Rating: 
Summary: Not up to Mapson's Par
Review: "Loving Chloe" by JoAnn Mapson is the sequel to "Hank and Chloe". I usually enjoy her books more, although this was a somewhat touching story (but gritty, with quite a bit of sex). Here is what the author says about that: Mapson never hesitates to explore the intimate details of the characters' sexual relationships. "Writing about love and sex to me is great fun and a challenge," she said. "The sex in my novels isn't all that racy, but one of my mother's friends recently said I write dirty books. I find that amusing since she is absolutely addicted to those bodice-ripper romances with Fabio on the cover." Mapson explores the complexities of a love triangle in this book. Hank and Chloe are sort of a star-crossed Romeo and Juliet. Hank is tender, loving, sentimental, committed, well-educated. Chloe is wary of commitment, street smart, and uncertain of her feelings. I find that the author really touched me when she wrote about the illness of Hank's mother; the birth of Hank and Chloe's baby and Chloe's immediate and intense maternal feelings; and the plight of the native American children and their less-than-adequate school. However, I wish that Mapson had gone in another direction and left Hank and Chloe where they were in the first book. Sequels can be dangerous for an author to attempt, and this sequel fell far short of the original. I am now reading her newest book, "Bad Girl Creek" and am happy to say that the author is back in her usual fine form!
Rating:
Summary: A sequel that tries too hard
Review: I liked Hank and Chloe, but liked Mapson's other two books better. This was a relatively entertaining, but weak sequel. It tried too hard to tie up all the loose ends. There were too many stories going on to really reach a logical or satisfying conclusion for any of them. I liked Hank a lot in the first book, but it was hard to respect him for not being realistic about Chloe's true nature and the likelihood of long term happiness with her. Chloe didn't develop very much as an adult in this book, which was disappointing. The story keeps you reading, but this one is not nearly as satisfying as Mapson's other works.
Rating:
Summary: Alas, a disappointing sequel
Review: I read Hank and Chloe about 4 years ago upon the recommendation of a friend and really enjoyed it. Then, last year or so, I heard that there was a sequel and eagerly awaited the paperback version. Once I knew it was available in paperback, I re-read Hand and Chloe (again, really enjoying it) so that I could move right into Loving Chloe, in effect, making it a longer novel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It started out engaging and, it was a book that was riveting in it's own right but it just didn't hold together in the end. It seemed hastily contrived at best. The triangular relationship seemed thoroughly implausible and unresolved, almost as if Ms. Mapson just couldn't figure out what to do with it and finally, Reed's narrative seemed disjointed and convoluted and not worth figuring out. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with the book... made 40 minutes, 4 times per week of aerobic exercise much more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Alas, a disappointing sequel
Review: I read Hank and Chloe about 4 years ago upon the recommendation of a friend and really enjoyed it. Then, last year or so, I heard that there was a sequel and eagerly awaited the paperback version. Once I knew it was available in paperback, I re-read Hand and Chloe (again, really enjoying it) so that I could move right into Loving Chloe, in effect, making it a longer novel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It started out engaging and, it was a book that was riveting in it's own right but it just didn't hold together in the end. It seemed hastily contrived at best. The triangular relationship seemed thoroughly implausible and unresolved, almost as if Ms. Mapson just couldn't figure out what to do with it and finally, Reed's narrative seemed disjointed and convoluted and not worth figuring out. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with the book... made 40 minutes, 4 times per week of aerobic exercise much more enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: I read Hank and Chloe and I loved it, and I was looking forward to the sequel, and I was not disapointed! It picks up with Chloe going to Hank's cabin, and it is a rocky,twisted road that awaits them, with the arrival of Junior Whitebear. You feel compassion for all the characters. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Loved this though I haven't read Hank and Chloe yet...
Review: I thought this novel was great and I'm looking forward
to reading the first book about them. I felt sympathetic towards Chloe's headstrong ways, and
her guilt about horseback riding probably leading to
the breech birth and damaged uterus. Her character was
engaging and realistic. Both Hank and Junior Whitebear were strong sensitive
men and while the ending was a tiny bit contrived it
worked for me. Why shouldn't Chloey have it both ways? I'm looking forward to reading Mapson's other books.
Rating:
Summary: Begins well, but the resolution is contrived and disturbing
Review: I waited eagerly for Mapson's sequel, and initially found it to be as engaging as Hank and Chloe. However, in the last pages, I became disenchanted. The conclusion felt forced and implausible, as if Mapson's publisher had threatened her into completing the book before she was ready. I felt betrayed by Chloe and her inability to make a choice, and the fact that Mapson does not lay out any consequences for Chloe's actions. Also, the inconsistency in Chloe's character -- first, strong and decisive, then weak and imprisoned by conflicting emotion -- bothered me.
Rating:
Summary: The Fate of Hank & Chloe
Review: In the sequel to Hank & Chloe, Mapson takes the reader on the next journey on the path of this dis-jointed couple. Where Hank & Chloe leaves off, Loving Chloe picks up, taking you through Chloe's impending pregnancy and what life will be life for Hank & Chloe as parents. This time in a cabin in Arizona, Hank finds himself teaching Native American children in a third grade setting and learning as much about their lives as he learns about his own. Now living with Chloe on a much smaller income than either of them are used to, life is not the same as it was back in California. Chloe's days of waitressing and horse training are over, as she embraces the reality of being a parent and coming to terms with what this relationship with Hank amounts to. As if that isn't enough, enter a third party, Junior Whitebear, who raises even more questions in Chloe's already confused mind. Ultimately, Chloe must decide between a stable and steadfast love or one of pure passion and unexplainable force. In Loving Chloe the reader is asked to examine all of the angles of a love triangle and how to make sense of it. It also asks if unconventional solutions can work and be accepted, and what are the affects? The novel also takes a glimpse into parent/child relationships and how they affect who we become as adults, and what we pass on to our children. While the ending may be considered somewhat unrealistic or unsatisfying, it does leave the reader with lots to think about and ponder~
Rating: 
Summary: doesn't match its prequel, but good
Review: Mapson seems incapable of creating an unsympathetic (though flawed) character, but this book just did not live up to her first "Hank and Chloe." I was disappointed that Chloe was not forced to choose between her two loves (as she surely would in real life), and disappointed at the epilogue, in which Chloe's daughter wraps things up in a manner that seemed too pat. However, the relationship between Hank and his young Native American students was touching, although I did wish Hank's parents had been more complexly drawn.
Rating: 
Summary: Falls short
Review: This book and its sequel are engaging but ultimately disappointing. They are page turners, I'll grant, with some very nice insights into the way people function and the characters are colorful and likable. But the books are marred by inaccurate and implausable details regarding the horse world, genetics, and Navaho culture. Worse, there is a jolting mis-use of language. An editor should have corrected such clunkers as "the lizard jettisoned to a safer rock." That's not poetic, it's just wrong, and it spoils the credibility of the narrative.
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