Seriously fantastic story. I can't say enough about it. The characters are beautifully done...multi-layered, flawed, redeemable because of their humanSeriously fantastic story. I can't say enough about it. The characters are beautifully done...multi-layered, flawed, redeemable because of their humanity. The setting is unique and magical, just as flawed and layered as the people who chose to live there. An all time favorite. ...more
"It seems it's going to be an all-out war for you, princess," he mused. I lifted my head, alarmed. "No," I denied. "I don't want that." "You say that
"It seems it's going to be an all-out war for you, princess," he mused. I lifted my head, alarmed. "No," I denied. "I don't want that." "You say that as if you have a choice."
This book was all about wrapping up the loose ends in Kathleen, Blane, and Kade's lives. It's about making difficult choices and moving on to the next stage in life. Of course, when a love triangle of this intensity is involved, it's almost all I could see. That's a good thing!!
Usually in love triangles, there is a pretty clear cut winner...somehow, the author tends to make one guy do an unforgivable or questionable act that makes up both the heroine and the reader's minds about who is more deserving. So far, I've come across more Kade fans but the general consensus is that everyone really seems to love them both. The only downer about this being the last book is that one guy will walk away without the girl.
Blane: [image]
Kade: [image]
MY THOUGHTS: I've got to be totally honest here, you guys. I friggin' LOVED the way that Tiffany handled this love triangle. YES, there is a lot of angst...shouldn't there be in a love triangle? It's practically law. However, the fact that both Blane and Kade are consistently made out to be stand up guys (minus the killing, mistrust, loving the same chick thing) really and truly MADE this series. Seriously, how many people out there...even the hard core Kade fans, actually DISlike Blane? Not many. And that's what makes this book so amazing. We seriously don't know, and to be honest, I seriously didn't care. To put myself out there a little more, I STILL think...even after finishing this book...that either guy would have been great. I love them both.
Now...I bet you're hoping I give some hints here. Let me see...hmmm...
Hint #4 (view spoiler)[ What the hell are you doing trying to spoil it for yourself? Read the damn book! (hide spoiler)] Sheesh, people!
So when this book starts out, we are in the hospital with Kade after he was shot protecting Blane.
"It was surreal, the people I passed as I drove back to the hospital. Everyone acted as though life were normal. My world had fallen apart, but the sun still shone like it was any other day."
Each of our protagonists is in such in interesting mental state at this point...the gravity of their situation lays heavy on them all. Will one man decide to just walk away?
♦♦♦ KADE certainly has inadvertently made his love for both Blane and Kathleen evident, but will that be enough for Kathleen? Or does she need more from him to give up the intense past that she and Blane have had? I think she not only deserves the words, but Kade needs to make himself vulnerable in that way. During the course of this book, he deals with some of his inner demons, more so than he has up to this point. We get to see the coldblooded side of him up close and personal. And boy, is he ever ruthless when he wants something bad enough. Another way this talented author shows how her characterization can take over her readers is how much we all still identify with Kade and love him even after he does some pretty awful things. There's a fine line between loving a bad boy and loving an evil man. Kade rides that line like a pro, and still comes out with my heart.
♦♦♦ Boy, does BLANE realize how much he messed up. Honestly, I could feel his despair over the thought that his mistrust might push away the only woman that he's ever truly loved. And yet, he also has this internal battle because his baby brother, the one he saved from unimaginable circumstances when he was a kid, the one who can't even hug him because of his hangups...is passionately devoted to Kathleen. It's funny to me, because I think Blane is actually the only person here who realizes just how much Kade feels for Kathleen. And the struggle he has is not only how much he also feels for this woman, but he's got his evil uncle to deal with as well. His political career is very nearly on the brink of disaster due to the questionable death of Kandy, but really his focus is all on Kathleen.
"Sooner or later you'll choose," he whispered. "You'll want one of us more than you don't want to hurt the other. And you'll choose. I want to be the one you can't live without."
♦♦♦ Meanwhile KATHLEEN is in the middle of one of the hardest decisions of her life. Two books ago, I think I...and other readers...thought that Kade might have just been the sexy bad boy thrown in to assure Kathleen that she'd checked out all other options before settling on the right choice, Blane. But the last book threw that preconception right out the door. Kathleen is so alone in the world...no parents, no siblings, very few friends that she can lean on. She's broke, she's alone, and at this point, she feels just a little worthless. She truly doesn't want to have to choose between the two brothers. But denying herself both of them just might break her.
And if she thinks to walk away from them both...bahahahhahaha!!! I just have to laugh. Like that would ever work...not with these two. Kathleen isn't allowed to me an honorable masochist here.
The sex. The SEX!!! [image] Holy crappolie, it's gotten hotter and hotter with each installment and this one just about blew me away. If there's one thing I can say that Kathleen is lucky about, it's that she's had these two such strong, able-bodied alpha men in her life teaching her ways to enjoy herself during down time. And enjoy herself in not-so-downtime as well :D
There is a major plot twist that happens in the course of these pages that will have fans of the series fist pumping and breath holding and tummy clenching. I seriously didn't know what to think when it came to light. Major game changer, you guys!! Major.
One more point to make and then I'll stop blathering...I felt that out of all the books in the series, this was the most romantic. Pretty words added to decisive actions make for one hell of a bold statement, and it was definitely made here. I am completely and utterly convinced that the couple together at the end of this book loves each other with every fiber of their being, and that they truly belong together. Yes, I think either man would be good for Kathleen, but only one really owns her soul. And he got her. [image]
My crystal ball says that no matter what, fans of the series are going to love this book. And all triangle opinions aside, there's no denying that this is one of MY favorite series ever. Tiffany Snow nailed it...again and again, and again....and finally in this book...again!!!
Just to clarify, my "spoiler" hints are a big joke. I would never actually spoil anything for readers. Feel free to read them, they say absolutely nothing :D
Advance Copy provided by Montlake Romance and Tiffany Snow Quotes used with permission from the author...more
I'm totally and completely and unabashedly biased, and I admit it fully. Still, this book was awesome. The author has an obvious love of the American I'm totally and completely and unabashedly biased, and I admit it fully. Still, this book was awesome. The author has an obvious love of the American Pitt Bull/Staffordshire Terrier breed, and he has compiled a list of heartwarming and heartbreaking stories that could turn the hardest of hearts into softies for this misunderstood, mistreated animal. He highlights some of Michael Vick's rescued pitties, of course, and goes on to back his thoughts up with evidence in that the majority of Vick's rescued dogs were rehabilitated. Many were actually used as therapy dogs and companion dogs.
Animals continue to amaze me and make my life fulfilling. We have two pitties here at my house, and they have grown up with my children from babies to young ladies, from puppies to old ladies. Shame on people for having such a lack of empathy and understanding of the way this breed has been misaligned.
Back to the book, off my soap box :D
"Pitt bulls need families as much as we need them in our families."
Many wonderful photos of pet pitts and their owners are interspersed throughout the text. Foster highlights the fact that finally...FINALLY, the tide seems to be turning with regards to popular opinion about this breed of dog. Just as with the Rottweilers and the German Shepherds, more and more people are coming to realize that it's the human side of the equation that is usually at fault with a tragic event involving a pitt bull terrier.
A wonderful, uplifting, informative coffee table type book! Easy to flip through when you have just a few moments to sit, and although it is obviously a book intent on changing poor opinions on the breed, it was also remarkably down to earth and not at all fanciful. A fantastic addition to my non-fiction collection....more
So not in the same vein as Austen, but boy, oh boy, did it satisfy my smutty side! The carriage ride from the wedding to Pemberly about shocked my P&PSo not in the same vein as Austen, but boy, oh boy, did it satisfy my smutty side! The carriage ride from the wedding to Pemberly about shocked my P&P virginal ears! The rest of the story was gritty and a little dirty and perfect....more
While A&P is interesting to a point, I did NOT enjoy this class or this book.
However, since I did read Every. Single. Word. in thiI READ THIS BOOK!!!
While A&P is interesting to a point, I did NOT enjoy this class or this book.
However, since I did read Every. Single. Word. in this book, and spent the last eight months of my life as if this were my bible, I am OWNING it! I read this book, and am currently in finals week, going into finals with a solid A, thank you very much!!!
I can't really write a conclusive review on how good the text is, but I feel like my brain is exploding with knowledge right now. My study buddy and I would look at each other and laugh at the words coming out of each other's mouths. Like, who really cares at what stage of meiosis the primary oocyte becomes a secondary oocyte and how many chromosomes are in each stage? Apparently I'm supposed to, so I'll pretend! Can't say it was fun...it's the hardest class I've ever taken. But I sure did learn a couple of new things ;)
Now, if only textbooks didn't cost this ridiculous amount of money!...more
Well, I adore Suzanne Brockmann. Her Troubleshooters series is one of my most favoritest series ever...please don't read this book if it's goin3 stars
Well, I adore Suzanne Brockmann. Her Troubleshooters series is one of my most favoritest series ever...please don't read this book if it's going to be your first by her, PLEASE! This is not a good example of this outstanding author.
There were two different stories being told at the same time...one past, one present. The present story is being told by Alison Carter and Jamie Gallagher, who is the great grandfather ghost of Alison's new love interest, AJ Gallagher. WTF, you ask? Yes, I asked that too. Jamie has inexplicably shown himself to AJ, reasons unknown and never really explained. Since only AJ sees him, this cause quite a problem. See, Alison wrote a book about Jamie's arch nemesis, the old time US Marshall Silas Quinn, whom supposedly shot and killed Jamie back in the year 1898, earning the hero title from modern day gunslinger fans. But Jamie is the real hero, and AJ now feels the need to defend his great grandfather's actions and tamp down the rumors of his evil nature.
The past story is told through the diary entries of Jamie's wife Melody, who is AJ's great grandmother, now deceased. I thought that the story itself was beautiful and could have had it's own book. SB is such a great author, I wish she would have fleshed out Jamie and Melody's tumultuous meeting and subsequent love affair and let me see the entire story instead of just the bits thrown into this book as a secondary plot.
Without the ghost, this would have received a higher rating from me, but the paranormal aspect just got in the way of the actual plot. I think the ghost element was supposed to add some humor and depth, but it was just annoying for me and ended up making it feel hokey. Also, if you know this author at all, you know that her son is gay and that she tends to fit in each book some homosexual characters, usually men, and it tends to work. But this book seemed to tout a lot of her own political agenda and liberal views a bit too much... she touches on oil drilling, the US military's choices during the first Gulf war, gay rights, of course, and even goes so far as to state her religious views pretty definitively. Or maybe I assume too much there, but it sure seemed like a statement to me. Maybe I'm sensitive, who knows? I was just annoyed and felt like she used this book to air her beliefs, which again took away from the book and made me focus on something entirely different. It's never bothered me before with her, but too much was shoved into this book.
I hope that Brockmann goes back to her SEALS, but maybe she's just trying to branch out. I say, please don't cave and start trying to go mainstream PNR. Your loyal fans became enamored of your men and women in the military for a very good reason...you shine when you write romantic suspense. ...more
3.5 stars This was an okay intro to this series. I think I had my expectations bar set a little high, so that may have affected my rating. I just wasn'3.5 stars This was an okay intro to this series. I think I had my expectations bar set a little high, so that may have affected my rating. I just wasn't wow'ed by anything, but there was nothing wrong with the book.
At the very beginning of the book, Dare is involved in a one man rescue mission getting a friend's sister out of her place of captivity. He rescues the rest of the women that are being held with her, and Molly is one of those women. He soon realizes that he can't just send the broken and battered Molly back to the loving arms of her family because she those loving arms are quite possibly responsible for her situation in the first place.
So there's the setup for this couple being thrown and held together by some funkified circumstances. Of course, sexual tension is readily apparent and they both try to fight it. Dare doesn't get involved with clients, and Molly doesn't feel as if she and Dare match up well. (He's REALLY HOT!) I can relate to that! And sometimes that trope gets old...the "I'm not good enough for Mr. Beautiful" complex. But Molly isn't self deprecating. She just accepts that Dare is out of her league and therefore never imagines to flirt and simper like a teenager. Not that she doesn't look and drool.
I think this was a nice romantic suspense if you're looking for something that isn't off the charts crazy suspenseful or so steamy you're squirming in your favorite reading spot. It was a good story, well planned and executed, but just didn't hit any of my "amazing" buttons. ...more
Dark, Gothic, mysterious...you can say all of this about Rebecca, but I have to say that none of these really does the book justice.
Yes[image][image]
Dark, Gothic, mysterious...you can say all of this about Rebecca, but I have to say that none of these really does the book justice.
Yes, it's got some dark to it. It's a story of the second wife...the young and naive bride of the rich, powerful Maximus deWinter. A tragic hero whose first wife died a bit less than a year ago. Maxim seems in turns devastated, angry, and confused about Rebecca. And in turn, our heroine...whom we never do learn the name of...what's up with that? My GR friend Cathy gave me her theory, and I wholeheartedly agree, that this glaring omission was a way for this woman to remain stripped of her own identity, immersed in a world in which she is to forever remain in the shadow of the woman who came before...Rebecca.
Rebecca REBECCA REBECCA
I almost got sick of the name. Her metaphorical ghost was everywhere.
"Dear God, I did not want to think about Rebecca. I wanted to be happy, to make Maxim happy, and I wanted us to be together. There was no other wish in my heart but that. I could not help it if she came to me in thoughts, in dreams. I could not help it if I felt like a guest in Manderley, my home, walking where she had trodden, resting where she had lain. I was like a guest, biding my time, waiting for the return of the hostess..."
Granted, the heroine (whom I'll refer to as Mrs. deWinter), is very much a doormat. She is exactly the type of person to let herself be pushed into the background. From the servants constant allusions to the way things were done by "Mrs. de Winter" (i.e., REBECCA!), to Mrs. Danvers, the creepy housekeepers obvious ploys to make Mrs. deWinter uncomfortable in her new home. Even Maxim at times made me question her place in her new life. Sometimes he stuck up for her in subtle ways, but more often, he is an absent character, an absent husband, and even as Mrs. deWinter proclaims her immature, everlasting love and devotion, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about him. It seems that there is always some kind of wall between him and his new young wife. Not only is he twice her age, but he holds on to the past too much.
"He did not belong to me at all, he belonged to Rebecca. He still thought about Rebecca. He would never love me because of Rebecca. She was in the house still, a Mrs. Danvers had said; she was in that room in the west wing, she was in the library, in the morning room, in the gallery above the hall...And in the garden, and in the woods, and down in the stone cottage on the beach. Her footsteps sounded in the corridors, her scent lingered on the stairs. The servants obeyed her orders still, the food we ate was the food she liked. Her favorite flowers filled the rooms...Rebecca was still mistress of Manderley. Rebecca was still Mrs. de Winter."
The biggest thing about this novel is that EVERYTHING IS NOT AS IT SEEMS. In fact, almost nothing is as you think it is. And while the first seventy five percent of the book is dedicated to proving how self deprecating and weak willed the heroine is, the last of the book takes all of your preconceptions and throws them into the ocean to drown with Rebecca!!!! Danvers is still creepy and evil, but I think above all, she's just crazy. Maxim isn't at all indifferent or unsympathetic, or even unloving. In fact, at times I think he is more vulnerable than the new Mrs. deWinter.
There are secrets within the halls of Manderley, this gorgeous, sprawling house amid lush gardens and alongside the tumultuous sea. Honestly, I expected that the Gothic manor home would be dark and dreary, spooky and scary, but that was not at all the case. Manderley is actually portrayed as beautiful and refined, a well run and respected estate...almost perfection. It is regarded by the English as near perfection, just as they regarded Rebecca. So the way that you Manderley is described is this: [image][image]
But the FEEL of Manderley is this:
[image][image]
Because the overall mystery and suspense behind this book lends a sinister vibe to the de Winter's marriage, turning every word from the servants, their friends, and even each other, into phrases with hidden meaning and hidden agendas. What should have been a triumphant rags to riches story for this young girl left alone in the world who catches the eye of the rich and handsome man...no, no, no...it's twisted into something dark.
I can see how this became one of the defining books of the twentieth century. It's just a bit racier than the older classics, with more romance, more touchy-feely (she puts his hand on his knee, oh my!), more gruesome, and maybe a little less PC. Though definitely not PC by today's standards. But the wording and the prose are much easier to read than many of the classics that I've read recently, and the mystery surrounding Manderley and this odd collection of people is truly captivating. I don't tend to even like mysteries all that much, and let me assure you...above all; the romance and the suspense, this is for sure a mystery. There are revelations upon revelations.
I was bored to tears for about three chapters. And then we travel to Manderley and the plot thickens **insert evil laugh** and before I know it, I'm gasping and making my own little predictions...some that I guess right, and others that are complete shockers. And the END,
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Authors just don't end book like that nowadays...there would be quite the uproar, I think. But when it comes to these old books that paved the way for modern fiction...they were truly in a class all their own.
I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!!! *********************************************************
This was listed as one of the most popular romance novels ever written, along with Pride and Prejudice.
**Buddy read with Karen, Cathy, Tea, and Dorota**...more
Duchess Nicole
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