I think there is some room for revising history in the name of art, but this book takes the most appalling liberties with the truth that I have ever seen. I have read several novels of the period that try to make Henry Tudor more palatable than he was in fact, but no one, not even the most ardent Tudor apologists have EVER handed him a sword at Bosworth Field, much less had him use it to slay his rival. No, even Richard III's most rabid detractors agree that the Tudor aspirant to the throne hung back fearfully, shielded from the onslaught of the brave king who "died, fighting manfully" while he, himself, cowered behind the front lines. I have to confess that it kind of sickens me to see him made into an object of ardent desire, when contemporaries describe him at this time as thin, sallow, and beady-eyed, with thin hair and rotten teeth.

That, of course, was the culmination of a long line of absurdities, beginning with a half-witted heroine named Lynette, who wanders about a wood on the outskirts of London for two days with the not particularly appealing hero without once questioning why it is taking them such an incredible amount of time to get back to town.

I suppose this foolish girl is supposed to be independent and spirited, but she comes off as capricious and willful and not very bright. And as for the hero, Devon, I wouldn't have him in a pinch.

I suppose they deserve one another, but the reader gets short-changed. The dialog is trite and awkward, the plot thin and contrived, and the historical research extremely limited. So for readers of historicals who expect a high level of integrity to the known facts, this is definately not the book for you! For others, who simply enjoy a good story, it's still the work on an amateur.

Courtesy of The Best Reviews

Lynette D'Aubere's family was in dire straits. Her father had been declared a traitor many years ago, forfeiting his wealth to the Crown, and causing Lynette to be disinherited. Riley, her mother, would do anything to ensure a secure marriage for her, dowry or not. Now Richard, guardian to the young King Edward, wants Lynette brought to court. In an act of sheer desperation, Riley goes to an old friend on his deathbed, begging him to sign a marriage contract, binding his son, Devon Seward, to Lynette. Under questionable behavior, Riley gets the contract signed, securing Lynette's future.

Lynette has plans of her own though. She loves Malcolm, one her family's servants, and they desire to be wed. Her plans are halted upon her betrothal to Devon, but she vows she will marry no one if she cannot have the man she loves. So she runs off, hiding out in the woods until she can find her way to a convent. Lynette revels in her freedom, short-lived though it may be.

Devon is shocked and angered to hear of his father's final act, having no desire to marry right now, especially the daughter of the infamous traitor. He knows she is his responsibility though, at least until he can find her another husband. He goes to the woods in search of her, and is fascinated with the beautiful wood sprite that is Lynette. She mistakes him for a common hunter, enlisting his help in her bid for freedom. Lynette is surprised to find herself falling for this mysterious hunter. When she finds out he is her intended, she is furious with him for tricking her.

Lynette and Devon are soon married and she discovers it is not so awful after all. She falls in love with her husband, and he loves her, though he doubts her integrity.

The times keep them apart however, as this is a very turbulent time for England. Richard has imprisoned Prince Edward, heir to the throne, and is making plans to steal it away from Edward. He is not the only one vying for the coveted crown; Henry Tudor is in love with Princess Elizabeth and vows to marry her. England is in an uproar, as is Devon's household, with factions supporting Henry, and others for Richard, who is killing any and all suspected of treason. Devon is opposed to Richard's plans, fighting them in secret, until a traitor in his household exposes Devon, putting his and Lynette's marriage, and Devon's life, at serious risk of death.

Ms. Davidson has written a fascinating story, capturing the essence of the times. Here is a tale full of intriguing plot developments and lots of drama. The focus of this book is more on the happenings, and how Devon and Lynette react and cope with them, adding depth and growth to their relationship.

This book is not a light read, requiring good amounts of concentration, to follow the story line fully, but it is well worth the extra time taken to read it. The characters are passionate and full of life, and the descriptions of life in England are vividly drawn, making one feel as though present for it all. Take the time to sit down and read this book, it won't be regretted.

In 1483, the Earl of Bellville lies dying when Lady Riley D'Aubere visits him to collect the debt he owes her. Twenty years earlier, she freed the earl from incarceration. Since Riley's husband was branded a traitor, the family estate reverts to the crown once she dies leaving her daughter nothing. Riley obtains the Earl's signature on a contract that marries Lynette to the dying man's son.

When Devon Seward learns about his deceased father's final act, he becomes irate for he does not want to be married to anyone. Instead he believes the contract is non-binding and plans to find a spouse for Lynette even if he has to pay the dowry price. Lynette does not want to be wed either so she runs away, but he follows. When they meet she thinks he is a hunter. As they fall in love and the truth of his identity surfaces, both struggle to survive as two rival factions use them as pawns in an attempt to gain the throne.

The sense that the reader is in the late fifteenth century flows throughout the wonderful historical romance turning HEART OF A HUNTER into a superior tale than usual. The story line is fast-paced as the lead characters struggle with what their parents have wrought as well as the outside terror. Though Devon's duplicity seems out of character, he is a heroic individual while his intended is an intrepid person. The sequel to the powerful HEART OF A WARRIOR (Riley's story) proves how good Betty Davidson is with her vivid fifteenth century romances.

Harriet Klausner

I realise that romance novels are supposed to be formulaic. But it does help when the formula is varied from time to time. In Betty Neels' stories the pattern is invariably the same: nicely-brought-up but plain young woman falls on hard times, has no training or qualifications so has to take menial job or train to be a nurse. Meets older and very much aloof man, who secretly falls in love with her, but fails to give her any evidence of his regard for her, except perhaps one kiss when she least expects it and which she assumes was intended just to tease, especially since there's always a far more glamorous woman hanging around. And just when nice girl realises that she's in love with aloof older man, he sends her away and she thinks she'll never see him again. Then he comes to find her, out of the blue, and tells her that she's going to marry him. End of story.

(There is a slight variation, in which nice girl marries aloof older man early in the book, as a marriage of convenience, but he was secretly in love with her all along and just never told her).

This book follows the same old formula: Beatrice meets Dr Oliver Latimer, who treats her in exactly the same casual, almost dismissive manner which all Neels' heroes use on their heroines. Somehow, we're supposed to understand that this means he loves her. I have to admit that I found the book patronising in this respect: women *do* have the right to make their own choices in live, and yet Latimer, like most of Neels' heroes, has a tendency to ride roughshod over Beatrice's wishes.

Neels' books seem increasingly anachronistic these days, for several reasons. First, she writes men and women as they were perhaps in the 1950s or 1960s, right down to dress, manner, way of speaking and so on. Second, when her books are set in a hospital, as this is, it becomes clear that she has not set foot in a hospital for at least twenty years. Hospitals are run very differently nowadays. Nurse training (in the UK, where her books are set) bears no resemblance to the depiction in Neels' books. Frankly, her publishers would do better to market her books as historical fiction, which is what they actually are.

This is a re-issue, originally published in paperback in 1990. Another very pleasant tale from Betty Neels where a nice girl, Beatrice, meets a handsome doctor. It takes her the whole book to realize that she is in love with Dr.Oliver Latimer. I sometimes find it frustrating that the hero always waits so long to show his intentions, while leaving the heroine feeling all at sea. I do find that it is refreshing to occasionally read one of Betty Neels' books in contrast to the more sensual books out there today.

Wonderful book, Betty Neels has a knack for creating believable characters that aren't fussy and just seem more like real woman in the real world!! She has also proven that a good romance book doesn't have to be trashy and doesn't have to have every other word be a vulgur profanity! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK Betty!!!!

This dreary book fails to deliver on its title, but even if one forgets the title, it is difficult to enjoy this badly written book. The question and answer sessions with Grandmasters are unmemorable, there is very little useful advice, and the book is so full of misspellings and bad grammar, one wonders who or what did the proofreading. There are some good games and the biographical information is of some interest, but there is nothing else in this committee production to interest players at any level of strength. If you can find a used copy for a couple of bucks, you probably won't feel robbed. Otherwise, it's best to go find a real chess book.

This is where bookstores come in handy. I thumbed through this book many times before finally buying it. For the beginner seeking instruction, this book will not offer much. For those on a quest to puncture the mystery of chess, or for those who are just nuts about chess books this offers considerable browsing pleasure -- a sort of chess coffee table book. The intermediate player overwhelmed by the game will take considerable solace in all the GMs and IMs disagreeing vehemently from page to page on how to improve one's game!

This is a great book. The only problem is that the title is inappropriate and misleading. It should be titled "Opinions on Chess by the Top Players." This is not a book on chess theory but rather a transcript, if you will, of GMs and IMs giving their general opinions on the game, namely on how to improve, recommended books, and anecdotes. If you have ever wanted to "interview" a top player, buy this book. It's eye opening to see how much these players disagree on a lot of hot topics. If you love to collect books as much as playing (as I do) this is a must for your library. And, of course, anything with Jeremy Silman's name is going to be enjoyable.

A hard-to-come-by collector's item, this work's legacy is not literary style. Stitched together like a cheap baseball, the book is co-authored [and I blush to use the term] by Mrs. Grissom and Henry Still, a newspaperman turned aerospace executive. Collaborations work successfully when each partner brings out the best of the other; when they fail, the literary result is akin to fingernails on a blackboard. In this work the authors are almost at cross-purposes. Still, in many respects, is the gung-ho space reporter who uses the work as his opportunity to get a space history on the record. Even allowing for age, this is a shoddy history of the space program. Still allots a single paragraph for the entire Apollo 8 mission and runs far afield from the personal doings of the Grissoms, not one of whom ever created ball bearings in Skylab, although that mechanical feat merits mention in the author's opinion. Only God knows why.

And what of Mrs. Grissom? "The tragic and heroic story of her husband and family caught up in America's race for the moon," as the cover proclaims, is told unevenly and superficially. I expected to encounter spleen from the wife of one of the space program's more perplexing, misunderstood, and maligned characters, and I would have said more power to her. Watch "The Right Stuff:" the Betty Grissom actress, with tears and rage, has it down pat as she screams "Are these the goodies? The military owes you, Gus, but they owe me, too." The real Mrs. Grissom, when she can extricate herself from her collaborator's self-aggrandizement, tells a blunted tale of marriage to a man whose mistress is indeed the military and the hard drinking jocular goodies of the test pilot world. Perhaps no insight is more telling than her remark that she missed Gus's phone calls after the fire because, in essence, that was the sum and substance of their marriage. Her chief regret, it would seem, is that her boys had little of their father in his lifetime, and none after the fire.

The inner rage does make a brief appearance well after the Apollo fire. In 1971 Al Shepard and Pete Conrad tell her rather pointedly that as a widow she is no longer in the astronaut club, in that her money from the Life Magazine astronaut contract would be redirected to the living astronaut pool. Reasonably and profoundly affronted, she learned through a quirk of fate of two hungry young personal injury lawyers working out of a tiny office in a Seven-Eleven complex. And thus began a Quixotic $10,000,000 damage suit against North American Rockwell that covered three states in a frantic effort to outpace statute of limitations problems. The suit brought considerable national consternation toward Mrs. Grissom who was perceived as suing the country and the military rather than a private manufacturer of space hardware. [The other two widows, for reasons unexplained, declined to join her in the action] Hampered by lack of funds and the hard reality that astronaut Grissom himself had participated in preparation of his ship at Rockwell, the lawyers were happy to settle for $350,000: after expenses, each attorney pocketed $75,000. Betty Grissom received $60,000. Another shameful legacy of the fire.

The one redeeming element of this work is the hint of rich raw material. The film "The Right Stuff" draws substantially from scenes in the book, though it inflates them with steroids. The time is ripe for a scholarly and literary masterpiece on Gus Grissom, the second American in space and certainly the most star-crossed of the American astronauts. If Liberty Bell 7
can be rediscovered and restored, why not the Grissom legacy?

Betty Grissom was furious when an official from North American Rockwell (the company that built the Apollo Command Module) suggested that her husband Gus may have been responsible for starting the fatal Apollo 1 fire by inadvertently kicking a bundle of wires beneath his couch. She felt - and I think justifiably - that the momory of her husband was being sullied.

But what of the memories of Gus' Apollo 1 crew mates, Edward White and Roger Chaffee? Betty makes a shocking revelation about those two. Gus was "so mad" with them because he couldn't get them to work! They were too busy wheeling and dealing with their business investments and playing to have any time left over to devote to Apollo! Chaffee was, and will always remain, an unknown commodity as he died before he had the chance to prove himself on a space flight. However as the first American to walk in space Ed White's reputation was made.

What I find absolutly incredible is the admission that Gus had lost control of his own crew. He had only two men as his subordinates, one of which was an American hero, and that was more then poor old Gus could handle! Deke Slayton wrote in his autobiography that had Gus lived he and not Neil Armstrong would have been the first man to walk on the moon. But if Gus was unable to command respect from Ed White what would have happened when he found himself with Buzz Aldrin as his Lunar Module Pilot?

A very sad story about how Americas race to the Moon destroyed a family.

I got this cookbook free in a under-cabinet radio/CD player. No wonder it was free and in the box; there is no other way to sell it. The recipes are disgusting (i. e. zucchini pancakes, pumpkin waffles) and there are not very many pictures. Also, they call pork chops chicken-fried pork. This is for a family who has never cooked. If you want a good cookbook, I recommend Betty Crocker's Cook Book or Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book. Do not buy this cook book!!!

Like the previous reviewer from Illinois, I too received this cookbook packed along with my under-the-counter radio/CD player, but I'm going to buy additional copies to give as bridal shower gifts. I've been cooking for 30 years, and there's nothing wrong with these recipes. I've used nearly a dozen different menus, and my husband and I have loved them. They truly are ready in 20 minutes or less, use a variety of easy-to-stock ingredients, and taste great. So pumpkin waffles don't appeal to you--bypass that recipe and enjoy the others. This is one book you'll reach for often.

Don't waste your time or money! No doubt, when this book was first written it was a ground breaker. Unfortunately, there isn't any real help to be found in the text. Today, there is much more valuable information available. At a time when your physical and emotional energy hits some real lows, spend your time reading something that can really help. I would highly recommend "Just Get Me Through This" by Deborah Cohen and Robert Gelfand, M.D.

When I was a teenager I remember reading Betty Rollin's book for the first time. It had an enormous impact on me because it was really the first time anyone had ever spoken about their experience with breast cancer. Little did I know that when I was 50 years old I would also develop breast cancer. I thought about this book and tried to find it but it was out of print. I was so glad to see it back with new information. The feelings she describes are still true today but what a difference the new treatments have made.

I thought that this was a good book. I liked how Betty Ren Wright described the book. After every chapter she leaves you with an exciting ending. My favorite part was when Chad was sleeping and the snake came after him. The main characters are Chad and Jeannie. She gave them great names. I think that this book needed to have illustrations to show the reader what was going on. This book was exciting and full of adventure. I also think that this book needed to be longer. Anyone who enjoys mysteries would like to read this book.

This book is a quality horror story for children. It is scary, but not too scary. It is not disgusting and has a story with a moral.

This thin "magazine" was disappointing in that for less money you can get simillar descriptions of training, along with far more reference type material and general information (it is only 50 pages). The authors clearly think they are the ultimate llama trainers, and you have to tolerate this attitude throughout the book.

I have gone to the Barkman's classes and have trained many of my llamas this way. Paul Barkman is in a class with Monty Roberts. Paul's understanding of all animals (he worked with elephants for a long time) is intuitive. The book is written in a very basic way, it is a no-nonsense guide to basic training without any bells and whistles. It's just good old understanding your animal, your llama will thank you for buying this book.

I just received this book and one glance through it makes me wish I hadn't ordered it. This book is definietly for beginners.

Although I did not get her first book, I recently purchased this one in hopes of figuring out how to make a banner for our church. This book covers it all. It talks about fabric choice, design considerations, using Christian symbols, words, colors, how to make tab hangers, poles, tassels, the works. There are 4 pages of beautiful color examples of banners that people have made (32 of them). She encourages the reader to design their own. I can't wait to get started.

Maybe I shouldn't have bought the book in the first place. I have always liked Betty Comden on a professional basis. But after reading this boring and terribly self-indulgent book, my opinion of her has lowered drastically.

Quite frankly, her life growing up and all of her wonderful friends and aches and pains are not worth reading about. Now if this was more of a balanced autobiography that combined her professional and personal lives, the book would be much better. She grew up rich (she admits the Great Depression did not affect her much) and became quite successful. She admits to guilt about being a part-time mother and talks at embarrassing length about her son who died of HIV due to his years as a drug addict.

...

If Betty Comden had done nothing more than collaborate on the great musical On The Town, she'd be a star in my personal pantheon. But she's had a wonderfully varied career, as creator and performer, and she has set high standards in all projects. Ms. Comden has lived long enough to have experienced many sadnesses, and she writes about them as openly as she does the happinesses. This book is a gift from a true Broadway original, and a genuine professional. Not to be missed, and bless you, Betty, for giving it to us!