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Summary: A typical Elizabeth Lowell
Review: Dont get me wrong, I love her books but I wish the women in them played just a little bit harder to get, they start off tough and then crumble. Just once I would love to see the hero guessing for a little longer.
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Summary: What's Wrong With Only Children?
Review: Why is it that today's best-selling romance writers are all getting caught up in the family saga syndrome? Creating big, warm, fuzzy families with lots of single siblings who can be used as fodder for a never-ending series of books and spin-offs. Granted, when authors do this they create a built-in market for their work, but I am so tired of this ploy.Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the families authors like Lowell and Nora Roberts created weren't so sickeningly precious and saccharine sweet. Oh sure, they have their contrived little disagreements, but gosh darn it, when the chips are down, they'll just do anything for each other. Ugh. Please, Lowell, Roberts, et. al., my stomach can't take much more of this stuff! How about some nice, unencumbered only children? Better yet, how about some orphans! If I have to read one more novel with a great family get-together of past, present and future characters where everybody's just so comfy with each other and sociable and adorable, I'll swear off Romance for good. Please remember Satre's wise words: Hell is other people. And in books like Jade Island, the attendant, more-wonderful-than-ice-cream Moms, Dads, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, etc. are Hell for the reader. In Jade Island's case, the really interesting characters are the rotten parents and siblings, like the heroine's mother and father. I wanted to hear about them, not the hero Kyle's contrived, gooey family members. Granted we all read these books for fantasy and escape and no, we probably don't want to read about dysfunctional families like our own. But please, authors, don't insult our intelligence! Try to be just a little bit realistic and hold some of the honey and molasses and stereotypes. Nauseatingly wonderful family groups are not all that plagues Jade Island. Unfortunately romance, which is supposed to be the focus of the novel, takes a back seat to 1) the intrigue Lowell is trying to create and 2) exposition on jade and all things jade. The characters never come alive nor do they evoke much reader sympathy. I kept waiting for something to happen that would really make me care about them and their story, but nothing ever did. Elizabeth Lowell does wonderful research. She does a wonderful service to the Romance genre by demonstrating that romance novels can have intellectual and educational merit and don't just have to be fluffy, no-brainers. Unfortunately, in Jade Island, as in Amber Beach, Lowell loses her balance and the book ceases to be much of a romance. All the detail and research she packed into Jade Island would have been more palatable if she had delivered on the promised romance. Jade Island could have been a rich, wonderful book if Lowell had put as much effort into developing her characters and their relationship as she did to educating readers about jade.
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Summary: amazing
Review: Jade Island is my first Elizabeth Lowell novel and I truly enjoyed it. The story takes place in Seattle and it's about a 29 year old woman - Lianne, who is half American and half Chinese as she tries to gain exceptance and love from her oriental side of the family by studying Jade. Then she meets the dashing Kyle Donovan and you know the rest. the story and plot is immensily enjoyable and has some of the best love scenes I've ever read.
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Summary: As always, Lowell's new book is compelling & entertaining.
Review: "Jade Island" lives up to the expectations fans have of Elizabeth Lowell. She uses the strange back drop of Chinese versus American culture as a very effective motivation for the story. The Donavan Family is even more fun here than in "Amber Beach." I laughed out loud at her portrayal of this group of head strong siblings. Lowell paints the picture of a family whose love is unconditional, even when they can't agree on the colour of the sky. Throw into this combination an explosive love affair that has ramifications in international politics, and you won't be able to put it down.
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Summary: Intrigue, Betrayal, Sex... What more could you want?
Review: This is the second in E Lowell's new series started by Amber Beach. A woman fascinated by a man but torn by family loyalties. A man drawn to protect a woman he must use to further his family's needs. Wonderful expansion on age old plot, greatly enlivened by descriptions of jade erotica. I look forward to the next title Pearl Cove. (By the way, don't judge Jade Island by Amber Beach, it stands head and shoulders above.
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Summary: Lowell is one of the best
Review: Seeking independence and adventure, Kyle Donavon opens up his own business, leaving behind the family's international corporation run by his brother Archer. Being his own man allows Kyle to travel the globe searching for treasures. Archer asks Kyle to look into the claim of billionaire Dick Farmer, who insists that he possesses the legendary Jade Emperor. If he does have the fabled treasure, Kyle is to investigate how he obtained it since it was supposedly in the vault of Hong Kong's Tang family. The American and Chinese governments as well as the powerful Tang clan want answers before an international incident explodes over this national treasure. Everyone believes that Lianne Blakely, a talented gemologist and illegitimate daughter of one of the Tangs, is the thief. Her father wants her to meet Kyle, who starts his inquiries with her based on a government lead. She insists that she is innocent and as he begins to care for her, he reluctantly believes her. Someone is setting up Lianne to take the fall and her only hope lies in a man she now loves, but does not trust. The second tale in Elizabeth Lowell's "Donavon family" romantic suspense novels is a gem of a story that, like its best selling predecessor, requires enough time for a one-siting read. The story line is action packed and loaded with international intrigue. The lead lovers are a phenomenal duet, who begin to cherish each other, but struggle to trust their soulmate. The return of characters from AMBER BEACH adds a warm feeling of homecoming. With JADE ISLAND, Elizabeth Lowell has scribed a 24 carat best seller. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: technical info on jade:the result is futile!
Review: I totally agree with some reviewers who said that Ms Lowell's recent works were weak and lack of spirit. I, personally gave up buying her books after Donovan series. When I checked the attitudes of other reviewers, I realized that this is a kind of trend actually. Donovan series are supposed to be good, however too much info about gemology (obviously she has lots of books on this issue) is really beyond boring. One reader had emphasized that Ms Lowell is either very good or very poor. I completely agree with her. The earlier books (even the naive ones) of Ms Lowell are much better than the recent ones.
I could not see any character development in this one. To me the whole story was uninteresting and shallow. Too much cliche! Once again...
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Summary: One of my all-time favorite romances!
Review: Loved this book. Loved the jade and the Chinese cultural issues and the Donovan family! Maybe the romance got less play then in your average romance novel, but the crime caper was great and Kyle and Lianne were wonderful! Both smart, funny, sexy people. Much rounder characters than typical and great banter. The romance scenes were also quite hot.
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Summary: Not Enough Focus on the Budding Romance...
Review: I was so excited to read this book but was greatly disapointed when I begun, because the romance aspect was left to the background and the political part dominated the story to the point of bordem. There was way too much information and pages and pages of textbook information on jade and how it is crafted and set into jewelry or ancient swords for the Chinese. The romance between the main characters Lianne and Kyle was so rushed and didn't make much sense. I wasn't sure why he was trying to seduce her and why she even fell for him when she was centered on her work? I feel like I missed out on the plot here. ~Kyle Donovan is trying to get to the bottom of the disappearance of cultural treasures from the Tang vaults. He and his brother are trying out there own business at gem trading and treasure hunting. This discovery would be a coup, the only thing he didn't expect to get tangled in was an international gem ring that will bring him close to a woman who not only beautiful, but also suspected of theft of the famous Tung vault treasures hundreds of years old. Lianne Blakely is the illegitimate daughter of a powerful Hong Kong trader and his American mistress. She is being accused of theft. Not just any ordinary theft, but the theft of ancient treasures. Millions in jade. She meets Kyle and he believes her, but she must find the real thief. Together they venture into the sordid world of international gem thievery, power plays and dangerous people that would rather see them dead than give up the beauty of the ancient jade. Tracy Talley~@
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Summary: Loving' Lowell
Review: This is by far the best and most sensual of the Donovan Books. Hopefully she will write about the other missing sons Kyle & Justin. I'm looking forward to it.
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