Average customer rating:
- I don't think so either
- I agree with the reader review from May 19, not worth it
- Glad they returned!
- Pretty Good.
- A Marriage is Tested
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Return To Promise (Heart of Texas, No 8)
Debbie Macomber
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 MacOmber, Debbie
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Macomber, Debbie
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Lone Star Baby (Heart of Texas , No 6)
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Nell's Cowboy (Heart of Texas, No. 5)
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Caroline's Child (Heart Of Texas, No. 3)
ASIN: 1551666138 |
Amazon.com
Bestselling author Debbie Macomber continues to delight readers with her heartwarming Heart of Texas series with Return to Promise. Back on familiar ground, Macomber reintroduces us to favorite characters from earlier volumes, including Cal Patterson and his wife, Jane. Married for several years, Jane has severely cut back her medical practice to raise their two small children while Cal continues to ranch. But when Jane and the children take an extended trip to California to nurse her ailing father, Cal becomes the target of an attractive newcomer in town, hot-to-trot Nicole Nelson. Jane returns to Promise as rumors surface about the time Cal spent with Nicole while the cat... uh, Jane... was away. Disagreements and doubts escalate, leading to Jane and Cal's separation, Jane heading back to her parents' home in California with their children. Alone, Cal is forced for the first time in his marriage to think, really think, about what he wants and needs his life to be. The prolific Macomber answers fans' cries for "more, more, more" Promise, Texas, with her true and sometimes painful portrayal of life and love after the initial rush of hormones passes.--Alison Trinkle
Customer Reviews:
I don't think so either.......2005-07-06
I have read other books by Debbie Macomber and thoroughly enjoyed them. However, in my opinion this one did not measure up to her previous works. Maybe if I had read the previous titles in this series I might have liked "Return to Promise". However I found the childish misunderstandings and lack of communication between Cal and Jane quite ridiculous. In my opinion, this book read like a soap opera.
I agree with the reader review from May 19, not worth it.......2005-06-20
The review entitled "I don't think so" pretty much nailed it on the head. I was disappointed. Check out The Shop on Blossom street for a really good read by Debbie Macomber.
Glad they returned!.......2004-10-09
This book is a great beach book and hard to put down. Although
you know from the beginning who where what why when. Glad I read it and look forward to reading the first one!
Pretty Good........2002-06-13
This was an enjoyable book, but I can't give it 5 stars because the whole book was all about 2 Dr Jane and her Husband. But, worth reading.
A Marriage is Tested.......2002-06-11
Cal Patterson and Jane have been married for several years and have two children.Jane is called back to her family in California resulting in her staying longer than expected.When Jane returns to her home in Promise,she is met with disturbing awarness that her marriage is being tested.
I enjoyed the book very much and I believe you will also.It is easy reading and relaxing.
Book Description
Expanded and updated second edition of the only guidebook to the trails of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. 101 backcountry trails for hiking, backpacking and horseback riding. Includes trails of the Bighorn Crags, Middle Fork and main Salmon River areas.
Customer Reviews:
This book is packed with great hikes!.......2006-07-31
Margaret Fuller is an exceptional writer that combines how to get to some of the best locations in Idaho with a little history of the areas you might explore. I own all of her guidebooks and would recommend them to anyone. One of my favorite pieces of information that she includes is how long a hike will take which makes it nice since I can plan better. Being a native Idahoan growing up in Salmon I was surprise at how much information and different hikes Margaret has put into her books. The Frank Church Wilderness and the Bighorn Crags is a must for any avid backpacker. I could loose myself in those mountains (in a good way). The Bighorn Crags have been a favorite of mine since I was 16 when I first explored their trails. Margaret does a great job of getting you into some great country and away from everyone. Don't forget to plan a trip to Airplane and Ship Island Lake then day hike to some of the surrounding lakes. Just wonderful!
A wealth of information.......2006-02-23
This book provides a wealth of information on the Frank (trails, history, geology, etc.). The organization of the book is useful, although more small scale maps would help orient the reader without running out and getting forest service maps of the wilderness with the book. Still, a great guide.
Average customer rating:
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No Doubt: Return of Saturn
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Songbooks
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No Doubt / Tragic Kingdom (GTR & BASS TAB)
ASIN: 0769297692 |
Product Description
This special edition includes the complete guitar AND bass parts, fully transcribed in notation and tab. Titles are: Ex-Girlfriend * Simple Kind of Life * Bathwater * Six Feet Under * Magic's in the Makeup * Artificial Sweetener * Home Now * Marry Me * New * Too Late * Comforting Lie * Suspension Without Suspense * Staring Problem * Dark Blue * Too Late (Instrumental).
Customer Reviews:
Return Of Saturn guitar.......2004-12-08
This was my first guitar book. I thought thought the music was fun to play. I love to play Simple Kind of Life, ex girlfriend, new, comforting lie and more. It even has the bonus song too late insturmental. None of the stuff is boring to play so i recommend it to any ND fan who plays guitar. It has nice photos.
Book Description
The grim history of the slave trade from Africa is one that has had an impact on generations of people all over the world. While much of the initial voyage and inhumane treatment of slavery has been historically analyzed, there has been little written on the several forts and castles along the coast of Ghana that were used as slave holding facilities. This book focuses primarily on Cape Coast Castle, the African headquarters of the British slave trade from 1664 to 1807, through which countless men, women, and children were sold as slaves and carried away on slave ships, often to North America. It tells the story of the people who lived, worked, or were imprisoned within its walls, as well as the construction and upkeep of the building, the arrivals and departures of ships, the negotiations with local African leaders, and the deadly diseases inside.
Customer Reviews:
The Business of Slavery .......2007-08-19
Written with the Gold Coast of Africa as its center, this remarkable book is an amazing piece of work. The author uses records recovered from Britain's slave forts to recreate the business life of the trade. We learn how and why people were bartered for manufactured goods and the process of assembly and shipping of human cargo. The recovered douments also provide the personal side never meant to be viewed by others. I found this book to be excellent and recommend it thoroughly.
The Door of No Return is a welcome addition to public and college library history shelves........2007-06-10
Written by William St Claire (former Senior Research Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University), The Door of No Return: The History of Cape Coast Castle and the Atlantic Slave Trade is an in-depth history of the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, Africa, and its role it served as headquarters for the horrific British slave trade, until the slave trade's abolishment in 1807. Drawing heavily from years of personal research into the Castle's vast archive of public records and ledges - from letters and correspondence to scribbled notes and even the recipes of trafficked slaves - The Door of No Return offers a unique, in-depth scrutiny of this dark place and phase of human history. Written in plain terms and illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, The Door of No Return is a welcome addition to public and college library history shelves.
Book Description
"David Goodis is the mystery man of hardboiled fiction."-Geoffrey O'Brien
In
Street of No Return, we meet the pathetic figure of Whitey. Once upon a time Whitey was a crooner with a million-dollar voice and a standing invitation from any woman who heard him use it. Until he had the bad luck to fall for Celia. And then nothing would ever be the same.
In
Street of No Return, David Goodis works the magic that made him one of the most distinctive voices in hard-boiled fiction, creating a claustrophobic universe in which wounded men and women collide with cataclysmic force.
Customer Reviews:
He returns........2002-08-22
Why was this pithy review of an entirely mediocre David Goodis novel published, while my legitimate review was not?
The best of Goodis.......1998-05-14
David Goodis is an aquired taste, no question. To appreciate him, it helps to have a sympathetic ear for the downtrodden, the lost and desperate, the tragic and the downright masochistic. If you look for an upbeat mood in your stories, don't come to these mean Philadelphia streets, where Goodis' winos and criminals live. Go elsewhere for your happiness pill, here lies misery and alcohol and lost dreams. Now, if you're still with me, then you can be sure that "Street of No Return" is Goddis' finest work, and well worth the search required to find a copy (I recommend the search services listed in the back of "The Armchair Detective"). The story concerns a down-and-outer who leaves his hobo buddies one night in search of liquor, takes us on a journey through his once-promising life and subsequent fall, his brutalization at the hands of the most god-awful band of scarred, obese, sadistic and cold-hearted criminals you could ever hope not to meet, in the coldest and bleakest of landscapes that ever came out of a downtrodden, brilliant mind. 75 pages later he returns to his buddies, his life as depressing and hopeless as ever, and it's just where he wants to be. Not a care. Not a care in the world. This character, this writer, just doesn't give a damn. David Goodis' writing is instantly recognizable, and that is the mark of genius -- when you write like absolutely no one else. Highly recommended.
Book Description
When the Zon spaceshuttle plummeted to earth it should have been the war's end. Instead, Ace fighterpilot Hawk Hunter crash landed into an alternate world--to fight histories most infamous battles again. On this earth, World War II has never ended and The Wingman's struggle for survival is just beginning...
The planet is at war. The Panama Canal, Hawaii and the American fleet at Pearl Harbor have been destroyed in sneak attacks, while South America has been conquered by the Japanese. The planet is at war and now Hawk Hunter and the Free World must strike back!
But driving the Japanese out is not the only problem Hawk Hunter must solve. Buried deep in the Falkland Islands, scientists labor over a super bomb for a man with one goal--the destruction of the United States.
Customer Reviews:
BEST SERIES EVER.......2003-01-10
I HAVE READ JUST BOUT EVERY WINGMAN BOOK WRITTEN AND AFTER I ORDER THESE MY QUEST WILL BE COMPLETE. MACK MALONEY IS A TRUE AMERICAN AND HIS BOOKS PROVE IT. HIS BOOKS WILL MAKE YOUR IMAGINATION SOAR. THANKS MACK.
Where's the next installment?.......1999-10-22
The whole Wingman series is great, but Sky Ghost and Return of the Sky Ghost really put a new twist into the story line. I am dying for the next installment to come out to find out how it ends!
HAWK IS WHAT EVERY AMERICAN WANTS TO BE.......1999-07-20
I STARTED THIS SERIES WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT AND WAS HOOKED ON IT EVER SINCE.MACK MALONEY PUTS MOST AMERICAN'S VIEWS INTO HAWK HUNTER.AMERICAN' WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICA STAYS FREE, AND MY VIEW IS THIS"YOU CAN HAVE MY FLAG WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD FINGERS"
The wingman books are the best.......1999-07-16
maloneys books keep getting wearder and wearder. also hunter didnt show up in the book untell page 120. other than that it was great.
Waiting for the next book- where is it Mack?.......1999-04-29
Read this book as fast as I read all the others. I'm trying to collect them all again after my parents threw out all my books. But as a fan to a good book, I'm continuing on reading and collecting. Still waiting for Hawk to make it back to the real world. Keep'em coming!!!!!
Average customer rating:
- The best of Pym!
- Connections
- sweet, witty little romance
- it makes me laugh out loud--often!
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No Fond Return of Love
Barbara Pym
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
20th Century
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Pym, Barbara
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Jane and Prudence
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ASIN: 0525241450 |
Book Description
In No Fond Return of Love, Pym introduces Dulcie Mainwaring, one of those seemingly selfless women who always help others and never look out for themselves, especially in matters of love. When Dulcie's young niece becomes the object of absentminded Professor Aylwin Forbes's amorous designs, Dulcie whisks away her friend Viola — who has her own designs on the professor — to the seaside in Taviscombe to discover the hidden secrets of the Forbes clan and a mysterious castle on the hill. The Times Literary Supplement praised Barbara Pym (1913-1980) as “the most underrated writer of the century.”
Customer Reviews:
The best of Pym!.......2006-03-03
I thought I had read all of Pym's novels, but then realized that I had somehow missed No Fond Return of Love. After making up for my mistake, I would have to say that No Fond Return of Love has become my very favorite Pym work. That the story revolves around the incredibly patient and self-effacing folks who compose academic bibliographies (in the days when it was all done by hand), is a stroke of comic genius. Aside from the usual wit and depth of insight, it has the most wonderfully intricate plot and the most fleshed-out and real characters of all her fine books. Dulcie Mainwaring is a saint! And, a very real person. Everyone gets what she wants in this novel, and although the reader may disagree with the main characters' choices, they are THEIR choices and totally believable. This is also the sunniest and funniest of all the Pym novels, and I found myself literally laughing out loud at the many human failings and foibles Pym reveals in her most kind, generous, and forgiving manner.
Pym is always compared to Jane Austen, but No Fond Return of Love seems to me a finer work than anything of Miss Austen's. I enjoyed every single moment of this book and look forward to a re-reading of it quite soon.
Connections.......2005-02-16
Everyone knows the story of Barbara Pym, of how she was suddenly faced with a publisher who no longer wanted her work. She was praised by Philip Larkin as his favorite novelist and she began to write and publish once more.
Dulcie Mainwaring and Viola Dace are attending a conference about editing and indexing. Dulcie has just come to realize that her suitor does not want to marry her. At the conference one of the speakers is Alwyn Forbes, someone known previously to Viola. Dulcie's niece is going to be moving into her house in the suburbs. Laurel is ten or more years younger and her point of view is used by the author to convey a jaundiced and knowing view of some of the actions of the characters.
In time Viola moves into another room in Dulcie's house. She is doing an index for Alwyn Forbes's book gratis. Dulcie determines where Alwyn's mother-in-law lives and at a nearby jumble sale she sees his estranged wife. She knows that she is playing a sort of game. She hears that Alwyn's brother is a clergyman and finds out his name. His church is located near the house of her Uncle Bertram and Aunt Hermione, a brother and sister pair.
Alwyn and Maurice, the former fiance, attend a dinner planned by Dulcie. The five present include the younger person, Laurel. There are endless complications and permutations in this amusing tale. Viola and Aunt Hermione both end up engaged to marry as it is suggested that it is possible Dulcie and Maurice will reunite.
sweet, witty little romance.......2001-01-14
This is the first Barbara Pym I have read and I have to say I was a bit put off at first. It was written and set around the 1950's in London about Dulcie Mainwairing -a 30-odd year old woman and Aylwin Forbes a 47-year-old man. It is quite odd, no very odd. In many ways. There are a cast of extras in it, Laurel, Dulcie's niece; Viola, a rather cynical woman Dulcie meets who boards with her; Mrs Williton, an aunt, an uncle, two highly eccentric neighbours and a very strange bed and Breakfast owner who is Aylwin's mother. They seem to rattle around in this story which is mostly about Dulcie's gentle obsession with Aylwin. She has clearly fallen in love and does all the strange things one does when you fall in love - she looks him up in books, finds out where his brother is, visits his mother's boarding house, and this book is mostly about that obsession - but in the end all these characters floating around seem to tie up their loose ends or become important to the story. More important, and what I really began to enjoy about Pym was the way she tied up different motifs in the plot which were seen from different characters points of view. A stone squirrel in a front yard, a stuffed eagle in the boarding house. At one stage we see Aylwin unpacking, he has bought nothing intellectual to read, just Henry James - later downstairs Dulcie overhears him and wonders to her self why he is talking so Henry Jamesian. Its just a nice overlay of images from different viewpoints and it starts you realising how much in common Dulcie and Aylwin have.
Like I said, I was a bit put off at first, but its a lovely, gentle, clever little romance that fairly soon I was really enjoying it.
it makes me laugh out loud--often!.......1997-10-01
the tale of dulcie mainwearing and her adventures with a number of academic types. barbara pym wrote with a sharp eye for the eccentricities of her characters. but she did not make any of her characters black and white stick figures. read it and laugh!
Book Description
Opera student Christine Daly doesn't pretend she has the world all figured out, but she's made her way in it the best she can ever since being orphaned while still a schoolgirl. Determined to leave her tragic past behind, she dreams of making a name for herself on the stage someday. Born to power and wealth, Erik Deitrich has everything a man could hope for-except a face he can show to the world. He becomes obsessed with finding the one woman who can fulfill his desire of possessing a modern-day Christine Daaé to his deformed Phantom. When Erik Deitrich learns of Christine Daly's existence, he stops at nothing to claim her. Once he does, he uses every means at his disposal to ensure she will fall in love with him.without stopping to think what might happen if he fell in love with her. But with the local police vigorously investigating the young opera student's disappearance, can Erik and Christine come to any sort of understanding before it's too late?
Customer Reviews:
It's....okay.......2007-10-18
Contains Spoilers
No Return is about a modern day disfigured man who closely identifies himself with the Phantom, from Andrew Lloyd Weber's Broadway hit. After he discovers The Phantom of the Opera, he dedicates himself to finding a modern day Christine.
No Return by J.C Sillesen had a very promising beginning and all throughout the time before Christine was abducted was very intriguing and had the right spice to keep me turning pages. Christine was a very like able character who was very round and three dimensional. She was smart and levelheaded, even if she did have a lot of problems to sort through. I liked how she was confident in her singing abilities and didn't quit, even if her parents had been dead for quite some time.
There were some very notable scenes where Erik basically visits her job on Halloween dressed up as the Phantom and is able to talk with her and even dance with her before the night is over. Post abduction, Christine has a developing relationship with Randall aka Raoul. Randall is a very nice, well brought up and put together kid who attends the same college as her. As Christine lives out her life like a normal college student, Erik and his manservant are making plans to kidnap her.
I was really looking forward to when Christine would be kidnapped and brought to Erik's home, but once the anticipated event finally came, the rest of the book was just a flop. After everything Erik has done (kidnapping her, forcing her from a life she was content with, etc.), Christine just can't hate him. She can't even feel a little bit of resentment at the fact she has to sit in a room nearly seven hours everyday by herself merely because Erik has proved how much he "loves" her by splurging on diamonds, designer clothes, and everything else Christine was never able to have in her dinghy bungalow.
The rest of the book focuses on the two weeks Christine stays with Erik and in grand total, they probably only spend a few hours together each day. But by the end of those two weeks, Christine claims she has fallen in love with Erik and will do anything to stay by his side for the rest of eternity. The development of their relationship is atrocious and there is no chemistry between the two characters. There is no build up tension, no controversy, nothing. Probably the most dramatic part in the whole book is the one time Christine tries to escape and Erik's seventy something butler tries to help her.
Of course, Erik catches them in the act and he pushes Ennis (the butler) and he, in turn, has a heart attack. Erik and his manservant rush him to the hospital while Christine is locked in her room, blaming herself for her kidnapping, the butler's heart attack (even though Erik is the one who pushed him), and breaking poor little Erik's heart.
But Christine clears up anything bad between them soon afterwards by having a make out session and accepting his disfigured face. The one last hope I had for this book was to see what would happen as a consequence of Christine's abduction. While Christine spends her time with Erik, there is a search party looking out for Christine and Detective Ortiz is investigating the scene. He has enough evidence to support that she was removed from her home by force but, in the end, Erik gets off the hook by sending Christine out to tell everyone she was OK and left of her own will to be with Erik, who had pursued her after he met her at the Halloween costume party at her job.
Randall is the only one who sees through the situation, but he is deemed insane and an insensitive jerk, like always. Erik and Christine live happily ever after and Christine in their enormous mansion and slew of hardworking servants.
As you can see, there have been people who were disappointed in this book or thought it astounding. So I would recommend this book because if you listen to what others say here and don't buy the book, you could be missing out on something you could've really loved. It's one of those books you just have to take a chance on.
This one had a lot of promise....too bad.......2007-09-30
Christine Daly is a slender, beautiful 23-year-old college senior, a music major whose dream is to become an opera singer. Orphaned at 15 when her parents were killed in a car accident on New Year's Eve, she struggles to keep the rent paid on her little shabby bungalow while maintaining her studies and college scholarships. She works at the L'Opera restaurant with her friend, Meg Garrison, often covering shifts for Meg and a few of the other waitresses who have a habit of calling in sick. Christine's job is just about as important to her as her singing, to the consternation of her voice instructor, Dr. Green, and her boyfriend, Randall Cagney. But Christine needs all of the money she can make in order to keep a roof over her head, food on the table, and her little rattletrap on the road.
Erik Deitrich is a wealthy, disfigured recluse who has secluded himself in the posh, upscale mansion that was his childhood home. His mother left when he was just a boy and his father was determined to have a normal looking son. But years later, after having suffered numerous surgeries on the disfigurement that covers the right side of his face, Erik refuses to be seen or go out in public. He still has nightmares from the unsuccessful operations that had taken place when he was a child. A musical genius, Erik immerses himself in song to escape the loneliness brought about by the horrors of his face.
Due to his love for music and his facial deformity, Erik is intrigued when he learns of Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical, The Phantom of the Opera. He manages to have his butler and a LVN escort him to the theater disguised as an invalid, replete with wheel chair and surgical mask.
Deeply touched by the musical, he's determined to find his own Christine. But he has a difficult time finding her. After several years of a long, unsuccessful search, he hires Jerome Manning, an ex-FBI agent now private investigator, to help him in his quest.
Jerome finds several beautiful candidates, but for different reasons Erik rejects them. Then Jerome discovers Christine Daly. He thoroughly investigates Christine's background, follows her, snaps furtive photos of her, and even attends an audition so that he can tape her voice for his employer.
Erik is indeed intrigued by this candidate. For not only is Christine exceptionally lovely, her exquisite voice matches her beauty. Having no family and few friends further endears Christine to Erik's heart. And he vows that until he has his Christine, he will never touch another woman.
And so, he deigns to meet the young lady. When the L'Opera holds a costume party at the restaurant on Halloween Night, Erik shows up dressed as the Phantom.
When Christine is told that a man has paid $200 just to sit at her table, she is curious. She approaches his table and finds a dark, handsome man seated there dressed as the Phantom, complete with mask and fedora. He orders dinner, including their most expensive wine. Later, after the music has begun, he asks her to dance.
Christine finds herself strangely attracted to the mysterious Phantom who ends up leaving her a three-hundred-dollar tip. Even though she dreams about him that night (and several nights thereafter), she shrugs it off, too busy to contemplate it in the light of her ultra-busy lifestyle.
But for Erik, who is convinced that he's found the Christine to his Phantom, is determined to make her his own. The problem is - how to go about it? Although he is jealous to discover that Christine has a boyfriend, he sees that as a minor inconvenience. Nothing will keep him from his precious Christine.
And so he, along with Jerome, devise a plan to have Christine kidnapped late Thanksgiving night after she returns from an all-day holiday celebration with Randall's family.
The story takes place in modern-day Southern California. Christine's POV is written in the first person while all other POV's are written in the third person.
At first, I was quite taken with the prose and the story that was enfolding during the first part of the book. The author has an enjoyable style and wit that enhances her text - especially after having recently read a poorly written POTO sequel, this author's story-telling technique was like a breath of fresh air. But like what seems to happen all too often with fanfic-turned-novels, it falls apart - and this novel does just that after Christine's kidnapping.
Christine is a typical young adult with an unusual penchant for responsibility. For the most part, I liked her character. But her reactions to her situation didn't ring true to me. Having been drugged then kidnapped, she wakes up in a plush, swanky boudoir that is beyond luxurious. Of course, she's scared. She pounds on the door for several minutes and hollers for help. Getting no response, she gives up and takes in her surroundings. Off from the lush bedroom, there is a sitting room replete with a comfy chair and a massive library. There's also a spacious bathroom with all of the amenities and a fabulous wardrobe and shoes (all designer clothes, of course) in a closet that is about the size of her living room. There is a lovely jewelry chest that contains all sorts of necklaces, ear rings, and rings with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires galore. What more could a woman want? Well - maybe her freedom, maybe the knowledge of where she is, who has her, and why.
Although I can understand the author's ploy in having Christine keep a cool head, her character would have to be terrified - especially in this day and age and this is, after all, a modern day fic. But Christine comes to the conclusion that whoever kidnapped her didn't have the intention of killing her - or why would he go to such an extreme with the posh furnishings, wardrobe, and precious jewels? Jerome eventually brings her some food and informs her that she's to dine with the boss that evening, but divulges no further information about said boss. When she asks Jerome what she should do in the meantime, he suggests that she reads a book - which she does for the next 5 or 6 hours.
After she meets Erik, she realizes that although he has some sort of strange Phantom complex, he was kind to her...so she's past the initial threat or fear. But is she? How does she really know that?
Over the ensuing days, Erik is the perfect gentleman. He treats her like a queen. She dines lavishly with him; she is pampered beyond her wildest expectations, and she willingly dresses up for him and goes on picnics with him. He takes her to his music room where he plays for her and they sing gorgeous duets together, their superb voices blending perfectly. Then one day, they sing a love song together. Christine is so terrified of the implications of that love song and her inexplicable desires for her captor that she runs away from him. Her reaction just struck me as being overly dramatic especially after her relatively calm reaction to having been kidnapped.
I also found Jerome's character hard to swallow. Didn't he find Erik's obsessive Christine fetish a bit freaky? Would he, as an ex-FBI agent turned private investigator, go along with stalking his boss' obsession and then kidnapping her? One could argue that the money was really good as Erik paid him well. But would the money be worth working for someone who he must have thought was a bit deranged? He was taking part in the kidnapping of an innocent girl (a felony offense) for this guy to do who-knows-what with?
Also - I was very disappointed in the character of Erik. Yes, he was tall, broad shouldered, dark hair, green eyes - the physical, Gerrified Phantom that we all know and love. But outside of his penchant for music, Erik couldn't do anything! Well, except make love. Maybe this Erik isn't meant to have the dexterity that the Phantom had - I don't know - but when he and Christine pack up the leftovers from a garden picnic, he has trouble wrapping up a block of cheese! I understand that Erik's led a sheltered life - but please!
And he is beyond selfish, sometimes downright thoughtless and insensitive. Erik doesn't go out in public - period. Case in point...
Erik's 74-year-old butler and friend, Ennis, suffers a heart attack. He is in the hospital in intensive care for several days. Jerome is supposed to pick him up when he's released from the hospital, but Jerome is - well, unavailable. When Ennis contacts Erik, Erik asks him if he can call a cab. Say what??
Even though the author has the doctors claiming that Ennis will be all right soon after he's admitted to the hospital, they still find it necessary to keep him in intensive care for several days. I suspect this was some sort of "timing" strategy by the author, although I doubt she considered its further implications. I can't imagine anyone who has had a heart attack, been in intensive care for several days and then is finally released from the hospital being told to "take a cab". Erik found the means to kidnap Christine, go to the restaurant and parade around like the Phantom, he was like the wealthiest man in Southern California with untold influence and resources - and he couldn't find anyone to pick up that poor man at the hospital??!!! UGH!!
I was very disappointed in this story since it initially had such promise. This book is in many ways a phantasy-phan-phic turned novel where the author seems to see herself as Christine and vicariously lives through the character throughout the story, without regard to realism, consequences, and common sense.
Oh, well, at least this author has a way with words. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have finished it.
Romantic and enjoyable.......2007-09-06
Excellent writing elevates this particular story above many other "Phantom" retellings, and probably most romances on the market today. Ms. Sillesen writes elegantly and confidently, making Christine and Erik seem quite real and accessible. Christine in particular feels very real to me; she sounds very much like a young woman just trying to find her way through life before she finds herself ensnared by Erik. I read it over the course of several days; it's rather like dark chocolate -- best consumed a little at a time and savored.
WONDERFUL STORY!!!!.......2007-08-23
I Loved this Book!! I could not put it down! I LOVE Phantom stories - and this book renewed my desire for him. It is a wonderful retelling of the Phantom story - with it being a modern version. The story line was wonderfully done (I like the references to the Phantom Musical & story within the story). The book made me Smile! :o)
Dissapointing.......2007-08-19
I would actually rate this book about 2.5 stars if I could, however I gave it a 2 because while it started out very well, it quickly descended into a dime-a-dozen romance novel with good grammar. Christine didn't act realistically in my opinion, and Erik has only one-half of his face covered, which is almost always a turn off for me, despite my love of Webber's fantastic musical. I would look somewhere else for a modern retelling.
Customer Reviews:
ENJOYABLE CONCLUSION!.......2003-05-01
Who is that cover guy? I have tracked him on more than several covers. Best part of the book [grin]
The murder mystery of Frannie Granger, "Mom Fran" rolls on - a bit light on clues and threats but nicely damaging.
Tessa comes across as a bit wishy, being under her mother's thumb a bit much and is willing to settle for an affair?
Will McClain came across as a stronger character, enough to tone down Sheriff Fielder. Logan Fielder tended to mellow out in this story. Got a bit of a chuckle on Amanda Jennings attempts to pick up again with Will. Did she think she was still back in high school?
Then there was Ray Jennings snobbish attempts to put down Will and others in his town. Joleen Berber finally got in her two cents worth and settled everyone's hash.
Loved the final tie-ins that brought together Jed Louis and his wife Gwyn, Emmy-M, Riley Gray Wolf and Alanna & Will and finally Tessa. They all had learned the value of the family circle.
The mystery was pretty decent, the action was good but the romances were kind of like wet noodles. I have found that denial and frustration lends to a more passionate build-up and makes you want more. These three "ladies"? just didn't promote very strong romantic feelings. [The characters not the writers]
The series is a good read and will recommend but not keep.
The perfect finale to this mini-series.......2001-06-13
Texas Ranger Will McClain learns two months after the newspaper published the story that the bones of Frannie Granger were found near Uncertain, Texas. Unable to ignore what happened to his beloved foster mother, Will travels to Uncertain where he stops archeologist Tessa Lang, discoverer of the remains of Frannie,from continuing her dig.
The real shock to Will is to realize Sheriff Fielder believes his foster brother Jed Louis killed Frannie. Will refuses to believe that and plans to learn the truth about who killed Frannie. Still, Will admits all the evidence makes it seem as Jed is guilty, and though it alienates him from his foster sister Emma, he will do the job, even arresting his foster brother. However, to his and her amazement, Will and Tessa soon fall in love, but even that will not stop Will from his obsession to find out who killed Frannie.
The Third and final Tale in the "Return to East Texas" miniseries, A MAN OF HIS WORD, is a powerful climax to a strong romantic suspense mini-series. The story line combines a warm relationship drama with an engaging police procedural. Lead characters and other cast members return to round out a terrific book and trilogy.
Harriet Klausner
An intricate tangle of murder, lies and love.......2001-06-12
Fans of the Return To East Texas series will enjoy this final segment, A MAN OF HIS WORD by Eva Gaddy. When Will McClain, the third foster child of Frannie Granger, returns to Uncertain, Texas, loose ends are tied up and the mystery of Frannie's death, as well as Emmy Monday's birth, are finally resolved.
Remembered more as the prodigal son than an admirable character, Texas Ranger Will McClain arranges to investigate his foster mother's murder twenty years after the fact when an archeologist unearths Frannie's bones. His foster brother stands accused of the murder and its up to Will to prove Jed's innocence, despite the circumstantial evidence. Questions of loyalty to family and to one's sworn career make Will's job even more challenging. And there's also the matter of the gorgeous red head with the temper to match that wants back on the archeological site.
Tessa curses the day she uncovered the old bones on her Caddo Indian burial mound dig. The project that was supposed to allow her to complete her degree and insure her career comes to a screeching halt while local law enforcement crawls over the site and refused to allow her to continue her work. As time slips away, so do her grant and her future. Then, on the day the sheriff finally agrees to let her back on site, the Texas Ranger had to arrive and put her on hold again.
However, Tessa gets her wish, in a round about way, when Will visits the site and realizes the devastation the sheriff's department has wrought. The site looks like a nuclear explosion rather than the scene of a crime, and valuable evidence could have been destroyed. Consequently, Will convinces Tessa to work for him, excavating the crime scene while her students return to the Indian Mounds. As their feelings draw them closer together, however, career and dreams prove to be a conflict of interest.
This intricate tangle of murder, lies and love creates a satisfying conclusion to the Return To East Texas series. As family ties and loyalties are questioned, Gaddy gracefully questions the meaning of family and arrives at rather unconventional conclusion, proving the bond of love strong than blood. The growth of the heroine as she learns to define her own values, based on her own desires rather than her family's values, also provides a sound lesson. And I must admit a soft spot for a hero not afraid to admit his emotions long before the heroine resolves her own feelings. A MAN OF HIS WORD is highly recommended.
An intricate tangle of murder, lies and love.......2001-06-07
Fans of the Return To East Texas series will enjoy this final segment, A MAN OF HIS WORD by Eva Gaddy. When Will McClain, the third foster child of Frannie Granger, returns to Uncertain, Texas, loose ends are tied up and the mystery of Frannie's death, as well as Emmy Monday's birth, are finally resolved.
Remembered more as the prodigal son than an admirable character, Texas Ranger Will McClain arranges to investigate his foster mother's murder twenty years after the fact when an archeologist unearths Frannie's bones. His foster brother stands accused of the murder and its up to Will to prove Jed's innocence, despite the circumstantial evidence. Questions of loyalty to family and to one's sworn career make Will's job even more challenging. And there's also the matter of the gorgeous red head with the temper to match that wants back on the archeological site.
Tessa curses the day she uncovered the old bones on her Caddo Indian burial mound dig. The project that was supposed to allow her to complete her degree and insure her career comes to a screeching halt while local law enforcement crawls over the site and refused to allow her to continue her work. As time slips away, so do her grant and her future. Then, on the day the sheriff finally agrees to let her back on site, the Texas Ranger had to arrive and put her on hold again.
However, Tessa gets her wish, in a round about way, when Will visits the site and realizes the devastation the sheriff's department has wrought. The site looks like a nuclear explosion rather than the scene of a crime, and valuable evidence could have been destroyed. Consequently, Will convinces Tessa to work for him, excavating the crime scene while her students return to the Indian Mounds. As their feelings draw them closer together, however, career and dreams prove to be a conflict of interest.
This intricate tangle of murder, lies and love creates a satisfying conclusion to the Return To East Texas series. As family ties and loyalties are questioned, Gaddy gracefully questions the meaning of family and arrives at rather unconventional conclusion, proving the bond of love strong than blood. The growth of the heroine as she learns to define her own values, based on her own desires rather than her family's values, also provides a sound lesson. And I must admit a soft spot for a hero not afraid to admit his emotions long before the heroine resolves her own feelings. A MAN OF HIS WORD is highly recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Touching story that gives hope to others searching for somebody missing.......2005-10-05
The romance isn't too great in the book between Maggie Macfarland and Jake Halsey but what made it great was a touching story about reuniting a family that has been searching for 26 years for their daughter. This story was inspired by the events with Elizabeth Smart and the author does a great job of instilling hope to families out there still waiting for their missing loved ones to come home. This remains one of my favorites and I hope it inspires more children to be found
exciting thriller .......2005-06-14
An on the job injury probably means the end of field work for CIA Agent Jake Halsey. Still he is highly regarded so no final decision has been made as his superior wants to allow Jake time to heal before they reassess.
Jake goes to Salt Lake City to recover, but is irate that he must recuperate when his stepmother is missing and probably in deep trouble. To pass time he works as a genealogist. Attorney Maggie McFarland, CEO of the Kathryn McFarland National Foundation that has recovered thousands of missing children, hires Jake to track her younger sister Kathryn, abducted over two decades ago as an infant. Jake feels in his element with the only new ingredient being that he is falling in love with his client who reciprocates though she feels guilty by doing so when her now adult sibling remains lost.
This exciting thriller highlights the impact even years after of an abduction of a beloved; Maggie has more than just dedicated her life to the memory of the incident as she attempts to find her sister; she gave up her own life until Jake enters the scene. The story line is a fabulous investigative romance starring two individuals with scars that have not healed. THE DAUGHTER'S RETURN is Rebecca Winters at her best, which mean contemporary readers will want to peruse this one sitting thriller.
Harriet Klausner
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