Rating: 
Summary: Dark and Sensuous
Review: Ms. Schone captures the darkest corners of human emotion in her erotic romantic thriller. I found THE LOVER to be refreshingly different from the usual historical romances. Her main characters are flawed to perfection, surrounded by danger and deceit, while falling in love -- a love that heals -- a love that is believeable and desirous. A love that allows them to leave their pasts behind and live with hope for the future -- where I believe their love and shared sensual pleasures will go on long past where the story ends. I loved THE LOVER. YES, it's different. YES, it's not the usual read. YES, it has ah ha moments -- and YES -- YOU SHOULD READ IT! I am eagerly awaiting Ms. Schone's next novel. . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Robin must have read Anne Rampling!
Review: This is the first book I've read of Ms. Schone's, from a guys point of view the book delivers on it's erotic tale but I found the romance a bit weak. I started reading these types of books to pass time on the subway and a few times I found myself wondering why I had chosen this book. I guess the cover was nice. I would recommend this book if you have nothing else to read, or if you wanted a history lesson.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Waste!
Review: A physically and emotionally disfigured hero who happens to be an ex-prostitute. An aging wealthy and virginal spinster who procures the services of a gigolo to make her feel sexually desirable. I said to myself excitedly, "What an incredible plot! I must have picked up a gem!" Instead, the book left a bitter taste of disappointment in me. The execution of a remarkable plot was solely lacking. My relentless search for that magic moment of intimate connection and bonding between the hero and heroine was futile. Their relationship never transcended the physical realm of lustful pleasures - which I guarantee you will find plenty. Only Schone's fine writing saved the novel from disintegrating into lewdness. I could neither fathom nor justify Michael's (the hero) actions for putting the heroine's life in jeopardy in his obsessive quest for revenge. Despite the sense of mysterious suspense that pervaded the novel, I never felt that it gripped sufficiently to draw me into the story. (The constant reference to the villain as "the man" didn't help either.) As is the typical style with suspense writers, Schone does not spell the details out explicitly for readers, preferring instead to leave them lingering in a cloudy mist. But sadly, in this case, romance and suspense are rather poorly blended. This is indeed a waste since the initial plot offers such immense potential for the making of a truly wonderful story.
Rating: 
Summary: The Lover: strange & sensual
Review: The plot of this book was unique as far as the characters go. It was interesting to read about older, mature, people who are all too human. The problem with the rest of the book is that although it was unique, it was also vague, confusing, and sterile in parts. I found it necessary to re-read entire sections of the book just to figure out the meaning of certain phrases and events. The ending was abrupt and unsettling after the build up in suspense. The sex scenes were well written although, like I mentioned above, rather sterile and emotionless. No way would I believe these two fall in love in such a small amount of time. Lust, yes; love, no. The supporting characters, with the slight exception of Gabriel, are not fleshed out at all. And even Gabriel is not very understandable. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of the mysterious and unusual in my stories, but I don't like to have to resolve everything with my imagination only. I've read all of Ms. Schone's work and enjoy it all immensely. Despite the flaws, she writes a hell of a good erotic romance. I wish however, that she wouldn't substitute cryptic for interesting and well thought out.
Rating:
Summary: Erotic with Style
Review: Robin Schone has written an erotic classic with this book. This is literature, folks, and will not appeal to those who are just looking for erotic thrills. The hero and heroine are finely drawn, yet not described in a conventional manner; one becomes acquainted with them as they become acquainted with each other. The hero is sensual, but scarred and tortured, and the heroine naive yet bold - a departure from the typical 'beautiful people' who are all too frequently featured in romance novels. Miss Schone's prose evokes an atmospheric sensuality, painting scenes of the evolving relationship, while shying away from the mundane descriptions that one might expect to find in a historical romance. Readers who prefer a more step-by-step, traditional style may be confused by Miss Schone's more subtle approach, which relies upon inference and the imagination of the intelligent reader. For those who appreciate erotic literature at its finest, this is a treat not to be missed. One can only hope that Gabriel will be given a novel of his own...
Rating:
Summary: A BEAUTIFUL STORY!!!
Review: I can't understand it: I'm reading reviews that are calling this book a "horror story!" Is it becuase the hero in this novel was burned in a fire and therefore not the usual gorgeous man? In my mind, I imagined Michael to be very sexy, sensual and extremely handsome (including very naughty at times, too).I thought The Lover was a beautifully written story about one woman's desperation to live life to the fullest, which to her means to experience sexual pleasures. I thought Anne and Michael were charming in that neither one of them were the perfect characters you so often read about in romance novels these days. This is an extremely hot, graphic book and therefore not for everyone. In fact, my husband read it after I did (thank you, Robin) and he too liked it, although not as much as I did. :-) I do agree that the ending could have been better: I feel I was left without any real closure, however, still believe this is a wonderful book and should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: What to say?
Review: I have really enjoyed Robin Schone's writings and writing style in the past. She is forthright in her views on issues of sexuality and (dare I say the word in today's PC society?) femininity. The characters in her stories explore their own sexual feelings, whether they are of inadequacy or confidence and it is always absorbing to follow. The Lover is no different in that regard. Michel/Michael and Anne are two people searching for love and acceptance and find it in each other. (Unfortunately as a casualty of the plot, they meet and fall in love in a very short time and I am uncomfortable with the time frame). The spinster and the whore, an interesting combination, especially since both are "past their prime", Anne in her late 30's and Michael in his early 40's. It is not often that I stumble upon a book with mature characters who actually act their age. The love scenes are sexual and explicit, as one has come to expect from a Robin Schone novel, but I did not appreciate their passions as much as I did with our lead characters in The Lady's Tutor. This book was very hard to read, either in comparison to her other novels, or to other authors. There were cryptic lines thrown in and I never quite knew what they meant or what they referred to. Most were used by Michael and until the plot is summed up in the end, I never knew what exactly he was talking about. Unfortunately, because a good portion of this book is about sex and making love, the plot of the story gets very rushed. Everything is entwined (literally and figuratively) but there are some issues I still don't understand (mostly having to do with Michael's friend Gabriel). At many points in the story, I had to go back and reread passages because I know I missed something important. It is this choppy style that made reading The Lover uncomfortable for me and why I only gave it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Incoherent plot drags down the characterization
Review: I rate this one as okay, but not great. The excellent characterization saves the book, but it could have been terrific instead of just okay. Plot problem - I liked plot 1, the romance. However, I couldn't figure out plot 2 until I was at the crucial event. The plot hints were uninformative and repetitious, leaving the villain a shadowy figure who did something nasty to the hero 30 years prior, and something nasty to the hero's former lover 5 years prior. When the nasty things were revealed, I had a "so what, you see worse things in the paper" reaction. And I never did put together what the villain had done to Gabriel - I thought I had it figured out, but the timeline didn't work... Sensuality problem - There is a fine line between sensual and clinical, and this novel was *way* over the line towards clinical. The sex scenes read like a how-to manual when they weren't abbreviated into a single paragraph. Most disappointing was the feather scene, which was a real yawn when compared to its lead in. And this may be a personal thing, .... The characterization was good, and the historical details were interesting, but they couldn't overcome the problems with the plot and the clinically detailed sex scenes.
Rating:
Summary: holy smokes!
Review: i don't read this type of book. however, a girlfriend convinced me that i should take the time to get through this one. wow...she was right! i fell in love with the characters. the sex was hotter than hell and you could sure tell it was written by a woman. men out there...you need to read the sex scenes. this is not only a great story, it's a perfect "how-to" book. got me? if you read it, you will! i'm dying to get another book by this author....
Rating:
Summary: Schone does it again!
Review: "The Lover" is a seductive twist of suspense and romance, mystery and eroticism. I loved "The Lady's Tutor" and devoured it in 3 hours. "The Lover" was no different. The love scenes were sensual and well-written, leaving me breathless. The darker plot was a surprise, but an enjoyable one. I, for one, cannot wait for Schone's newest novella in "Fascinated"..as well as Gabriel's story. Brava Robin!
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