Roberts is the perfect perpetual-romance machine. She churns out an almost inhuman number each year; she meets an annual March deadline for her hardcovers (this one even has the same number of pages as last year's bestselling Montana Sky). And each is lively, sexy, and well researched. Her latest concerns three siblings (the Hathaways) who find lovers and strained relationships while a homicidal madman is threatening their safety. The three live in a beautiful white gothic on the Georgia Sea Island of Lost Desire, which they've turned into an inn. Brian, the eldest—tall, cute, and morose—runs the establishment and is chef of its five-star kitchen. (His father Sam can't understand how a man can enjoy creating a perfect meringue and still prefer women for sex.) Brian fights halfheartedly against the amorous advances of Kirby, the pretty Yankee doctor who runs the island's clinic; the two eventually end up locked in an embrace against her refrigerator door. Meanwhile, the youngest sib, Alexa Hathaway—sexy Lexy, the island princess with the gypsy hair—has failed at acting in New York and come home to waitress and throw a few tantrums. She fights halfheartedly against the honorable intentions of childhood buddy Gift Verdon, who's good with his hands and doesn't let her get away with much. Finally, there is Jo Ellen, a world-famous photographer who's returned to Desire after a nervous breakdown and is fighting a losing battle against empathic architect Nathan Delaney. Twenty years earlier, the Hathaways' mother, Annabelle, had disappeared, abandoning her family—or so it seemed. Now someone is stalking the family, having even sent Jo Ellen a picture of her mother, dead and naked. As usual, the romance is better than the weird violence. There's not much suspense here, but it's good to see that heroines are becoming gutsier and heroes better in the kitchen.
Pub Date: March 17, 1997
ISBN: 0-399-14240-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
The heartfelt soap appears to be Hannah’s chosen romance niche, and she mines it skillfully. (First printing of 125,000)
Hannah’s sequel to On Mystic Lake (1999) is yet another tear-jerker set in northwest Washington State.
Perfect mother Mikaela (“Mike”) Campbell takes a hard fall off a horse, hits her head, and sinks into a coma. In order to help bring her out of it, perfect husband-doctor Liam sits at her bedside and begins to talk to her about their life together. He brings her favorite music, scented potpourri, and, to place across her inert body, sweaters that may smell like home. He also tries to keep life as normal as possible for their two kids: Bret, nine years old, and Jacey, Mike’s teenaged daughter by her previous husband. Going through Mike’s closet to find a prom dress for Jacey, Liam stumbles on souvenirs of her first marriage and a picture of her ex—not just any old, anonymous first husband, but Julian True, a gorgeous superstar actor, the hero of women’s fantasies all over America. Liam has always known that he got Mikaela on the rebound; she was honest about the fact that he was not the love of her life. But she is the love of his life, and when she doesn't respond to the sound of his voice, he contacts Julian in hopes that the actor can save Mikaela. Julian travels up to Last Bend, a cutesy town founded by Liam’s larger-than-life father and filled with homey shops like the Emperor’s New Clothes store and Zeke’s Feed and Seed. When Mike finally comes out of unconsciousness and into her family’s emotional upheaval, she apologizes to Liam and bids goodbye to Julian. Yes, she’s discovered that it’s that gentle guy who stays with you through years of cramps and decorating the Christmas tree who defines what love really is.
The heartfelt soap appears to be Hannah’s chosen romance niche, and she mines it skillfully. (First printing of 125,000)Pub Date: April 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-609-60592-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
Another heartwarming seasonal Macomber tale, which fans will find as bright and cozy as a blazing fire on Christmas Eve.
Friendly Julia Padden can’t stand her grumpy neighbor, Cain Maddox, but when her best friend goads her to kill him with kindness for the Christmas season, both their lives begin to change for the better—until he discovers she’s chronicling the experiment on a blog.
Julia’s life isn’t perfect, but she has a job at Macy’s that pays her bills while she’s looking for a marketing position. She also volunteers at her church and at the Boys and Girls Club, which helps her stay in the holiday mood even when she can’t get back to visit her family because of her hectic retail schedule. She tries hard to keep a positive attitude, so perhaps that’s why her neighbor across the hall in her apartment building is so vexing. He seems to go out of his way to be unpleasant. But when she’s complaining about the man, her best friend challenges her to be even kinder, in the true spirit of the season—and encourages her to use the experience as blog fodder, since Julia is in the running for a corporate social media position and her success depends on her ability to create a successful audience. So she begins, 12 days before Christmas, but as the days pass, she discovers that her kind acts have softened not only Cain’s demeanor, but her heart as well—and created a huge blog following. The two become friends, and Julia learns how painful Cain’s life has been and exactly why he keeps himself at arm’s length. Just when it looks like they’ll be hanging stockings together, Cain discovers Julia’s blog—which pushes every abandonment and trust button he has. Time is running out, but Julia knows that a job and a blog are nothing compared to the forever happiness just beyond their grasp, and making it right will be the best Christmas gift ever, if she can just figure out how.
Another heartwarming seasonal Macomber tale, which fans will find as bright and cozy as a blazing fire on Christmas Eve.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-39173-2
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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