Don't tell me this scenario didn't happen in history! In fact, I've heard old Civil War songs about the men coming home and finding a strange baby in the house and they hadn't been home in years. So this was great to have it enacted and not to have to pity or imagine it! :)
Just a very interesting story played out well til the end.
A doctor, hard bitten from the War, finally arrives home after all these years and finds his wife has also just returned, with a strangers baby in her arms. The slaves have gone and his innocent sister has had to turn self sufficient.
Theres a lot the story plays on besides romance---yellow fever, war issues, that I was surprised and delighted to find in a romance. It kept me guessing until the end as to the resolution of the young lovers. And the ending is sad. But its unusual to find well written womens civil war stories. Besides Gone With the Wind itself, I recommend this and Ann McMillan's Civil War mysteries.

Dr. Dru Talbot has returned from the Civil War looking forward to the life he will lead with his "new" wife Sara. When he returns home he discovers he's in for the shock of his life. Sara is there, having just returned herself, but she's not alone. With her is her daughter, who is way to young to belong to Dru. Sara was lead to believe Dru was dead and being the naive, backwoods girl she was, fell under the spell of a Yankee soldier, who used her and left her with a baby. Sara returns to Kentucky and is an outcast by everyone except Dru's mentally disturbed sister, who takes her in. Can the damage done to this family be repaired??? Can mistakes be forgiven??? Can love conquer all???

This book was absolutely wonderful. It was so easy to read and had characters who seemed completely believable and sincere. I agree with the other reviewer that it is nice to read books about characters other than the ton and royalty. It is great to read about our country and the past it has with characters who are written to fit right in to the time period. The characters were well developed and the storyline seemed to be well thought out before the author started writing the book. If you love romances or books about America's history you will love Magnolia Creek.

Magnolia Creek was such a good read that I had the book finished in just two days! It was just too good to put down. I just love a book that leaves you wanting more after the last page and this book definitely does that. These characters seem so real that they become part of you and you miss them when you are finished.

This was my first Jill Marie Landis book and I guarantee it won't be my last! A great book to be read again and again.

I nearly went into shock in the aisle when I looked at this book and realized, lo and behold, it wasn't a Western romance nor, and this is the biggie, it wasn't set in England either.
Wow. No overdone "ton" and the hero wasn't a Duke! I wanted
to leap for joy. Are publishers finally beginning to realize there are readers, who would enjoy some variety after several
years of not being offered much?
Not only does the book have a interesting setting and time period but it is a great love story. I loved the hero and
the emotional pull of this story makes it a keeper. I think most romance readers will enjoy it, especially those who have
tired of the usual English/Western stuff.

This has to be one of my favorite Landis books. I have read Rose many times. It is about Italian Rose who goes west with her husband. She enbarks on an journey that is unforgetable. I really like it.

ROSE rates a five because of the ability of the author to tell an excellent story with excellent characters.

With the first surrender to hormones I will give a minus as the story lost its interest power and I couldn't wait to be done with the book.

Kase, as Analisa's 21 year old son did not come across as an exceptionally strong character. Not really weak but not as powerful as I was expecting. But then he is still young.

Rosa was fascinating, her strength of character, or stubborness helped meld her character into one of beauty and tolerance. That is until she put aside her upbringing to surrender to hormones and hop into bed with Kase. And why didn't she get pregnant? Especially after three or four tries?

I was glad to see Zach Elliot show up, as he proves to be a friend to Kase and Rosa. I thought sure he knew of the circumstances of Kase's birth. Just goes to show that secrets do tend to destroy.

Do not forget Quentin Rawlins of Mountain Shadows ranch, he was a friend of Caleb's and hired Kase and interested in Rosa, also concerned about the prejudice she would encounter if she considered marrying a "half-breed".

I was very disappointed to find out that Caleb and Analisa only had the one daughter. For shame M. Landis. This was a great couple and deserved better, family wise.

I thoroughly enjoyed these couples but will pass them onto another reader. Recommended --M Not to say that you should pass them up -- excellent read.

I loved this heroine and I loved this story. A lot of humor was in this book. If you are looking for a fun read this is it.

"Summer Love" is a decent compilation of stories by four established authors. All four manage the novella form well, with believable and appealing characters and good writing.

Janelle Taylor is the editor and featured writer in this compilation with her story "Straight from the Heart." As is often the case with these compilations, her story ends up the weakest. Kim is stranded in a mountain cabin with Stephen, to whom she is attracted. Unfortunately, Stephen's law firm represented her lying husband in her divorce and she still holds onto that resentment. Kim is a decent character, although she seems overly bitter towards Stephen. The hero Stephen is OK, but the story doesn't give much of a sense of him, and their "romance" isn't well-developed within the confines of the novella form. Still, it's a sweet little love story.

"Summer Fantasy" by Jill Marie Landis is one of the better stories in this group. The character of Kylee is especially strong, and the romance between the two is well-developed and believable. A good story with an ending I bought into.

Stella Cameron is a talented author, and the plot of "Early in the Morning" is an interesting one, as it involves aliens seeking humans as sex therapists. As always, Cameron handles her erotic scenes very well, and her writing is very distinctive. This story also works well in the novella format. I'm not sure I always bought into this story, but Cameron's work is always interesting if nothing else.

Anne Stuart's "Sultry" is a decent story. The characters were appealing and the romance believable. The story itself is nothing distinctive or special, but it's a decent addition to this compilation.

All in all, this is an enjoyable compilation, with good writing and charming characters. While some stories are weaker than others, Landis's strong contribution and Cameron's distinctive writing style give it an edge over other similar compilations.

This is my favorite story by her. She used Hawaiian words and described the setting so well it brought back great memories of my trips to Kauai. The characters were magic and I love the description of Rick Pau-he's my dream guy!

This was a good book. I was captivated with the story until around the last 50 pages, then it became tiresome to me, I didn't like how the story ended. Lane had said he wasn't able to settle down through the whole story but at the very end he changes his mind. None the less it was still a great book and I'm glad I read it.

Last Chance is truly my favorite Landis novel, to date. It's so difficult for me to find romance novels written about this era (late 1800's) that I enjoy, since I usually prefer a Civil War romance with a southern background (rather than Last Chance, Montana). Maybe it's because I could sometimes see a glimpse of Scarlett O'Hara in Rachel McKenna (once teacher, and now, widow), and of course, the notorious Lane Cassidy (gunslinger) could often resemble a Rhett, but I found myself oddly captivated by their story. Landis describes her story as one of "two people who learn to love and trust themselves and each other despite the odds and challenges life throws in their way." I agree, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book in a heartbeat.

This book has to be one of the best books that I have read in a long time, I absolutely loved it right until the end! It kept me captivated until I finished, I didn't put the book down once. The story was refreshing in a sense that it allowed innocence and trust to make you love the characters. I would recommend it to everyone!

I enjoy a quality romance novel as well as I do any other well-written, creative book with memorable characters. Unfortunately, Summer Moon does not totally fit my bill. It will, however, likely satisfy avid readers of formula mass-market romance paperbacks.

Kate Whittington, a prostitute's daughter raised in a Catholic orphanage in the late 1800s, answers a "wife wanted" ad and finds herself living in Texas with a landowner who may or may not actually be her husband. She is also charged with raising and taming the landowner's Comanche-raised son. Throw in sideplots involving a reforming prostitute, the landowner's best friend, and the town minister who falls in love with Kate and the book falls into a comfortable, predictable, formula romance.

While Landis obviously knows how to write (the plot moves smoothly from event to event and her structure is clear), creativity does not seem to be her strong suit here. All her characters are predictably gorgeous, ruggedly handsome, sexy, and/or heroically beautiful. The plot is as predictable as a hot Texas summer, replete with cowboys and indians.

Despite these negatives, Landis admirably limits the novel's most intimate moments to suggestively sexy scenes that stroke the libido without resorting to the graphic anatomical grossness so prevalent in today's romance books. And in the end, she deftly weaves her swooning prose into a predictable but romantic payoff that will please avid romance fans.

Kate has been brought up in an orphanage in Maine, and now finds herself in search of her purpose in life, as well as the family she never had. After answering an ad placed by a Texas rancher she decides to move to Texas and become his wife. There is a glitch in the works when she arrives and the man she has poured her heart out to in the many letters she has written doesn't even know of her existence. Add a wild young boy brought up by the Comanches and life takes an unexpected turn for our Kate. So begins her great adventure to finding true love, and the family she has always dreamed of. This was a great summer romance a light fun read, perfect for the beach. Kelsana 8/06/02

Summer Moon is the story of Kate Wittington, a woman who at the age of nine was dropped off at an orphanage by her prostitute mother. When Kate is twenty-nine the orphanage closes and she must decide what she's to do with her life. She answers an ad in the newspaper for a woman to be a mail-order bride. She takes a chance and answers the ad and is the lucky woman who is chosen to be the wife of Reed Benton. When she arrives in Texas she finds out the shocking truth. She married Reed Benton by proxy but he knows nothing of their marriage. It seems they were both tricked by Reed's father, Reed Benton Sr., a devious and scheming man who devised a plan to get his son back home to the Lone Star Ranch. When Reed Jr. returns to the ranch, wounded, and with his son who has been raised by the Commanche for the past six years he finds out he's married to Kate. Since he's wounded and can't care for his son he hires Kate on as his housekeeper and caregiver to his son Daniel.

This book was very entertaining and very easy to read. The characters were very life-like and well developed. Every character in the book has a purpose and they serve their purpose well. Ms. Landis seems to have thought out her character before she began writing. Even the secondary characters are well rounded. They all add to the story in their own way.

Summer Moon moves along at a steady pace. Again, the storyline seems to have been well thought out before the book was started. The author clearly had every scene planned out and this makes the book very enjoyable to read. The book doesn't seem choppy or hurriedly put together. It just seems like a well planned book about everyday characters on the Texas frontier.

Summer Moon is an excellent read. I was able to finish this book in just two days. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to find out what was going to happen but at the end didn't want the book to end. I felt like I personally knew the characters and could feel their emotions. Summer Moon is a great book and will make a great addition to any romance lover's or Western romance lover's library.

An utterly beautiful romance. The characters in this book had a tragic feel to them. It was a welcome change from the gushy arrogance of England-set historical novels. The exotic setting, the cultural and racial issues, the emotional complications between the two main characters, all blend together to make a beautiful book. Couldn't put it down!

I absolutely LOVE the way Jill writes. Mony, or whoever, you must have no heart or imagination not to fall in love with this book. I haven't finished reading it but I just think Mrs. Landis is a great author!

I loved Glass Beach. I thought it was compelling and I loved the setting! The characters were wonderful-especially Spence Laamea!

Landis' first book, Sunflower, is one of the most powerful romance novels I've ever read and has a permanent place on my keeper shelf. I keep hoping that she'll produce another masterpiece. "Just Once" isn't it.

This book is simply a little to predictible (or maybe I've read too many novels with this plot). A woman in distress is saved by a man who, in spite of himself, falls for her. She makes a fool of herself trying to be useful, which she's never been in her pampered life. Jemma and Hunter are likeable but hardly memorable.

Though it's not advertised as part of a trilogy, it appears that this is the second in a series of related books - Daydreamer would be the first and Blue Moon the third.

Oh, Wow! Just where is Hunter Boone?
Jemma was going to follow Hunter come hell or high water - she wasn't staying around to get caught.

Sister Agusta Aleria was right about everything. Once a girl has fallen into sin, she was doomed. A life of endless kissing and other things was about all Jemma ever thought of in her spare time. [grin]

Jemma spent time helping Hannah Boone with her children, Luther Junior - Callie - Timmy and little Sadie and learning the ways of the frontier. She develops into quite a woman.

Jemma captured Hunter's heart and led him a merry chase before his finally asks her to marry him.

His friend, Noah LeCroix does show up at his wedding even though not close. -- see Noah's story in Blue Moon.
THIS SET OF BOOKS IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and definitely keepers. You will enjoy reading them again.

I had been very much so looking forward to reading this book after reading "Blue Moon", unaware that it was the third in a series, already having started them out of order, I decided to go ahead and read "Just Once" before "Daydreamer". I did read through the 3 other reviews here of this book and must say I'm a bit disapointed in them personally.

I throughly enjoyed this book, Jemma was very enduring with her strong will, sensibility, and determination, it was quite interesting to see her pair up with Hunter, who, although the book doesn't describe him as such, came across to me as a rather shy man, quite taken with this girls vocal attitude and blunt requests.

As for a predicable plot? Well we all know that when we sit down to a romance novel how the end is going to be... that's the point of reading a romance novel, there are no broken hearts and unfulfilled dreams in the end. It's nice to excape to such a land every once in a while. It's how they come over their conflicts and the adventure inbetween that makes the story.

I myself loved this book and was very happy to visit Noah once again, and I'm almost happy that I had read "Blue Moon" before hand... knowing that he does have a happy ending despite his scarring accident in the end of "Just Once".

No question. This tale of love between two lost souls is very sweet. Olivia Bond feels unworthy of love because of the year she spent as Darcy Lankanal's sex toy. Reclusive Noah LaCroix feels unworthy of love because of his severe facial scars. When Noah rescues Olivia after she gets lost in the swamp while on the run from Darcy, they begin to care for each other. Wonderful idea, yet two things bothered me. First, two such appealing characters in a romance novel deserve far more in the way of a sexual pay-off. More should have been made of Noah's loss of virginity. The build-up in tension between Olivia and Noah was never given a decent outlet. Second, and more serious, the last part of the book spent way too much time on Darcy and a shaky attempt to clean up his image in preparation for a novel of his own. I'm sorry, Jill, but Darcy is no hero.

I read "Blue Moon" initially out of boredom. Someone had left it behind at our summer condo in New Jersey. I could not put the book down and read it late into the night until I couldn't even see the words on the pages anymore because I was so tired. The story of Olivia Bond and Noah LeCroix is one of genuine love. Jill Marie Landis did a wonderful job researching Illinois' wildlife and history. If you are looking for a love story that will make you feel good inside after you read it, look no further. Also, If you are a fan of Jill Marie Landis, this book is the sequel to "Just Once."

More than 5 stars, in fact. This my first Jill Marie Landis book I read and it is not my last. Blue Moon is a fabulous read. This is a very beautiful love story of two emotionally tortured people who at first believe that they are not worth of love but gradually feel the true love from one another as they fall in love. The hero, Noah LeCroix, one-eye, scarred half-breed is the hero of my favorite type - physically and emotionally scarred. Noah belives that he is not worth of being love because of his scars. The heroine, Olivia Bond, believes that she is worthless because of her being exclusive whore of Darcy Lankanal, a whorehouse owner in New Orleans. She is a real heroine who can forgive every unforgivable crime others did to her in the past. You will savor the romantic love story between the two while get excited by thrilling intrigues as dangers approach them.
If scarred-hero theme is your favorite, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.

When I chose to read this book! So very disappointed in Jill Marie Landis!

Trevor Mandeville has gone to the deepest jungles of Africa to seek out renowned Orchid hunter and recluse, Dustin Penn. What Trevor gets is a shock! Dustin's adopted daughter, beautiful and uninhibited Joya Penn is a dead ringer for Trevor's adopted sister, Janelle Mandeville. Discovering they were twins separated at birth, Trevor is persuaded by both Janelle and Joya to bring Joya back with them to England, but is polite society ready for the free spirited Joya? The mutual attraction that is growing between Trevor and Joya is a very big complication in this already mixed up and twisted family. To act upon it would only add to an already crazy situation, which of course these two do!

To say the least I was not a happy camper reading this book. A huge fan of Jill Marie Landis, I went on that leap of faith alone, and had a huge let down. Plus the weird family relations were kind of getting to me. It turned my stomach, that Trevor would be so attracted to his sister's identical twin???? Don't waste your time on this one.

I've read and loved every one of Landis's books, but this one is the worst. It's slow-moving, downright boring in parts, and sometimes unbelievable. I don't like weak heroines, and this one is a gullible twit. I couldn't even finish this book.... the last seven chapters were only skimmed. The only thing that kept me from abandoning it altogether was the fact that I can't stand leaving a book unfinished.

I could barely put this book down! It's most definitely one of my most favorite stories! Jill Marie Landis is my favorite historical romance writer and she did not disappoint me at all with "The Orchid Hunter", which as she wrote in the back of the book, is "a story that will make you laugh and cry", which it did. Not many books can make me cry but parts of this one did! Ms. Landis made me feel everything that the main characters (Janelle, Joya and Trevor) were feeling. This book had everything---adventure, mystery and romance. And unlike some of the romance novels I've read, this one truly showed the love that grew between Joya and Trevor. The characters had life, nothing was terribly unrealistic, and this very well-written story was never boring for me. I loved everything about this book. High up on my recommended list!

Having never given a book a one-star rating, I paused before doing so - but not for very long. I thought that if I could find any redeeming value in the book, I could at least give it two stars. My aunt had recommended this author, so I was eager to try one of her books. Must have picked up the wrong one. The story is about Dake, a native of Alabama, who fights for the Union during the war and then begins back home for the south after the war is over. On the way, he finds the bodies of three people who were ambushed on a Kansas trail. One of the victims is a white southern lady who is relieved because someone is there to save her newborn baby boy. She tells him who she is and where she is from - Alabama. After the woman dies, Dake gathers up a quilt and the woman's bracelet so he'll have proof of the baby's identity. He now is left with the arduous task of caring for a newborn and vows to return him to his family in Alabama. Dake travels to the nearest cabin and ends up hiring its occupant, Cara, to travel with him to Alabama and take care of the baby. With this premise, the story had a lot of promise. But as soon as they arrive back in the south it becomes predictible and often insulting - the southerners are mean, evil and immoral and in need of Yanks to save them. I struggled through the book hoping that I would find some of the excitement I had felt when I first began the book. The characters never had a "spark" and a lot of the plot seemed contrived.

The story is outlined in depth by another reader and it's a good plot/story line actually. My problem is that I really liked the second half of the book when the plot thickened and characters became real but I hated the first half. The "heroine" starts off as a real turn off with her backwoodsy, live in a cave, dirty feet, etc...unreality. By the middle of the book she gets cleaned up some and becomes more appealing. I liked the hero from the beginning so I stayed with it until it got better but I wouldn't read it a second time.

Dake Reed and Cara James become well rounded characters and develope well with their efforts to save the baby, Clay.

Now, be realistic and admit that there were good and bad on both sides, not north and south, just humans and their failings.

Minna certainly gets what she deserves. The little schemer.
Inez knew more than most and especially about little Clay's parentage and why his grandmother would lay not claim to him.

Riverglen draws Dake back and is the background to much schemeing and discord --

Definitely recommended -- You will really like it.