Remember Summer

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable romance and bad character development
Review: My first problem was with the development of all the characters in the novel except Raine.
The hero, Cord, there just wasn't much depth to him. He wasn't a well-developed character; the reader never gets a feel for who he is or why he falls in love with Raine. As another reviewer said, he's basically a cardboard cutout. Also, there is virtually no mention of the other Olympic riders at all. I would assume that Raine would interact with her team members at some point, but she hardly ever does. Her mother and other family members are also conspicuously missing from this novel; there should be more mention of them.

The other big problem I had was the progression of the romance. In their first encounter, Cord attacks Raine with no warning and she fears for her life. Within the hour, they are making out and she's agreeing to date him. Their reactions to each other from this meeting are completely unrealistic. Their relationship continues in this unrealistically rapid fashion for the rest of the novel. They fall in love very rapidly, but I had no real idea why they would have. The author never really does a good job of building up the romance or explaining why they love each other.

I liked Raine for the most part. Her character was well developed and she had you rooting for her. I do think she had way too big of a chip on her shoulder about her father; her constant complaining about him got old. Also, I thought it was strange that she didn't seem to have any friends among the other riders, she almost never spoke to anyone but her coach and Cord. That didn't seem realistic to me.

I really liked the horse aspect of this novel; it made for an interesting story. I don't know much about competitive riding or horses so I have no idea how based in reality this plot-line is, but I enjoyed it.

Overall, I thought this romance was okay, but it could have been so much better. I would not recommend it because there are so many better romances out there. I'm hoping my next Elizabeth Lowell is better than this one.

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: 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: Passion Undenied!
Review: This is the first of EL's books that I have read and I truly enjoyed it. From some of the over reviews I read several people thought this book was boring but I just couldn't put this book down! Cord and Raine's desires reflect on what they want and cannnot have, the development of the characters make them seem real and their situations of love and despair are deeply realistic. The work that they have may not be common for this society but the feelings and passion they feel and are forced to try and deal with are very real and believable.