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Nancy C. - Reviews

1 to 20 of 29 - Page:
Best Friends
Best Friends
Author: Martha Moody
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 408
Review Date: 3/10/2007
Helpful Score: 9


Let me start by saying that my friend loved this book and gave it to me to read. Unfortunately, I thought the two characters were a couple of idiots and I wouldn't have even finished it except that my friend wanted me to. Maybe you'll like it as much as her.

The story tracks two young women who meet as dorm roommates in college in 1973. They are from different regions and backgrounds but forge a strong friendship. The years pass, the women become professionals but still maintain a friendship, with one always going to visit the other in LA. Secrets in the LA family threaten to ruin one of them.


Cause of Death (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 7)
Cause of Death (Kay Scarpetta, Bk 7)
Author: Patricia Cornwell
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 651
Review Date: 3/11/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I enjoy all the Dr. Kay Scarpetta books. This book begins with her diving at a Navy shipyard to view the body "at the scene". There seems to be a Navy stonewall and cover up.


Devil in Winter (Wallflowers, Bk 3)
Devil in Winter (Wallflowers, Bk 3)
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 819
Review Date: 3/11/2007
Helpful Score: 2


This is part of the wallflower series. I've read almost all of them. This one is my least favorite. I read the "sneak preview" of this story at the end of the previous book. I thought it sounded great and I think more could have been done with the story, but it isn't bad. Historical romance in London.

The shy, studdering Evangeline will inherit a large fortune which her unscrupulous relatives are scheming to get it from her by forcing a marriage with a less than desirable cousin. She escapes and proposes a business deal with Viscount St. Vincent to marry her. He is a peer with a bad reputation and in need of money. He agrees and they slip off to Scotland to elope. They both turn out to be different people than the other expected or perhas than they thought about themselves. The marriage of convenience becomes romantic.


Her Secret Affair (Her Secret Affair, Bk 1)
Her Secret Affair (Her Secret Affair, Bk 1)
Author: Barbara Dawson Smith
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 33
Review Date: 3/11/2007
Helpful Score: 1


Historical romance in London. The only child of a notorious madam will do anything to find out who killed her mother. She blackmails a member of the atristocracy to bring her into society and present her as someone else. They have a number of clashes but in the end fall for each other and work together to find out who did kill her mother. It is a surprize.


His Betrothed
His Betrothed
Author: Gayle Callen
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 29
Review Date: 3/11/2007


Historical romance. A young, privelidged woman jilts the fiancee her family has brokered at the alter. She escapes to an island estate in the wilds that her family owns. The fiancee has joined the military to be a spy against Spain. He is caught and thrown overboard only to wash up on shore and be found by the young woman. She nurses him back to health. They are attracted to each other but each don't trust the other. He is dependent on her to keep his presence a secret. In the end, they can't resist each other.


Hot Shot
Hot Shot
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 192
Review Date: 3/11/2007


I was disappointed in this book. The female character put up with a lot of abuse, mostly verbal and emotional, from the boyfriend and then husband that is touted to have rescued her from a sad life. Although she does throw him off, it is after a period of many years. On the plus side, the book was interesting to me as it was about a local place (Silicon Valley) and the emergence of the personal computer.


In Like Flynn (Molly Murphy, Bk 4)
In Like Flynn (Molly Murphy, Bk 4)
Author: Rhys Bowen
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 71
Review Date: 3/10/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I happened across this book and it was great. I think this one may be the second one in the series. A young Irish immigrant woman decides she wants to be a detective in early 1900s New York City (era of the gangs of New York like the Hudson Dusters, etc.) She has an on-again, off-again romance with a NYC Police sargeant who sends her on an assignment that he thinks will keep her out of trouble. Instead she runs into some serious business that she has to unravel. She bravely handles it all. A great book!


In the Kitchen with Rosie:  Oprah's Favorite Recipes
In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprah's Favorite Recipes
Author: Rosie Daley
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 231
Review Date: 3/11/2007
Helpful Score: 1


Cookbook by a former chef of Oprah Winfrey. I make a few recipes from this book, but not many. To get flavor without fat there are a lot of complicated or time consuming recipes. I've found others I like better.


Innocence Undone (Kingsland, Bk 1)
Innocence Undone (Kingsland, Bk 1)
Author: Kat Martin
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 95
Review Date: 3/10/2007
Helpful Score: 3


Regency era romance. The book opens with the main female character as a pre-teen who is dirty, poor, a theif, has a prostitute for a mother, and a thug for an older brother. She is punished for stealing from a rich man. Fast forward to her at about 18. She has been informally adopted by the rich man's father. He has sent her to finishing school, she excelled, learned how to read and write, etc. It turns out that she really has had a crush on the son and wants to show him she can be a real lady. He returns from sea to find her all grown up. Though he thinks she's pulling a con on his dad, he can't help but be attracted to her. The son must return to sea for one more major battle. In the meantime, the father brings her to London for a season. They hope to pass her off as a "true lady" who is a distant relation, setting the stage for the son to be able to marry her. Her brother finds out what is going on and wants to blackmail her. Read it to see how everything gets resolved.


The Least Likely Bride (Bride Trilogy, Bk 3)
The Least Likely Bride (Bride Trilogy, Bk 3)
Author: Jane Feather
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 187
Review Date: 4/6/2007
Helpful Score: 5


This book is the 3rd of a set of three about 3 friends who swear to support each other and never get married. 7 years later, two of the three have married and the third gets her romance. After reading this book, I don't feel like I need to read the first two. It makes good beach reading but not what I would call compelling. It seemed a little more unrealistic than many romance books, but still worth reading.


Lie by Moonlight (Vanza, Bk 4)
Lie by Moonlight (Vanza, Bk 4)
Author: Amanda Quick
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 263
Review Date: 5/11/2007
Helpful Score: 1


Another great book with a strong, independent female lead character by Quick (Krentz). Great story. Lots of twists and turns in the mystery.


Mistress
Mistress
Author: Amanda Quick
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 49
Review Date: 4/13/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I enjoy Amanda Quick books because there is always a mystery as a central part of the story. I also appreciate the fact that the main character is truly an independent woman. FYI, Quick is a pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz.


A Most Reckless Lady
A Most Reckless Lady
Author: Sandy Hingston
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 11
Review Date: 3/25/2007


Overall, I liked the book OK, but I found Tatiana's very long period of anger and resentment to be kind of hard to understand and annoying. Later when she has a revelation and suddenly becomes thankful and falls in love, it seems a little much, even for a romance.


Name Dropping
Name Dropping
Author: Jane Heller
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 83
Review Date: 3/10/2007
Helpful Score: 3


Two women with the same name end up in the same apartment building in New York City. One is beautiful, rich, and seems to lead a glamorous life. The other is a divorcee who teaches pre-school at a fancy-ass private school. She likes her life but starts to feel kind of dowdy and out of it compared to the woman in the penthouse. Their mail, deliveries, etc. are always getting mixed up with the good stuff always belonging upstairs. There are lots of wrong calls to the preschool teacher instead of the bombshell and one night she pretends to be the bombshell and agrees to go on a date with the caller. She wants to tell him the truth, but can't bring herself to do it. They might have parted ways except that one of her students gives her a gift that she brings to a jewelrey store to have checked and is reunited the man she went out with. The piece of jewlery turns out to be stolen and other events happen. The two characters fall for each other and have an adventure figuring out what is going on.


The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, Bk 1)
Review Date: 3/10/2007


I love this series. Normally I am not a fan of books written by men about women, but McCall Smith really does a great job. This is the first book in the series. The main character is Precious Ramotswe. It takes place in modern day Botswana in the capital city Gaborone. She sells the cattle she inherits from her father's death and decides to open a detective agency. She has no experience or training in this work but goes ahead with the help of a book she picked up. The characters are so real that I feel like if I flew to Botsawna that I would find the in the office drinking bush tea! The books always have some mystery generated by a case. She solves it through common sense and being observant. Once you read one you'll want to read the others.


The Offer (Baron, Bk 1)
The Offer (Baron, Bk 1)
Author: Catherine Coulter
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 123
Review Date: 3/10/2007


This book started out as An Honorable Offer in 1981 but was significantly rewritten and the title changed to The Offer and published in 1999. The two main characters are the same Sabrina and Phillip.

Sabrina's new brother in law attempts to rape her. When her sister doesn't support her and the brother in law threatenes to kill her grandfather (her only other family) she runs away. She gets caught in a blizzard and would have died except Phillip is traveling through the same area and takes her to a hunting cabin. She is very ill and he nurses her back to health. Because they have spent so much time alone together, her reputation is compromised and Phillip proposes to her to do the right thing, but she says no.


The Paid Companion
The Paid Companion
Author: Amanda Quick
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 387
Review Date: 3/10/2007
Helpful Score: 1


Takes place in Regency era England. The author is really Nora Roberts under a pen name. A young woman must suddenly find a way to support herself after fiancee dumps her when he finds out she isn't wealthy anymore. She travels to London from the country to try to work as a paid companion. She has a miserable time and is about to be barred for the agency that assigns her work when a man desperate to find someone to play his fiancee to keep the marriage-minded women off his back. As you might guess, the 2 characters fall for each other. They become involved in a mystery of who killed the man who raised him. There is some interesting information on what was "cutting edge" science in those days. They encounter a madman with a score to settle.


Pastures Nouveaux
Pastures Nouveaux
Author: Wendy Holden
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 3/11/2007


I like a fun, quirky, mad cap story and this is one. Rosie and her boyfriend move from London to the country. She really wants to move there, he finally agrees because he sees a way to exploit it to move his career ahead and save money. Once they move, the scales are removed from Rosie's eyes about her boyfriend. (She finally sees what everyone else sees).

She tries to make something of the little money pit cottage they bought, but she is having a hard time financially and emotionally. She enjoys the country and starts connecting the with neighbors. Meanwhile, the boyfriend tries to form some sort of alliance with a never-quite-made-it actress who is a schemer. The ending is a good case of everyone getting what they deserve.


The Rocky Road To Romance (Elsie Hawkins, Bk 4)
The Rocky Road To Romance (Elsie Hawkins, Bk 4)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 623
Review Date: 3/11/2007


I really like the Stephanie Plum series and when I ran out of those to read I picked up one of these re-released romances Evanovich wrote early in her career. You can see the beginnings of the grandma character that appears in the Plum series in this book. It is OK but not great, though maybe I am not a good judge of romances? A very quick read.

Basic story: a young woman gets a job at a radio station. She needs money and wrangles her way into the traffic reporter job, throwing her in with the boss a lot more. He's handsome and brooding. You can probably guess what happens, generally. Other character come in to give complexity and humor.


Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, Bk 1)
Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, Bk 1)
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 667
Review Date: 4/15/2007
Helpful Score: 4


This is the first book of a 4-book series about the "wall flowers". I ended up reading it last, however, it is not a problem to read them out of order. I think this and the second book of the series are the best.


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