Haunting Rachel

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite a Ghost Story, But a Real Grabber
Review: Is it a ghost, or did her fiancé not die in South America as she'd been led to believe? Rachael had only been nineteen when Tom vanished on that flight. Now, ten years later and back in town because her parents had been killed in a plane crash, she sees someone who looks enough like Tom to be his twin. The mysterious stranger is Adam Delefield, a friend of her father's, or so he says. He also says he owed her father money he wants to repay. Her life is in a turmoil. Someone is trying to kill her, her emotions are out of control. Businessmen aren't supposed to have guns. People are lying to her. Who can she trust? Adam, can she trust him?

Wow! What a book. I was enthralled with this five star romantic thriller. Yes, I said thriller. This book had me on the edge of my seat, panting, heart racing, it was a thriller.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

Rating:
Summary: A Mystery for Romance Readers
Review: Kay Hooper has written a book of suspense and mystery for women who read romance. She understands us. Terrible things have happened to Rachel Grant. As a young woman, she lost her finance and her world was dimmed, seemingly forever. For years she has gone through the motions, numb. Now, she must deal with the aftermath and guilt of her parents sudden death. She returns home and things begin to happen to her, at once strange and frightening. A man steps into the center of the mystery, Looking like her fiance he seems a saviour, but who is he really? Her uncle seems to be searching the house frantically for something, but what? Her fathers lawyer seems to want to protect her interests but what is he really doing? Ms. Hooper has taken these elements and more, weaving them into an amazingly complex tale with many of the dramatic elements Alfred Hitchcock put in his still thrilling films. Like Hitchcock, humor gleams thru the mystery at the most unexpected moments. When I finished this book, I closed it with the satisfaction that comes with a good read. Like a good meal it leaves a pleasant memory. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure why I liked it...
Review: Kay Hooper's writing style is stilted, almost juvenile, but somehow the fairly simple plot kept me reading through to the end. This is the first book of hers that I read, and it interested me just enough to read "After Caroline." The style is the same (unfortunately), and the plot is what I now believe is the Kay Hooper Formula. I'm not sure I would call it a thriller, but both books do have eerie /moments/ that prickle the back of the neck. Perhaps that's why she rates with me at all.

Rating:
Summary: Hauntingly beautiful
Review: This was the first Kay Hooper Romance Novel I read. I was "smitten" by the unusual story and loved the characters. The mystery of Adam, Thomas's look-a-like, and Rachel weave a tingling tale. I couldn't put it down. After reading this I recommend "Finding Laura", "After Caroline" and "Amanda". I liked these stories better than her Shadows & Evil series as they have more romance. I find her style in these much improved from her older novels written in the 80's, which I have since also read. I really wish the hero's and heroines of her stories weren't so perfect and beautiful and this story is almost accomplishes this issue. Some things really do get better with time. They are more normal in appearance and so you can concentrate more on their story and the mystery surrounding it without feel like your dealing with "super heroes". A good rainy day novel and still one of my favorites.