Rating: 
Summary: Remember Summer THE BEST
Review: Of all the many Elizabeth Lowell books I have read, this is my all time favorite. The love story between Cord and Raine touches deep inside your heart. The description of the Olympic Event makes you want to jump on a horse and start riding. I have read this book about 20 times and will probably read it about 20 more.
Rating: 
Summary: Not vey good.. repetitive storyline.
Review: OK. Here goes. I have read alot of Elizabeth Lowell's books and have enjoyed many of them. However, I was disappointed with this book. Why? Because as you read more and more of her contemporary novels, the storyline gets REPETITIVE! That is why this book annoyed me, it was boring. Now, don't get me wrong, if you're a first time reader of Elizabeth Lowell than you might enjoy this book. But if you're a loyal fan of EL's than this book will be a disappointment. At least it was to me. In my opinion Lowell should return to writing historicals, which included some of her best works. I'm sorry, but am I the only one who has had the same thoughts?
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Lowell
Review: Since I first stumbled across Elizabeth Lowell's writing, I have found myself increasingly in awe of her abilities as a writer. From Autumn Lover to Midnight in Ruby Bayou, her wide-range of topics and diverse styles are usually fairly dynamic or at least a little original. In Summer, though, several patterns typical to Lowell begin to take concrete form: all of her male characters are disillusioned, and frequently cruel in their state of disillusionment. Her females, however, vary between complete naivity and a somewhat cynical approach to life, which provides a slight amount of varity in even her most basic and frequently used plots. I found Remember Summer to be an interesting, if slightly by-rote novel. Again, Lowell clearly knows a lot about her topic, but does not confuse the basic emotional message of the story with excess, unnecessary details which the reader has no use for. Her characters are human, with certain faults and personal pluses. (although these minor variations are also becoming old) Among the patterns mentioned above is the repititon of 'mysterious, government agent-man' as a form of work or a typical hobby. Cord Elliot/Robert Johnstone shows a depressing similarity to this kind of character is, as such, tedious. Also, I found Raine's early insecurity about her prowess as a lover aggraviating, and felt that perhaps her fixation with her father and Cord's job annoying to read: While I accept that a child raised in these familial conditions might have problems dealing with a husband or lover that shares that form of career, I felt that Lowell over-emphaised that aspect of their relationship in order to build tension- and failed in her objective. Also, the danger from Barracuda should have been far more exploited. As it was, there was very little edge-of-your-seat thrill in Remember Summer. On the positive side, Lowell managed to endow Raine with gentle sense humor to balance Cord's 'serious' job and the supporting characters- Captain John, Kentucky and Bonner, were well portrayed with interesting histories that actually enabled them to stick longer in my mind then perhaps even the two main characters. A final complaint to be made about this book and Lowell's books in particular is that she and many other genre writers tend to endow their horses with the typical rodeo stallion mentality, (once burned, twice shy) which, while, in this case, may be justified, is certainly not always necessary to the plot of the story. I wish that writers would remember that horses, dogs, cats, wolves, even parakeets, though they may have a set standard of behavior, are not necesarily ruled by the exact same standards within each species. (Translation, since I didn't explain that very well: Not all birds, cats or turtles are going to behave the same way) and I would definitely appreciate more diversity in animal characters in the future. Synopsis: When Lorriane Chandler-Smith, daughter of an infamous 'grey eminence' takes a place on the Olympic US Equestrian Team, she becomes the target of a nefarious Middle-Eastern terrorist. Ordered to protect her is Cord Elliot, a handsome man with a shaman's soothing voice and a gift for dealing with 'knot-headed horses' whose life in the shadows has begun to wear on him. When Raine and Cord become involved in a summer affair, they find themselves battling preconceptions, misconceptions, and their own emotions.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: Some other readers have bashed this book for not being realistic about the horse aspects of the story. Well I say, if you want horse facts, get an equestrian book! This is a romance novel!! And an excellent one at that. The main character, Raine is a loveable young woman who's been overshadowed by her father's wealth and her older sisters' beauty all her life. Until she finally finds something that she was good at and could call her own--horseback riding. Her riding career culminates at the Olympic games where she meets our hero, Cord. The two share an undeniable attraction so powerful that it leaves them both off balance. Throw in some past hurts and a few very present dangers and you've got a real page-turner.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget It!
Review: Something was wrong with this book -- yeah, it had no story. Why on Earth did the publishers feel it was necessary to dress this book up and sell it again? One will never know.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but...
Review: The reissue of this book is good for two reason. One, for those of us who just found Elizabeth Lowell we get the chance to read all her work. Two, it proves that like fine wine her writing style had improved with age. I really thoroughly enjoy anything written by her. She makes all my emotions stand up and be accounted for.
Rating:
Summary: It was a great story
Review: This book was a great story. I have to agree with the comments below that the storyline is unrealistic--but if you want realism get out of the fiction section--let alone the ROMANCE fiction section! This book has everything in it. A strong heroine, a stronger hero, danger, rescue, and an eternal love. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Horsefeathers
Review: This book was recommended by a horselovers list on listmania.
So I read it.
Sheesh.
Let me set the record straight: The agressive/studly antics of the stallion in the book would not allow him to perform at that high level of competition. Simply preposterous, those kind of manners are too dangerous. Silliness incarnate.
Author alludes to the reason for keeping him entire: she wants to breed him. Natch. Well one of the selling points in a stallion is personality and unless he's a Northern Dancer type of racehorse, or extremely perfect physically, this t-bred/irish mix ain't that rare. Worse, Irish horses are known for level headedness. And WORSE, who knows how prepotent his get would be?
...So take the horse angle with a huge grain of salt. And the romance with it's physicality is okay. The fellow Cord is absolutely a cardboard cutout and why he suddenly goes wild over Raine is a mystery to me. Raine is fairly fleshed out. I sense this author is able to write from her own femaleness, but beyond that, the other charactors, or lack of them...let's face it, an Olympic Level equestrian team know each other well, they have competed against each other for years, may even work out of the same barn, etc. So to divorce her from other charactors reveals the skill, or lack thereof, of the author.
Never mind the fact that she interacts with her father over the phone most of the time.
I almost think the secret agent angle is contrived to allow the author to edit the sisters and family out of the book.
yoiks!
I think if the distracting obsession with father/occupation and covert operations stuff were axed, you may have the beginnings of a book here. ...
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: This books starts out slow, but gets going and gets going good. Cord is a dream and is a great character opposite Raine. I wouldn't say this is a horse book and you don't have to love or ride horses to enjoy this. Raine is an Olympic competitor in the equestrian arena, but the story revolves around the relationship that grows between Cord and Raine. You will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: don't pick it up unless you have time to finish it
Review: this is one of those rare page turners that catches you up in the characters lives and keeps you caught in their web. although the storyline borders on the completely far-fetched, it doesn't matter once you've entered to story. another great book by lowell.
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