The New York Times bestselling series about the scandalous lives of rich and famous teens in Beverly Hills, California.High school is officially over and that means one thing for the A-List: time to party! But the celebration is cut short when unlikely pair Anna and Cammie find themselves in an even more unlikely situation--caught trespassing on a celeb's beach estate--and are forced to don steel handcuffs along with their Tiffany tennis bracelets.Luckily, the girls are spared a summer stuck in tacky orange jumpsuits when their hotshot lawyer lands them a cushy community service gig: helping plan a fabulous charity fashion show! But while it may seem like a plush job, Anna and Cammie are in for a challenge. Can the girls handle the pressure of the vicious fashion world? Or will they fall to pieces faster than a cheap Louis Vuitton knockoff?
Customer Reviews:
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-05-31
In the last book in the A-LIST series (American Beauty: An A-List Novel (A-List #7)), the gang had finally graduated while discovering some juicy secrets. Cammie had discovered more information on what really happened to her mother. Sam was finally reunited with Eduardo, and Anna met Caine, who was nothing like her boyfriend, Ben. And Ben's dirty little secret wasn't a secret any longer.
The A-Listers are back again in HEART OF GLASS, and this time with a little twist.
Anna and Cammie have to work together - that's right, together - on a charity fashion show. But they got off easy, since this little community service project was the result of getting caught trespassing on a celebrity's estate. No worries, these two can work together, right?
Anna and Caine are getting a little closer, while Ben doesn't seem to worry so much. While Adam and Cammie are trying to make things work, we're hoping that opposites really do attract. Sam is still trying to adjust to living with Poppy, and maybe trying to get rid of her at the same time, while making sure nothing goes wrong with her and Eduardo. And Dee, well, she's Dee, trying to get back on her feet.
The gang is back and it's going to be one sizzling summer.
Eighth in the series, HEART OF GLASS is still filled with secrets, lies, and plenty of drama. The best thing about this series is that the material is never old and it still keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. The cast is still great and you just love Anna more and more after each book. Lets just say that HEART OF GLASS is more appealing than another episode of a certain teen drama on a new network - at least I'm experiencing something I haven't seen before!
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
Gotta have it.......2007-05-24
I am crazy over this series ... i think that this book had to be the most mouth dropping one ... i almost feel like zoey can't write these books fast enough ... i feel like i can identify w/ every character on one level or another ... zoey dean delivers everytime you read one of her books
Pretty Good..........2007-05-17
I've been following the A-List novels since they came out a few years ago. There were tons of these book series floating around--the rich, cliquey girls who seemed to be mean and exclusionary--there were the Gossip Girls, the Clique... you get my drift.
Of all the books of that sort, A-List was the one that caught my eye. I followed it religiously for a while, but I got to one particular book in the series and almost gave up on it. The name-dropping and overall snobbery frustrated me to the point that I almost didn't give a flying ice cream cone about Anna and Ben or Dee's increasing psychosis.
Dean has redeemed herself with this last one, though. The characters are proving to be much more dimensional than first thought, and although they still tend to get themselves into outrageous situations, they are handling them with class and the kind of assertiveness I wish I'd had as a teenager. I really enjoyed this last book and I am looking forward to the "next juicy A-List novel."
Heart of Glass.......2007-05-14
Gabriela R. 5/11/07
Heart of Glass, Zoey Dean, ISBN: 0-316-01096-0
If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine. Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.
Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!
Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?
I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girls 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!
Heart of Glass.......2007-05-14
[...]
If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.
Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!
Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?
I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girl 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!
Embraced Marey has run from herself and from Sax for over three years. Lost years, hiding in the home her parents left her, living on the fantasy, too wary to reach out and make real the dreams of the life and man that torment her. Sax Brogan is the embodiment of sinful and sexy - tall, dark, handsome and every inch of him the fantasy of Marey's dreams come to hot, throbbing life. And he's more than ready to claim his woman. Now the time has come for Marey to stop running and embrace not just the fantasy he represents, but also the reality. That is, if her ex-husband will let her live long enough to enjoy it... Shameless She's a tempatation he can't afford. Ian Sinclair, the man with no heart, the ultimate Trojan, the untouchable, the unreachable, may just have met his match. As wild as the untamed winds, as innocent as love itself, Courtney's vivacious spirit shines as brilliantly as the brightest star. And he wants nothing more in life than to see the sweet innocence that is so much a part of her survive. That can never happen if he allows her to be drawn into the wicked, sexual excesses of his life. He's a hunger she can't deny. Courney Mattlaw has understood her destiny her whole life. Her lifetime of happiness hangs on this moment in time, and forcing a man who feels he is unable to love, to trust his heart. Haunted. Filled with loneliness. Incomplete. Ian is the very breath of her soul. She knows the battle to steal his heart could ultimately destory them both, but it's a risk she must take. When these two come together, sparks fly and the lust simmering between them ignites in a conflagration that will burn them to their souls and leave them...shameless.
Customer Reviews:
For faithful Lora Leigh fans.......2007-07-14
This finishes the story line begun several books ago. It was a good read but I think I enjoyed the earlier stories more than this installment.
WOW!.......2007-07-12
I love Lora Leigh and she does not dissapoint with this book. I love her menage a tois's. I particularly liked the second story in this book. I hope she features Khalid in her next book. Very hot book.
Pure filth........2007-06-14
As a fan of Bound Hearts I admit I've been waiting for the next installment of the series. And as the same with 4 and 5, I found myself utterly disappointed. The delivery just isn't there. All in all, the characters are prosaic, the sex is sleazy, and something in the plot is horribly amiss. This is, quite possibly, the most horrible series ever put to pen, and I'm almost 100% certain the other reviews are from herself. ;)
I'm convinced that Lora Leigh is to the book industry as Michael Jackson is to little boys. She just lost a fan, forever.
bound hearts:shameless embraces.......2007-06-14
LOVE THIS BOOK,WONDERFUL STORIES, GREAT PLOT, LORA LEIGH HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED ME YET.LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GREAT BOOK!!!!
Always hot!!!.......2007-05-26
A must read for any and all Lora Leigh fans. Just what you would expect, if you have read the other books in this collection. Lora Leigh...never lets you down.
Average customer rating:
The Quiet Man.
Character study, not a story
No thrilling page-turner, but a deep, honest look into the heart of man!
With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer's mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book's heroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music. Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated -- and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty. Richard Wright praised Carson McCullers for her ability "to rise above the pressures of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness." She writes "with a sweep and certainty that are overwhelming," said the NEW YORK TIMES. McCullers became an overnight literary sensation, but her novel has endured, just as timely and powerful today as when it was first published. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is Carson McCullers at her most compassionate, endearing best.
Customer Reviews:
The Quiet Man. .......2007-09-27
An outstanding and realistic examination of the human condition. It's an indirect examination ("thoughts that wound from behind" as the great philosopher/storyteller Soren Kierkegaard put it) and that's what makes it so effective.
Everyone is so caught up in their own problems and acting out their desires that nobody notices the quiet suffering of the saintly central character. When he exits his void is felt yet no one can fathom the reasons for his disappearances. Maybe Jean Calvin was/is right about that thorough-corruption doctrine.
Carson McCullers sounds Kierkegaardian in showing the limits of organized religion and social action. The men of purposeful action (street preacher Simms, vagabond Jake Blount, and house-calling Doctor Copeland end up estranged, embittered, and feeling a lack of accomplishment. Meanwhile, the non-formalists (John Singer, Mick Kelly, and Biff Brannon) are better-adjusted and seem to have done more for the world. McCullers doesn't forget the "middle path" either by giving us Portia Copeland, a decent and generous church-goer who talks a little too much.
Our author echoes the sentiments of fellow Southerner William Faulkner on the civil rights issue. Both McCullers and Faulkner despaired at the suffering of blacks under Jim Crow but were wise enough to know the situation could not be legislated away (after all Jim Crow was a creation of government too.) Racism is a human failing to see The Other as a fellow child of G-d. It's an animalistic impulse, as Rabbi Daniel Lapin (a teacher of mine) rightly points out. Trying to speed the undoing of this impulse through legislation and protest marches, while not completely unhelpful, risks bloodshed. Having the faith/attributes of Biff (who runs a restaurant/hospitality center in the spirit of Biblical patriarch Abraham, the father of faith), Mick and Singer makes peaceful change possible in time.
Doctor Copeland and Jake Blount foreshadow the professional protestors of our era. Their enjoyment in physical confrontations tells us a good bit about the psyche of poverty pimps and union thugs.
Singer's life shows the truth of what another of my teachers (the saintly Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT"L) once said -- "It is the quiet man that is respected." The public activist hero portrayed in Hollywood and TV news misleads many into thinking that they must pour forth a constant stream of verbiage to make an impact and promote "understanding." Rabbi Miller and other sages know better -- Most talking is counterproductive.
McCullers (who was 23 at the time "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" was published) proves herself the Great American Prophetess of the Great American Loneliness. Widespread ambivalence and inarticulateness amid the Information Age and cell-phone-driven communications "revolution" wouldn't have surprised Carson McCullers.
To close, here's a gem -- "He (Biff) had known his loves and they were over. Alice, Madeline, and Gyp. Finished. Leaving him either better or worse. Which? However you looked at it."
Character study, not a story.......2007-09-13
I read tons of "pulp" novels and I've started adding some classics to my wish list--largely to see if the books I abhored in high school would be more enjoyable if they were not assigned reading. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was no better now.
As a character study it is superb; the main characters are deep, believable, and unique. I understood the characters, or at least why they didn't understand themselves. Each chapter with Mr. Singer made me smile with anticipation while I waited for something magical to happen to make the characters happy.
That was the problem with the book. Each chapter barely moves the story forward, and in the end nothing happens. There is so much potential for characters to talk and understand and change, but it never happens and the potential hangs over the entire book like a cloud. The book simply ends. No character is better off than they were in the beginning, no character's life path is appreciably changed from those of their next door neighbors. In short, with the exception of Mr. Singer, there was no reason to write about these characters in terms of their participation in events that are worth writing about.
The book was not a labor to get through, but I was largely unsatisfied with the resolution. I don't need a happy ending, but atleast give me a sense that the previous 200 pages somewhat affected that ending.
No thrilling page-turner, but a deep, honest look into the heart of man!.......2007-09-09
It's no fast-paced thriller, nor is it a gripping page-turner, it is however, an incredibly deep look into the heart and soul of man. Not until you finish the very last page and reflect on what you have read, can you truly begin to understand the simple truth behind the title, `The heart is a lonely hunter.'
The heart of man is lonely, always seeking, always needing something... elusive. We all share the need to feel connected, to be part of a whole. To know truth, and be at peace. We are so many disjointed voices that few of us are ever really heard.
Set in the deep South, Carson tells of a deaf mute named John Singer and a group of frustrated individuals that gravitate towards his serene and kindly nature--a young girl, desperate to follow her dreams; a drunkard, willing to impart his wisdom on the uninformed; a black doctor, eager to lift his people to equality; and a café owner, stuck in the routines of life.
Each seek Singer's company and tell of their woes with a deep believe that he, and only he, truly understands their ply. In him, each sees a kindred spirit. But what, exactly, does Singer see in them?
The Meaning of Life.......2007-08-29
"Seek and ye shall find," Jesus is quoted as saying in the Bible. All of us, no matter what our religious affiliation--or lack thereof--are seeking out a dream, a little piece of happiness. Sometimes this process is conscious and sometimes a subconscious imperative drives us forward towards that piece of happiness.
The five main characters of "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter" are all seeking their dreams in an unnamed mill town in the South in the late 1930s. For teenaged Mick Kelly, the dream is a career in classical music that her impoverished family can't afford to provide. For the relentless black Doctor Copeland, the dream is freedom and equality for his people. For restaurateur Biff Brannon the dream is having children. For vertically-challenged drifter Jake Blount the dream is a Marxist revolution to level the playing field for all people. And last, but most important, the dream for deaf-mute John Singer is to be reunited with his long time partner Anatopolous, who was committed to an institution.
Singer becomes the prime focus for the other four. One by one they inadvertently seek him out and spill their wishes and desires to him, although he often doesn't understand them. To Mick he is a secret friend who understands her. To Copeland he is a wise man who understands the struggles of the black minority. To Blount he is a comrade in arms for the revolution. And to Biff he is a kindred spirit, a fellow observer of humanity.
Yet for as much as he represents to them, they mean relatively little to Singer. His thoughts are consumed by his love--platonic, we assume--for Anatopolous, the one he thinks understands him. But much as Singer is a false idol to the other four, Anatopolous is a false idol for him, a lazy, selfish, slovenly person incapable of appreciating Singer's love. In the end these troubled souls are left to pick up the pieces after the false idols shatter, as they inevitably do. This leads each of them to make a decision and to enter a new phase of life.
What makes this book so wonderful to read is the profound understanding of humanity shown here. All of us at one time or another have felt the pent-up ambition Mick feels at wanting something that remains just out of reach. We've felt the righteous anger to right a terrible injustice like Doctor Copeland. We've felt the isolation of being the outsider like Blount. We've all felt the confusion after a loss like Biff. And those of us fortunate enough--or perhaps unfortunate enough--have felt the heartache of an unrequited love like Singer.
These people all seem real because their hopes and desires are those hopes and desires we all have. Their dreams aren't altogether different than those each of us seek, whether we're aware of it or not. We know their longing and desperation to find someone who understands them, even if that someone is a deaf-mute who can only nod along.
Because of that, the book touches something deep in our consciousness, something primal within all of us--the need to seek out for something greater. The most astounding thing about "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter" is that the author was only twenty-three years old when she published this. At a time when most of us are just getting out into the "real world" and discovering ourselves, McCullers already had it figured out.
This is truly a literary achievement that you should seek out at your local bookseller or library at once, those who haven't already done so based on Oprah's recommendation.
That is all.
doesnt stand up over time.......2007-08-13
Lula Carson Smith was my favorite author for a long time. However i must have outgrown her, because i found a recent re-reading of 'the heart...' to be a little tiresome. i agree with another reviewer who noted it was easy to tell the characters were developed by a 23 y/o.
Average customer rating:
From the book's back cover...
Hot, Hot, Hot!
If you're over the basic romance books, this will do it!
Wicked Intent: Control has meant everything to Tally Raines. Control of the office she ran as Jesse Wyman's secretary, and now control of Lucian Conover's office as well. But Lucian isn't content to be controlled by his fiery secretary. As a matter of fact, Lucian thinks she needs to loosen up and let the sexy, sensual woman hiding beneath her cool exterior free. And he will dare her to do just that...With a little help.
Sacrifice: Kimberly has run from Jared for a year now, sensing the weakness he could be to her future. But she never expected the sacrifice he would make for her. One that will rock her soul, and destroy the very foundations of all her beliefs.
Her sexuality, her heart, and all she's fought for in the last six years will be tested when an assignment takes her to Jared's farm, and into his bed. There she will learn the true meaning of hunger, of love...as well as the deception and the lies that have governed her life for so long.
Anything worth having is worth sacrificing for. Kimberly is about to find out if she can pay the price, and risk not only the inheritance that should be hers, but also her heart to the one man who can still the fires that rage in her soul.
*******
If you've read any of Lora Leigh's Bound Hearts books, you know what you'll be getting: lots and lots of steamy sex (including menages), not as much plot. But what plot(s) that are here in these novellas are interesting and revolve around the exclusive men's club outside of D.C. where the men have extreme sexual appetites and often share their women.
In "Wicked Intent", sassy personal assistant Tally Raines now works (and lusts) for Lucien Conover. Tally is used to controlling her men and her passion. But Lucien will have none of that. He wants to break through Tally's control and he uses his twin brother Devril to help him. After all, the brothers "share" everything. Will Tally agree and submit?
In "Sacrifice", US Senator's daughter Kimberly Madison has been running from the attraction she feels for her stepbrother Jared Raddington for a year. Kimberly is a rare female member of The Club, and she does everything sexually that she can with one exception: she must keep her virginity intact for at least 5 more years in order to inherit the long held million dollar family estate her late mother left to her. If she doesn't, her estranged father will inherit all. Are Kimberly's feelings for Jared stronger than her family legacy? Or will Jared be willing to sacrifice for her and wait?
Both of these books are pretty hot, fast paced reads, and some of the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. These books can stand alone, but due to a lot of overlapping characters, they will be less confusing and more enjoyable if read in the correct order. They are "Surrender"(from "Ties That Bind"), "Submission/Seduction", "Wicked Sacrifice", "Shameless Embraces" and "Forbidden Pleasure".
Hot, Hot, Hot!.......2007-07-12
Another great erotic romance by Lora Leigh. Great characters, great charisma, great stories. I highly recommend her books. I am usually never dissapointed. I can't wait for her next!
If you're over the basic romance books, this will do it!.......2007-06-01
After reading almost every type of erotic fiction, I was getting a little bored. Enter Lora Leigh & it's a whole new ballgame. I was an instant fan after the Breed series (can she get cranking on more, already?), so I decided to check out a different type. Love it, love it, love it! It's just naughty enough, with some great dialogue inserted between some really hot sex scenes. I found myself actually interested in the plot, if not totally believing that there could actually be a secret club of dominant alpha males interested in falling in love. I've already ordered the next 2 books, can't wait!!
delicious!!!!!!!.......2007-03-10
heartwarming and erotic to the max!!
beautifully written and i highly recommend it!!!!
Good Book.......2007-02-24
I got this book for my daughter. She enjoyed it very much. Thanks for being prompt.
Emma Watson has made it her mission to get revenge on the monsters who killed her parents. As a member of the CIA's Stake–Out team, Emma's got no time to distinguish betweeen good vamps and bad. They're all bloodthirsty murderers and she will not rest until they're defeated.
When Angus MacKay is assigned to find a vampire slayer, he never expected to meet anyone like Emma Watson. Now, deeply attracted to the young woman, Angus must convince her that not all vampires are evil––before she finds out who he is and adds him to her hit list. But Angus and Emma soon have bigger problems when someone from Angus's past resurfaces with an agenda of her own to fulfill...
Customer Reviews:
Fangtastic Book!.......2007-08-24
This book is as great as the previous two. I can't wait for #4 & more.
Be Still My Vampire Heart .......2007-07-24
Angus MacKay is a Scottish vampire who owns MacKay Securities. He provides protection for coven masters such as Roman Draganesti. Roman has sent Angus to investigate a vampire slayer who has been killing the vampires known as Malcontents. The Malcontents are ruled by Casimir, a very old and evil vampire. Katya Miniskaya is a Russian coven leader who needs to stop the slayer before Casimir kills her for not protecting her coven.
Emma Wallace is a vampire hunter. She works for the CIA as a member of the Stake-Out Team. When she meets Angus while hunting in Central Park one night, she can't help but be attracted to him. When she realizes he is a vampire, she tries to keep her distance from him.
Angus doesn't just want to keep Emma safe, he wants her for his own. Somehow he'll have to gain her trust. As they fight against Katya and Casimir, Emma is torn between her hatred of vampires and her feelings for Angus.
Kerrelyn Sparks has created her own unique vampire world with Be Still My Vampire Heart. She made up new rules and scenarios for these vamps that are different than most other vampire stories, creating this amusing and interesting tale. Angus' Scottish accent, combined with his brawn and power are very seductive, and Emma is strong, capable, and beautiful. They make one tough couple! Be Still My Vampire Heart is funny, sexy, exciting and a blast to read!
Nannette reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Hilarious!.......2007-07-18
This is the first book i've read from this author and it was sooo GOOD!! I have never laughed so much reading a book!! This book leaves a smile on your face. This was fast paced and soooo entertaining!! I will definitely be reading more from this author!
Be still My vampire heart.......2007-05-13
"Sub-genre fans will want to take a bite out of this Big Apple supernatural delight and seek other sparkling 'supernormal' thrillers by this entertaining author (see VAMPS IN THE CITY and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE)."
Really Good.......2007-05-13
This book was really funny, for being the 3rd in the series you usually get a good book but not as good as the first. It was just as good. There were some really funny moments. It was good to see the other characters, exspecially Roman and Shanna and they also have a good moment. The hero was really sexy and his Scottish accent makes my heart melt. The heroine, is also sexy but very determined not to have anything to do with the hero but of course you know that never works out. A very great read...
Deep in the jungle on the trail of her missing brother, Grace never expected to find a secret world populated by mythological monsters -- nor guarded by a sword-wielding being whose beauty put mortal men to shame.
Darius en Kragin belongs to a race of shape-shifting warriors sworn to guard Atlantis and kill all travelers who stray within its boundaries. Yet when Grace stumbles into his realm, he finds himself tempted to betray his centuries-old vow.
Now their forbidden love will either bring their worlds together -- or tear them both apart.
Don't miss this sexy new story from the author of The Stone Prince and The Pleasure Slave.
Customer Reviews:
Not As Great As I Hoped.......2007-10-04
Extra crispy love story but a little soggy when it comes to the plot. Now don't get me wrong, I love alternate beauty meets the beast/sexy dragon shape shifter as much as any other girl but I found major flaws when it came to the main characters. Grace, our spunky heroin needed to get her priorities striate. She's searching for her lost brother and yet through out the book it seems all she wants to do is get laid. How could anyone think about sex when their only brother has disappeared? It kind of bothered me how one minute she's a proud, sassy, resourceful female and then the next she turns into a weak lovesick puppy who lust over a man who pretty much tells her `I`m going to do what I want to you when I want whether you like it or not.' and she answers by saying `Well okay'. Come on, show some dignity girl!
And then there's Darius, your average tragic hero. For three hundred years he shows no emotions whatsoever then suddenly in walks Grace then BAM! He's angry, sad, smiles and gets a hard-on all within the first five minutes of seeing her! Where's the development? The suspense? I know 90% of paranormal romance novels center around sex but come on! Give them a little time to develop their relationship first. By chapter four they were already all over each other so by the time their big love scenes came around the reward wasn't as gratifying as it should of been.
Boring conflict.......2007-08-16
I read the description for this - dragons, vampires, Atlantis - and I was hooked into buying it. I'm sorry I did.
The hero is a guardian of Atlantis; the heroine is a human wondering around trying to find her brother. She stumbles into Atlantis, meets the hero, love at first sight, but! He's got to kill her because she found out the secret that Atlantis exists.
That's the conflict - he's got to do his duty and protect the secret. But I know that since it is a romance novel, he's not going to do it. The hero killing the heroine doesn't scream happy ending. The plot goes on and on, his dueling emotions drag out until I want to smack him. Then finally, three quarters the way through the book, he decides he can't do it. What a shocker, let me tell you.
The worldbuilding, the setting, the imaginative story were all wonderful. The conflict between the hero and the heroine ruined all that.
A light Delight.......2007-08-05
A quick light and easy read, this delightful book has the story of the Dragons of Atlantis and a human woman who stumbles into their world.
Loved it! Great way to begin a new series.......2007-05-09
This is the first book in the atlantis series and it is phenominal. I love the characthers. They are well developed together and individually Their interaction is funny and makes sense all the way through the novel. This is a great read and worth the money. My bet is you read it more than once. :)
Good idea, but didn't work for me.......2007-04-27
I had such expectations for this book, but unfortunately it did not deliver. Darius was intended to be this deadly assasin, a ruthless and extremely dangerous man/dragon and I just did not get that from his character AT ALL. He supposedly considers killing Grace, but author does not convey any sense of real danger or suspense. Even Grace herself was not too worried. They search for missing people while running out of time, but stop constantly to full around. And for 20 something virgin whose life (as well as the life of her brother) was in such danger-- all she really wants to do is have sex with Darius, how believable is that? In general, i dislike books when women can't "resist" the appeal of the hero, and throw themselves all over them despite any common sense. I also read "Jewel of Atlantis" by the same author and hated it, so this is it for me.
Average customer rating:
Ties that Bind
"Ties That Bind" will turn up the heat to scorching!
...Sins of the Father by Jaid Black Candy Morgan has always felt badly about the fact that her father duped and then fired his former protégée, James Douglas Mahoney III. Worse yet, she knows that JD has always believed her to be a part of the conspiracy to get rid of him. When JD comes to power during a hostile takeover of Morgan Chemicals, Candy realizes he will want revenge against her family so she prepares herself to be ousted from the company. But much to her surprise, JD doesn't oust her. Instead, he wants his vendetta against the Morgans settled in an entirely different fashion, in a way Candy never could have imagined in her wildest, most wicked dream... Surrender by Lora Leigh Cole has wanted Tess for years. And he's warned her of this several times. He's also warned her HOW he wants her. Tied down in his bed, under his domination, surrendering to his desires...
Customer Reviews:
Ties that Bind.......2007-06-17
Wow! I read this book in one sitting. I think both stories are real hot reads. I likes Lora Leigh's story the best. I've read alot of her books and she didn't dissapoint. It was well worth the price.
"Ties That Bind" will turn up the heat to scorching!.......2005-08-08
It kicks off with "Sins of the Father", one of my first stories by the legendary Queen of Steam, Jaid Black. Candy Morgan's family company was in trouble. Her father no longer alive to run things, Candy has been in charge, unaware that her father's former protege has been waiting in the wings, ready to take over at the first sign of weakness. James Douglas Mahoney III is ready to take out his revenge, and taking over Morgan Chemicals is just a small part of his plan. His real goal is to take over Candy, the prize that had been dangled before him years ago. This time he's not wearing rose-colored glasses - he knows exactly what he wants and he plans to get it. Unaware of Candy's innocence to his firing, or of her longtime crush on him, JD has specific ideas of Candy's new role in the company, and they involve fulfilling every fantasy he's ever had about her. Very exciting and erotic, "Sins" touches on some forbidden fantasies many women may have about being kidnapped or submission. I think the story focuses more on a woman's pleasure and not about humiliation as JD always is gentle and caring in his treatment of Candy. Definitely a must-read for fans of Jaid Black.
"Surrender" by Lora Leigh kicks off her Bound Hearts series, and was my first by her. Cole has always made Tess nervous, but she can't deny how much she wants him. But rumors of his lifestyle have kept her away from him. Now her father wants her home, so she comes back for a visit, aware that Cole will be there, but is convinced she can resist temptation. But Cole is not taking "no" for an answer this time. He wants her badly, and will have her no matter what it takes. Cole believes there is a certain special bond that exists between him and Tess, one that includes bringing another man into their bedroom to bring her the ultimate fulfillment. Not just any man - his best friend Jesse. Cole loves Tess and only wants to make her happy, to give her more pleasure than she ever dreamed. But Tess feels her desires are wrong, dirty. With Cole's love, she learns that as long as they share in this pleasure together, her fantasies are something special between them, and not anything she should be ashamed of. Instead she finds her soul mate, the man who makes her feel alive and happy.
Both stories have very strong sexual fantasies which are not for everyone. But for those who enjoy these types of fantasies, "Ties That Bind" will not disappoint. It's a book I highly recommend.
Could have been 5 stars.......2004-10-31
Okay, these two stories were absolutely erotic and the sex scenes sizzling, BUT....bondage stories can be written without the humiliation aspect. Tittilation without humilating the women would be preferable. I kept thinking that if a guy tried pulling that attitude on me, he would have gotten a knee in the groin, no matter how good the sex was afterward.
Erotic short stories... .......2004-08-25
Jaid Black's Sins of the Father - Candy & James begin by making a bargain. She marries him (many stipulations in the marriage contract - including absolute obedience) and he doesn't destroy her family's finaces in a business take over. This didn't exactly come out of nowhere. He used to work for her father - deceased - until her father had fired him years ago - for no apparent reason. She agrees mostly because she's wanted him since she was a kid and she figures she'll get out of it eventually - An erotic tale that lets the characters develop.
Lora Leigh's Surrender is the story of Tess and Cole. Tess has been avoiding Cole for awhile after he made a hard pass at one of her father's parties. She was interested but put him off. She is somewhat repressed - living with her very controlling and unhappy mother. She goes to visit her father and ends up spending the week with Cole who is more then willing to fulfill her every desire (including a threesome - which seems to be LLeigh's thing).
Both stories were good. JBlack has a better understanding of how to write short stories but LLiegh's story was also good - though her characters didn't develop as much.
The book all together with both stories is still pretty short and in both stories I wished there was more to them - but enjoyable.
Very Entertaining.......2004-05-01
I enjoyed reading both stories, the authors are two of my favorites. You will love this book if you are into some bondage and two guys and one girl thing. If not, than this book is not for you. Although both stories are about sex the characters seem to be able to form a relationship, which somehow turns in to love. Both authors make their characters work for what they want, so that when you are getting toward the end of each story you don't want it to end.
I really enjoyed reading the book, and I would recommend it to all serious software architects. The book discuss the practical aspects of OO techniques as they apply to real world applications. It goes beyond the "identify the words and nouns" approach of identifying objects and methods, into entities, value objects and aggregates. I also found the book to have a refreshing approach regarding XP methods, and the tight interdependence between modeling and design (and how each one feeds into the other in a closed loop).
Heavy on ideas, light on implementation.......2007-08-22
This book presents some interesting ideas for data modeling and lifecycle management, but does not provide enough implementation details to turn those ideas into reality. Many people are attempting to do so, and their ideas turn up in the dozens with a Google search, but no one seems to have figured out a real-world implementation yet. I may have given this 4 or 5 stars if I was convinced that the ideas were practical. I assume Evans has implemented his own ideas before, so I'm left wondering why he's not sharing the code.
In particular, the Repository and Aggregate patterns interests me, but there are many problems that arise when trying to implement a Repository that can handle saving and updating entire Aggregates while keeping the Entities isolated from the persistence mechanism. This is a topic for a tech blog, and in searching the 'net, plenty of them are discussing it. No one seems to have answered the implementation question, though.
The book is also a bit repetitive and verbose. I didn't find the sections on ubiquitous language very helpful. Engineers and non-engineers don't approach problems the same way, common language or not. I didn't feel that added much to the technical design discussions that followed.
If I ever figure out a practical implementation of the ideas, I may come back and give the book another star.
You must have one.......2007-06-21
This book was produced in 2004 but is already a classic. It is one of the most important books for people interested in object-oriented programming. Every programmer should read it.
Domain Driven Design.......2007-03-15
Domain Driven Design is about naming and assigning responsibilities to your classes according to the real concepts in the real world and let them collaborate with each other to fulfill certain task, like you and your coworkers doing everyday. If you grasp this, your system will be much fun to work with. I have read the book once and I completely agree with what the author said in his book.
If you think it is difficult to understand the book, probably you need some prerequisite, for example, read
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Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-05-31
Pretty Good..........2007-05-17
Pure filth........2007-06-14
Character study, not a story.......2007-09-13
Not As Great As I Hoped.......2007-10-04
