Rating: 
Summary: True Blue
Review: I started out skeptical when reading this book. I was given it by another and was not interested in it. The beginning seemed slow and melancholy. As soon as Rice started describing the water though I was hooked. The story does grow through the pages but, Rumer (one of the main characters) seems to take a step backward too often. Although for the story it is critical for Rumer to doubt, her heart is just not convincing enough for there to be this disagreement. Elizabeth the older sister adds to this story handing a much needed twist to the story. The story was good enough to finish just not catching enough at the start.
Rating: 
Summary: Be Ready to Suspend Your Disbelief
Review: If you've read the book description and reader reviews, you already know the basic plot of the story: boy (Zeb) loves girl (Rumer), girl loses boy to sister (Elizabeth), girl and boy rediscover each other, even though boy has a troubled 15 year old son (Michael) with girl's sister who is his ex-wife. I'm sorry but I just couldn't get past the many requirements for me to suspend my disbelief to really enjoy this book. If you grew up in a halfway normal family, you may have the same issue.First, you have to believe that Rumer and Zeb would entertain the thought of getting back together after Zeb's divorce to Rumer's sister, Elizabeth. Next you have to believe that the girls' father would welcome the man who destroyed the sisters' relationship back to town with an open invitation to go after Rumer. Is is just my dad who would have greeted him with a shotgun? Then you have to believe that Rumer hasn't met any other eligible men worthy of her love in all the years that her sister was married to Zeb. You also must believe that even though Rumer's and Zeb's love was so strong that it could overcome the quasi-incestuous (queasy incestuous for me) implications of the plot, it wasn't strong enough to overcome the flimsy obstacle that Elizabeth concocted to break them up in the first place. I won't give it away, but it is a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with a phone call. Since Rumer and Zeb are next door neighbors, they could just have easily have discussed the issue in person. Finally, you have to believe that even though Elizabeth is a famous and talented actress, she is also a borderline psychotic sociopath (okay, maybe that's not such a stretch). I've deducted a star from the rating because I would expect to see this family on the Jerry Springer show, not in the pages of a sweet contemporary romance. Maybe it's just my six sisters and I who look at each other's husbands and boyfriends as brothers, with all the social boundaries that the relationship implies. I think Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen sang it best: "Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister, and Lord help the sister that comes between me and my man!"
Rating: 
Summary: Once Upon a Time at Hubbard's Point, Conn.
Review: In her newest book, True Blue, Luanne Rice once again returns to the scene of two of her earlier books set at Hubbard's Point, Conn. As she did in Firefly Beach and Safe Harbor, this author fills the pages of True Blue with an emotional and ultimately rewarding journey. Rumer Larkin and Zeb Mayhew were always the typical boy and girl next door. They filled their days with school, paper routes and meetings at the town diner where they carved their initials into an oak table and left notes for one another in a desk drawer, a tradition at the diner. Their nights were spent on the roof of the Mayhew house where they star gazed and tested their knowledge about the heavens above. As the years went by they become closer and closer but during college their relationship changed forever and Zeb moved far away while Rumer returned to Hubbard's Point after her education was completed. Now, Zeb a well-known astronaut, is returning home in order to spend the summer at Hubbards point. A crucial event in Zeb's life finds him re-evaluating the past twenty years since he's seen Rumer and he;s beginning to realize that Rumer may be the only true blue woman in his life. Traveling along with Zeb is his rebellious 17 year-old son who has suddenly dropped out of high school. And as we realize from almost the first page, Zeb's former wife and his son's mother is none other than Rumer's older sister Elizabeth. Rumer, now a veterinarian, is content with her life. Caring for animals and a
well-respected member of the town, she finally feels as though she has put to rest any feelings she may have once had for Zeb. But has she really put her feelings aside? And can Rumer ever forgive her sister who is now a famous actress and the mother of her only nephew? And what happens when Zeb's former home is to be torn down by the new owners forever changing the landscape of Hubbard's Point?. From the first page to the last, I was entranced by the life and people of Hubbard's Point. Besides Rumer, Zeb and Elizabeth, we meet the women of the Point who have lived there forever and are known as les Dames de la Roches and reminded me of the women from Colony by Anne Rivers Siddons. We also become familiar with Quinn, Rumer's orphaned young teen-age friend who becomes a good friend of Michaels as they both help each other to become happy. And we also become acquainted with Sixtus, Rumer's father, a man more prone to sailing the seas rather than staying at home who wishes true love for both of his daughters. I loved all of these characters, but most of all really enjoyed reading as the plot evolved and Rumer and Zeb consider taking a second chance at love. As a loyal reader of Luanne Rice's books for sometime, she never fails to offer me a wonderful and entertaining title. Not only does she describe family relationships beautifully, but strongly tugs at my heart and I suspect many other readers as well. True Blue is certainly no exception and I strongly recommend this book to those readers who enjoy an emotionally charged book. title.
Rating: 
Summary: strong relationship drama
Review: In Hubbard's Point, Zebulon Mayhew and Rumer Larkin became best friends when they were five, as they divided the universe between them with he gaining the heavens and she attaining the earth. They remained best friends until they were fifteen when her older sister Elizabeth caught Zeb's attention and not just with his peaking through the blinds. Eventually Zeb and Elizabeth marry, move away, have a child, but ultimately divorce as he goes NASA and she goes Hollywood. A hardened (at least towards humans) Rumer becomes a veterinarian vowing to never give her heart away again. Two decades later Zeb comes home to New England accompanied by his seventeen-year-old son. When Zeb sees Rumer at a wedding, he knows what he lost though he also believes Michael was worth the price. He wants Rumer permanently in his life, but must compete with her boyfriend and the specter of his former wife as he realizes he married the wrong sister. Luanne Rice is always a TRUE BLUE dependable author who consistently provides powerful gut wrenching contemporary romances that grips the audience because the characters seem like you and me. The story line of TRUE BLUE uses flashbacks to depict the childhood relationships between mostly Zeb and Rumer, but also separately between the lead protagonists and Elizabeth. Though Elizabeth appears too childishly contemptible to be considered even as a rival, fans of relationship dramas will relish Ms. Rice's strong novel. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: True Blue is one in a million
Review: Luanne Rice is a terrific author. The way that she captured Rumer's passion for Zeb,and Zeb's passion for Rumer was tremendous. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book filled with love,passion and forgiveness.
Rating:
Summary: Sequal to "Safe Harbor"
Review: This story is really a continuation of Luanne Rice's "Safe Harbor" as the character of teenage Quinn Grayson reappears and has a romance with entirely new characters. You might be lost if you hadn't read "Safe Harbor". The last 7 of Luanne Rice's novels have taken place in the seaside Connecticut town of "Hubbard's Point" with some of the same characters reappearing, but never to the extent that "Quinn" does, here, in "True Blue". I'm giving it 3 stars because I thought the novel was a little too melancholy and lacked urgency in the plot twists, what little there are. Still there is lots of imaginative ocean and seaside writing as Quinn goes through her daily, lobstering, crabbing, oystering, etc... along the shoreline. The main character of Rumor Larkin is interesting because she is a veterinarian who is attracted to an astronaut, Zebulon Mayhew----where does Luanne Rice get these names? Anyway, both Rumor and Zeb were next door neighbors who'd sit out on the roof of his home when they were kids, as astronaut, Zeb, would watch the stars. Rumor was land, and Zeb was sky. So corny and goofy-romantic. But is this enough to make a plot? It's certainly enough to make for evocative and poignant writing, which is a Luanne Rice staple, which is why I'm a dedicated fan of her novels, no matter how much they lack page-turning suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Sequal to "Safe Harbor"
Review: This story is really a continuation of Luanne Rice's "Safe Harbor" as the character of teenage Quinn Grayson reappears and has a romance with entirely new characters. You might be lost if you hadn't read "Safe Harbor". The last 7 of Luanne Rice's novels have taken place in the seaside Connecticut town of "Hubbard's Point" with some of the same characters reappearing, but never to the extent that "Quinn" does, here, in "True Blue". I'm giving it 3 stars because I thought the novel was a little too melancholy and lacked urgency in the plot twists, what little there are. Still there is lots of imaginative ocean and seaside writing as Quinn goes through her daily, lobstering, crabbing, oystering, etc... along the shoreline. The main character of Rumor Larkin is interesting because she is a veterinarian who is attracted to an astronaut, Zebulon Mayhew----where does Luanne Rice get these names? Anyway, both Rumor and Zeb were next door neighbors who'd sit out on the roof of his home when they were kids, as astronaut, Zeb, would watch the stars. Rumor was land, and Zeb was sky. So corny and goofy-romantic. But is this enough to make a plot? It's certainly enough to make for evocative and poignant writing, which is a Luanne Rice staple, which is why I'm a dedicated fan of her novels, no matter how much they lack page-turning suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story of friendship and love.
Review: This was the first Luanne Rice book that I have ever read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story of Zeb and Rumer is amazing, and it brought tears to my eyes on just about every page. I also enjoyed how there were three stories interwoven into one book: Zeb and Rumer, Quinn and Michael, and Sixtus. Zeb and Rumer were childhood best friends, and were on the point of falling in love when Rumer's older sister ruined it. She married Zeb and created a big rift in the family. This story takes place after the divorce of Zeb and Elizabeth, when Zeb and his 17 year old son Michael return to Hubbard's Point. The love between Rumer and Zeb is so alive in this book, it leaps off the pages. I am hoping that Quinn and Michael will get their own book, as their story was just as intriguing. Sixtus's (Rumer and Elizabeth's father) journey was also interesting, though not as great as the rest of the story. I now have to go read about Dana and Sam, Quinn's aunt, who had their own story. If you like a good old fashioned romance, where boy meets girl and they fall in love, this is the story. It was wonderful, and I am looking forward to reading more of Luanne Rice's novels.
Rating:
Summary: "A" for Romance
Review: This wasn't my most favorite Luanne Rice book, but it was one of the most romantic! Overall I liked the story and characters. I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book, the plot was getting really good.
Rating:
Summary: True Blue for Me...
Review: TRUE BLUE is a novel which is well-written and thoughtful, and, for the most part, characteristically disappointing. Although I found myself dripping a few tears for the lead character, Rumer, I wasn't sure if it was because of the way her sister and childhood best friend/young adulthood boy friend, Zeb, pillaged her heart or the extremely cowardly way she handled the whole situation. During their college years, a note from Zeb was left for Rumer to meet him at the Indian Grave to consummate their relationship. Rumer didn't get the note because her sister hid the note. Zeb, who "loves" Rumer, didn't believe she never got it; he believes she is just afraid to make love to him and just won't tell him. Now, this is the woman whose heart was connected to his "by a golden thread," yet he won't believe she didn't get the note. (Huh?) So instead of confronting her, he sleeps with her beautiful sister because she will put out. Eventually they marry and divorce in ten years. Twenty years later, he comes back home because he finally realizes Rumer is one he truly loves. Does Rumer ever rage at him for the way he tossed their love away because he didn't believe her when she explained about the note? Does she rage at him for going to her sister because she is beautiful and generous with her body? Does she rage at him because he destroyed an incredible relationship they had since they were kids? No, no, and no; she never does. At the end of the book, she FINALLY rages at her sister because she stole Zeb. But with Zeb, she just accepts the way he killed their relationship over a disputed note that could have been settled by talking about it; the way the book implies they talked about everything the throughout the time they were growing up. I can honestly say if Rumer had been a woman who fights for what is hers...as most women would have done...I would have really loved TRUE BLUE. The wimpy way she handled the situation sadly robbed the book of its true emotion and true intelligence. Also, although the book was well-written, I started to become distracted by the number of colons that appeared on a given page; there seemed to be more than on a busy day at the proctologist.
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