The Present

Rating:
Summary: Johanna is so great and the Mallory's are my favorite
Review: I was so excited to see a new book by Johanna Lindsey that it didn't matter the story but seeing the Mallory's again got me so beyond excited. Well although this one wasn't as heart stopping as the others I do see as a nice intro to the story of Jeremy. I hope Ms Lindsey continues with the Mallory's and then to the Andersons. I figured since she added their family tree she intends to fill it in as well. My only disappointment is that she doesn't write as fast as I read.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice story about the Malory ancestors
Review: This book was a nice quick read. I enjoyed the update on the Malory family( who had children, etc.)However, the story did lack the depth of Christopher's pursuit of Anna. It all seemed to come too easily. I have enjoyed all the Malory novels especially "The Magic of You" and "Say you Love Me". I hope their will be one for Jeremy and some of the children--such as Tony's daughters.

Rating:
Summary: worst book i ever read! it made no sense at all.
Review: i have to say that i am very disappointed in ms. lindsey. i've been a fan of hers for a lot of years now. and of all her books this has to be the worst. the present: a mallory holiday novel, in my opinion was a huge waist of time and anticipation.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best Malory book I've read, but a necessary one
Review: I read this book in one sitting last night. It's only 192 pages and a lot of that is the ever-lengthening recaps that we Malory fans have to endure as the family gets bigger. Since the last installment (Derek and Kelsey's story), the Malorys have been procreating like mad and are meeting at Haverston for the holidays. The plot in this one revolves around the first Marquis of Haverston and his (gasp!) Gypsy wife. Of course, it's a flashback, but not a bad one, although the story is not well-developed. The story of the first Marquis has its effects on Jason and Molly the Maid, as well as James and Georgianna, who are in the midst of a totally unconvincing spat. I like the Malorys, I really do, but as the family gets bigger and bigger the repeating of the pertinent facts (presumably for those who have never picked up a Malory novel) gets more and more tedious. Read this one because you have to.

Rating:
Summary: Lindsey's The Present a Gift to her Malory Fans
Review: The Malory and Anderson families have gathered for Christmas and a mysterious gift appears that reveals family secrets and chaznges lives of the present day Malory's. Family trees for the Malory's and the Anderson's are a treat. Johanna spends quite a bit of time bringing the reader up to speed on the various Malory's/ I think this book would appeal more to a current fan rather than a new reader.

Rating:
Summary: great way to spend an afternoon,but not her best
Review: As a Malory story "The Present" isn't up to the standards of Lindsey's other novels. The lustful interplay between characters, the passion and the general verbal and sexual zip are missing. Instead this chapter in the Malory story is rather tame. The flash back to an ancestor is a rather dull means of story telling. From an author of Johanna Lindsey's talent her readers expect more. The interaction between known characters is left for the first and last chapters. The story of Jason and Molly deserved more passion. Hopefully in the future Jeremy Malory will bring back the fire and passion we have come to admire in the Malory chronicles. Then again there is always the Anderson side of the family to delve into. This Malory tale was a great way to pass a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea, seated in the sun room on a fall afternoon. Perhaps the next installment will warrent a robust red wine and a less placid atmosphere.

Rating:
Summary: This book was a BIG let down!
Review: I love all the Malory books and I had high hopes for this book but they were not fufilled. This book is set six years after the last book in the Malory series so there are alot of new children, lucky for the reader, Johanna Lindsey provides the reader with a family tree. The present turns out to be an old journal that appears at Christmas , the family reads it and learns about their past. Ms. Lindsey talks about the old clan in this book but there are no new loves added in the book, so sorry for all of you people who thought this would be a book about Jeremy. Jeremy is now 25 but is still unattached. This book is not centered anyone in the family that we know, it is about past Malorys, which is all fine and dandy but there are so many living Malory's she could have used to create a story and she didn't. Also, I thought it was stupid to make Georgina mad at James because she thought he was going to flip out because she is pregnant. He flipped out when she had twins and she was afraid of a repeat performance. The the only thing good about this book is that Jason finally gets Molly to marry him. My recommendation is to wait until is comes out if paperback if you want to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting,suspenseful,wonderful and full of love
Review: I enjoy all of the Malory series and hope to see more of them. The part in the book of the girls going to Knighton Hall and the language they heard was so like a moment when my son heard something and repeated it. Ms. Lindsey is a wonnderful story writer and keeps her books full of action, love, humor and suspense. I recommend all her books to anyone that likes a good love story. Well done Johanna!!!!!! Trisha

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for what it is...
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this shorter, sweet novel that renews fans with their favorite family, the Malory's. If you loved the different characters from the various books and want to see a slice of their holiday lives and see how they are "doing"-then I think you'll enjoy this. I also found the story of the romance of Anna and Christopher Malory very sweet and charming-and is a nice lil way to "tie up" loose ends, explaining why some Malory's are a bit adventuresome and gifted, and leading into a much anticipated union for two of the older, beloved characters.

If you are looking for a full length, sensual romance focusing on two main characters, then your looking at the wrong book. But if you want a endearing, uplifting story to read this holiday season I'd recommend this book. It's like having old friends stop by to visit and you'll finish the book with a smile on your face:)

Rating:
Summary: Christmas with the Malorys . . .
Review: It's the Christmas season at Haverston and the Malorys and their extended family are gathering to bring in the holidays together. In the midst of the usual family squabbles, a beautiful and intriguing package arrives -- but no one seems to know where it came from.

Inside the package is the account of the second Marquis, Christopher Malory, and his half-gypsy, half-Russian wife, Anastasia. As any long-time reader of the Malory series knows, it's often been reputed there was a gypsy in the Malory family past and Ms. Lindsey's _The Present_ is the final confirmation of the rumor.

In my opinion the two plots of this book could have been better handled as two separate books. The first plot, the well-known Malorys meeting for a Christmas reunion, with a bit of romance between Jason and his housekeeper thrown in, would have done well for a book this length. However, the second plot, the story of Christopher and Anastasia, while intriguing, was not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked. I realize _The Present_ was only meant to be a novella and was only intended to hold Malory fans over until the next full installment, but I feel this story would have been better utilized as a full-fledged prequel. With so many things going on, so many characters to deal with and so many plots and sub-plots, there was entirely too much information to be squeezed into such a small book. Many aspects that usually make up a Lindsey book were skimmed over and more often than not left out completely. By the end of the book I felt cheated in many respects.

Don't get me wrong, while _The Present_ is not quite on par with previous books in the series, it was still a pleasant way to spend an evening. I really enjoyed catching up with all of my favorite characters and getting a glimpse into the future with the new generation of Malory children. I just wish I'd had more time with the Malory ancestors.

Until recently this was the last book of the Malory family annals. Thankfully, since the last time I read this amazing series, Ms. Lindsey has extended it to include Jeremy's story (_A Loving Scoundrel_, currently only available in hardback). As a fan of all the characters introduced in these outstanding books, I fervently hope Ms. Lindsey has plans to continue the saga. There are so many characters (namely the Anderson brothers) who would benefit from stories of their own. Until such time as she decides to give us what we all want, though, I will continue to revisit the current Malory books -- I never tire of this amazing family.