A sequel to the pop-prolific author's The Proud and the Free (1994). Dailey's previous novel featured the forced march westward in 1838 by the highly civilized, politically sophisticated Cherokee Nation from Georgia to Oklahoma, and the wavering fortunes of two families through a peppering of feuds, feasts, faminesand romance. Now it's 1860, and the Gordon/Stuart families are rather comfortably settled; as before, they are owners of slavesone of whom will be a hero on his way to freedom. Here, the ``rugged and compelling'' Cherokee is Lije Stuart, a recent Harvard grad who meets again Diane Parmelee, daughter of an Army captain; as time passes, their passionate attraction is going to be tried, leashed, and unleashedright up to the last page. Lije is the son of those lovers of The Proud and the Free, Temple and ``The Blade,'' who also produced young Sorrell. Meantime, the Blade's sister Susannah is cutting the mustard with a ridin' Texas ranger, and their courting will punctuate the main actionthe Civil War and a boiling family feud that will lead to murder. Temple's brother Kipp and son, Alex, represent that sector of the Nation who blamed their leaders for selling out. Forced to choose sides, the ``neutral nation'' is divided in allegiances. Lije had seen his grandfather killed at the hands of assassins; now the Blade is in danger: ``My uncle [Kipp] would like to see my father dead. This war gives them license to kill...For many Cherokees [the] war...will become...an excuse to settle old scores.'' Throughout, there is the blast of open warfare in fields and plains, along with verbal birdshot and bombshells in the dining room. Finally, there's the inevitable interfamilial murder, betrayal (aided by innocent Sorrell), and lasting love. Dailey uses a real tributary of American history that she peoples with broadly noble (or despicable) chaps and ever-lovin' ladies. A reliable circulator.
Pub Date: Sept. 5, 1995
ISBN: 0-316-17205-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1995
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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