First of all, please ignore the hokey cover of this book. The publishing house tried to have their cake and eat it too -- they wanted the "thrill of abduction" on the cover, thus the woman being carried off -- but they also couldn't make it seem "scary" or realistic so the lady and her pretty-boy abductor are grinning like fools at each other. It just comes off as a bit forced and surreal.

Once you get inside, you will see there are three selections in this book: "Redbird" by Diana Palmer, "The Bluest Eyes in Texas" by Joan Johnston, and "The Bounty" by Rebecca Brandewyne.

I enjoyed "Redbird" the most because the characters and the situation they found themselves in were believable. The author did not gloss over the possible consequences of the kidnapping, and instead worked with it. I also believed that the two would actually want to be together and make their marriage work by the end. Finally, I really liked the hero, a must for me to truly enjoy a romance story. While he could be rash, he is really a big lovable bear, with the nice twist of not being a ladykiller in his behavior. He is a good mix of Alpha and Beta characteristics.

"The Bluest Eyes in Texas" was OK, but it was over-the-top cliched with Ranger Burr Covington being obsessed with the social-economic differences between him and the governor's daughter, Lindsey Major, and especially with her blue eyes. I realize it's the title, but Johnston relied on the "blue eyes" theme to the point of annoyance. Considering the abruptness of the ending and the fact that I didn't believe for one minute Covington would have really proposed that soon, she could have deleted half of the references to "blue eyes" and saved the words for more character development and a better ending.

I liked "Bounty" the least. While it has the hottest sex scenes, I simply did not like Rafer Starr. He is a cliched Alpha-bad boy character. He sees "strong" Hayley Harper and immediately wants to "tame" her down, like some sort of house pet. This story also relied far too heavily on sexual chemistry and simply did not make me believe the characters were compatible for anything more than a roll in the hay by the time the story ended.

I felt that Palmer ("Redbird") did the best with the short format the authors were restricted to, and made the most of the space she had to create a more realistic romance. "The Bluest Eyes in Texas" would have benefited from more space to make the story less one-dimensional and allow for a richer, fuller maturation of the characters' relationship and especially a better ending. "The Bounty" would have not been any better with more space, just longer. Rafer Starr is simply not a likable character. His attitude is, "Sure honey, we can have a partnership. As long as I'm always in charge and you let me take care of you!"

The Bluest Eyes in Texas leaves a lot to be desired - Too much repetition about the lavender eyes.
The characters of Burr Covington and fellons were great and Lindsay Major was not too bad but......
The plot of the story is not too bad but then again not enough.
Is not one of her better stories -- would not care to read again.
Alright to read once. Ho, hum, back to bed hopping!

The Bounty is a great story about strong characters.
Haley Harper is a stong woman, except when it comes to her hormones. She is after the bounty.
Rafer Starr, of Shooting Starr, Incorporated, is a renowned bounty hunter. Admired even by Haley's dad, a bounty hunter in his own right.

The bounty on Dolan Pike is 25,000 dollars. Haley needs this bounty to keep her one woman organization going. She certainly is not going to brook any interference from Starr.

Except, wouldn't you know, Starr turns the tables on her and abducts her. Therein lies a great short story. Haley is not given much choice except to work with Starr. Of course, the hormones kick in and the attraction escalates.

If she is pushing 40, how many kids does she think she can have?
Both want children but whoa, they sure better hurry up.
Any chance of finding out in a later story??????????

Definitely recommended if you like kick butt action.

This is a gem of a book. It is one of those gifts that comes into your life to remind you what truly is important. Thank you to the author for the beautiful words and exquisite paintings.

This beautifully published book, liberally sprinkled with the author's own watercolor paintings, speaks to all of us who have lost a loved one to cancer. This book is a compilation of family and personal history and excerpt from Ms. Brady's personal journal during her mother's illness. Joan Brady and her siblings sought to heal their relationships while assisting their mother in her last months , and they effected a healing for all. A beautiful testimony.

A daughter writes a painful but beautiful, story of what it means to make the worst of times ( her mother , dying ) into a lesson in love, courage and truth. For what it's worth, I meant to start the book and read it as time permitted, but it was impossible to stop. Brady's experience shows that a family's darkest times can bring incredible insight and revelation, and yes...., bliss.

I love this book! It's beautifully written and illustrated. Makes me cry everytime I read it. Naturally, like all moms, I tell my son "I love you" every day. But when I read him this book I feel like I am saying "I love you" much more beautifully and poetically. So nice! I predict it will become a classic book and it belongs on everyones' shelves.

It is in the category of "I Love you Forever". Those who love that book will treasure Yates' book. But, no doubt, like the other reviewer that hated this book, if you hated "Love you Forever", you will hate this one too.

Wow! What an awesome book! I could barely read it aloud without crying. I think that every mother should get this book and read it to her children. It is a book that all mothers can relate to. Sometimes we get too busy to tell our children that we love them. This book is a good reminder. It is a great book to have a child read to you. I bought one for myself and one for a friend. It makes a great gift. Thank you to the author for a great book!

This is a great book for he family to read together. I have bought multiple copies and given as gifts to others who loved it as much as I. The love and compassion that is expressed by this writer could only come from a mother's heart. Each time I read it I appreciate it more! Great Job!

This is worth a read if you're interested in the whole Wimmin's Studies cult phenomenon. But there's much to puzzle about here too. Prof Mandle took the helm of the WS program at Colgate determined to drag it out of its sectarian isolation, impose scholarly standards, and build bridges to the secular branches of the humanities and even the sciences. At every turn the True Believers fought her and accused of her of straying from the path of ideological purity. In the end, there was a coup and she got dumped.
It makes for an interesting enough tale, but I was left scratching my head as to Mandle's motivations. Did she really expect to effect a lasting clean-up of that stable?

Joan Mandle has done an excellent job at synthesizing for the reader what types of conflicts and miscommunications lie fundamental to the core of struggling women's studies programs. Her account of a case study (memoirs of a campus struggle) is important reading for anyone interested in truly examining and furthering the state of women's studies programs in today's liberal arts curriculum.

In this cogent, thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful memoir, sociologist Joan D. Mandle chronicles the six years in the 1990s when she directed the women's studies program at Colgate University, an elite liberal arts college in upstate New York. Her main challenge was how to transform a program narrowly focused on identity politics, talk therapy and male bashing--the agenda favored by the program's former director--into an intellectually rigorous, ideologically open, campus-wide forum on women and gender issues. Mandle's efforts were only partly successful, but you'll be fascinated (and disturbed) by the obstacles she faced. Chief among them was self-censorship in the classroom and at faculty gatherings. People avoided frank discussion of certain issues for fear of being labeled a sexist or a traitor to the women's movement. Mandle also analyzes why certain groups rejected, or felt excluded from, the program in the past--male faculty and students, sorority sisters (hence the reference to "wearing pearls"), women athletes, African-American women, pro-life advocates and others. Notably, Mandle counts herself as a feminist. But her vision of women's studies as an ideologically neutral field, anchored in evidence not political dogma, is shared by all too few in the academia. If you've ever wondered why most Americans believe in equal rights for women but reject "feminism", this book is a good place to start.

Ms Wolf's writing was excellent as usually, but I found the novel a little lacking the romance category. I also found the heroine Cathleen to be silly and very immature. Cathleen is forced into a marriage with Adrian the Earl of Greystone by Cathleen's sinister uncle Lord Charlwood. Soon after the wedding, Adrian is called to Paris to help the Duke of Wellington, and Harry (the Earl's younger brother) appears on the scene. Kate and Harry hit it off right away and soon they become bosom buddies. They have a grand time searching for a missing groom, gathering clues, and hunting down and confronting a murder. Adrian appears sporadically through the story, but he is never included in the action. I think the story would have been more "romantic" if Adrian had been the one to solve the mystery rather than his brother Harry.

The plot of this novel is a Regency standard, an innocent encounter compromises the heroine and forces the hero to marry her. What Joan Wolf does with this plot is not typical. She adds mystery and humor with a dash of horse trivia thrown in. The characters are all interesting. It's definitely entertaining.

I love, and reread, all of Joan Wolf's first person romances, but The Deception is my very favorite. A tall, blond hero of Waterloo is forced into marriage with a horse trainer's daughter, the heroine is wrenched out of a poor but (relatively) happy existence to be married to a peer of the realm, the hero's younger brother is charming, the villian is thoroughly villianous. This story has everything. Our heroine has spunk, our hero desires her against her will, our hero's brother lurches from escapade to escapade as he tries to emulate his brother. And weaving through the story is a weak mystery - just enough to keep the plot moving - and a wealth of fascinating detail on dressage and the wonderful horses that perform it. Highly recommended.

I loved Linda Howard's "Bluebird Winter." It was a single parent's dream-come-true! A strong, handsome, well-respected doctor coming to the aid of a pregnant woman and falling, not only in love with her, but with her baby, too. Mmmm... In "The Gift of Joy" by Joan Hohl, who couldn't relate to two people living different lives discovering they both need a change? And when they have a chance meeting, what else would we all hope for, but to have the sparks fly! Unfortunately, Sandra Steffan's "A Christmas to Treasure" is the slightly weak link in this anthology - am I a cynic to believe it's just too good to be true?

I picked up this book for Linda Howards "Bluebird Winter". This book is a follow up to her books "Almost Forever" and "Sarahs Child". "Bluebird Winter" is about the young man that lived in the apartment complex of Sarah and her husband. He was the son of her single neighbor. He was "adopted" by Max (Almost Forever) and Romeo (Sarahs Child), they put gave him the money to put him through medical school. This book was great if you follow Linda Howard. It was like returning home and seeing how someone grew up. He grew up to be a successful doctor and finds himself a single mom. It was a cute story.

I was totally delighted by these stories. They were heart warming. I closed the book wanting to read more by these authors.

I was asked to read this book as part of a Masters of Science program. It is one of the worst books I have ever been exposed to. Borysenko is a feminist, trying desperately to sound otherwise. She tries to fill the book with a few interesting points about the growth cycle of a woman, but not enough to save it. I almost feel sorry for her. Any way don't waste your money or your time on this book

If you are a woman, or have a woman in your life (mother, wife, daughter, etc.), you should read this book. In other words, whoever you are, you should read this book. It's accessable and easy to read, but packed so full of information and new ideas that even if you disagree with half the book, the other half will open your eyes.

Dr. Borysenko is a scientist, with strong interests in health, spirituality, mind-body interaction, and the role of women in our society. This book synthesizes those ideas into a fascinating whole. It's definitely pitched to the layman (layperson?) rather than to scientists, and presents a broad range of ideas in an accessible and entertaining manner.

Borysenko's goal is to describe the physical and mental changes women undergo in their lives, and to outline a positive way to view each of the phases in a woman's life - childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and maturity. She synthesizes a tremendous amount of science and wisdom to do it, discussing everything from genetics and cell division to Lakota Sioux attitudes towards menstruation. Few readers are likely to agree with everything Borysenko writes, but her ability to take disparate information and combine it is sure to give every reader some new insights into women's physical and mental development, and ways in which women can craft their role in life.

Borysenko introduces most chapters with the ongoing story of a hypothetical character, "Julia", as she matures through each of Borysenko's stages of life. As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, Julia seems to be an idealized verion of Dr. Borysenko herself, an upper-middle class white American with strong interests in womens' development. While this may alienate some readers, I think it's worth sticking with the book. Again, the book is so full of information, presented so well, that a reader may find herself uninterest in Julia but interested in Borysenko's advice on mediation, or on hormonal vs. lifestyle therapy for menapause, or by her information on cultural body image standards in the U.S., or by any of a hundred other things.

Borysenko provides enough scientific detail to educate the reader and support her arguments, but does not get so bogged down with neuroanatomy and biology that we get lost or bored. She offers insightful interpretations of biological and psychological research while weaving in stories and making the information come to life. This is a thought-provoking book that challenges the many assumptions about femininity and, instead of trying to make women more like men, celebrates the differences between the two sexes. Inspiring work that made me proud of my feminine characteristics.

What a disappointment! I expected an adventure story with a headstrong, female protagonist with a mystery looming on the horizon. What do I buy? An adventure stor with a headstrong, female protagonist with a mystery looming on the horizon THAT IS SOLVED BY HER HUSBAND. Plus, how could Abigail fall in love with a man who has a terrible, ugly lust for her body? He never loved her, never grows to love her, yet she changes and becomes a model wife. It was sickening. Don't read it!

Whales breach, harpoons fly, blubber melts, canvas fills, sailors chant, and action abounds as Druett explains the complicated and fascinating business of whaling through the life of the title character, a young woman born aboard a ship involved in that dangerous, bloody, smoky maritime enterprise. The action travels from the wilds of Mongonui, New Zealand,(where Abigail and her father live and her father hopes to make his fortune) to the far more sedate and civilized New Bedford, Massachusetts, then center for one of the 19th century's most lucrative businesses. If murder, mystery, and mayhem weren't enough, this fascinating tale pulses with period detail as well. Written by the author of the very well-received Hen Frigates (named as one of the New York Public Library's "Books to Remember 1999"), Abigail was first released in hard cover by Random House in 1988, then again in paper by Bantam, both editions with covers that made them look like real bodice-rippers, which the book most certainly is not. Some enterprising publisher ought to option Abigail, out-of-print for several years now and release it in a nice trade paper edition sans the sensational covers. The book belongs in the genre of fine historical fiction, as in the writings of Iain Pears and Margaret George, both noted for their historical accuracy. Who knows, now that period films are back in fashion, maybe someone will option if to film and star Gwyneth Paltrow as Abigail.

I picked up this book recently and couldn't bear to put it down. I'm disappointed that I'm done with it! The characters were believable and interesting. They were an intrinsic part of a solid, suspenseful tale told at an exciting pace. The wealth of fascinating, historically accurate detail about the whaling industry in the early 1820s was woven artfully throughout the story. Ms. Druett does a great job of twisting the plot, so just when you think you know what's going to happen...it doesn't. A wonderful read! Highly recommended.

"A Girl Needs Cash" is an interesting story aimed directly at changing the female mindset towards money and investing. The author, Joan Perry, lends her financial expertise to the reader through the lives of six very different women. Perry makes it easy for women of all ages to relate to atleast one of her characters. She explains the myths that keep women from reaching their financial potential and poses easy to understand solutions to go about breaking them. I recommended this book to my mom, and do so for all "girls" looking to take charge of their purses!

The way in which Joan used real life characters to describe the book was very helpful. There were so many characters to relate to that anyone who reads this book is given the opportunity to see themself through the thoughts of the characters in the book.

Joan made the book very personable. She told many stories about her life and made the reader feel important enough to learn more about her. Throughout the book you get the feeling that she is truly writing to make you more educated about money.

The book has a totally "girl power" attitude. She talks about how we as women should take more control of our financial life. Joan's goal is to prove to women that we really are capable of feeling better about our financial life if we partake in it. If we stand back and let someone else take care of it for us then we are afraid of it and feel that it is out of our power. Our financial life should be just as important to us as our career life, family life, social life, etc.

This book can easily be understood and makes women of today's world more motivated to take part in their financial life.

For my economics class, I had to chose and read a book involving some form of economics. I read "A Girl Needs Cash" and was pleasantly surprised because I found the book to be very interesting. I enjoyed how the author was able to turn the book into an acutal story instead of just writng facts about enconomics like an encyclopedia would. Not only did the author show us the lives of other people and how their financial lives were going, but she also put herself and her experiences in the book which made it much more interesting to know that even people like her at one point stuggled with money. My favorite part of the book was the section on "The White Knight Myth". The "Money Machine" was also a very helpful tip. This book contained some very good advice and was motivating. I do belive that this book will help me with my own financial life.

Marginalia(the study of notes people leave written in their books) is a growing area of academic study. Future readers of my personal copy of "The Cooper's Wife is Missing" will find that I have several notes relating to rambling, incoherent sentences and grammar errors that an editor should have found before the book went to press. The book wanders repeatedly away from its subject, the trials of Bridget Cleary, and dabbles into Celtic folklore and Irish History. I am a fan of both, but the authors of this book do a poor job of making clear the connections between Bridget and Irish History and Myth. I understand their point, but someone not as interested in Ireland would have put this book down long ago if they were looking for a story( which was why I actually picked it up myself.) If you stick with the story, the idea of Bridget's case being used as a reason for Britain to keep the Irish in subjugation is interesting, but it requires great patience and an ability to translate horrendous grammar to do so.

I thought this book was broken into two disconnected parts that did not work well together-- the trials of Bridget Cleary and the historical happenings during this time period. I found myself skimming through the chapters that detailed the history of Ireland during this time period and looking forward to the chapters related to Bridget Cleary. This novel was too much like a school textbook with boring and wandering descriptions of the historical times of Ireland. The relevancy of these historical descriptions to the trials of Bridget Cleary was exaggerated by the authors.

In 1895 a relatively unimportant incident occurred in a rural part of Ireland that literally was used by the British to overstate the superstitions and backwardness of the the Irish nation thus depriving the Irish of any possibility of Home Rule at that time.

Bridgit Cleary, the wife of a barrel maker was suspected by her friends and relatives of "conversing" with the fairies. Many of the rural people somewhat believed in spirits and thought that the fairies convened in a wood near the Cleary "residence". When Bridgit returns one night and does not look herself, they suspect she has been possessed by the fairies and is a changeling. Various herbs are tried in an attempt to "exorcise" Bridgit. When these fail the last resort is fire and Bridgit is held into the fireplace. She expires and all those present at the "exorcism" are put on trial. Indirectly, the Catholic Church is also "on trial" being held responsible for the superstitious nature of the Irish population. The whole experience becomes somewhat of an international news item propagated by the British for the aforementioned purpose. The group is found guilty and given various sentences. The most severe, ten years in prision, is placed on her husband

This book is a wonderful review of the Irish struggle for independence. Irish patriots and sympathetic British statesman are depicted. The harshness of the British during famines is also underlined. On the lighter site, several fanciful tales regarding the faries are related.

At the back of the book there is a very complete set of notes for anyone wishing to pursue topics in greater detail