The Reef

Rating:
Summary: Satisfactory But No Diamond In the Rough
Review: I found The Reef to be a fairly well written mix of romance and adventure, despite the tendency of novelists in this genre to produce cookie cutter stories of swooning women and well-muscled men. The unique backdrop of the crystal sea and jewel-strewn deep provided a sufficiently interesting landscape for the story of love and the search for riches, with a dash of the paranormal thrown in. The story opens with the wealthy Beaumonts (father, mother, stunning daughter Tate) scuba diving off their gleaming boat, searching for a sunk Spanish galleon, supposedly laden with treasure. Matthew and his uncle Buck, professional treasure hunters, enter the scene with a splash and partner up with the Beaumonts. As the story develops, "Angelique's Curse" is introduced--an infamous necklace for which Matthew's father was killed by the antagonist, Vandyke. So as not to reveal further twists of plot, suffice it to say that the story is compelling enough to get the heart pounding. Although the characters could have been better developed, all in all the book is worth reading, particularly by the beach when no lean lover a la Matthew is available.

Rating:
Summary: The perfect beach book!
Review: The Reef is a perfect summertime book. With Ms. Roberts' descriptive writing and meticulously researched material, you will feel like you are right there along side Tate and Matthew, hunting for historical shipwrecks and their treasure (albeit fictional). The tension and emotion between the two central characters were not as strong as Ms. Roberts' usual pairings although I did feel like the book consisted of an ensemble cast instead of a starring couple. I loved the book for its overall tone . . . peaceful, relaxing read, good old-fashioned intrigue and love. Bring this one to the beach, pool, or your backyard and escape to the islands!

Rating:
Summary: Be still my heart...
Review: There's just something eternally endearing about a hero who breaks your heart, and Matthew Lassiter did that for me. I absolutely *love* it when the guy has to sacrifice in some way for the heroine, and has to overcome all odds and his own past to be with her. It's because I liked Matthew so much in this book that I loved the book. Reading this book made me get teary-eyed at times, I cared a lot about each of the characters by the end. The only reason I'm holding out on the last star is because I agree with some of the other viewers that the villain was not that interesting - but the secondary characters more than make up for it.

I think that a lot of the people who didn't like this book just aren't Romance readers. The cover isn't an automatic tip-off to the genre, so I can understand that. But if you like contemporary romance books, expecially with hot heros who sacrifice for love (but are definitely *not* boring), then you'll like this one. Plus - it's awful hard to find good contemporary romance, and this fits the bill!

Rating:
Summary: This was the best book I have read for a long time!
Review: I love how Roberts started their romance at the beginning then bringing them apart. At some points in the book I got a little edgy and angry because of how the characters were being put into words and how they acted. But how they were brought together in the end and how Mathew and Tate were still in love after all that time was quite touching. The villian made me quite upset at some times and how she handled the book. Some of the metaphors were a little. . . well not exactly able to click in and that a quick straight phrase might have been best but hey I'm not the author. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was truly a page turner. The Reef being the first book by Roberts that I read has really gotten me into her writing and I'm starting Carolina Moonand hope it will be as thrilling and great as The Reef.

Rating:
Summary: The Reef
Review: Nora Roberts is one of my favourite authors.This book is simply fabulous and I just cannot put the book down until I finish reading it. The mystery of the necklace as well the romance between Matthew and Tate makes me keep flipping the pages. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who loves reading.

Rating:
Summary: First time reading nora roberts and am now hooked
Review: This is the first nora roberts book I read, and it truly was great! I love a good mystery with a touch of romance, and this book has it all. I am now an avid Nora Roberts fan, and devour not only this book, but any other I can get my hands on. The Reef is definitely time well spent.

Rating:
Summary: Great adventure
Review: The Reef was an exciting adventure with all the mouthwatering touches of a good romance. Very enjoyable!

Rating:
Summary: The Reef
Review: I loved this book! The romance between Matthew and Tate was ravishing. There is a lot of suspense in this story. Nora Roberts' work gets better and better. I found the story line gripping and effective. I recommend this to all of Ms. Roberts' fans!

Rating:
Summary: I fell in love with this book
Review: I have never before read a Roberts book but I totally became a fan after reading this book. The details of the treasure hunting, underwater explorations and the growing love between Matthew and Tate totally drew me in to the story. I stayed up all night to finish it and then was left wanting more! If you want a book that involves you completely then get this one, it is a wonderful ride full of love, danger and lots of fun treasure hunting!

Rating:
Summary: Just short of satisfying
Review: The first half of this book had me really enthusiastic. Then Tate and Matthew were apart for all those years, and their reunion was not only less than realistic but had most of the initial spark missing. You never really knew why these 2 characters were together to begin with, except that they were the only 2 young people in the story. Fizzled out from a promising beginning.