Rating: Summary: Dissapointing and Confusing Review: I am a HUGE Kathleen Woodiwiss fan and was eagerly awaiting the release of this book. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high, but I was not overly impressed with The Reluctant Suitor. I thought the romance between Colton and Adrianna lacked depth and seemed to come about too quickly. Also, in past books, Ms. Woodiwiss has had strong heroines, but I just did not see this in Adrianna-she was a likable heroine, I suppose, but she also seemed to be a bit shallow(maybe this isn't exactly the right word, but close enough). My feelings for Adrianna were not helped by the other characters constantly extolling her virtues- I think her virtues should be obvious, but constantly repeating them seems too forced. Beyond some character flaws, the story just seemed so confusing. I was able to follow it most of the time, but it seemed as if way too much was going on and this detracted from the central story of Adrianna and Colton. If you've never read Woodiwiss before, do NOT start with the Reluctant Suitor, but instead, read one of her classics like Shanna or Ashes in the Wind.
Rating: Summary: What the heck is this? Review: I am 10 pages into the book. If this author isn't kidding, this is one of the worst books I have ever attempted to read! The prose is ludicrous, and if she mentions eyebrows one more time I'm going to scream. I am a fan of historical fiction, such as those written by Norah Lofts. This is just drivel......
Rating: Summary: The Reluctant Suitor, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss Review: I just happened to intercept this book up as the Librarian was returning new books to their proper places. I knew nothing of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, but the historical romance thing got to me and I figured, what the heck...I'll give it a whirl. This is not a cheap dime store paperback romance that you can pick up and read in 2 hours at the beach. What a rich and delicous treat. I would recommend it to any reader who's in it for the long haul. This is one book that I wished could just go on and on and on. I will return to library and read whatever else Ms. Woodiwiss has written. My review? Excellent.
Rating: Summary: With this one, I am giving up :-( Review: Much like what has happened with Johanna Lindsay, alas. Very hard to believe that the same author who gave us the absolutely wonderful Flame and the Flower and The Wolf and the Dove is the same person who has written such unreadable books for the last decade or so. Even harder to think that this latest one is her hard cover debut. Get it from the library if you insist on still giving her work a chance.
Rating: Summary: Boring and Confusing Review: Actually I didn't want to read this book but I had to review it for a German publisher and I hated every minute I had to spend on "The Reluctant Suitor". It's such a confusing and badly written story. Don't get me wrong, I really loved Kathleen E. Woodiwiss earlier books but her downfall came with this two strange short stories and the book "A Season Beyond a Kiss". This new book is simply not worth the hardcover price and the effort you have to put in it for reading!
Rating: Summary: The Reluctant Reader Review: I was surprised and pleased to see this book on a store shelf recently, and grabbed it immediately, having just re-read, for the nth time, my three most favorite romance novels of all time, "The Flame and the Flower", "The Wolf and the Dove" and the best of the three, "Shanna". I have also read Ms. Woodiwiss's other books and although they can't compare to those first three, they were all enjoyable to read. After the first few pages I wondered what had happened to the wonderful story telling that in the past would reel me in with the first few pages. This book is not just wordy, it is downright tedious and I had serious doubts about being able to continue. Trying to find some redeeming value in the main characters, I decided to flip ahead a little, hoping to give myself some incentive to continue. Unfortunately, there was nothing to endear me to these characters, and the sex scenes, handled so well in previous books, were simply laughable. "I have a horn but no saddle"? Puleease! I'll stick with re-reading her first three when I need a "romance novel fix".
Rating: Summary: Not worth my time Review: I absolutely love a good romance. I will even suffer through slow starts in the hopes that a book will improve. I put this book down and returned to it FOUR times, each time hoping that I would not get lost in the scenes that went on and on, FOREVER. Sadly, it was not to be. I didn't make it past page 100, nor will I attempt to do so again. My complaints? The prose that was stilted, the lack of character development, and the almost immediate fixation that Colton had for Adrianna's beauty and NOTHING else. My biggest complaint? There were a thousand and one references in those first 100 pages back to the when Colton knew Adrianna before he took off. The continuous references to the type person she was and her feelings for Colton and how his rejection affected her was simply ridiculous. She was SIX years old!!!!! True, there were hints at the person she would become, but not nearly to the extent that Ms. Woodiwiss dwells on this. It was tedious and very unbelievable.
Rating: Summary: Is this the same author that wrote Shana??? Review: I normally read a book in a couple of days... this one took me almost a week. I kept reading and hoping it would get better but it kept getting worse. I dare say it is the worst book I've read. The ploy... very dull, not to mention the characters. I have a hard time believing this is same author that wrote so many wonderful books! What a dissapointment!!!
Rating: Summary: What a huge disappointment Review: This is the first Kathleen Woodiwiss book I've read in about 20 years. I loved her earlier books so, I was looking forward to reading this one. What a huge disappointment. The main characters were very silly, the villian was every bad cliche ever written, the plot was all over the place... I kept reading it hoping it would get better. Don't waste your time or money - this is not the Kathleen Woodiwiss of earlier days.
Rating: Summary: Waste of time and money Review: This was one of the worst books I have read in a long time. I kept thinking it had to get better, finally I gave up.
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