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Index Interviews: Dan Simmons Jodi Picoult Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: Show and Tell Understanding Electronic Publishing: Part I A Roundtable Discussion With Lois McMaster Bujold, Dave Duncan and Michael Swanwick Book Reviews Events Calendar Return to This Issue's Index Return to Homepage Subscribe
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Romance Book ReviewsPage Two of TwoTexas Rich by Fern MichaelsBallantine, August, 2001Hardcover, 529 pages ISBN: 0345449592 Subgenre: Contemporary Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
Ballantine is reissuing in a special hardcover the bestselling
Texas series, which begins with Texas Rich, and is
followed by
Texas Fury, Texas Heat, and Texas Sunrise.
The Texas series is a sprawling saga which tells the story of the
fabulously wealthy Coleman
family: their loves, losses, triumphs and betrayals are
portrayed from the 1940s to present day.
The story opens in Philadelphia during World War II. Young
and beautiful, Billie Ames meets a handsome navy
pilot, Moss Coleman, who is stationed at the
Philadelphia Navy Yard. After a whirlwind courtship, and
a little help from Billie's scheming mother,
Billie and Moss are married and have moved to Sunbridge,
the 250,000 acre Texas ranch owned by the wealthy Coleman
family. Billie must face an incredibly
manipulative father-in-law who has inexplicably teamed up
with her own mother (who always wanted to be rich and hated
their lives of genteel poverty in Philadelphia) and the fact that
Moss may not be the man that she thought she married.
As the years go by and the family expands, Billie remains
the strong center of a family dynasty which is marked
by passion, betrayal, joy and heartbreak that all the money
in the world cannot assuage.
The Texas saga showcases Fern Michaels' considerable talents as a storyteller. The opening scenes with Billie as a young girl in World War II are absolutely wonderful; Michaels perfectly evokes the mood and tone of the era. As the years go by, the attitudes and mores of the times are clearly reflected in the actions and outlook of each successive generation of children. Billie Ames is a fascinating character, who is quite naïve when she marries, but grows into a complex, strong woman who must hold an entire family together in the face of great triumphs and tragedies. This is an absorbing and very entertaining book, and fans are sure to delight in this new edition. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia QuinnAvon, July, 2001Paperback, 384 pages ISBN: 0380815583 Subgenre: Historical Ordering information: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 
Although it is never openly spoken of, Sophie Becket is the
the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood. In his will,
the Earl specified that his second wife would receive a large
sum of money if she would allow Sophie to live with her
after his death. Sophie's stepmother, the dowager countess,
despises Sophie and relegates her to the servants' quarters.
Sophie's two stepsisters also treat her horribly. The night
of the Bridgerton masquerade ball, the servants of the house help
transform Sophie into a perfectly turned-out
beauty so that she can go to the ball. At the ball, Sophie meets
the handsome and charming Benedict Bridgerton, and the two
are smitten. But Sophie must rush home to don her servant's garb,
and when her stepmother finds out she went to the ball, she
is thrown out on the street. Benedict searches for the beautiful
mystery woman he fell for at the ball, but to no avail.
Several years pass, and the two meet
again when Benedict saves Sophie from the unwanted attentions
of a drunk nobleman. Benedict finds Sophie a place as a
maid in his mother's London home. But Benedict doesn't
recognize Sophie as his missing mystery woman from the
night of the ball, although he does find
her attractive. But he certainly can't marry a servant girl, now
can he?
Julia Quinn has taken the Cinderella story, given it a Regency era background and added a few of her own special twists to create a delightful tale. Sophie has kept her identity as the illegitimate daughter of an earl a dark secret, and so a marriage seems impossible given the class difference. But with a little help from a real fairy godmother -- Benedict's mother -- true love actually has a chance. Julia Quinn has a light touch with witty repartee, yet there is real heart which underlies the humor in this passionate and endearing story. Romance Reviews Page One | Page Two Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of romance novels reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |