Amber Beach

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Summary: I loved Amber Beach
Review: I've read a lot of Elizabeth Lowell and the characters in this book have been the most likeable yet. They are truly believable and I can't wait till the rest of the Donovan Family members have their stories told.

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Summary: Another great adventure!!!
Review: Lots of action; lots of adventure! Honor & Jake are great partners & lovers; it just takes them awhile to figure it out. Another good series from EL.

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Summary: I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY INTERESTING AND A NICE LOVE STORY
Review: THIS BOOK WAS DIFFERENT AND INTERESTING. I ENJOYED THE LOVE STORY VERY MUCH - IT WAS NOT THE TYPICAL ROMANCE. IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE AND I LOOK FOWARD TO READING THE SEQUEL -JADE ISLAND.

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Summary: I WAS SOOOO BORED!
Review: I did not enjoy this book. I did not feel attuned with the characters, as I usually do when I read a very good book. I found all the scenes dealing with amber to be quite long and tedious. Granted, they're meant to be informative, but I felt that they made the story drag. This book just didn't click with me. I was a bit disappointed since I usually enjoy Elizabeth Lowell's work. I was tempted to buy "Jade Island", the sequel to "Amber Beach", but I dare not risk another boring read. Sorry, Elizabeth.

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Summary: Definitely worth it!
Review: I had not read a romance book for a while and I picked up Amber Beach because of the cover (beautiful artwork!) I found the book to be great- it was not your usual sappy love story. It had romance, humor, and suspense. It was different..an interesting story plot. And well worth it!

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Summary: Not Elizabeth Lowell's best
Review: I have read many of Elizabeth Lowell's books and found this one not to be amongst her best works. There were parts of the story that were dragged out to the point that you found yourself saying "enough already". The part when Jake, Honor and Pete are in the back room of the bar is a perfect example. This scene could have been done without going through the entire bloody suitcase. It did not add anything to the story or the book.

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Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book was great. Elizabeth Lowell at her best. She can amazingly switch from historicals to contemporaries with ease. The description of the boating and of the San Juan Islands was a great backdrop to the gripping page turner of a story. The characters were well developed and the romance had plenty of sparks.

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Summary: Unusual to have to SLOG through Elizabeth Lowell......
Review: Amber Beach is definitely NOT one of Elizabeth Lowell's masterpieces. Sometimes I wonder if good authors realize that, if they have a gift for describing characters and their relationships (which Lowell does) they don't have to go to the ends of the earth for new plots and intrigue. This book is very strong on the technical aspects of driving a big motorboat and the history and selling of Baltic Amber. WHO CARES????? The good solid characters of Honor Donovan and Jake Mallory are left way behind as Lowell pushes for action and suspense. I really liked Jake and Honor. They were warm, funny, sexy, and believable. There was one great sex scene (Lowell is truly an expert at this!) and the betrayal scene was super too! But that's all there was!!!! The characters never developed their relationship and the ending was sloppy, confusing and weak. The focus on the convoluted plot and technical details really made me dislike this book. Next is Jade Island. I'll probably try it just to see if Lowell can redeem herself. But it will be hard to top my three all-time Lowell favourites: Untamed, Forbidden and Only You.

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Summary: Up there with Krentz and Howard
Review: I read this book because I saw the sequel, Jade Island, and wanted to read it. When I realized it was a sequel I searched for and found Amber Beach. I am very impressed by Elizabeth Lowell. I probably read some of her paperbacks, but unlike with Krentz and Howard, I didn't go looking for all the paperbacks I could find by this author. That has now changed. I enjoyed the family relationships, the romance, the action, the humor (esp. the sandwich eating scene), and the technical information. As much as I love and enjoy Romance, when I pay for a hardback romance, I want more than the typical contemporary harlequin/silhouette type book. This book/author has it in spades. I hope she keeps it up

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Summary: Not up to Lowell's usual romances
Review: This one is not up to Elizabeth Lowell's usual standard. The heroine doesn't really emerge and the hero is annoyingly arrogant and know it all for a modern romantic hero. I found myself so annoyed at the heroine's helplessness and her brothers' as well the Jake's chauvinism that I wasn't really satisfied with the ending. Somebody needed to apologize to Honor for all that discounting and patronizing. It lacks two of the ingredients of a really good romance. It didn't make me laugh or cry. It only made me wait. I never thought I would say this about a Lowell romance, but it was boring. I agree with the reviewer who said it has a way to go to reach Tell Me No Lies.