I've been seeing a lot of these meddling mother type books--This was one of the best.
Brilliantly funny and heartwarming--A perfect beach book!
This was a nice, light read, and had a great cast of characters. Enjoyable :D
I found the heroine's fixation on her 'ward' more disturbing than romantic, in fact even a little squicky. This man had been her FATHER since she was twelve...ick.
Never got into this genre before...I really like the vampires and the mythology behind it, but I find the romance to be a bit contrived.
Excellent read! One of the best gothic romances out there, even if the ending 'romance' was a bit forced. Very much an early, thinly veiled women's liberation novel, and well worth a read.
This book is amazing. I liked it better than "Ring" by the same author. Great use of suspense to build up the horror.
Not a bad book, but a good chunk of the information simply didn't apply to my dog's brand of naughtyness. I did appreciate, however, the lack of demonization of dog breeds--especially my own's mixture of border collie and blue heeler which on newsgroups has been touted as being 'hell on wheels'. I've yet to see this evident in my dog, and Ms. Halliburton's descriptions of temperment were far more related to what I've seen in my own dog's attitude than what I've seen in newsgroups from 'purebred breeders'. Her advice on 'fetching' for collies was spot on for my dog--My collie x Hailey is much more interested in playing ball now that we introduce more than two balls into play, and thus cater to her herding instincts.
It's always fun as a Canuck to read a book based on geography and cultures that I'm familiar with :D. The heroine, Polly, was an absolute hoot, and I loved the way the story wove around her impending pregnancy, mishandled relationships, and rather trying times with luggage!
I haven't seen a female character in a mystery novel this fun for a long time, and I appreciated her tough candor and bull-headed plunge into life. The mystery was well developed, though I think I would have preferred a bit more realism in her reaction to the death of an acquaintance. I also didn't think her character wouldn't have clued in far earlier, but still, the writing was so much fun, and I finished this book in an afternoon. Very good read.
I haven't seen a female character in a mystery novel this fun for a long time, and I appreciated her tough candor and bull-headed plunge into life. The mystery was well developed, though I think I would have preferred a bit more realism in her reaction to the death of an acquaintance. I also didn't think her character wouldn't have clued in far earlier, but still, the writing was so much fun, and I finished this book in an afternoon. Very good read.
I love Monsieur Pamplemousse. He's like Inspector Clouseau, only nicer and fonder of chocolate. A great read!
A wonderful read to wind down the Christmas holidays. Maigret is a wonderful character, and the stories have that fabulous film noir aspect to them that have made them true classics of the mystery genre. Recommended
An outstanding thriller that takes a simple situation and threads a variety of characters together in a highly claustrophic setting. Brilliant characterizations, and a wonderful sense of timing--I was cheering as I finished the last page!
I found this book unbearably pessimistic despite it's funny banter. Sarcasm is more cruel than amusing, unfortunately.
Ugh. The writing was dense and full of cockney euphemisms. I hated it. Tossed it down in disgust after a good struggle of a hundred pages or so...You can't say I didn't try.
A very creepy, tightly knit horror story that had me gripped right from the first page. This is true gothic at its best...A must read for fans of psychological horror!
This brilliant work of Christian apologetics really hit home my own beliefs and questions. Mr. Lewis is an unabashed philosopher and mystic when it comes to Christian interpretations, and as a result I have a much better understanding of Christianity. Some of his comments may appear dated, especially in light of feminism, but please don't let this hold you back from reading it, or condemning the whole. A truly beautiful, important work.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd thought I would. This tale of twin sisters, one murdered and one surviving, didn't grip me at all. I found the heroine annoying, dull, and flat, and her constant introspection nothing more than narcissistic instead of holding any impact. I couldn't understand her rather flippant attitude towards her stalker, and when she finally figured out he was out to do her harm, I ended up just tossing the book aside and giving up. It felt like a book full of hate and bitterness, and while that may be what the author was going for, it certainly didn't feel like it was worth reading for me. I found the whole 'unresolved issues' thing with her beyond boring.
Not recommended.
Not recommended.
What starts off as a cookie cutter romance quickly twists and turns into a suspenseful and at times funny story of murder, piracy and blackmail. I've never read any of Ms. Deveraux's work before, but I've fast become a pupil of her engaging stories. A fabulous read for a hot summer day--I enjoyed this while drinking a glass of wine on my back porch, sinking in the heat of a 20C day in April. Life just doesn't get better than this :D.
I couldn't put this book down! Great summer read and full of lighthearted moments, as well as heartwarming ones. The romance wasn't trite, and the characters were all warm and completely believable. A great read, well recommended :D.
Absolutely hysterical! I'm not a shopaholic in any sense of the word--At least, not a shopaholic who charges for Prada. Give me a Goodwill store and some neat items and romance books however, and I'm truly a dangerous checkbook. I love the twists and turns in this novel, and the heroine stole my heart the second she claimed to know Finnish (oopsie! Spoiler? Naaah). Love the catty gossip, and I love the little friendly 'notes' from the bank and her myriads of excuses as to why she is overdrawn. A fabulous book for those of us who simply *can't* walk into a shop without buying a little *something*...
I can easily see this novel being turned into a film. Very visual and good characterizations, with some fascinating chills thrown in. The sex scenes, however, were gratuitous and forced and I skipped over those when I was reading this. Otherwise, not a bad way to kill an afternoon or two :P
I love Patricia Carlon's work. "Hush, It's A Game" is also a recommended read. As always, her story has a delightful Hitchcock feel to it, with simple beginnings spiralling into ever more peril for those involved. A very gripping read, highly recommended for fans of suspense.
A very quick, almost popculture quality kind of read. I'm starting to really dislike these kinds of semi-romance novels about a woman's 'coming of age'. Maybe I'm just getting older and more jaded and less creative in my scope. I don't know, it just felt like a lot of ego stroking and unnecessary angst, as is typical of authors who place their 'craft' as part of a novel's buildingsroman.
Probably the weakest out of the three novels in the Ringu series. There is a lot of psuedoscientific speculation in this novel which makes it less accessible than either The Ring or Spiral--However, it is a must for any Ringu fan.