Beloved Stranger

Rating:
Summary: I don't know how she does it . . .
Review: . . . but somehow, Judith Pella manages to create fresh, new characters with every book she writes--characters that aren't quite like any of the others she's introduced us to. Shelby and Frank are no exception! Shelby is at once endearing as the book opens with her father's funeral and the reader naturally sympathizes with her. Because of her impulsive nature, I found myself thinking so many times, "I would NEVER do that! " but it didn't make her any less appealing as the misguided heroine of the story. Frank, too, is a well-written character. He has the dark good looks, mysterious past, and serious passion that make him the ideal hero; but at the same time, there are his fun, flippant moods and his vulnerability which make him more than a cardboard stereotype. For a romance especially, the plot moves at near-hyperlight speed (once you get past the first chapter or so), with lots of twists and turns and interesting secondary characters. And as always, with Pella at the pen, the happily-ever-after ending isn't insultingly happy, but bittersweet. Wonderful job all around creating relationships between characters and intertwining lives in the most unlikely ways. Can't wait for her next book!

Rating:
Summary: I don't know how she does it . . .
Review: . . . but somehow, Judith Pella manages to create fresh, new characters with every book she writes--characters that aren't quite like any of the others she's introduced us to. Shelby and Frank are no exception! Shelby is at once endearing as the book opens with her father's funeral and the reader naturally sympathizes with her. Because of her impulsive nature, I found myself thinking so many times, "I would NEVER do that! " but it didn't make her any less appealing as the misguided heroine of the story. Frank, too, is a well-written character. He has the dark good looks, mysterious past, and serious passion that make him the ideal hero; but at the same time, there are his fun, flippant moods and his vulnerability which make him more than a cardboard stereotype. For a romance especially, the plot moves at near-hyperlight speed (once you get past the first chapter or so), with lots of twists and turns and interesting secondary characters. And as always, with Pella at the pen, the happily-ever-after ending isn't insultingly happy, but bittersweet. Wonderful job all around creating relationships between characters and intertwining lives in the most unlikely ways. Can't wait for her next book!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: This was an incredible book. Judith Pella kept you in suspense until the very last pages as she unfolded the story of Shelby and Frank. I encourage you to READ THIS BOOK!