Romance Book Reviews
Page One of TwoEden Burning by Elizabeth Lowell
William Morrow, January, 2002Hardcover, 352 pages
ISBN: 006621274X
Subgenre: Contemporary
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Dr. Chase Wilson is a vulcanologist whose
next assignment sends him to Hawaii to study a
famous volcano. He is also there to pick up his
daughter, who has been staying with his
brother and sister-in-law. Chase just went through a
nasty divorce and is feeling quite down on women,
when his brother introduces him to research assistant
and dancer Nicole Ballard. Nicole also went through
a nasty divorce from a man who absolutely destroyed
her self-confidence. When the two meet at the club
where Nicole is dancing, sparks fly. But Nicole is wary
of getting involved with anyone, and Chase mistakenly thinks
Nicole is another gold-digging tramp who is out to break
up his brother's marriage. Chase hurts Nicole terribly,
and is determined to make amends. This makes working
together on the research project very uncomfortable indeed.
Eden Burning is a reworked and updated version of an Elizabeth Lowell novel which was originally published in 1986. Ms. Lowell has expanded the book by adding new scenes, and has updated the storyline. Set against the rich backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, Eden Burning is classic Elizabeth Lowell: passionate, action-packed and full of heartfelt emotion. Ms. Lowell uses the metaphors of the volcano and the wild island dancing and drumming to great effect here, and her characters are vividly portrayed. A must-have for Lowell fans.
Lost in Your Arms by Christina Dodd
Avon, March, 2002Paperback, 376 pages
ISBN: 0380819635
Subgenre: Historical
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
In 1843 London, Enid MacLean applies for help to
the Academy of Distinguished Governesses.
After being abandoned by her ne'er-do-well husband,
Stephen MacLean, Enid takes a position as a
nurse companion to an elderly lady. She is summoned
by British agents who tell her that her husband has
been injured in an explosion in the Crimea. Reluctantly,
Enid agrees to nurse Stephen back to health. Because of
the accident, she doesn't recognize her husband.
And Stephen has lost his memory. As Stephen heals,
he and Enid get to know each other all over again;
and what Stephen hears about his prior behavior disgusts
him. Determined to win his wife back, Stephen works
hard to get under the beautiful Enid's tough exterior.
But an assassin is determined that Stephen and his
wife die, before Stephen remembers the crucial
information he nearly died trying to retrieve in the Crimea.
Nobody does historical romance like Christina Dodd; her latest entry into the Distinguished Academy of Governesses series is the best yet. Enid has had a terrible life so far, and her toughness and resilience do her credit. When she agrees to nurse her husband back to life, she sets foot in a world of passion, lies, and danger as Russian spies threaten to take her husband from her a second time. The sensuality quotient is very high, and a delightful sense of humor pervades the dialogue. Ms. Dodd provides quite a few surprises and plot twists, which only add to the enjoyment of this excellent historical romance.
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