Jade Island

Rating:
Summary: Loved it! I did not want it to end!!
Review: After reading Amber Beach, had to read this one. I was not disappointed. Pearl Cove is on its way. I expect it to be just a good as Jade Island & Amber Beach. Can't wait to learn more about Archer and then of course there is still Faith, Justin & Lawe!!

Rating:
Summary: Too detailed on jade, not enough on the characters.
Review: I have to agree with Kimberley ([e-mail])'s review. The book go so caught up with the ins/outs, whys/why nots of jade and Chinese culture that any kind of relationship was lost in all the technical jargon and cultural metaphors. I found this to be the problem with Amber Beach. I read too much about amber than I ever would need to know in more than one lifetime. I was hoping that maybe this book would be different. I felt no rhyme or reason for the existence of Kyle and Lianne's relationship. However, I am intrigued about Archer. I found him to be the most interesting character in the entire book, but of course, that was just a teaser for us to buy Pearl Cove, which I probably will. Still hoping that Ms. Lowell will give us some character building instead of a term paper on pearls. As a side note, I read Tell Me No Lies before Jade Island and found the plots to quite similar. The noticeable difference was that the characters were allowed to explore their feelings to develop a relationship. Of course, the subject matter of bronze as opposed to amber, jade or pearls, was again overly detailed.

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: Sorry to disagree with all the glowing reviews so far but I thought this book was HORRIBLE! I had to literally force myself to get through it! There was absolutely NO romance or tender feelings between Kyle and Lianne (the hero/heroine)they simply went at it like dogs in heat! I pick up a romance novel for just that ROMANCE and there is precious little of that here. I felt the book was basically a dissertation on jade and Chinese culture, which isn't bad in itself and Lowell has obviously done her homework, but maybe she should be writing an article for an encyclopedia instead of a "romance" novel. I'm a big Lowell fan, as far as I'm concerned her "Only" series is the best EVER written, but her contemporaries are SADLY lacking. One other point that I need to make, I'm no prude, but I took GREAT offense at the language and some of the dialogue used in this book. Just because it's a contemporary doesn't mean we need to see the words d**k and f**k over and over. And if I heard "dumb handle" one more time" I thought I was going to scream! NONE of this was pertinent to the story line at all. After reading about Kyle in 'Amber Beach', I was so disappointed to see his character stuck with this story. I never got a feeling of tenderness or loving between Kyle and Lianne, which really saddened me. As far as I'm concerned one star was being generous!

Rating:
Summary: A Surprise!
Review: I didn't expect to like it! I expected prejudiced men and women like Lowell likes it. But this one took me by surprise. I actually liked it! The story is good. There IS a story and it is a great way to know something about Jade. I could actually hear the accents of the people in the book. Lowell definitely has a winner. Even though Amber Beach was a disappointed I must say this one was all that Beach wanted to be and failed. Read it and smile because romance doesn't get better than this.

Rating:
Summary: A very good story!
Review: I enjoyed this book alot. Lowell writes this one in her Ann Maxwell style. As always she gives a good exploration of her topic, both Jade and high Chinese culture. I fell in love with Kyle, what a great hero!! And Lianne was very likeable too. This was one of those books I was up with late at night 'cause I had to know what was going to happen. And I enjoyed getting to know the Donavons more. My only complaint was the ending felt a bit lukewarm. I would have liked to have heard "I love you" (although I had no doubt) and perhaps one final steamy kiss or something. All in all, an excellent read, as would be expected of Lowell.

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Series from Elizabeth Lowell
Review: Only EL can write such imaginative stories set in exotic cultures and lavish time periods. I have read all the other series: MacKenzie/Blackthorn families, Case & Hunter Maxwell, The "Only" series, and now the Donovans. Her characters are always impressive, strong, intelligent, sensual, sexy, etc..... Read this series!!! Its great.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: This book has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. I had gotten it from the library, but after I read it I went out and bought a copy of the hardcover because I knew it was one of those books that I'd read over and over again. The story is richly entertaining, and the information is wonderful, you can tell that EL really did alot of research for this one, I loved Amber Beach but Jad Island really takes the cake, I can't wait for the next one (hopefully it's going to be about Archer) I love the whole plot and theme of the story, a previous reviewer said that all the Jade information was boring but it's not true because it brings out the plot and makes the novel seem more exotic. Those people who skips over those parts might as well just not read the book. But all in all this is a wonderful book, and I'm checking almost every week just to see if the new one came out yet. Read the book, you won't be disappointed!!

Rating:
Summary: Great follow up to the first!
Review: I have read both books in the trilogy so far and have liked both. I liked Jade Island a little more because it went into more background information on the Donovan family and more family interactions with each character. I liked the description of the jade and the glimpse into chinese culture. Good research and attention to detail. I can't wait for the third book!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book ! Definately a must read !
Review: I am relatively new to reading Elizabeth Lowell's books. I read Amber Beach which I thought was fantastic. When I reached the end of Amber Beach I found that Jade Beach had the first chapter included, and I fell in love with it. I found myself constantly checking bookstores for the book. I am a consumer that refuses to pay for a hardcover book but, I could not wait any longer to wait for Jade Beach to come out in paperback. So, I paid $16.00 for the book and found that it was definately well worth it. I found that I learned about Chinese culture and about Jade. And you definately could not beat the romance between Kyle and Lianne. Read the book and you will not be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced page turner. Wonderful.
Review: It was great for those of us that don't know all that much about jade. It was very accurate and she paid great attention to detail as well as developing well rounded characters that you could actually picture in your mind without wondering if they were behaving according to the way they were described. YOU could actually understand their motivation and their reactions. I think it was an excellent book.