Three stars for this book
588604
I enjoyed the first four books in the Unfinished Song series and thought maybe this would be the last.  However, the story just keeps going without much purpose.
1167621
It's too bad the author passed away before finishing this series.  I LOVED the first two books and re-read them before reading this one as so much time had passed since acquiring the first two books and the publishing of the third and final book in this series.  I only rated this one a 3 star for the following reasons:  1) It STILL left some things unanswered. 2) Since someone else 'helped' get it finished the two different styles seem at odds a bit but it's tolerable.  3) It left me not completely satisfied with the ending but you can win them all I suppose.  All things objectively considered I would still recommend this book and for that matter the entire 3 book series.
3147566
I personally enjoyed this book.
But I got this book to read to my 3 and a half year old to explain about his grandmother dying. There weren't enough pictures and there is a lot of text so it didn't really hold his interest very well. He's not old enough to understand metaphors.
This book is probably fine for an older child/adult.
2907318
Like most 3 star reviews, I loved the first part of the book about the crime, and found the second half about the trial to be very dry.  The thing that bothered me is how hard Mr. Bugliosi worked to convince the reader that he never would have taken this case had he not felt certain that Jennifer [real name Stephanie Sterns] was innocent.  This makes very little sense as defense attorneys would go out of business if they ran their practice this way.  While I'm sure there are clients an attorney may refuse to defend, it's the nature f the profession that you're defending people have committed the crime they're accused of.

I also found Jennifer's lack of interest in her defense odd, but I suspect she was expecting to be convicted and wanted to enjoy each day before going to prison.  This is one thing Bugliosi complained about a lot is how she refused to help him prepare her defense by not giving him info to follow up on.  I can't imagine an innocent person not being obsessed with proving their innocence.

I also don't buy that she wasn't concerned about the state of their food stores or the condition of their boat when she went to almost everyone on the island looking to barter for food.  She and Buck had to look longingly at the Grahams' beautiful boat with a couple of years worth of food and wish it was theirs.

I think the jury found her not guilty because of a few things that the judge wouldn't allow in that the author mentions.  Had they heard those things, she'd be behind bars today.

This book is worth reading, but when you get to one of the author's long drawn out monologues on how great he is or trial procedure that has nothing to do with you, move on to the next section so you don't end up bogged down in what really is an interesting book.
4303760
The book has its moments, but it could have more information abouth the authors. Buy the other books by this author7editor
1182283
Perhaps I didn't enjoy this book because I haven't read anything else by this author, which means I haven't read the first 3 books in this series. It is a stand alone but I just didn't get the attraction for the H.

+++Spoilers+++
The H is a gorgeous playboy that the h has known since she was a kid as he was her brothers friend. As far as the H is concerned she's off-limits but the h wants him to be the one to rid her of her pesky problem (her virginity). The problem for me is that there is an imbalance in the story with the h throwing herself at the H and him having the advantage all the way, because he knew how much she wanted him. I did like that the author made him on insist on their having a relationship before sleeping with her. Obviously this book contains numerous (too many for me) sex scenes and not enough story.

There were some very weird moments in the story - like when the women have a girls night which includes the H's mother, and the h ends up having a Brasilian wax. I also didn't get why the h was so put out with the H because he insists on using a condom. She is on the pill and would prefer him not to use them. Is this realistic so soon into the relationship given his history?

As this is my first book by this author I will be lenient and round up to 3 stars because there was some evidence of a decent story. I'll probably read another book by her before making my mind up about her writing.

***Update - I've now read all of the books in this series and the next and I think I was lenient giving this book 3 stars because there are some bizarre moments in it. I didn't love either character, which is a pity because the first 3 books set us up for this H's story. I will say that the book makes more sense being read in the correct order. This isn't a true stand alone book
1378151
I know I bought this and read it, but I can't remember much about it. (granted it's been a while!) 3 stars :(
3545526
This is the first book that I've read by Ms. Benedict and I can honestly say that the cover attracted me to it. The story did sound intriguing however.  It is a narrative/memoir of Sophy Chase's search for answers, in both the cause of her almost ex-husband's death, and the search for the truth to her own life.
Sophy is a struggling writer who has left her husband Will, a CIA agent.  She has a new boyfriend/lover named Daniel but it becomes painfully obvious that their relationship is simply a physical one.  There doesn't seem to be much love between them. She is with Daniel when she gets a call that Will is dead.  She is on the next flight to Swansea to confront her past and figure out her future.
On the island there is a mix of characters, an ex-lover who is a famous lawyer, his wife, Sophy's step-daughters and Will's ex-wife just to name a few.  Everyone is waiting to hear the report of Will's death, which was possibly suicide, and Sophy carries an enormous amount of guilt around with her.
Throughout all of this, there is much foreshadowing and many subplots.  Unfortunately, there just aren't enough answers.  I don't have to have everything clued up at the end of a book but this one had too many loose ends. It's a comedy of errors.  I liked the suspense angle of the story, but again, not enough was adequately revealed.
The writing was well done and the characterization was excellent but the story just didn't hold up for me.
813862
While i did enjoy this book somewhat...i agree with the other reviewers that it wasn't quite up to snuff with the first two books.  I did enjoy the storyline with Sidda, Little Shep,Lulu and Baylor...the rest was just filler and gave me a slight headache.
1929583
I really have mixed feelings about this book.  It was interesting enough that I did finish it but I found some of the aspects we're (readers) asked to accept pretty hard to swallow, not the least of which was the ladies in the family jumping to accept a woman, no matter how she seems to be a good influence on Lord Darias, who comes from the background she (Cate) does, e.g., bar maid, house maid, farmer, with callused hands and muscular arms and legs.  But, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.  I've read worse but I've certainly read better.
776442
Three stars...but not an easy rating to give.

There are things about this book I loved:
1. The relationship between Ada and Lila.
2. Lila's developing feelings for Max, even though he wasn't her "dream guy".
3. The "something's off" about Asher.
4. The small town fun and frustrations.

Things I did not like:
1. How the title has nothing to do with the story.
2. Why there is even an element of paranormal with a ridiculous explanation.
3. How the things Lila doesn't know from the past are explained. I felt they were all sloppily fleshed out.
4. How Juniper is 'special' but no explanation given for how or why she has this 'gift'.
5. That Lila wasn't more aggressive in finding out her family history.
6. How things came together in the end- been there done that with old ladies...

I liked the writing style. I liked the characters. It just didn't all work together to equal awesome for me. I am not normally a fan of the supernatural elements in books, and this is no exception. The idea had so much promise, but was a let-down. I may try another of this author's books, but they'll have to be on sale or from the library.
437352
This book is not bad, but it's not a great book. One of the major reasons as stated in previous reviews, it has little mathematical basis, as represented in the title, one would expect a little more math in life. One of the things I disliked was its tendency to be repetitive, for example the first "advancement" in the first chapter (The Microscope), there is a lot of ink spent on examples of what microscopes and telescopes do, I think it's pretty clear. Another pet peeve of mine is the grammatical errors found in this book, you would expect for a writer to have his/her book reviewed for these kinds of novice mistakes. Overall I would say a three star book.
3979361
I would say I would give this a true three and a half stars. Overall I love this author's books, but this one had a couple of major stumbling points for me. The colloquialisms got old. And i have to admit, maybe its the northerner in me but I don't see Texans as this Southern. Now if they were from Oklahoma or Arkansas like my great grandparents? Maybe, but even then I don't remember them having this much in every day conversation. I definitely understand black humor in stressful times. But them telling Alex and Rick to take over the watch so they could have sex? That didn't sit well with me. I just would think Bran would take his "job" more seriously than that. Lastly, Bran has this big childhood trauma that he has carried with him all his life and has formed how he acts as an adult. The fact that his LT confronts him for about 10 sentences and Bran suddenly gets it? Don't buy it. Especially not with the instant change. We can have light bulb moments but a lifetime of habits is much harder to break. I did still enjoy overall. And the insight into what I'm sure is a coming book for Alex and Mason was worth it. And hopefully that book will be about actual treasure hunting????
102907
I rate this book at a 3 because, as a huge Natalie Wood fan, it is too concise in my opinion. So many details are left out. But, if you are a fan, the pictures alone are worth the book.
2273828
I gave this book three stars because I love this author and usually buy her books.  I didn't pay for this one, and to pay 5$ for a kindle book to me is a little too much.  The book was OK, but not one of her best.  I could see paying $5 for a paper book, but not a Kindle book.
1891700
This is a great book, but it could be better. I skipped some parts that I could solve at a glance. The last third of the book did not hold my attention. I liked seeing how to factor polynomials, long division of polynomials and square roots.
3802609
Nice to have an author not put the characters in pain to shift. The fact track of the plot was ok, the twist in the way the female character wasn't needed. The friendship between the 2 males, was a nice touch.

What was my deciding factor for the 2star rating? The fact that almost 30% of my book was blurbs and info for others books the author has written.