Alternating Point of Views and Realistic Romantic Tension Made the Book
580553
The events from the first book seemingly spilled into the second book in the series and proved to be one of the most important aspects of the story. The introduction of new characters and the further development of characters from the book made the story seemed more realistic to the world created within the book and the romantic tension between Tom and the lawyer introduced a new side to Tom Stone's character and personal life. The alternating point of views between Tom and Angel made the book more excited to read than the first one.
4116686
I really liked this book. The subject of a woman loving two men from the same family is a not uncommon in the romance genre, but rarely is it handled as well as it is here.

The writer realistically built tension between the hero and heroine while she imbued in them with a sense on honor that earned the reader's respect and sympathies.

What I liked best about this and the best of Bright's other works is that the characters, especially the women, have full lives outside to the primary romantic releationship. The heroine dated other men, had concerns beyond worrying the outcome of her relationship with the hero and a career.

This book almost fell into the trap of having a jerky hero who believes all manner of evil about the heroine, treats her like trash and is forgiven after an epiphany and a quick appology. The hero in this book showed real growth, angst and intergrity and the book was the better for it.

Well done.
1852482
I really enjoyed this book.  It sort of alternates the view point and the time frame, but still ends up being linear and leads to a satisfying conclusion.
1938530
A book that has a dog as an actual vital and active character in the story rather than being a decorative prop gets bonus points from me and Kaylee was effective in highlighting what Michael was experiencing as a war veteran. The difficulties of someone with PTSD are to be expected, but the benefits of having a service dog as well as the lighter moments that didn't involve Kaylee at work were highlighted, so we get a more well-rounded picture of how vital Kaylee was to Michael as a former soldier specifically and just as a human being in general. There were several stops and starts when it came to the actual romance part of Michael and Josh's story, but I think that this was actually for the best, since it made for a stronger foundation for their relationship once all the potential complications were brought to light between them. Change of Address was a highly enjoyable, 4.5-starred read.
263672
These are four realistic-feeling tales whose romantic stories begin, as many modern love stories do, with passion and a strong physical attraction.  However each couple featured in the stories has the potential build their relationship into a more loving and lasting one.  In each story the female protagonist is a woman from an English-speaking country visiting Italy for family, pleasure and work, and she becomes involved with an Italian man.

The four short romance stories in the Omnibus:

A Roman Summer
Neapolitan Encounter
Florentine Awakening
Venetian Distraction

Each story is well-written escapist fiction that moves along quickly with just enough detail to put the reader in Italy and in the interesting scenes.  The author is clearly familiar with Italian culture and language, which adds more realism to the stories.

I especially enjoyed the realistic portrayal of the western women's point of view on Italy.  The protagonist of A Roman Summer, for example, is a first time visitor to Italy.  Her first impressions when exhausted concern women's struggles with sexual harassment, the heat in summer, the difficulty of managing uneven cobblestones in heels, the horrible traffic and the deafening noise.

The protagonist of Neapolitan Encounter thinks at one especially difficult point in her story:

she'd just about had enough of Italian men today.

When the women are rested they notice the many fashionable men, the ever-present facade in behavior, the sexual directness and volatile expressiveness of many Italians, and the beauty of the non-modern architecture.  They notice the food, too, of course.  Each of the women show their appreciation for the food, with one protagonist thinking:

The men could be odious here but the food was incredible.

Eventually she learns to appreciate the good qualities of one Italian man in particular.

Like all good short stories, the endings stimulate the readers' imagination to invent their own future for the protagonists, with the writer providing clues to use as starting points.  The books are clean with no sex scenes detailed, only suggested.  I enjoyed the short escapes to Italy very much!  Here is a link to the illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews. I received a review copy of the book. This is my honest review.
3443536
I have a weird quirk when it comes to reading books about women who have affairs. I do this to get different perspectives and to see how honestly the stories seem to be written. Part of my quirk is to see how they compare to one that I've written - just to see if I'm hitting in the same ballpark. This portrayal was better than most in regards to realism.

This novel had an interesting take on it in how the conflict played out. I like how the first two-thirds of the book shows the woman's point of view so you only know what she is thinking, and then it switches to the man's point of view and you discover he wasn't as clueless as she thought. I liked how the author developed the plot and characters. They were likable and believable in their actions and the plot kept me reading because it kept building and held my interest.

The way the author showed the progression of sin in the mind and how it eventually spills over into behavior was also compelling. Deception starts out as a small, seemingly innocent action and gradually grows into something that traps the person who thought they had nothing to worry about. Choices are then made that have long-lasting consequences. I appreciated how the author showed that the wife/mother's agony and conflict spilled over into other areas of her life. The penance a guilt-laden person shows often is the biggest tip off of all.

I don't want to say too much about this book, but I can say that it was the perfect balance of realism, conflict, and faith. The way the author showed how caring about "what people think" more than caring about doing the right thing often causes us to make wrong decisions - this aspect of the novel was compelling. The author didn't show too much, yet you always knew what was going on. The best part of this book for me was how the author showed that God uses even the ugly stuff in our lives to develop humility and to change us for the better. He doesn't want us making bad choices, but He will still redeem them and use them to grow us if we'll let Him. Great book!
3965256
Holly has chosen quite a complex issue here.  In addition to being a tale of romantic love between man and woman, the book touches on the love of an elder brother for the younger, and the issue of homosexuality in the Regency period.  Edward Burbrooke thinks that marriage is the answer for his brother Freddie, to save Freddie from scandal following recent exploits (the footman, no less!  Shock, horror).  Edward truly loves his brother and does not want Freddie's life in society to be ruined by his exploits, so he looks for the most sweet and innocent woman he can find to save his brother's reputation.  Enter Florence Fairleigh, a vicars daughter, newly arrived in London, all alone in the world and in something approaching desperate circumstances.  Although feeling some guilt in the manipulation, Edward sets out to ensure that Florence will marry his brother and save them all.  And as Freddie and Florence soon become engaged, the plan seems to be working.  Except that really, none of the three want this, and the situation is about to get very out of hand.  Attractions ignite into something more (for all three).  Then Florence finds out what Edward's plan was all along...
The themes of brotherly love of Edward and Freddie with it's subtext of protection, and repression of sexuality in Regency times are both handled with sympathy by Holly.  All three of the central characters here grow, make decisions - good or bad - and live with the repercussions of those decisions.  It's not a life changing book, but there are some interesting issues explored.  And it's unusual in that Freddie has almost as large a part to play in the text as Edward and Florence.
Steamy, fun, sensitive, sad - for a `simple' romantic tale, there's a lot to recommend itself in this book.
3751198
This book is a realistic portrayal of the complicated relationships and feelings of adolescence and the slow burn of an emerging teenage love. The book touches on some tough topics and while the characters' stream-of-conscious thoughts sometimes sound a bit whiny, youll be rooting for them to the end. There is a musical theme woven throughout the book and the authors writing follows suit: its melodic at times and flows naturally like a good song.
4335195
I liked The Woman Next Door because of it's realism. The situations in which the book is based upon could actually happened in any town in any city.  You have couple who wants to have a child for both the right and wrong reasons and the curiousity of one woman's pregnancy that makes the husbands in the community the primes suspects.  The Woman Next Door can teach couple to face the pressure of the outside world by believing in the love they have for each other inside their hearts.
1237009
Multiple disparate story lines converging to a satisfying conclusion.
576500
The nuances  of the relationship, the exchanges between Bella and Edward with subtle overtones of attraction, resistance, and futility were masterfully executed and kept me reading. It is true that there were words such as mocking, sneering, and eye rolling that were redundant; an easy fix that will hopefully be addressed in future books. It's not my usual genre, but I'm glad I read it because it was a delightful departure from reality.
3911182
I really loved how this book showed the different points of view of the French girl and the German boy. It's not what you'd expect; it is NOT a romance novel and it is NOT "Hollywood". I found the French girl to be likable pretty much immediately, while it took me some more time to "care about" the German boy. Every chapter switches points of view between these two, for most of the book. My overwhelming feeling at the end of the book was of the futility of war. Some of the losses seem so meaningless. It made me wonder how we will see recent and current conflicts in 60 years' time.

I never really got into the plot line of the Sea of Flames (a much sought after diamond) and the character of von Rumpel, but it serves to connect the story and, while that wasn't my favorite aspect of the story, it didn't affect how much I enjoyed reading. I couldn't put it down.

Anyone who likes historical fiction or WWII novels would enjoy reading this book.
3240899
I read Vision in White, the first book in the bride quartet, because I found myself enjoying novels about wedding planning immensely while I was planning my wedding. These books each focus on one of four characters who have been best friends since they were children. Now they own and run Vows, a wedding business. Mac, the photographer, is the focus of the first book. Emmaline, the florist, is the focus of the second book. As someone not terribly interested in flowers (I didn't have any at my wedding), I wasn't expecting to enjoy hearing about Emma's work as much as I enjoyed hearing Mac talk about photography.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Emma's perspective. She and I have little in common, but she was surprisingly easier to relate to than Mac was, and I found myself rooting for her. It also helped that I didn't feel the need to strangle her for being stupid. She was smart, confident and an unabashed romantic.

The love story itself was somewhat predictable, and the dialogue was awkward at times. Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book. Nora Roberts crafted four characters who have a friendship I both admired and wanted to participate in. Despite the stressful nature of their business, and the vast details provided about it, I wasn't bored. I cared about what would happen.

I won't say I'm a Nora Roberts fan, but I did really enjoy this book, and I enjoyed it more than Vision in White. I'm looking forward to the third book in the series, Savor the Moment, focusing on pastry chef Laurel, which will be published in April 2010.
3286309
This dual perspective novel of obsession, control and abuse is well crafted.
2954107
This book had so many great aspects to it: biblical archaeology, Israeli politics and Middle Eastern conflict, strong characters, and palatable romance.  An Arab couple seeks the help of archaeologist Page Brookstone to investigate their house, which they claim is haunted by two very passionate lovers.  Overcoming her own skepticism, Page takes a huge career risk when she abandons her excavations at Megiddo to dig in a suburban living room.  She discovers not only the tomb of the Prophet Jeremiah, but his lover, Anatiya entwined with him, along with Anatiya's manuscript paralleling Jeremiah's Old Testament writings.  Page's sense of wonder is contagious and I felt like I was beneath the earth making these discoveries right along side of her.

The two sets of bones have an unusual effect on people, influencing their romantic sides and inspiring love.  As Page rushes to get Anatiya's scroll translated and accessible to the public, she finds herself struggling with her feelings toward a devout Jew who has entered her life.  As love blooms around them, they must come to terms with their differences and their emotions amidst the controversy that Jeremiah and Anatiya have aroused.  The whole novel was engrossing and had a magical quality to it.  The characters were realistic and genial and Klein's writing was accessible and engaging.  Drawing in the Dust is an original breath of fresh air and should not be compared to the pedestrian DaVinci Code genre.
2189324
Author Wafica Mansour Aldoueiri, immediately captivates her audience through the distributive essence she displays in her publication of the romantic novel Breezes. Throughout the passage, Wafica draw the attention to the youthfulness of love as well as the challenges of love and relationships. She shares with us a story that can be related to by all generations and cultures. And thanks to the translation by Mouna Mana, many more readers can indulge in the beauty of the story, Breezes.
 I found many of the aspect within the story to be very relatable. Although, rewarding love can be very tricky and complicated. We see this demonstrated in Breezes by two love stricken characters, a man and a women. The love story begins alongside a lake when unexpectedly the lifelong lovers are reunited. Now old and gray the once college sweetheart reminisce on their innocent encounters. Reluctant at first, the two are unable to put any words to their thoughts. Although immense feelings of passion still remain true, the characters find it difficult to express any of their thoughts or emotions. As time progresses, the characters are finally able to open up to one another, and share some of their most memorable encounters. However on their journey to the past, the two lovers encounter an unresolved issue. A rumor of cheating arise. After hearing such a rumor, the girl disconnects all contact from her lover as a way to spear herself of heartbreak. The Rumor, miscommunication, and ignorance, ultimately leads to the lovers separation. Yet many years later, they are reconnected. Although both characters still encompass a passion and love for the other, they are unable to admit it due to the fear of rejection. While recalling such events, the characters struggle internally whether to continue to embark on this emotional journey once again. This fear steams from the fear of the unwanted memories disrupting the simplicity of their encounter, as well as a fear of being rejected if their true feelings are expressed.
 I often find romance stories as extremely unrealistic, however Breezes is very relatable and it is much more than a romance story. Breeze shows the difficulties of all relationships, whether is with a lover, family or your culture. The more obvious relationship we see in Breezes is between the man and the women. However I noticed a lot of internally conflict take place as well as a battle to maintain relationship with their values and culture. In the passages The first Trip and A definitive Trip, we see an example of this.  Before the man from the story could pursue a relationship, he feels the need to introduce the women to his family. A custom of his culture and a way to recognize his values and desires. I think that the struggle to maintain healthy relationships is one we can all relate to. I also think that many of the emotions that the characters emote are similar emotions that we all can recall feeling at some point in our lives. However there was one aspect that I loved yet found a little hard to understand at times. Throughout the passage, the author brings in the characters thoughts. This Literary tactic really allows the reader to have a better understanding of the love connection between the two characters. You almost feel as if you are a friend who has witness the whole love story from beginning to end.  Yet I found it difficult to distinguish between which thought belong to which character. At times it was even hard to determine if it was dialoged between the characters or just a private thought of that one character. Nonetheless I thought Breezes was a beautiful story. You don't have to be from one specific culture to appreciate author, Wafica Mansour Aldoueiris work. It contains universal characteristics and values that we all can relate to. And that is what makes the novel Breezes amazing. I highly recommended it.
-Anna Frey
4408769
The author Jae has brought us a different type of love story between Pop star Leontyne Blake and small-town nurse Holly Drummond. They meet when Leontyne returns to her hometown after her father has a stroke. The two characters are likeable. After some initial friction they find themselves drawn to each other. The story illustrates the complexity of love and attraction. It also describes asexuality through one of the characters personal experience. This is a well written, thoughtful approach to a topic not written about in the genre, much less in the context of a love story. Jae to took the time to describe this orientation and clarify that there are many variations on the spectrum. In her authors note she wrote that she wanted to make non-asexual readers more aware and to help make ace-spectrum readers feel a little less alone. We lesbians are a diverse lot and I applaud this and other books that reflect that back to us.
I was given an ARC by Ylva Publishing in return for an honest review.