Rating: 
Summary: A good beginning...
Review: This was my very first Woodiwiss novel. I enjoyed it, especially the beginning, but the end was lacking the excitment of the plot Woodiwiss had started. Another thing that annoyed me was Cerynise's constant backing away. That got really old really fast. Other than that, I believe it was a good book, just lacking a little excitement.
Rating:
Summary: OK book----but the story gets old.
Review: This book started out great, however the Cerynise's ongoing hard-to-get behavior towards Beau gets old----very very old. I believe Ms. Woodiwiss could have written a better plot and love scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as exciting as The Flame and The Flower
Review: The very first romance novel I ever read was the Flame and the Flower,I was in high school at the time.The standard by which I judged other authors.So naturally when she came out with a sequal I jumped right on it(despite the rather high cost).I was greatly disappointed.I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I just thought there could have been a little more about the rest of the Birmingham Family.I hope that she writes more books about the Birminghams,as long as she goes back to her old style and flare of writing.I have all of her novels and lately they have really been going downhill.This one was better then the last few. PLEASE KATHLEEN GO BACK AND READ SOME OF YOUR OTHER BOOKS,then write more like them.Please include something about the Birmingham girls.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not the Kathleen Woodiwiss I'm Accustomed To
Review: A voracious Woodiwiss reader, imagine my utter disappointment to pick this book up and find that Ms. Woodiwiss has apparently abandoned the same principles that made her a top-notch author. The dialogue is shallow, the storyline too simple, and sexual references leave nothing to the imagination. After reading this novel, I had to return to my worn-out copy of "Ashes in the Wind" to get that feeling of a true Woodiwiss storyline and heroine. Now THERE'S a great example of what makes Ms. Woodiwiss unique. Please do not deliver another "Elusive Flame" to the public - the dissapointment is more than I can bear.
Rating: 
Summary: If you are a 16 year old girl you will love this book
Review: From the very start of the book I was uncomfortable with the youth of the characters and the implausibility of their situation. A 17 year old girl who is such an accomplished artist that she can sell her work for 1000s of dollars, a 25 year old young man who is so wealthy, apparently from his own endeavors, that he can spend 1000s of dollars without blinking. I kept waiting for something to separate them for 5-10 years so that we could all rejoin their stories as adults. No such luck. This book is a throwback to the 70s.
Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea
Review: I've missed the Woodiwiss ohenomena and when I hear she's back to writing, I pounced on this one to see if she's the great writer everyone says she is. Well, if she is, she's not my cup of tea, however. This book could've been fun and readable, but there are so many things that irritated me no end. The villian, for one, is hilariously over-the-top. He doesn't speak - he snarls, growls, stamps his feet, grabs people by the hair, et cetera. The really diabetic prose, such as love declarations complete with stars and moons, made me burst out laughing. And I can't help comparing this artist heroine to other heroines who are artists, like Rebecca in Mary Jo Putney's "River of Fire" - the latter is a REAL artist with emper tantrums and passion. Cerynise seems to be drawing for fun. Hmmm.
Rating:
Summary: Dissapointment!! Shallow, boring,
Review: Being a reader of Ms. Woodiwiss, I'm wondering if this is the same author. I have copies of "The Wolf and the Dove", "A Rose in Winter", " Ashes in the Wind", and "Shana". These books have been read and re-read and ejoyed with every reading. The Elusive Flame is a great dissapointment. I found the story line lacking. The story itself along with the characters shallow. The villians were obviously nothing more than the Keystone Cops. The book was a total waste of time, costly and within days of reading found itself at the County Dump. Ms. Woodiwiss, if your really still there, please find your way back.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I read The Flame and the Flower, Shanna etc. when I was in Hong Kong about 15 years ago. I have searched high and low for other novels by this author and was chuffed to bits to get hold of this one..........but what a disappointment, what a let down. I was really miserable by the time I finished. It didn't hold my interest at all, and I got to the point where I didn't really care what happened to the characters. Is this really by the same author??
Rating: 
Summary: A Woodiwiss fan, this ranks 2nd to the incomprable "Shanna"
Review: Shanna is the best book I've ever read. I even keep a spare lest I lose it. The subsequent efforts were disappointing but then Shanna was a hard act to follow. The Elusive Flame was Woodiwiss returning to her excellent,unusual story lines and captivating characters. I truly enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Petals on the River
Review: Boy,was this ever better than her last book! I have loved Kathleen Woodiwiss' earlier books so much I have broken the bindings on the copies I own. This sequel to Flame and the Flower was very good and much better than her disappointing last novel, but certainly not as well-written as her older books. My favorites are still Shanna, Ashes in the Wind and A Rose in Winter. Beau has many characteristics similar to his father which are nice to see again and Cerynise is certainly a young woman who is refreshing to watch, one with a mind of her own. It was also entertaining to witness, however briefly, what happened to Brandon and Heather and their offspring. I wish there had been more scenes about their life together. For those readers not familiar with Kathleen's earlier work, I highly recommend Shanna and Ashes in the Wind.
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