth. Great literature minus a huge plot. The author does a great job in making a memorable character without having the reading see her through countless events.

(Can I say it without sounding sexist? I suppose not.) Yet another self-loathing woman author with a feminist axe to grind.

A good author with tremendous control over her art form, but tiresome nevertheless. The main character is so self absorbed that everything else is barely two dimentional.

I'd much prefer Alice Munroe for a protrail of individuals and relationships with depth and solidity. Someone who understands [or tries to] the world beyond herself.

Brookner never opens the door, not to let heself out or to let others in.

Frances Hinton is lonely and bored. She leads a highly regimeted life in the home of her youth, espouses the bourgeois virtues of hard work, stability, and responsibility, and takes no emotional risks. She has few friends and no confidant. She rarely goes out and has hardly any interests or entertainments. In brief, her world is static and very circumscribed. Although she has the talent, intelligence, and financial means to alter her life, and while she wishes desperately to do so, she is paralyzed -- with indecision, with fear, with lethargy? We are not sure, and this dilemma is the crux of the book.

Her supreme wish is for notice, acclaim, and love, and to this end she writes. She has published two short stories. Her tragedy is that she is an observer who wants to be observed. She discounts her natural gifts and virtues. She is not satisfied with the loyalty of her old friends but craves a different sort of friendship, an apprenticeship, with someone exciting, charismatic, careless, brutal. Equating living with agressiveness, she thinks that such a person will show her how (she actually takes notes) to seize and drain the cup of life.

Frances finds her mentor in Alix, the wife of one of the physicians at the medical research library where she works. Alix is everything Frances wants to be: opinionated, brash, charming, rude, selfish, grasping, and fatally charismatic. A collector of people, constantly on the lookout for a diversion, Alix adopts an elated Frances, and gleefully abets a budding romance between her and James, another physician at the library. For a while all seems well.

In Frances, Dr. Brookner has created a most intriguing and baffling character. She is deeply disturbed, but the first person narration makes it hard to tell what precisely is the matter with her. Because she appropriates blame for things that are not her fault, has low self-esteem, and is fearful when she should be angry, she might suffer from self-defeating personality disorder. It is sad that she cannot be happy with her lot, which objectively seen is a pretty nice one, and that her dissatisfaction leads her into such painful experiences.

Dr. Brookner makes wonderful use of symbolism in this book. The writing is, as usual, first rate. Dr. Brookner alternates sentence length and rhythm and the whole book falls very pleasingly on the ear, a heartbreakingly plaintive wail.

This book is not really a book, it's mainly quotes and pictures of the band. If you are wanting to learn all about THE PRODIGY, this book is not for you, (the book does not give much information)

prodigy is god. everything that deals with prodigy is god. this is a good book. buy it.

The pictures and quotes in the book are okay, but it's missing information! If it had some info on the band I'd give it 5 stars, and I would have bought it (rather than reading it in the bookstore). But it's still pretty good just because it's about Prodigy!

The book is not really a book It's more of a collection of pictures and quotes. The book is fantastically laid out and designed well. It's a browsing book that has photos taken throughout the bands history. It is a must have for all Hardcore fans yet a big no no for people wanting to learn about the band.

this girl named natalie is gay in chatham ontario!!!

Brooks copyrighted this herself in 1983 and, although there is no useful biographic information, I get the impression she wrote it for the k-12 school library market. The book feels like it is written for an 8th grade audience but with an admirable extent to the vocabulary and historical contexts. Brooks has done a good job on relating geography, medieval culture and art, and history in an enjoyable and informative read.

Perhaps I don't understand the prejudices of the school library market, but I do wish that books like this would do some referencing and citations of quoted material to give readers the concept of backing up what is said with authoritative research sources.

This is a good solid introductory book on Eleanor. It is comprehensive (unlike so many of the newer Eleanor books that focus on and tend to glamorize only one part of her life). It presents most of the known historical facts and mentions most of the commonly known myths as well (clearly presenting them as unfounded legend). This is a good place to start if you want an overview of Eleanor's life. It's a quick read for adults and a good comprehensive exploration of a medieval life for an elementary or high school student.

Queen Eleanor is a women who never gives, even in the last few years of her life. She gave birth to two famous kings, King Richard the Lionhearted and King John Lackland. She was married to King Louis and then to King Henry. The story is very well put together and gave the feeling of being at the place where Eleanor was. The book gave a lot of interesing facts but it told a story as well.

This is a wonderfully written book about one of the most interesting figures in history, Eleanor of Aquatine. From her carefree homeland to dreary England, first and second husbands, Eleanor's charactor shines through every page. I seemed to get to know her as a person, not just some charactor whom the author slaps on a few traits and leaves the "finished product" fuzzy around the edges. Do yourself a favor and buy this book for you, your child, you grandchild, your teacher, your... Well you get the point!!

Two Thumbs Up = EXCELLENT!!

One Thumb Up = Good

Sideways Thumb = OK

One Thumb Down = Bad

Two Thumbs Down = TERRIBLE!!

This book was: Two Thumbs Up

Comments: When you think of the average bio you think of DATES DATES AND MORE DATES! And trust me, I cannot STAND DATES! They are too dry and it's not like we're going to remember anyways unless we are overly obsessed freaks. ANYWAYS! To get back to the point: This book was a great presentation of the life of Eleanor of Acquitaine. Why? Well it wasn't too dry. Somehow the author managed to step into Eleanor's character and write from her point of view, yet stay in the third person. It was very detailed. Overall it was an enticing and informative story.

I recently bought this book for a paper I had to do for school. I had read Polly Schoyer Brooks' book about Joan of Arc last year, and had enjoyed it, so I was hapy to find one on Eleanor of Aqutaine. This book was clear and easy to understand, but explained the fascinating life of Eleanor in detail. Each chapter highlighted a different section of her life, from her childhood in Aqutaine, to her marriages and rules as Queen of France and England, and finally to helping her sons rule as kings of England. I was amazed by her long life in the medieval times. This book is a treasure and one I would read again. I especially enjoyed the references to the King Arthur tales and how Eleanor influenced them as a model for Guinevere!

Bought this for my husband who is deciding which v. v. he should go on!
thanks

This book was extremely well organized. I was able to quickly sort through for an organization that allowed teens and was for the duration of time we had available. From there, it was easy to go on the specific websites for the pretty pictures. We have just come back from our experience building homes in Costa Rica and can't wait to go again! You will never again feel the need for a beach vacation. It was much more invigorating to give something of yourself.

This book is very informative and easy to navigate. I was able to ready it over a 2 day period on my spare time and breakdown the vacations that would best suit what I am looking to do.

I'm sure you can get most of the information in this book online but there's nothing like being able to curl up with this while dogearing pages and marking it up. It is extremely well organized and indexed in multiple ways so you're sure to find what you're looking for. Once something gets your interest you can contact the organization or look online for more info. One really nice feature is the occasional presence of first person narratives from people who've actually done the vacations.

*****
I bought this book out of curiosity and was amazed at the variety of opportunities available to travel and contribute throughout the world. The book is a compendium of opportunities of every imaginable type, an incredible resource if you're even thinking about a taking a vacation in which you volunteer.

Each opportunity contains all contact information, include web site, the types of projects available, organization mission statements, the year founded, the number of volunteers last year (so that you can see the scope of the program), funding sources, what kind of work the organization does, project locations, time line (when and for how long commitments are made), cost (including arrangements that must be made like medical examinations), how to get started, needed skills, and the specific populations that could qualify.

The book is very friendly to those with limitations (for example, sight limitations, physical agility, etc.). There are also stories throughout the book from volunteers about their actual experiences while volunteering.

There is a section on long-term volunteering opportunities. There are four indexes: by project cost, project length, location, season, and type.

It is a wonderful book to use to explore what types of things you might like to do, as well as to use as a research base to search out specific opportunities. It is a great value, and an organized way to begin your volunteer journey!

Highly recommended.
*****

There is something about the British and their outlook towards American politics which is quite enjoyable. They bring a refreshing civility and admiration for political thought and history that is more often than not absent in today's North American biographers. In this biography of Lincoln Charnwood delves deep into the political atmosphere in which Lincoln rose to power and saw America through one of its most trying hours. The author delivers a deep sense of what a thoughtful and kind man that Lincoln was. It is an an unflinching look at Lincoln's spiritual side in which in comparison to today's commander-in-chief is quite startling for their similarities and differences.
His dissection of the politics of the era is simply fascinating. This is a book for anyone who has a keen apreciation of politics and history. Charnwood's unflinching directness in his portrayal of Lincoln leaves the reader with the sense that not only does the author have the deepest respect for Lincoln but that that Lincoln deserved every bit of it. My copy of this book is a beat up 1950's paperback I found in a thrift store to accompany me on a trip to Louisiana and I would recommend to anyone who can get their hands on one.

This was an excellent historical record of probably the greatest American that ever lived. However, it has long, complex, diffcult to read wording that makes it somewhat labor-intensive reading. The content is great, but there are far easier to read (and understand) books about Lincoln.

Though it is dated in some of its facts and assessments,Lord Charnwoods classic study of Lincoln remains one of the dozen or so greatest books ever written about our greatest President.What sets it apart from most other studies of the sixteenth President is the attention it gives the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings of Lincoln's life and actions. It is, in short a work of philosophical history, not a dry recitation of facts. Charnwood is interested in the moral meaning of democracy and the scope and limits of democratic leadership. He performs his task beautifully. I , for one , found his old-fashioned Victorian prose a joy to read, and a relief from the cliche' ridden jargon that too often passes for literate prose today. A great book by a foriegn observer of America, fully worthy of being placed beside Tocqueville and Bryce.

Lord Charnwood's 1916 volume remains one of the finest portraits of Abraham Lincoln yet produced. Charnwood offers nuanced insight into Lincoln's mind and his character, probing much deeper and more convincingly than later authors were able. Charnwood's brief treatment of Lincoln's complicated religious faith (tied in with the section on the Second Inaugural Address) was particularly poignant.

I suggest William E. Gienapp's "Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America" (2002) for learners who are new to Lincoln or have lost touch with him since 9th grade history class. Gienapp synthesizes all the latest research and criticism within Lincolnian studies into a brief yet surprisingly thorough 240-page book.

After that, step up to Charnwood. It is truly great historical writing (almost literary in moments) and one of the best character studies published of a truly incredible human being.

I guess it was fluke, but I have tried two (2) copies of this book and in both copies pages 233-264 were missing and pages 265-296 are repeated twice. Too bad because it cuts off right at an interesting part leading up to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln's effort to keep the border states in the Union.

Apparently the missing pages situation was not the case with the copies had by the other reviewers here, or........they didn't read far enough into the book to notice. None makes any mention of the problem.

I give it five stars for the content that was contained in my copy anyway, but no stars at all to the printer.

We had this as a reference book for a course in Microwave engineering and was used in a design problem. This is not your leisure book that you can just browse! You have to have advanced calculus/electromagnetism background to understand the concepts.

The book covers all the basic antennae theory and types to topics ranging to radar design.

This is a must have for any RF design engineer.

Since most of the RF jobs in US are with defense and companies like Lockheed Martin and you have to be US citizen to get such jobs, I had to opt for computer networks for graduate studies in US, otherwise I'd have ended up as a RF designer myself.

I would normally rate such a book as five stars, but I've given it four stars to draw some attention that this book is not so easily comprehended as two preceding reviewers suggest. Indeed, the book is well written and organized. However, I think the level of mathematics used is that of advanced calculus. I believe this book is intended for a senior EE or EE graduate student. However, it is not all mathematics and there is still much to be learned about antennas from the book without having had exposure to some of the mathematics used. If you are in doubt, you might consider an alternative before purchasing this book, or at least purchase it with the thought of returning it within a 30 day inspection period.

In USA is common practice to use technician and called them Engineers just because they have 5 to 30 or so years of experience. Sometimes an "engineer" complains about a book because it has too much math on it. Those kind of engineers just want a "cookbook". This book is not a "cookbook", this book is for real engineers with a solid formation in calculus and is not for graduate as someone suggested.

I found this book to be very helpful and to the point on mostof the material. I thought the math, when given, was quitestraightforward, and the author was sure to explain the actual meaning of the math in quick to understand terms. I have only had this book for two days, and have already been able to walk away with a good bit of knowledge END

I found some aspects of the text, especially chapters 6, 13 and 14, to be problematic. I thought the approach to the exposition of the theory of a given topic to be somewhat choppy. Much text is devoted to finding simplified expressions which can be distracting and impedes understanding. In a few instances, the reader is directed to external sources to get foundational details. And, often, the result presented applies only in special cases, such as, in the far field, or for electrically small antennas, or for antennas an odd integer multiple of a half wavelength. For example, in the section on self-impedance of a thin linear antenna (13-5), the statement is made that it is "common practice to shorten the antenna a few percent to make X11=0." Yet the expression presented for X11 is the sine integral which is non-zero everywhere except at Si(0). So, absent thorough exposition of the theory, this is not helpful to those interested in the general case.

I believe this book would be vastly improved if a systematic approach, in the context of electromagnetic theory, is adopted for exposition of the material. Development of new topics should begin with first principles. Sections building on earlier sections should include appropriate back references. References to external papers or earlier editions should not be used as substitute for exposition of details as these sources are generally inaccessible to the reader. Recognizing the accessibility of powerful mathematics software, much of the material dealing with simplifying assumptions could be edited out in favor of more complete exposition of the theory.

Another boring book. There were far too many unlikable characters in this novel. The ones that were likable had no personality at all despite the author telling us that they did. Too much of a murder mystery for me. Not enough dialogue between the two main characters to make it romantic.

Juliana and Nicholas were childhood friends. They grew up together in Lychwood Hall, the home of Nicholas' uncle. They were considered outsiders by Uncle Trenton, Aunt Lilith, and their children, Crandall and Seraphina. At sixteen, Nicholas decided to escape, leaving Juliana alone. Nicholas promised he would return for her, but fifteen years have passed.

Juliana is a paid companion to Clementine and while attending a ball she sees Nicholas arrive. Although Juliana desperately wants to talk to Nicholas, she is worried he will not recognize her, or worse yet, he won't acknowledge her. She is very pleasantly surprised when Nicholas seeks her out, asking her to dance. Juliana adored Nicholas as a child, but now she sees him as a man.

After Nicholas pays a visit to Juliana, Clementine's jealousy causes her to lose her position. Nicholas feels responsible, so he offers to marry her. Juliana is reluctant but she agrees and they return to Lychwood Hall. They find that Aunt Lilith is still rude, Seraphina is not the beauty she once was, and Crandall is even more vile than he was as a young man. As they adjust to their surroundings, Nicholas and Juliana discover their fondness for each other goes much deeper than friendship. But nicholas tries to deny his feelings for Julianna.

On their wedding night, Nicholas and Juliana are interrupted when Crandall is found dead. Nicholas and Juliana proceed to investigate, trying to find the killer. It seems that Crandall had more enemies than allies and they all have motive to want him dead. During his investigation, Nicholas is sure he has discovered the identity of the killer. Believing Juliana is now in danger, Nicholas races back to Lychwood Hall, praying that he arrives in time to save her!

In An Independent Woman, Nicholas rages a constant battle between his desire for Juliana and his need to stay away from her. I found this frustrating, but when he finally accepts his feelings, the heat and tenderness between them is very passionate. Juliana's love for Nicholas is so endearing. The mystery that surrounds the later part of the book is very intriguing. I was surprised by the killer's identity. An Independent Woman is a heart-warming story that delivers a lovely happily ever after ending.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A Candace Camp historical romance is always a delight. An Independent Woman is one of her best. Julianna Holcott & Nicholas Barre are childhood friends who faced orphanhood together. Fifteen years later, Nicholas is now Lord Barre. He returns to England to claim his inheritance and find Julianna, who is now a paid companion. Nicholas proposes marriage to his dear friend, thinking he can maintain a marriage of convenience. Candace Camp captivates us throughout the pages as the desire builds between Julianna and Nicholas. They return to his estate to be married, an estate and inheritance his cousin Crandall and Aunt Lilith have been maintaining for him throughout the years of his absence. The story takes a turn with a murder on Julianna & Nicholas's wedding night, with a Clue-like cast of characters as the possible culprit. A touching Cinderella story with a bit of mystery and suspense. An enjoyable read!

This book features the relationship between Julianna Holcott and Nicholas Barre, who were best friends as kids,they enjoyed 4 sweet years together, but have been apart for 12 years, because nicholas ran away, for a reason he reveals later in the story.
Julianna is a companion for the Thrall family, composed of Fiona, the sensible one, her bimbo sister Clementine, her disillusional mother,Lady Thrall and a father who's sensible enough to stay away from his wife. Nicholas and Julianna re-meet at a ball where Julianna is chaperoning Clementine, a series of shannengans occur that get Julianna fired.Clementine gets her well deserved put- down and Juliana gets a backbone.
Nicholas and Julianna travel back to the Barre estate, where their, hateful cousin Crandall, is killed on their wedding night, Nicholas took a vow of celibacy but apparently cant keep hos hands of Julianna. Julianna just wants to be loved and learns a shocking revelation about her mum. Julianna also might be having Nicholas's baby and the Crandall murder is still yet to be solved. The villian i must ay was obvious from the beginning, but from a characters point of view, it was not.
A highly, enjoyable book.

This is one of the best romance novels I have read in a long time...and I read alot of them...I enjoyed the emotional whirlwind the author was able to create for the reader. I cried and laughed...

The only thing I think would of made this book even better, was more love scenes between the two main characers...they were wonderful together!