One Last Dance is the first I’ve read of Eileen Goudge’s work, and while the basic premise was enjoyable, there were plotting problems. And, though this book is general fiction, there were strong romantic and suspense elements. Unfortunately, these elements were not well intertwined. As for those plotting problems, the loose ends weren’t as neatly…
While this book is not a romance, there are many romances going on within it’s pages, some more satisfactory than others. I’ll tell you right off the bat that this book was well written and had an interesting premise – but the characters are all so whiny and unsympathetic, my own personal irritation factor with…
Family Affairs is labeled as straight fiction, but that’s not quite accurate. The primary focus of the book is the love story between the hero and the heroine. So is it romance? Well, not exactly. The hero and heroine both sleep with other people, and though their relationship seems to be solid at the end,…
Although this author was once known for her romance novels, she’s made a strong transition into contemporary women’s fiction, and Coast Road is a fine example. While the foundation of the book is the love story between Jack and Rachel, the emphasis here is on the complexities of modern relationships – between men and women…
Belva Plain does not write romances. She writes what was called “women’s fiction” back before Oprah expanded the definition to include more literary works. Plain practices what I think of as the “sweeping family saga” school of women’s fiction. Thus, I did not judge this book as a romance, but on its own merits. These,…
The Best of Friends belongs to the class of contemporary British novels with cozy settings and thoughtful, deeply-felt plots. I’m usually a sucker for these, and at times I enjoyed this one too. Unlike many novels of its ilk, this one is a quick evening’s read. But while it avoids the pitfalls of a plodding…
Thorns of Truth is the sequel to Garden of Lies. Goudge does a good job of filling the reader in on the events that led up to this story. Still, if I had read the first book, I might have enjoyed Thorns of Truth even more. Garden of Lies was about Rachel and Rose, two…
AAR was asked to review Lip Service because it’s being touted as a “sophisticated love story,” among other things. Due to the subject matter – explicit phone sex – most of our reviewers, including myself, were somewhat apprehensive about reading it. I like a little love and a lot of caring (along with a hot…
Before I get started, I wanted to let you know right off that this is not a romance. It is a book stuffed full of relationships, both good and bad, but nary a romantic moment in sight. Lots of implied sex, none of the L-word. Despite these drawbacks to a romance fan, especially one who…
This is the engrossing, quickly-paced story of the extremely dysfunctional Ross family and the two sisters who are driven apart by volatile family dynamics and then, when tragedy strikes, rediscover themselves and each other. Elizabeth and Joanna (Joey) Ross are sisters who have been at odds since childhood. Elizabeth is a beautiful, successful lawyer working…
End of content
End of content