Rating: Summary: Suspend Reality and Enjoy the Adventure Review: This is a terrific read if you just want to while away a few hours on the beach or over a weekend. Stone Barrington, Woods' protagonist in this series, finds himself in a series of complicated situations that tie together into various crises and adventures that will keep you turning the pages.Imagine that your law firm asked you to help out a self made billionaire computer genius that had fallen in love with a widow he had only recently met. The widow is someone you had been in love with but thought had left forever. Her ex-husband who you thought had been killed is stalking her. Then the billionaire puts you up on the yacht anchored at his mansion in Palm Beach and the chef on the yacht is a stunningly attractive woman who gets you to forget the widow you thought you had once been in love with. It is cheerfully put together nonsense but if you like the Stone Barringotn series you will not be able to put this book down. The portrait of Palm Beach is well done and the intricacies of greed, lust, and revenge blend together into a twisted tale that will keep your attention until the last page.
Rating: Summary: EASY TO READ Review: This is the first Stuart Woods book I've read and found it to be an "easy read". Being from the South Florida area, the locale being Palm Beach also helped me get a feel for the book. Stone Barrington is a suave and urbane character, so much like Pierce Brosnan or other actor of that ilk..very GQ. All the vital elements were in place, the "beautiful people", lavish parties, sexy ladies, romance, and of course a murder or two. I will be reading much more of Stuart Woods.
Rating: Summary: SUSPENSFUL Review: THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK I READ AND LET ME TELL YA, I LOVED IT!! I REALLY ENJOYED HIM BRINGING SOME OF THE CHARACTERS BACK FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS(WHICH I DIDN"T KNOW AT FIRST BEING AS I READ THE BOOKS OUT OF SEQUENCED). STONE IS SUCH A HERO, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. I LOVE THE FACT THAT HE "GETS" EVERY BEAUTIFUL GIRL THAT HE ENCOUNTERS. I ALSO LIKED THE WAY THE PLOT GOES IN THIS BOOK, RIGHT WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT FIGURED OUT ANOTHER SURPRISE HAPPENS AND YOU HEARTRATE JUMPS UP AGAIN AND IT KEEPS YOU WRAPPED UP. THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE I JUST COLUDNT PUT DOWN. I LIKE THE MOOD THIS BOOK PRESENTS, THE YACHET, THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS, AND ALL THE MAYHAM IT BRINGS. IT BRINGS THE READER IN TO THIS LIFESTYLE, THAT I BELIEVE TO MOST OF US IS A FANTASY, BUT IF ONLY WE WERE RICH, OUR LIFES WOULD BE SO EASY. THEN AS THE PLOT THICKENS, WE LEARN BEING RICH AND HAVING POWER BECAUSE OF YOUR MONEY WILL ALSO BRING YOU HARDSHIPS, DECITE AND LIES.
Rating: Summary: SUSPENSFUL Review: THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK I READ AND LET ME TELL YA, I LOVED IT!! I REALLY ENJOYED HIM BRINGING SOME OF THE CHARACTERS BACK FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS(WHICH I DIDN"T KNOW AT FIRST BEING AS I READ THE BOOKS OUT OF SEQUENCED). STONE IS SUCH A HERO, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. I LOVE THE FACT THAT HE "GETS" EVERY BEAUTIFUL GIRL THAT HE ENCOUNTERS. I ALSO LIKED THE WAY THE PLOT GOES IN THIS BOOK, RIGHT WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT FIGURED OUT ANOTHER SURPRISE HAPPENS AND YOU HEARTRATE JUMPS UP AGAIN AND IT KEEPS YOU WRAPPED UP. THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE I JUST COLUDNT PUT DOWN. I LIKE THE MOOD THIS BOOK PRESENTS, THE YACHET, THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS, AND ALL THE MAYHAM IT BRINGS. IT BRINGS THE READER IN TO THIS LIFESTYLE, THAT I BELIEVE TO MOST OF US IS A FANTASY, BUT IF ONLY WE WERE RICH, OUR LIFES WOULD BE SO EASY. THEN AS THE PLOT THICKENS, WE LEARN BEING RICH AND HAVING POWER BECAUSE OF YOUR MONEY WILL ALSO BRING YOU HARDSHIPS, DECITE AND LIES.
Rating: Summary: Time To Retire Stone Review: This series used to be one of my favorites, but with each installment, it's gone further and further downhill, capped by this latest one. The situations Stone gets put into are so unbelievable and ludicrous that it's hard to get into it. I like the old days when Stone was a NY cop with Dino as his partner. Now he's a pompous overbearing snob who's become totally unlikeable. How come he can never work a case for a regular Joe? How come every client who hires him is richer than dirt and gives him full access to yachts, sports cars, private planes and more money than I could spend in a lifetime? This all makes it impossible to relate to the character or the situations he finds himself in. And why is it that no one in these books seems to have a brain except for Stone? Cops and FBI agents defer to whatever he says and basically let him take charge of their investigations and cases (he even tells them what they can and can't do, for God's sake!). Store clerks and hotel employees give out information to him off the street without a clue who he is. Other peoples' employees take orders from him. Friends turn on long-time friends based on Stone's suspicions the first five minutes after meeting him. People don't make a move without checking it out with Stone first, unless, of course, Stone was the one who told them to do it. It's utterly ridiculous. And while I don't have any clue at all what Stone is like physically (I've always pictured him in my mind looking like Tom Cruise, though I believe one book indicated he was a blonde), I find it a bit hard to believe that all these rich, beautiful women fall (and drop their clothes) at his feet within minutes of meeting him. I think this book set a record in that Stone only had sex with one woman (though the other offers were there). People stroll around naked, proposition him, try to get him into bed. It's way too much. And the ending is just horrible. It's not only predictable, but it's played out very lame in all the plotlines (and there were several). This is the first time I've ever read the last page of a book and turned it expecting to find another chapter, because I couldn't believe it had just ended like that. Mr. Woods is one of the few authors on whom I normally will pay full price. I'm really glad I bought this one used, however, because it definitely wasn't worth the cover price. It's time to stick a fork in Stone...he's done.
Rating: Summary: Awful; huge disappointment Review: This story was so ridculous. Stone Barrington is asked to find a woman that Todd, a billionaire met in a restaurant in New York who went to Palm Beach (Todd doesn't even know her name). Of course Stone finds her almost immediately and discovers that he has previously defended her. Puhleeze! And then the billionaire allows him to stay on his yacht where of course Stone immediately beds Todd's assistant (I really don't what to call her, but she sleeps on the yacht too). And then there's Stone wacko "wife" who shows up. Story was way too stupid. Bring back Vance Calder from the dead. Stone is too boring at this point.
Rating: Summary: What Happened to the real Stone Barrington???? Review: This was a very light, entertaining novel but if I were you, I would definitely wait for the paperback edition.... While I enjoy reading anything that Stuart Woods puts on paper, Cold Paradise just did not have any of things Mr. Woods usually brings to the table, no real drama, no suspense and no action. I want the real Stone Barrington back!! I never thought I'd say this but this was the first Stuart Woods' novel that I didn't love only liked (a little)....
Rating: Summary: Cold Paradise Gave Me Chills Review: This was my first Stuart Woods book, and I really enjoyed it. Having grown up in Palm Beach County, I decided to give the book a chance. I always think it is so funny when an author writes about Palm Beach because they make it so ritzy as if that is really the way it is. The plot line moves along at a very fast pace and this book is quite a page turner. After reading, I started to seek out other Stone Barrington novels to get more!
Rating: Summary: Cold Paradise Gave Me Chills Review: This was my first Stuart Woods book, and I really enjoyed it. Having grown up in Palm Beach County, I decided to give the book a chance. I always think it is so funny when an author writes about Palm Beach because they make it so ritzy as if that is really the way it is. The plot line moves along at a very fast pace and this book is quite a page turner. After reading, I started to seek out other Stone Barrington novels to get more!
Rating: Summary: An Entertaining Read Review: This was the first Stone Barrington novel I have ever read and I thought that it was very entertaining. There were a few too many different uneccessary story lines (as others have said) that may leave a bit to be desiered if you've never read any of the other Barrington books. However the novel did continue to hold my interest and I did find it to be an entertaining read. If you are looking for a good light beach reading book this summer this is it!
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