Resorts Books

This is a part of the world I was familiar with having visited the North Minnesota woods as a kid. His descriptions of the area were accurate and his spending a large portion of his life there was evident. However, it was a struggle getting through this as he was all over the place, characters, time, etc. I basically fought through this to finish it, and in the end it was very unclear what was really going on.

Not a very good read, even though I was very excited about it upon finding it.

My earlier very positive review of this book ("Great characters, compelling suspense, brilliant ecofiction") was correctly attributed to jrdwyer@csuchico.edu, but now it's merely by "a reader." Here I've written hundreds of reviews for Library Journal, been named LJ reviewer of the year, and am writing my second book about environmental literature, but for some reason Amazon has emasculated me into "a reader." Hey, Amazon, I like tomgirls. You've made money selling my first book (Earth Works) and will make more of the seond one (Where the Wild Books Are)What did I do to get bumped off by you? No, I don't suspect this "review" will be helpful to readers, but my books are!

The two negatives: 1) the book takes about 60 pages to get up to the suspense level where it's impossible to put down, and 2)it's not overly idiot-friendly. Both of these drawbacks are negligible when you consider that it provides an awesome plot in an unforgettable and palpable world -- one you've probably never seen before. And for the first time since JD Carr, a mystery writer is crediting the audience with the kind of intelligence that draws them to mysteries in the first place. On top of that, it moves like a locomotive. You want stupid, read John Sandford's "Prey" novels. You want a spooky, gripping read that will make you feel like you've lived through something intense, try Wayne Johnson.

Wayne Johnson, author, tight pants, black hair, tough talker. I don't know, something about it bothered me, too much description, maybe, or was it that the descriptions all came in the form of lists, filled with commas, and really amounted to very little, not ,much?

HIDE THE BALL? It's true that in a mystery the author is always keeping a great deal from the reader, it's the nature of the beast. In most mysteries however, whether first person or third, the protagonist is in the dark as well. In this case the narrator, Peter Two Persons (god, is this spelled out for or what?) knows so much more than he's telling, that one gets the feeling not only of being in the dark, but of being teased. Johnson is playing a game with the reader, and I find it infuriating.

It's a shame, because I think if he had not worked so hard at being so lyrical , and had been a little more honest with his readers, Johnson would have had a really wonderful book here.

By the way, has anybody ever looked at somebody's eyes and seen "Blue with flecks of white" in them?

It's 12:12 a.m. and I just had to stay up and finish this book tonight. Like the main character, I was often unsure what was going on exactly, and couldn't tell the good guys from the bad, and as that is often the case in real life, I totally identified with him even though I am a woman.

I loved the lyrical quality of the writing, stopping often to reread sentences and entire passages, admiring how sharply Wayne Johnson captured a scene in a few phrases or sentences.

The writing style and the story are perfectly matched. The characters could be someone you know.

I loved it.

Over the past few years I have visited several of the resorts listed in this book. I've found the management and conditions excellent. I like the resorts so much that I wouldn't want the mass market or other wrong-headed persons to visit. That makes me hesitate to promote these spots too much. However, in the face of the curious pans on some of the resorts from other Amazon readers, I felt compelled to make note of my own times at these Best All-Inclusives! I'd also like to mention my absolute favorite but that I'm going to keep a secret of course!

We bought the book because it seemed thorough and well written at first glance. Both my wife and I eventually read most of it -- it was entertaining and well done. We used it to select the kind of vacation we wanted and the particular resort. I found it to have a lot of diverse, interesting choices with great detail. We traveled to a resort in the Bahamas that the Parises recommended and found it to be exactly as described -- and in some ways even better! We have since lent it to a neighbor with our high recommendations. I know places can change for the better or worse quickly, but we definitely were pleased --

We visited two of the so-called 'Best' all-inclusives in this book, and they were terrible (neglected, unkept, terrible food). I wouldn't trust this book, and certainly would not use it to plan a hard-earned vacation.

Despite the title this is almost entirely about the US and its' near neighbours. Europe and Asia get a cursory glance. The resort coverage itself is sparse and there are few illustrations.

From the "100 Best Resorts" series by The Globe Pequot Press. The
authors point out that travelers save up to 25 percent of vacation
costs when booking all-inclusive stays. Rates start at $800 per week, per person; the average cost per couple is $2,500 per week. In addition, all-inclusive travelers often receive airfare discounts; for instance, Club Med (the original all-inclusive) has exclusive deals with airlines while the owner of the Sandals chain also has a controlling interest in Air Jamaica.

All-inclusive resorts offer one price for all services, gratuities, food, and lodging. If nothing else, it is an amazing peace-of-mind feeling to go on vacation knowing the exact cost. There are no surprises, especially in cost, with all-inclusive resorts; consistent quality is another trademark. The resorts were originally designed for singles but now cater to couples and families, too.

This book excludes European properties, in spite of Club Med starting there some 50 years ago. The rankings and the book have a very US-centric focus. 84% of the properties are in North America, including US, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In fact, this book could serve as a useful guide for someone choosing between resorts in Jamaica and Mexico (27% of the listings).

Contact points, including toll-free telephone numbers and Web sites, are provided for each listing. Check with either or both for package deals, specials, or other additional information. Prices for most properties are listed per person, per day, even though the Introduction indicated that most stays are for one week. It would be nice to have weekly rates listed, especially if they are different (that is, less) than the daily rate times seven. Another silly inconsistency that bothered me is that airports (and other information) are listed in different formats;
perhaps because the authors merely duped the information provided by the resorts. For instance, the closest airport for most of the Jamaican resorts was listed three different ways, although it was the same airport (Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay). Also, airports are listed in time, distance, or both from the resorts. This would probably bother only me.

Reviewed November 2001 by Charles McCool ...

A temporary job at a Mexican Spa is just the thing Nora Franke needs to take her mind off her teetering personal relationship.

The work isn't difficult; menu changes, receipt suggestions, lectures, and demonstrations. Her time is more a vacation than work. Nora enjoys the guests and all the perks that the facility offers. At least until a missing guest is found dead from a fall. When a second guest dies mysteriously, all the fun is taken out of her holiday job.

Nora's editor asks her to do an article on the spa and the deaths which turn out not to be from natural causes.

Helen Barer lets you follow Nora as she searches for clues and the truth, and finds lots of both. This book is a good, fun read.

Reviewed by Wanda C. Keesey

This is a riveting FIVE STAR story, masterfully told. Hellen Barer is a wonderful writer and I'm already eagerly awaiting her next one. From the opening chapter, I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next. Fitness Kills is set in a spa ranch, and Hellen will leave you guessing until the final end.
Buy this book!

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (09/07)

When I received Helen Barer's "Fitness Kills" in the mail one Tuesday, I had my day all planned out. There were things I didn't particularly want to do, but they needed to be done. But every new book is like a Christmas gift to me, so I opened this book in a striking green dust jacket, thinking I'll read a page or two and then get going. Four hours later I got up, absolutely enchanted with the book I've just read - and could not put down.

Where should I begin? I loved the book on so many levels... The heroine, Nora, is somebody I would love to meet in real life. She is brave and spunky and funny - and 30 pounds overweight after her recent "sort-of-a-break-up-and-then-maybe-not." Ms. Barer's portrayal of the New York food writer, turned into a sleuth, is absolutely brilliant and seeing the life in a posh spa in Baja California through Nora's eyes is a candid and colorful experience. We get to see, feel and definitely smell it.

The story line is engaging and Nora's quest for the killer produces a fair share of nail-biting moments. The best part of it is probably Nora's refusal to take herself too seriously and her refreshing lack of cunning as well as the refusal to believe that people are anything but good. Some would probably call her naïve, but I prefer to think of her as good and honest.

Then there are Ms. Barer's wickedly funny descriptions of spa staff and guests, the daily routine of the spa's "torture" (Liquid fast, anybody? How about a hike at dawn?) and Nora's daily struggles to fulfill her role as a menu consultant for the ranch. Some of my absolutely most favorite pages are those where Nora tries to deal with the unsurprisingly temperamental chef or when she cooks or thinks of food. And while I probably won't be tempted to make almond milk - and yes, you should read the book to find out why - I have already made a spicy pumpkin soup.

"Fitness Kills" was a wickedly funny and intelligent read, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to lovers of good mysteries and strong female characters. You will not be sorry that you picked it up and if you are anything like me, your only regret will be that it is not longer. But then the notes on the dust jacket inform the reader that Ms. Barer is already writing the next Nora Franke mystery. I've learned my lesson already - I will know better than to schedule anything else on the day I receive it.

A food writer named Nora Frank takes a job in Baja to get away from her former boyfriend and to shed a few pounds. She's been on an eating binge since they broke up and she wants to feel better about herself again.

The job she takes is in a spa. Not long after she arrives there, there's an accident and someone dies. Nora makes several new friends, all of whom hung out with the deceased. One of them, Ce Ce insists that there's something fishy going on. She doesn't believe the victim would have climbed a mountain by himself and fallen off. No one pays much attention until Ce Ce herself dies of poison.

Nora is upset and decides to find out the motives behind the murders and the culprit, whoever he or she may be. There are plenty of suspects to go around and Nora starts checking each of them out.

Max, her ex- boyfriend arrives to try to help, but Nora manages to get herself in hot water with some of the locals as the suspense keeps mounting. Can Nora find the killer before he or she kills her?

I enjoyed reading Fitness Kills and think it's a great beginning for Barer's series.

Spending time at a health spa and getting paid to do so might sound like a dream job. However, food writer Nora Franke, who has landed that job as part of an assignment to make over the resort's menu while she writes an article on them, finds it less than dreamy. First, fitness is tough work. Secondly, people are dying and as she starts to probe the murders, she becomes a potential target.

*** Nora's strong, honest voice leads readers through the maze of clues to a surprising ending that only the most savvy armchair sleuths will even begin to guess at. The conclusion is one that will haunt you. On a side note, Nora's trouble relationship with Max is also an intriguing aspect to the plot, one that readers will enjoy seeing developed as the series grows, I predict.

Carolyn Hart has such a command of language and pacing, developing the plot and building tension. She leant such color to this story with the setting in Bermuda. The texture and tones of the island seeped through and captured my imagination. As always, she delivered an interesting mystery. Most of all, I like her understated, but very knowledgeable view of human nature, which is how Henrie O is able to solve murders so well.

Henrie O receives an unusual wedding invitation to Bermuda. She is invited to the wedding of her former son-in-law, Lloyd to a wealthy and beautiful widow, Connor Bailey. Although she is not that eager to attend, Henrie O decides to go in order to support her grandchildren. Connor is not particularly happy to be in Bermuda because the last time she was there, a friend of hers plunged off a tower to his death. From the minute Connor arrives, she is frightened by ghostly apparitions and supposed visitations from the dead man. Both Connor's and Lloyd's families are unhappy about the marriage between them, but the family members seem to try to make the best of the situation. When a murder occurs, someone is put on the spot and accused of being the murderer. Henrie O doesn't believe that justice is being done, so she sets out to find the perpetrator. This is another good read in the Henrie O series.

I read this book because my friend had read it just before we were to take a cruise to Bermuda. I thought it would give me a flavor of Bermuda, but after we toured for our two days, the book paled by comparison. The book takes place at a hotel. Hart gives us a glimpse of lush foliage and craggy hills, but nearly all the characters spend most of their time at the hotel, so she doesn't reveal the pink beaches with clear aqua water, the catamarans ferrying tourists from dock to dock, or the cheery residents with their Caribbean-like British accents. She mentions restaurants and nightclubs in the boutique-y town of Hamilton, but doesn't describe them. The writing is full of cliches -- footsteps are hurried,, heels always click, people knock on doors, but there is no answer, and Diane runs her hand through her red-gold hair again and again. I enjoy supersmart detectives like Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Sam Spade, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, but Henrie O is ordinary through and through. I felt the other characters were two-dimensional, often stereotyped (pardon the pun). In fact, the mystery seems to depend on the fact that she presents the murderer according to a certain stereotype. One important character drops out of sight for no apparent reason. In the end, the solution depends on the murdere's having committed an illegal act, so the reader who isn't privy to this matter can't possibly solve the murder. For some reason I can't analyze, it wasn't totally boring, but it was not really stimulating to me.

Carolyn Hart is one of my favorite authors in the mystery genre and she did not disappoint me with this entry in the Henrie O series. I enjoy this series as much as the Death on Demand series she writes and am always glad to see a new one coming out. In this episode, Henrie O is recovering from an illness and attends her former son-in-law's wedding on a resort island. A murder occurs and, of course, Henrie O works to solve the mystery. As always, Hart's writing is dead-on; her characterizations are excellent, there are clues to help the reader along without giving the solution away easily, and the descriptions of the surrondings are vivid enough to make the reader feel as if s/he knows where s/he is.
Hart's next book is a Death on Demand book and I hope that the next one will be another Henrie O. It is nice to have the break between the episodes of the two series.

Carolyn Hart is, in my opinion, the most accomplished and the best traditional mystery writer today. Her two series, the Death on Demand series and the Henry O series, closely follow the "cozy" customs. Her sleuths, bookseller Annie Darling in the first and retired journalist Henrietta Collins in the second, are people you'd like to know. They are amateurs, characters who are fully developed and who often find themselves in peril. Through wit, ingenuity and creativity they solve the crime at hand. The emphasis in each story is the reasoning by the protagonist that leads to the eventual solution of the crime(s).

In RESORT TO MURDER, Henry O joins her grandchildren and ex-son-in-law at a Bermuda resort for his wedding. The bride is a compulsive flirt, who can't seem to stay away from men. The groom is jealous. Stir into this mix a hotel owner whose husband may have committed suicide because of the bride-to-be, a granddaughter who dislikes the bride so much she threatens to kill her, a touch of blackmail and a roaming "ghost" and you have a story you won't want to put down until you finish it.

Hart's strong point is puzzle solving. We follow Henry O's analyses, her interventions and consequences and her re-evaluations until right up to the conclusion. Then the story finishes with the classical confrontation scene that is almost a "must" in this kind of story.

I've read all of Hart's books and eagerly await the next. If you haven't met Henry O or Annie Darling yet, put them at the top of your to-read list. You won't be sorry.

Not that great. A far better read is "Sun, Sin And Suburbia: An Essential History Of Modern Las Vegas" by Geoff Schumacher.

When I first saw this book, I wondered--was there really an interesting history of casinos? I usually read about weightier historical topics (Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, for instance), but every time I go to Vegas I'm struck by how the entire place seemed to have been built in the last five years.

So, seeing the generally positive reviews (and checking out the author's website which is quite interesting), I ordered a copy. I was expecting a fairly dense read--the author is a professional historian--but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get into.

There is a lot of great information about Vegas history in here, as well as Atlantic City, and a little on Indian casinos and riverboats too. I'd seen the movie Bugsy, but I had no idea that he wasn't the real founder of the Strip. Thanks to this book, I know now.

The author must have had a lot of fun writing this; even though it's a pretty serious book, there are some great one-liners in there. I actually laughed a few times.

The more I read, the more I realized there is to this topic, and I wish that the author had written more about Reno, for example, but for starters, this is a great introduction to the history of casinos, and a fun read. For anyone who's taken the trip to Vegas and wondered about where it came from, it's a welcome addition to your library.

Suburban Xanadu is a great book that really captures the history of Las Vegas. I took the class that was taught by Professor David Schwartz and it was well worth buying the book. I have had many of my friends and business colleagues read this book and they thought it was great. Suburban Xanadu is must read to truly understand Las Vegas past and how it all got started.

Don't be fooled. This is a purely pedantic and priggish book about Las Vegas. Not worth your time.

Any man that can write a book with a bright pink cover must be very secure in his masculinity.
Dr. Schwartz is also very secure in his knowledge of the "real" history of gambling, legalized or otherwise. Just when you think you know the truth, as it has been told for generations, here comes a maverick historian to turn your conceptions upside-down.
Seriously, does anyone have any respect for Senator McCarran before they read about his valiant battle to keep Nevada's peculiar peculiarity as peacefully peculiar as possible, without the wretched government interfering?
And would the world's FOREMOST AUTHORITY on gambling, Dr. William Eadington, make Dr. David Schwartz's book required reading for his class if it were not one of the leading texts on the subject?
His book is a true delight to read, and, as it is broken up into bite-sized sections with headings such as "The Californication of the casino resort" and "Requiem for a bootlegger", you can read a few pages and then ponder or nap without the guilt associated with reading only halfway through a chapter.
How's that for a review that sounds like it was poured straight from the fount of the commonfolk! Normal people DO read this kind of stuff too, so don't be afraid to crack it open!

Ever since I learned about this book on Booknotes I have wanted to read it, but never had the time until now. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I had no idea what Hill Stations were, was pretty vague on the colonial history of India, nor have I been able to clearly understand the cultural transitions since independence and partition. My sense of the British and American exploits in southeast Asia prior to the Second World War are even more slight.

The Hill Stations were places the colonists (particularly the British) built up in the mountains to get away from the heat and disease of the tropical lowlands. They tended to live lavishly and in the case of Simla, built the summer capital there. This book is a wonderful introduction to that history in Pakistan, India, Sri Lank, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Since the end of the colonial period these stations have been taken over by the governments in some cases and in others by private enterprise. The author visited all of the stations she talks about in the book and gives us very interesting observations on what has been kept intact (if decayed) from the former times (including bad cuisine and slow service in one station) and what has been modernized and to what effect. In almost all cases the vastly increased domestic populations have led to more building at the expense of the local flora and especially the fauna.

I think the saddest visit she describes is the military ruination of Burma (now Myanmar) by its removal of history, education, and learning from its population. Just hideous, but unfortunately, far from unique. The detail and personal experiences of this tragedy add to the value of the really marvelous little book.

If you know about these places from your own experience you may or may not like what the author has to say. I came to this book completely ignorant of these places and may still be. However, I enjoyed the tour this book gave me and I think it taught me a great deal. The author provides a nice bibliography for further reading and an index

Do read the rave reviews below, but know firstoff that for climatic reasons the hill stations largely coincide with the famous TEA PLANTATION DISTRICTS of the East -- the chapter on the near-mythical town of DARJEELING alone is worth this book's bargain price.

But there are also first-hand reports (the well-traveled author is the New York Times UN Bureau Chief) on the history and current condition of: five other such towns in India; Pakistan's fabled Simla; Shri Lanka (the "Ceylon" of the British Raj); mysterious Burma; Indonesia and Malaysia; Viet Nam; and more!

All tea lovers the least bit interested in the knowledge and culture of tea will love this comprehensive survey; EVERY tea house owner should have one, and a spare for the shop's library -- but chain it to the reading desk!

Hill Stations are an interesting topic of colianialsm in Asia. Hill Stations are interesting because it is where westerners tried to maintain their lifestyles in Asia and taking in Asian populations in the schools. Also, the differences in different colonies is interesting to see. In places like South Asia, Hill Stations you saw a mix of them because they had Westen missionaries and Western traders while in the Phillipeans you saw the only American Hill stations and they were mainly missionaries.

I dislike the tropics. The endless heat and humidity and the lack of variety in the weather is deadening to the spirit. So it was to the Western colonialists in Asia -- and even more so in the days before air conditioning. They sought a refuge in the cool hills to escape the heat and the disease of the lowlands.

Barbara Crossette writes of the hill stations to which the colonialists escaped. Some of them are storied: Simla, the hot season capital of British India; Darjeeling with its tea plantations and marvelous view of Kachenjanga, the world's third highest and most scenic peak; the high, cool tea country of Ceylon; the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia; and Baguio, the American hill station in the Philippines. In all, the author describes briefly about 20 hill stations in eight countries.

"Hill Stations" covers the history and the current atmosphere and flavor of the stations, based on her visits. Most of the old Colonial watering holes have been taken over by local tourists rather than affluent foreign colonists --and ease of access and population pressure has made them tacky with high-rise development and "tourist" attractions. But, all can be forgiven for the blessed relief the hill stations offer from the heat of the plains and the glory of their scenery. Crossette has written an interesting book that may whet your appetite to visit and learn more about the hill stations.

Smallchief

Barbara Crossette makes us discover the Hill Stations of Asia, from Pakistan to the Philippines and Indonesia, built by British, French, Dutch and Americans to escape the tropical climate when air conditionning did not make it bearable yet.

She does it with a richness of detail about the place, how it was built, who were the people and the atmosphere, the ecological challenge posed by the the buildings in high altitude, the evolution of the stations after independance and the return of Asian people with the Asian boom.

Book is revealing because in some instances Westerners spent 6 months in those places including the Vice-Roy of India and his court, ruling their vast dominions in Asia from above the clouds.

I'd never read a book by Barbara Bretton before, but the back cover description on this book looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

And at first, I really enjoyed A SOFT PLACE TO FALL. Bretton has a flowing writing style that is easy to read and draws the readers deeply into the story. Her characterization is very well done; no one seems flat, uninteresting, or distant to the reader. Bretton actually brought me to tears in the first chapter, which has to be a first for me! When an author can make the reader that invested in her characters in the first twenty pages, that is talent with a captial T.

So why did I give this book only two stars? The premature sex! When the characters hop into bed after knowing each other a mere two days (and it's not like they were spending every single minute of those two days together, either), that's waaaay too soon. I was so dissapointed, as the sexual tension had been so well done up to that point; not overblown or in your face, and I felt like there was more between them than just lust. But their rush into having sex just ruined all that for me. I felt dirty and cheated. All the tender feelings I'd been having about them were instantly destroyed.

Obviously, given the high ratings for this book, I'm in the minority. Fine. I'm not saying this to be different, but to help those readers who don't like sex being used as a cop-out to bring characters together. Sex needs to be in its proper place. And two days into an unofficial relationship is not it.

I truly enjoyed "A Soft Place to Fall." Annie and Sam were just spectacular...as was Claudia. I do think I like "Girls of Summer", the sequel a bit better than this book...but this one is a keeper!!!!!

Once upon a time, Annie Galloway was a woman with boundless hopes-and big, glorious dreams. There were so many good days, when everything she wanted seemed just a heartbeat away-a career in art, a peaceful marriage, a house full of children. But there were dark times, too. And when her husband died young, her precious, cherished dreams died with him.

Now, settling into a beachfront cottage in Shelter Rock Cove, Main, Annie has finally found the strength to start over again. All she needs is courage, and time. The last thing she needs is a handsome, charming next-door neighbor...

Sam Butler has fled the high-stakes drama of Wall Street for the quiet charm of Shelter Rock Cove. Like Annie, he's no stranger to sorrow. But he's ready to show her that life does go on-one day, one dream at a time...

I read this, and its follow-up novel, Girls of Summer, in one weekend. It's a highly enjoyable story, with likeable characters and a beautifully described setting. With the right balance of drama, romance, friendship, family-bonds and humor, I couldn't help being drawn into the community and grow to care about the characters as though they were my friends.

I'm not always in the mood for romances, but when I am, I'm very picky. I want them to make sense, I want the characters to be likeable and believable, I want a story I can sink my teeth into, and above all, I want (of course) a happy ending.

When I first picked up "A Soft Place to Fall," it did not hold my interest. Try as I might, I could not get past the first chapter. But something kept me from putting it away permanently, and a few days ago, I was drawn to it again. This time, I was hooked. I'm not sure what put me off the first time, but this time around, I loved the story, the characters, the writing--everything.

Basically, the plot revolves around two lost souls. Annie Galloway, everybody's vision of a perfect bride, and a perfect wife in a perfect marriage, has lost her perfect husband when she is only in her 30s. Only she knows the truth behind the facade of her seemingly fairy-tale life, and she cannot reveal it to anybody. Her grieving mother-in-law, Claudia, looks to her as a remnant of her lost son. Her friends and family continue the myth. So Annie finds herself a cottage in her home town of Shelter Rock Cove, Maine, and tries to pick up the pieces of her ruined life. All of her dreams, of happiness, of motherhood, of everything--seem gone forever. She is a shell, but a strong shell, if that makes any sense.

Close by lives newly arrived Sam Butler, back home after a high-flying career in New York. Only he knows the terrible secret that haunts him and threatens his peace and security. He is in no better shape emotionally than Annie.

Sam and Annie meet, and, in the way of most romance novels, sparks fly. But this book is written with intelligence and dignity. They do not eye one another and then jump into bed. A great deal of hurt is contained in each of these people, and as in real life, each is afraid to reveal that hurt or to risk another one. When they finally do fall in love, they do not live happily ever after. Reality intrudes. Big-time.

How they solve their very real and very overwhelming problems while trying to save their budding relationship is the core of this wonderful story. I loved every word of it. And yes (sigh), it does have a happy ending.

I'm not going to post the plot here since you can find it somewhere else on this page.

The sex was hot, no doubt about that, though I have problems believing the love they supposedly found within each others' arms. There's no emotional attachments whatsoever. At the end of it all, you're left with one sex scene after another. And granted, it's an erotic romance but I've missed the romance part; the chemistry between the two best friends was better than that of the leads'.

Oh well, I sincerely hope her other titles would be better. I'll try out another one sometimes soon, just to be fair to the author.

Yeah, I found a new author!!! I picked up this book by chance and couldn't put it down. Storyline was good and enough intimate scenes to keep you hot...

Melissa Woods and Shane Mason were best friends, and she considered herself a little in love with him, but when he asked her to go to a resort called Sweet Surrender that caters to swingers, she was dumbfounded. Melissa had planned on turning him down until she found out her sister Elaine was planning to go there with her husband. Now it was her mission to go there and do reconnaissance for Elaine hoping to dissuade her from going. Melissa and Shane were planning to pose as husband and wife so that he could make a decision whether or not to buy the place.

Ty Adams and Suzanne Fox were also close friends posing at the resort as a married couple. She owns the resort, and Ty as a private investigator, suggested the deception so they could check out the potential buyer. The only problem was they didn't know who it was, so they planned to get to know the new visitors hoping to identify the buyer. When Ty saw Melissa, he immediately wanted her, and thought she was either the buyer or a representative for the buyer. She wasn't his normal type, but something in her pulled at him, and he was going to have fun finding out her secrets as he gets close to her body.

Melissa didn't think she would enjoy the resort, but with Ty's help, she found a closet exhibitionist within herself that loved getting out. She also found herself participating and enjoying things she never dreamed possible before meeting Ty. When everyone discovers that looks can be deceiving, and many misunderstandings take place, it takes digging deep to resolve the feelings involved.

I enjoyed the sensual sexy play of this book, but found it lacking in the end. I would have liked some resolution, and genuine deep emotions developed between Ty and Melissa, but the book ended pretty abruptly leaving me with a feeling they wouldn't make it as a couple.

What would you do for a friend? Would you go to a sex resort and do anything that was asked from you. An easy question to say yes or no to, but for Melissa it is one that will determine her future with Shane. He is the guy she has fantasized about for years and also her best friend. The thing is Shane doesn't see her as a sexy woman. He sees her just as a friend. Talk about a low blow to her self-esteem. She never expected him to ask her to accompany him to The Sweet Surrender, a swinger's resort. Melissa is no innocent and has read about these people that swap wives or girlfriends for sex but never imagined Shane was into it. Would this be the place that will finally make Melissa wanton, sexy and desirable to Shane? Or will it be her downfall.

Ty is an ex security guy who will do anything for his friend Suzanne. Upon hearing that a potential buyer is coming he knows that he must protect Suzanne. Wondering if it is Melissa that could be the potential he is not sure whom to protect now. He knows Suzanne is a great seductress but seeing Melissa makes him wonder if maybe it's time to join in the activities at the resort. One thing for sure is that Melissa is no innocent and he is definitely willing to show all the sexual sides of the resort. The thing is can he do it without losing his heart or his friendship with Suzanne.

Man oh man this one was one roller coaster of sex, passion and oh so vivid you can imagine yourself at the resort. It was interesting as a reader to read that this swinging business does exist and not all of it is seedy but somewhat loving. Melissa is a woman who is timid and it takes one good-looking man like Ty to bring that inner sensuality and passion in her out to play. Great book and can't wait for more by Opal Carew. Ms. Carew has wonderful imagination and great talent.

Genre: Erotica
Hearts: - 5/5
Reviewer: Melinda of Night Owl Romance
Date: 1/30/2008
Night Owl Romance Online Version: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.asp?ReviewId=1189

© Night Owl Romance 2007-2008

Melissa Woods' friend, Shane Mason, is considering buying a swinger's
resort in The British West Indies called The Sweet Surrender. He wants
to check it out, so he asks Melissa to go with him and pose as his
wife. She agrees, after hearing that her sister and her husband are
planning to go to the same resort in the future. Melissa wants to
gather information on the resort and persuade her sister not to go.

Private investigator Ty Adams' friend Suzanne owns The Sweet
Surrender. The club is losing money, and she knows she has to sell,
although she hates it. She asks Ty to go with her to the resort
because she thinks the prospective buyer is sending in a spy to see
how things work, and she wants Ty to find out who the spy is.

Ty immediately suspects Melissa, because she seems to be uncomfortable
at the orientation. He's very attracted to her, so spending time with
her won't be a problem. At first, Melissa is appalled by the club, and
its activities but as she begins to sample the offerings, she finds
that rather enjoys the swinger's lifestyle, and that she's very, very
attracted to Ty.

The tag on Swing says to "Leave your inhibitions at the door." In its
place you'd better bring a bucket full of ice. On second thought, make
that several buckets. Swing is hot, there's no doubt about it. Ms.
Carew has crafted a novel that captures the spirit of a swinger's club
very well. The sex is hot, and the games the couples play are fun and
varied.

I enjoyed the book, but would have liked to see a little more alone
time between Melissa and Shane, to cement their relationship. I'd
hoped to get that at the end and was disappointed that I did not.
Despite that, Swing is a sexy and entertaining romp. Readers who enjoy
stories about uninhibited sex with various and multiple partners will
love Swing.

Amelia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This is the first Marshall Browne novel I have read, and unfortunately, it was disappointing.

The book has an interesting premise and starts promisingly. However, it quickly deteriorates as the protaganist is frozen into inaction, spending most of his time wondering what to do.

There is little tension here as the novel slowly makes its way to a predictable conclusion.

I hear that Marshall Browne's Inspector Anders novels are much more entertaining so it might be worth trying one of Mr. Browne's other novels first; this one wasn't much chop.

I'm sorry that I bought the book. The author pulls way too many rabbits out of the hat for me to enjoy this story. The few good descriptive passages and insights into Japan are quickly skewered by another tacky plot device. I'd expect better stuff from a high school AP English class. Yes, it has a compelling flavor that may make a page turner for some; but I'd suggest time and money could be better spent elsewhere.

Another cerebral, atmospheric thriller from the Australian author of the Italian Inspector Anders series, this one is set in modern Japan and features the reserved, dedicated Detective Inspector Hideo Aoki of the Tokyo police.

The book opens with an abrupt, devastating end to 17 months of hard, secretive work by Aoki and his team documenting the criminal corruption of a powerful politician. Word has come from above to drop the nearly completed case and disperse Aoki's team to other duties forthwith.

The detective prides himself on his stoicism. "Aoki was a pragmatist, like his mother. What came to him - in his police life, in his sparse life beyond that - he accepted. He took orders and worked hard and efficiently. Whatever way something finished, he went on to the next task, the next stage, but this time was different." His team had poured their lives into the investigation. One detective's marriage had broken up because of it.

Drinking too much, Aoki finds himself unwilling to go home to the gentle, cultured milieu of his wife and elderly father. Several years after the arranged, amenable marriage "it had occurred to Aoiki that his father had been choosing a daughter-in-law as much as a wife for his son." He struggles to conform, to take up his new, mundane assignment, but then the detective whose marriage had failed commits suicide.

Aoki breaks down at the supper table, and his wife, trying to help, leaks the case to a journalist. Aoki is suspended and his life begins to splinter under a series of devastating blows. In an effort to help, Inspector Watanabe, his superior, sends Aoki to a ryokan, a remote mountain retreat where men can shed the modern rat race and steep themselves in hot-spring baths and tranquil tradition, including Geisha services.

But Aoki arrives to find strange company. A banker and the government functionary who cuckolded him are dining together on the anniversary eve of the unfaithful wife's disappearance seven years earlier. It was a sensational case and its lack of closure stalled Watanabe's career. In addition an elderly Go master talks in riddles and seems to know a bit too much about Aoki and his troubles, and the exquisite proprietor (daughter of the missing woman) exerts an allure as powerful as she is remote.

A massive snowstorm traps all these people together without electricity (a minor inconvenience in this ancient inn) or phone and murder stalks the night. Secret rooms and ingenious medieval warning systems contribute to the atmosphere of ancient, enigmatic culture, behind-the-scenes menace and manipulation.

This is not a flawless book. Some plot elements are a stretch, starting with the convenient snowstorm and even more convenient assemblage of characters. But Browne's skill with character and atmosphere more than make up for this and readers will wish he would write faster so we can have more of Aoiki and another Inspector Anders too.

--Portsmouth Herald

I won't recap the plot of Marshall Browne's latest detective novel - that has been adequately covered by other reviewers. Simply put, "Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn" reminds me of why I bother to read crime fiction in these days of read-and-forget "pulp". I use that last word deliberately, as for many years I co-presented a radio program named "Pulp!" which took as its starting point the great pulp writers of the mid-20th century. Over the years I've read too many books which live up to the negative connotations of the epithet "pulp". This is not one of them.

Marshall Browne is an intelligent writer who knows how to get inside the mind of his protagonist. He has done this superbly in his Inspector Anders books, and now has created a similarly compelling and unusual character in Inspector Hideo Aoki of the Tokyo Municipal Police. Crime books set in Japan are enough of a rarity to give this outing an advantage over the more commonly-travelled mean streets of crime fiction. Browne evokes the particular characteristics of both the city and rural settings with great care and attention to detail. In fact, detail is an area of writing at which he excels, with meticulous research adding to the vividness of the novel, but never weighing it down as sometimes happens. Nowadays I read little crime fiction, but a book like this reminds me of what originally drew me to the genre, and indeed what can make it great and memorable reading.

Detective Inspector Hideo Aoki of the Tokyo Municipal Police has been on the trail of former Governor Yukio "Fatman" Tamaki a corrupt politician for a long time, but the investigation is closed down by his superiors, it seems the Fatman is above the law. Couple that with the death of his father and the suicide of his wife and you have a deeply troubled man.

Then he is sent by his supervisor, Superintendent Watanabe, to a Ryokan (a Japanese inn like resort) to get over his despair and once there, he finds himself in the middle of a seven-year-old mystery concerning the disappearance of a woman and, just like in a lot of those old black and white Charlie Chan mysteries I loved so well, all of the suspects in the woman's disappearance are at the in and are trapped their by a snowstorm, so Aoki has lots of time to try and solve this old case. And he's going to have to solve it, because the phones don't work and bodies are piling up. So why are all the suspects there in the first place? Who put this tableau in place? And how does what is happening at the inn have anything to do with the Fatman?

This is a kind of mystery I really love, one you can sink your teeth into. Not only is the mystery superb, but Aoki, a complex man with both ancient Japanese traditions and modern Western ways competing for his soul, is a character I really loved. At times he is depressed as all get out, but he is dogged and determined. And the ending that I didn't figure out is really something you just have to sample for yourself.

I found this book to be generally pretty useful. My only real issue is that there are quite a few hot spring gems that I'm aware of in CA and NV that aren't featured in this book. I did a recent tour of the Black Rock Desert area in Nevada and I passed several spectacular hot springs that weren't listed in the book. I have also backpacked in to some hot springs in the southern CA area that weren't described.

If you're looking at doing a hot spring tour in NV and CA it might be worth looking into getting some other guide books (in addition to this one) or doing more research online or elsewhere. Once again this book did do a great job of describing in great detail how to get to some very out of the way places, but there are other springs that are well worth exploring that aren't mentioned.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1YSMB6ZYXFYYN Matt. C. Bischoff has clearly and concisely listed all the great hidden and publicly known hot springs in Nevada and California. It's a great regional hotsprings guide.

There have been many guides covering this subject in the past but this one is really the benchmark. Matt Bischoff includes interesting history, and geology notes for his subjects. I have visited a few of his springs listed in the book and found his descriptions to be complete and factual. His maps area really good too, as anyone who has searched for a hot spring just based on someone's verbal directions knows, they can be darn hard to find. Good job, Matt!

Very bland and writing without soul or true appreciation for the environment. Directions poor. Not worth your money. Prefer Gersh's Hot Springs book.

This guide is a great, very detailed instruction book that takes you to the best hot springs around. It lays out detailed directions on how to locate these springs, even down to physical landmarks, and exact distance. Without this type of direction springs like the one near Santa Barbara I would have NEVER found. I really appreciated the fact they tell you the current staus of the spring, if it has been renovated, or is in disrepair, it saves a trip to one that is too rundown to go to. Pay attention to the temperature of the springs also, they give you exact numbers on every spot, and some are too hot to swim in.