I truly love the old Gothics and have waited months to get my hands on this book. It was worth the wait. Ms. Rogers' book is a wonderful journey into the world of dark and delicious Gideon Blackthorn, the Devil Duke. His lady, Lucinda, is a perfect match for this mysterious hero, and their story will keep you guessing until the very end.

In 1860, Lucinda Fairfax leaves her New York home to claim the estate of her late father, Viscount Westcombe, in North Yorkshire, England. Nearing the property for the first time, Lucinda is almost run over by a wild horseman, who she later learns is the Duke of Ravenswood Gideon Blackthorne. Better known to everyone in the area as the "Devil Duke," Gideon takes many midnight rides to escape the demons of his tormented soul.

Shockingly, Gideon and Lucinda are attracted to one another. She finds him fascinating in a dark, dangerous manner. He sees her bravery especially towards him as foolishness yet beguiling. Even as their initial feelings turn into love, both doubt that the other is the individual who can stop the haunted loneliness that erodes at their respective souls.

DEVIL IN THE DARK is a powerful Gothic romance that will thrill sub-genre fans. All the classic elements add depth to a wonderful Victorian tale. The lead couple is a charming duo struggling with their personal conflicting emotions. The story line is exciting as Evelyn Rogers takes her audience on a wild midnight ride into the souls of two deserving but hurting individuals.

Harriet Klausner

Lucinda Fairfax's father had left her and her mother when she was only five years old, to return to Yorkshire and claim his title and estate. At age twenty-five and with her mother deceased, Lucinda traveled to Yorkshire. Her father, Viscount Westcombe, had died in an accident and Lucinda was the heir.

Here she would meet the famous "Devil Duke" named Gideon Blackthorne. Right away sparks would fly and a haunting obsession would begin. And Death would stalk the night.

***** This is the first in a new Gothic line from Love Spell! Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt fans, take heed! An excellent choice to show the world that Gothics are back! Dark, mysterious, just a touch of the supernatural, and some steamy romance. No one can tell a story like Evelyn Rogers! And I believe Gothics are right up her alley! Pre-order if you are able, to ensure that you do not miss out! It gets no better than Evelyn Rogers! *****

In Evelyn's latest book we find the life of a strong black woman. Audrey has so much on her plate that it is amazing how she finds time to develop a relationship with Kirk Maxwell.

After visiting her son in jail she comes out to find that her rental car has a flat tire and nothing in the trunk to fix it. After finding her husband with another lover, and tolerating with the attitude of her children she breaks down when she can't fix the tire. In steps Kirk who wants to help Audrey so that she can stop crying. But he doesn't understand why she is crying to hard over a flat tire.

Once they get to know one another there are things that are revealed that may jepordize their blossoming relationship. They must both work hard to focus on each other without letting other outside influences change the way they feel.

Evelyn also tells the story of Kirk's partner Danny and Audrey's best friend MaryBeth which deals with a big age difference.

This is a enjoyable read although there are some things that are left out.

In this novel, Palfrey's style of writing has a continuously well-paced cadence to it that lulls you into the lives of the characters. Middle-aged Audrey whose marriage has fallen apart is unable to communicate with her rebellious adult daughter and is willing to put her total assess on the line to prove that her troublesome son is not a murderer. During this turmoil, Audrey meets Maxwell, the man of her dreams, but the relationship is deemed taboo on both ends. What risks do they take in order to pursue this relationship or is it worth any risks at all?

Overall, the book was an easy, straight forward, predictable read.

Ms.Palfrey,
you do your work very well,this book was hard to put down. I have to tell you that I wish I'd had the chance to start at THE BEGINNING!! You go girl! Remember I asked you what would follow this one, now I'm just waiting. I want you to know that I feel like I know some of these people, they are dear to me.Audrey and Kirk,Sondra and Ike, Mary Beth and Danny to name a few. You wouldn't want to miss any of the friends, so we need one more(please)
Your Fan, Bobbie

Although the work itself is magnificent, this particular edition of it is very disappointing. It looks nothing like what's pictured here (and I checked the link to make sure I ordered the right one). The one I received is an oversized purple volume. It appears that someone just xeroxed an earlier edition of the work and bound it together. Also this edition has almost no footnotes or translation, and some of the medieval text is a bit difficult to understand. I'd recommend the penguin edition.

A very interesting description of a contemplative discipline conveyed intimately from an unknown teacher to an unknown student. The text is a mystic exploration of the divine that rejects the use of the intellect and the imagination, preferring an inner knowing, like a numinous experience based on feeling, a gnosis of the heart. An important theme is the difference between the active and the contemplative personality; others include the awareness of self, death of the ego, and advice on leading the contemplative life. Although this writing is deeply embedded in Christian tradition and I disagree with many of these beliefs, I still admire the author's gentleness and sense of humor. All spiritually-minded people will benefit from a study of this almost poetic text. The most beautiful sentiment is this: "For it is not what you are nor what you have been that God regards with his most merciful eyes, but what you would like to be."

This is a beautiful translation of one of the most exceptional surviving mystical works.

What words can capture the breadth of a mystical work that, five minutes into reading it, brings forth tears of ecstasy running down the reader's cheeks?

Whoever wrote these words was most certainly one close to God, and Underhill's translation is incredible.

Read it. The scope is breathtaking.

Oh Heavenly Father, I beg you: fill me with your Being!

Blessings,

Stephan Vrudny

Read this to understand one human's attempts to know the mind of the universe. Don't read this if you want some kind of instruction on how to develop your own connection to that Intelligence. A pretty book nonetheless.

Evelyn Underhill wrote numerous books about mysticism, an amazing number of which are still in print (click on author name to see). In this little book, published just at the start of WWI, Underhill attempted to distill a summary of the mystical pursuit in simple language.

Addressing an imaginary "practical man", Underhill attempts first to justify the validity and value of the pursuit of mystical experience; then explains the stages of the mystic's quest in several chapters. These chapters represent Underhill's synthesis of the works of many mystics.

The writing style is deliberately lyrical, at times quite striking, at other times crossing the line to become pretentious and old-fashioned.

Is this actually a book for the (modern) "practical man"? I think not. Underhill's instructions in how to begin meditating are vague and could easily mislead a beginner into fruitless paths. Also, the descriptions of the stages of mystical progress are strongly influenced by the Christian mystics of the middle ages -- Underhill had studied few, if any, primary sources on Eastern traditions since few Buddhist or Hindu documents had been translated at the time of writing. But it reduces the value of the book for modern readers.

I enjoy this book. It falls short of five stars, in my opinion, because the thesis which Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) argues, namely, that spiritual concerns have priority over temporal ones, is belied by her inability to engage in a world beyond her sheltered life of privilege. That aside, there are many wonderful and redeeming qualities brought to light by her insights. It is clear to me that she has considered this subject quite seriously in translating the meaning of a spiritual relationship into secular terms. I have often found it difficult to reconcile Free Will with Determinism. However, I clearly understood her explanation, "Perhaps, you always fancied that your will was free -- That you were actually, as you sometimes said, 'captain of your soul.' If so, this was merely one amongst the many illusions which supported your old enslaved career." Thoughts, such as these, are, of course, valuable. Even so, what is more important to me is that Ms Underhill identifies clearly the steps to a fulfilling, spiritual relationship by outlining three Forms of Contemplation. Briefly, they are : (1) discovering your own connections with the world around you; (2) recognizing that the changes in the world are the "outbirth of another power ... transcendent to itself." and (3) experiencing a "mysterious contact, a clear certitude of communion and possession." Her gentle, patient explanations make clear to me some of the tools which help me to have a spiritual relationship. If you are interested in developing a spiritual self, this book will be intersting to you.

I've subscribed to a lifestyle change following low-carb eating and recipes. With over 35 years of meal preparation under my belt, I wanted a cookbook to give me unique ideas as well as gourmet-quality recipes. While this cookbook offered interesting combinations, I was extremely disappointed. Yes, there are 300 recipes, but the same preparation and ingredients are used over and over again ad nauseum. Different meat, new recipe name, same ingredients. Very repetitive. It is, however a very good beginners cookbook. As long as you have garlic, green pepper, cilantro, and a few other "basics" you will enjoy this book; if you're looking for ingredients beyond those you've used for years, look somewhere else, you probably already know how to put these dishes together yourself. I would call this book a great primer for the beginning cook who doesn't cook by experience, rather, needs a step by step guidelines. An experienced cook will be disapointed.

To reply to the review below--you are correct, this cookbook is not for gourmet cooks. The majority of Americans eat fast foods and convenience foods. To make the leap to cooking regular balanced meals of real food can be discouraging if you feel you don't have time to cook or don't like to cook. The Schwarzbein cookbooks were carefully designed so that they would not be intimidating to the average person who is not interested in preparing complicated meals--the recipes are easy, quick, delicious and balanced.

Dr. Schwarzbein has created a fabulous EASY program, and her recipes are da bomb! I have lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks, and it's been effortless - I could easily do this forever. Her food is delicious, easy to make, and REAL. There's no bizarre ingredients that you can't pronounce.

And about desserts, well they technicaly aren't legal. But I've had dessert almost every day while on her program *and* losing weight. And I'm not talking about sugar free Jello! I mean real cheesecake, real chocolate truffles, real whipped cream on berries. If you get her other book, "The Schwarzbein Principle", you learn about what foods affect you in what ways, and how to eat carbs so that your system responds the way you want it to.

You *must* get this program!

This being the third of Waugh's novels I have read, it is probably my favorite. Waugh is easily the most readable of the great British authors of the 20th century.'A Handful of Dust' is not as funny as 'SCOOP' but it is sharp satire of British society. The book has alternate endings and I prefer the one where Tony and Brenda reunite.

The story centers around the Last family, principally Tony and his wife Brenda. All the elements of the demise of a marriage are contained in this masterpiece - a stodgy husband, a cheating wife, and a tragic death. Beware ladies because the females in the novel are on a whole as weak and superficial a group as ever encountered. Waugh at the time of its writing was reportedly recovering from a failed romance and no doubt was influenced by a jilting fiance. Brenda Last,in particular, is a character you will love to dislike. Brenda's infatuation with the 'neer do well' mama's boy, John Beaver, stretches the reader's imagination.

Both conclusions are appropiate and you will be staisfied with either.

In this book, the protagonist is Tony Last, an Englishman who would much rather tend to his beloved estate in th country than join his wife on trips to see their arrogant and aristocratic friends in London. Brenda, the wife, becomes bored with their quaint life, has an affair, and Tony's son dies in an accident. In a strange twist, on a trip to South America near the book's end, he ends up in the dense jungle in the care of an illiterate man who promises to let him go but instead forces him to read aloud from Dickens. The main idea is that betrayal follows Tony wherever he goes-- from his wife in England to the enigmatic man in the jungle. It's a enormously humorous satire of the London aristocracy,in which the people treat their "friends' misfortunes as entertainment. In fact, they gossip about the affair his wife is having in his own house, during a party he is throwing. The jungle is a parable for London-- seemingly harmless at first, but with dark undercurrents of backstabbing, lies, and treachery. A terrific novel by a Waugh, a brilliant writer.

Written by Evelyn Waugh in 1934, this British novel is a biting satire of the silly lives of the upper class. The author is master of the nuanced barb and he uses them with seeming delight and controlled rage. It is an unpleasant book to read and I know I would hate the author if I met him in person, and yet I can appreciate his skill in creating the discomforting atmosphere, his fascination with things that go wrong, and the dark side of human nature.

Tony Last, an aristocrat who devotes himself to the upkeep of his expensive ancestral home is blind to the infidelities of his wife Brenda, who parties in London with her sycophantic lover. There's a whole cast of vapid characters, each exquisitely developed with revealing detail. When tragedy strikes it's like a piece of chalk scraped upon a blackboard, and as the story continues to unfold, and Tony travels to the jungles of Brazil, the plot swerves into a painful absurdity. It's all one big farce and yet there is no comic relief. And by the end of the book, only sadness prevails.

I must give this book a high ranking however because of Mr. Waugh's skill and his uncanny ability to uncover some painful human truths that I'd rather not see. I can therefore only recommend it to students of human nature who are willing to be tormented in the same way the author torments his characters. Just be forewarned.

Generally, Dr. Schwarzbein is on the right track. However, as someone who was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance Syndrome two and a half years ago and who has tried every possible way of eating, I can confidently state that there is no way to recover from the symptoms of this illness--diabetes, high blood pressure, high insulin, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and obesity--and eat as many starchy vegetables and grain products as Schwarzbein includes in this cookbook. I'm not surprised that another reviewer and his wife experienced a surge in cholesterol level from eating this way. In her orignal book, The Schwarzbein Princple, Dr. Schwarzbein shows several levels of recommended carbohydrate consumption based on the physical health of the individual. If you have any or all of the above-listed symptoms, I can tell you from experience that you must use the lowest carb level she recommends, which means you will have to be very selective with the recipes in this book. I can tell you from personal experience that if you have I-R Syndrome or any of it's symptoms, you can't continue to eat starchy vegetables and grain products and hope to get better. I've watched family members continue to go downhill on the standard diets offered by their endocrinologists. I strongly recommend you try Protein Power, Atkins or Neaderthin and keep your carb intake between 30-55 grams per day max. It's hard to do, but it beats ending up blind or on dialysis.

This has been a wonderful book for my family. We are eating better and feeling great. The recipies are easy to follow, fun to prepare and delicious to eat. This is a fabulous cookbook which I highly recommend to all families.

The Schwarzebein Principle Vegetarian Cookbook is a dream come true. I am a some-time vegetarian and my meals have tended to be brown rice, steamed vegetables, baked potatoes and salads. This great book has broadened my horizons and totally changed my mind about tofu. The recipes are incredibly tasty and easy to prepare, even for a cook-by-the numbers guy such as myself. I again commend the authors for their tofu recipes (I've usually found tofu to taste like an eraser), their fabulous soups, salad dressings and variety of breakfast treats. The Schwarzbein Principle has opened a new world of dieting for me, being able to eat great tasting meals that I can prepare myself. I've been on the diet for over one month and have lost 10 pounds. And all without starving myself or eating the kind of bizarre food combinations that often appear in other diet books. Hooray for this fabulous book and the freedom its gives vegetarians!

A principio, parece uma leitura simples e banal. Já li este livro 6 vezes e cada vez vou entendendo mais tudo aquilo que parecia ter sido compreendido nas outras vezes. É um guia para sempre, pois sempre devemos estar nos transformando em pessoas melhores e mais produtivas e nossas metas. Este é o maravilhoso processo de viver.

Estou tendo minhas primeiras experiencias no campo do auto conhecimento,e começando a aceitar que o sucesso depende de mim.Gostei da maneira que a autora escreve e do vocabulario simples .

De leitura fácil e acessível, um ótimo ponto de partida para quem quiser conhecer a si próprio, descobrir seus 'ingredientes' especiais e iniciar sua aventura de desenvolvimento pessoal em direção ao êxito.

I'll preface this by saying that I am a Pagan. I was definitely hoping for a lot from this book, and I was sorely disappointed.

To be honest, most of the stories are thoroughly mediocre, and some are purely abominable. Maggie Shayne's "Anytown, USA," which starts the book, is an example. "Anytown" is almost frightening in its adherence to cliche and histrionics. A minister's wife, who of course is physically and mentally abused by her husband (Rotten Men! Rotten Christians! Now everybody: Boo, hiss!) finds her inner strength and faces down a town full of nasty ole rotten witch-haters at a school chorus festival. Shayne lets no point remain anything less than obvious, and hammers each moral lesson home with a verve betraying her background writing scripts for soap operas. I almost stopped reading the book after this first story.

The second and third stories were not much better: a half-written, half-plotted cyberpunk object, and a "Love Story" based tearjerker almost made me throw the book out again. Charlotte Brisbon's "Psyche's Tears" was better; at least there was something going on that seemed semi-realistic, and the characters were actually fleshed out. "The Spelling Error" by Jen Sokoloski is nothing more than a romance, but a good one. "Tambourine Moon," by Zelena Winters, was a significant step above the rest, with its depiction of a Gypsy mother trying to reconcile with her daughters. I'm not sure how to take Celia Moon's "The Letter," which is more about marriage, family, betrayal and healing than anything else. I can't say it's one of my favorites, but again, the characterization is good, and the message, for once, is not bluntly hammered home. It still reminds me too much of the stories I used to read in my mother's "Woman's Day" magazines. Valerie Taylor's "The Reluctant Psychic," seems incomplete; the story needs a larger treatment. As it stands, it's fine, but it seems quite incomplete. "A Solitary Path," by Evelyn Vaughn, is quite good. Witty and fanciful yet realistic, her Tobi is a character I liked and would follow into a novel. Rosemary Edghill's "The Iron Bride" is the bright spot in the book; an acerbic mini-mystery that is less about witchcraft and murder than it is about power and responsibility. Definitely the shining light in this collection.

Overall, this collection suffers from several flaws. One is the excessively preachy tone taken by several of the stories. Second is the political correctness angle; men in these stories are either (a) absent, (b) Evil, or at best untrustworthy, or (c) dying. Third: most of these stories are romances in one form or another. Looking at the author profiles in the back of the book, I note that many of them make their living writing romance novels. Too much of their daytime work leaked over into the stories they wrote here, and not always with good effect. I find it hard to believe that the editor could not have found authors who write outside the romance genre to contribute to this book. I also wonder why no male authors were included.

In summary, this is not an indispensable book. If you like your fiction heavily on the romantic side and don't expect too much, this book is...acceptable. But if you're looking for some real literature about modern-day witches and how they live and work in real life, this isn't going to work for you. It definitely didn't work for me.

"Words of the Witches" is highly uneven, but when it's good, it's very, very good.

I bought this book primarily because of Rosemary Edghill's contribution. I really like her Bast character, and her story "The Iron Bride," which is a short Bast mystery, was included here. This is by far the best story in the collection, showing wicked humor, vivid characterizations, and a very complex problem.

The problem is this (and it's how this book relates, btw, to the rest of the collection): Bast is a third-level initiate. She really needs to start her own coven, but does not want to do so. The mystery she solves basically tells her in not so many words that it's time to do so, whether she wants to or not.

Bast's problem is a realistic one, and it's presented with both accuracy and humor. In addition, the fact that Bast is extremely smart and hasn't really found a man up to her intellectual weight is one of the biggest points in Bast's favor. That, too, is very realistic, as Wiccans and NeoPagans of all stripes tend to be smarter than average, but there _is_ still a range.

Basically, the rest of the collection shows Pagans in favorable lights. Only one or two men have strong parts to play; one is a divorced father, the other is a dying soon-to-be father. The reviewer who pointed out the absence of males in this book makes a very, very good point.

The three best stories are Ms. Edghill's, where the men aren't as important as Bast (and rightfully so! She's the point of view character, and once again makes a big point out of not finding anyone for her yet), Ms. Vaughn's "A Solitary Path," where the heroine, Tobi, basically makes a sort of soul connection with a dream creation that may or may not be real, and would rather wait for someone that does at least that much for her, and the romance "The Spelling Error" by Jen Sokolowski (that's the one featuring the divorced father).

There are several other good stories here, but they vary a lot, and aren't evenly paced. "Psyche's Tears" was pretty good, but I didn't totally buy the transformation from the vivid Desdemona to the rather pallid denise, and I really didn't buy the POV character's all of a sudden acceptance of Denise, either. The Gypsy story, "Tamborine Moon," was also good, but had a few problems. The biggest is the last line; it makes no sense, and should have either been struck in editing, or modified somehow to make it fit with the rest of the story. Also, I had a problem with the premise. After the whole story makes a point about how alienated the Gypsy mother is from her two grown daughters, all of a sudden _one_ of them is going to take to her Craft? Not likely!

Then, the biggest problematic story in the collection came from the heaviest hitter (sales wise; trust me, the heaviest hitter author wise was Ms. Edghill), Maggie Shayne. Her story, "Anytown U.S.A.," did have some things to recommend it. It flowed well and easily. I liked the teenage girl witches. I liked the older woman witch.

But as another reviewer said, the minister's wife, who also happened to be a witch in the "broom closet," didn't come off. Her husband was way too stereotypical, and very, very nasty. Also, if he _was_ so abusive, why in the world would the woman want to do something like she does (basically stops an assembly from rioting, and admits she's a witch, which stuns them all)? Even if she never goes home again, he could go and find her and kill her.

That's the problem with making the husband an abuser. You get it all; the abusive mindset on his part, and the cowed, abjective one on hers. Trust me; the minister's wife would _not_ act like this in real life. At best, she'd stand with someone else after _they_ admitted they were a witch, like when the Principal comes up to show solidarity. (If Shayne had shown the Principal as a witch in hiding, and then the minister's wife came out of hiding after a policeman also came out of the "broom closet," then maybe I'd understand the presmise.)

And her husband would not leave her alone; he's an abuser, and he's not tired of her yet. So, her shaking her head "no" on the stage to him would do nothing more than enrage him.

So, despite it being a well-written story, that huge, huge plot hole ruined it for me.

At any rate, Ms. Edghill's story is 5 stars plus; Ms. Vaughn's is just under 5 stars; Ms. Sokolowski's is 4.5 stars. Ms. Shayne's would be 2 stars, at best. The rest were in the middle.

Because the three stories I mentioned first are so very, very good, I'd rather rate this anthology on the high end, which is why I gave it four stars in the first place.

Btw, some reviewers have pointed out this book shows a whole lot of basics for novice witches. That's almost certainly true. Still, think about all the people that might read this book, from the fans of Ms. Edghill to the fans of Maggie Shayne. Not all of them have any idea what NeoPagans or Wiccans are about. Some of that needed to be in here. Maybe not as much from each author (I was very glad that two of the three stories I mentioned as my favorites didn't have those components), but it did need to be in the collection.

Some of the folks that read this book are certainly in the "broom closet," or at least want to understand friends of theirs (or family members) that are NeoPagans and/or Wiccans. This book should definitely help in that regard, as it shows that Wiccans are the same in most regards as anyone else.

As I've said elsewhere recently, I don't really understand why so many people get hyped on what "flavor" your religion is. So long as you have a pure heart, and care about others, and follow either "Love One Another" or "Do as Ye Will, An Ye Harm None," I can't see that the Deity above us all will care whatsoever.

Books like this are important, because hopefully it'll change some ignorant people's perceptions. And most of the stories are good; a few are exceptional.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The short stories are really great. The thing I like best is that they relate to my life. The women in the stories are real women. Not airheads, or flakes. Further, the stories do not glamorize or sensationalize witches. Also, the authors of the stories provide rituals that any solitary can do. Great fun to read.

This is a very concise and readable historical review of the gene concept from its origins in the nineteenth century to the live debate which is taking place now due to some fascinating work done by cutting edge contemporary researchers. Keller is an excellent writer and a thought provoking thinker. Her analysis is thorough but easily accessible by anyone with a high school knowledge of the biological sciences. It's not ground breaking philosophy of science but it's a refreshing change from the kind of superficial analysis of this trendy issue provided by the mass media. An excellent weekend read for the thirsty mind.

An excellent introduction to its subject. The book provides a clear explanation of the idea of the gene and how genes "work". I particularly like the focus on the history of genetics, showing how the research inspired by the fruitful idea of the 'gene' leads us to the conclusion that the very concept has outlived its time. The importance of issues involving genetics--biotechnology, explanations of 'genetic' differences among people, patents on life forms, etc.--require the average citizen to make a little effort to understand the science involved. This book provides a good introduction to those issues and to some of the complexities. For example, if genes don't exist, then what are private companies trying to patent? The book is a short, accessible window on some of these questions.

It is quite telling that shortly after this book's release, the scientific community was humbled by the relevation that the human genome is made up of about 1/3 the number of genes previously thought. Keller deconstructs the very notion of a thing called a gene, and instead presents to us a molecular world where vast networks of processs interact to produce the phenomena convenionally attributed to genes.

Even better, she presents her critique within a historical context that allows the reader to see how the current myopic model of gene primacy came to be, and how information conflicting with that model has very gradually moved from the periphery toward the center of mainstream genetics research.

Overall, I found the book to be well-written and sobering with respect to the parade of biological and behavioral attributes and conditions attributed to these things called genes.