Rating: 
Summary: Can You Say "Trite" and "Unbelievably Predictable"?
Review: I have to admit it... I'm a book snob and normally don't sit around reading this type of (ahem) "novel". In fact, the only reason a Stella Cameron book found its way into my possession at all is because my mother left it behind after a visit. I read it out of sheer boredom and within ten minutes could have told anyone interested enough to ask who, exactly, was tipping off the "bad guys". Needless to say, I wasn't surprised at the ending but the REASON for the actions of this mole was far-fetched, to say the least.As for the characters themselves, I agree with everyone who referred to Olivia as a "dishrag". Give me a break! Okay, let's see... someone breaks into her house, comes to her door, follows her, pushes a "lookalike" over a rail platform and the only recourse she can think of is asking advice from an e-mail stranger???? Somehow, I think at that point a normal person would be suspicious of all strangers (and probably half her friends... except she seems to have none) and would be seriously considering 911 (or the British equivalent). And, yes, there was some extremely choppy writing. I, too, noted the fact that Olivia mentioned that she was on the pill for reasons other than birth control (I don't remember her "crying" over it, though) and Aidan wondering what other possible reason there could be for taking the pill (here, Cameron is, apparently, subtly opining that all men are stupid). The only reason for this conversation in the first place is, I assume, to indicate that yes, Olivia is a responsible woman but she's not some floozy who takes the pill just so she can sleep around. Either way, she certainly finds her way into Aidan's bed quickly enough. The rapidly building passion and its almost immediate dance between the sheets was odd... Olivia certainly didn't seem the type and Aidan, her protector, was someone you would think would have a bit more self-control. This story flip-flops from locale to locale and the reader is left wondering what the point is. And, if they were on the run, how did they get on a plane to England without the enemies catching on (didn't they have a heck of a time in airports at the start of their adventures?)? Overall, this is a rather poorly written book that seems slapped together rather than well plotted. I literally guffawed at the sudden appearance of Olivia's agent, or whatever she was, as a nemisis (again, a very shabby reason for behaving badly and why pick on Olivia, anyway?). At that point the book went from merely bad to laughable. I can't imagine seeking out any further Stella Cameron tomes... not even if they're left behind.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to her usual standards.
Review: I just finished reading the much anticipated follow up to "Key West". I felt let down by the confusing dialogue and the flat love scenes. Stella Cameron is one of my favorite authors, and normally all it takes is her name on the cover for me to buy her books, but I wish I had waited for this novel to come out in paperback. It's an interesting plot and I was intrigued by the characters, but just not enough to keep from feeling cheated by the ending. I will buy Ms. Cameron's books in the future but not without reading the reviews for it first.
Rating: 
Summary: This glass is empty
Review: I normally enjoy Stella Cameron's work. This one is far from her usual impeccable standards. London photographer Olivia Fitzgerald has been told that her photos of an expensive interior are no longer required by the glossy magazine she took them for, but the "kill fee" seems excessively high to her. She is unable to contact her agent, and a ratty little man begins to follow her. She takes steps to evade him and a woman with the same build, raincoat, and red hat is pushed off a subway platform. Frightened, she contacts her new e-mail friend for advice. Meanwhile......back in New York NYPD detective Aiden Flynn is tending the orchids of his colleague and neighbour Ryan Hill who seems to be missing. As his own computer is down, he decides to use Hill's to get into his chat room and somehow gets into Hill's e-mail, where he reads the frightened Olivia's letters.( Don't these people use passwords?) As he is convinced that Hill is dishonest, and it's obvious that he's fed Olivia a lot of untruths, Aiden suddenly is overtaken with unlikely chivalry and advises Olivia to come to New York where he'll protect her. Olivia flees London, where she seems to conveniently have no friends, into Aiden's arms, still thinking he is her original e-mail friend. The plot gets murkier and more confusing with every turn. Even after all was supposedly unraveled I still couldn't figure out why the protagonists had to go to Seattle and London. And there is a meeting of the bad guys in some big city and it is absolutely not explained how in the world Aiden knows exactly where and what time they plan to meet. I have no idea how one of the bad guys got murdered in Seattle, let alone by who. As Aiden and Olivia are being closely tracked and the crooks always know exactly where they are, the villain of the piece is obvious, although why he'd take such a course is not very convincing. A murder in Olivia's London home is unexplainable. Ms. Cameron's loose ends are very, very tangled. Perhaps if I read the book again I could come up with the answers, but as this was not one of Stella's stellars, I can't be bothered.
Rating:
Summary: I gotta tell you...
Review: I ordered Glass Houses because I really REALLY liked Key West, but I gotta tell you, I enjoyed Key West a whole lot more.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT ! ! !
Review: I picked up this book because of the author's previous work and ended up greatly disappointed. From the first chapter I could tell the story was underdeveloped, the characters were unrealistic and the dialogue didn't make any sense. I kept reading hopping that it would pick-up but no such luck. At the end I felt . . . . . . . cheated.
Rating: 
Summary: Stella Cameron has a special talent with Romance Suspense
Review: I really enjoyed Glass Houses. I was taken on a fun, wild ride with all the story's twist and turns. I kept changing my mind about who the bad guys were and was surprised by the ending. I am very glad I didn't wait for the paperback. Ms Cameron has the perfect mix of Mystery and Romance.
Rating:
Summary: Glass Houses
Review: In Key West I met Aiden Flynn and felt he needed his own story, and when I found out he was getting one I couldnt wait. Glass Houses more then lived up to what I was hoping for. Aiden is in his neighbor's apartment watering his plants while he is away. While there, he decides to check his email and reads messages meant for his neighbor. The woman who is sending him messages is in trouble and is heading for New York, and Aiden goes to the airport to meet her. This book has everything adventure, romance, bumbling criminals who make you laugh, cops turned bad and a sweet dog named Boss. You also get to meet Chris and Sonnie from Key West again and love Aiden's new partner Vanni and his family. Glass Houses is going on my keeper shelf and will definitely be reread more then once.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptionally gifted author.
Review: On the heels of her successful Key West best selling author Stella Cameron has brought back the crafty Aiden Flynn for a suspenseful adventure of his own. In Glass Houses as a master of disguises, Aiden is caught up in a trap not of his own making or is it? When he encourages an ordinary English Miss, through emails, to cross the big pond losing his heart is the least of his worries. Apparently someone is stalking the young women for supposed secrets she may possess and Aiden has unwittingly fallen into a trap someone has set for him as well. Can they be connected? Aiden, a NYC detective, while in a fellow officer Ryan Hill's apartment to take care of his orchids, uses this man's computer to pick up his own email. What he finds is that Ryan has been corresponding with one Olivia FitzDurham, but under the assumed name of Sam. Added to this, Sam's characteristics mirror those of Aiden. When he digs deeper into the correspondence he finds less and less to his liking. So, against better advice from his own partner Vanni, he sends a few emails in the guise of Sam encouraging Olivia to come to the states. Why he feels he needs to protect her is not clear, but his own suspicions of Ryan's activities are put into high gear. Olivia FitzDurham is an ordinary English Miss who earns her way as a freelance photographer, but on one of her assignments she apparent has taken pictures she shouldn't have. Even the owner of the place as left for parts unknown and has encouraged Olivia to do the same. However, this is not before Olivia has been contacted to kill the assignment, has someone willing to pay big bucks for the photos but could they be they be willing to kill her as well? A bit naïve and ordinary, Olivia has been pouring out the story to her cyber friend Sam, who has encouraged her to leave London. Alarmingly along the way toward that end she is witness to a subway accident of woman who is curiously dressed like her as well is being followed by a man who is set on paying her for the photos. Is it any wonder she is keen on leaving England to reach America where cyber pal Sam has offered to help, but can she afford his kind of help? When she arrives in the States it is our hero, in the guise of Sam, who meets her at the airport. Aiden knows that Ryan(Sam) is up to no good but he and his partner aren't sure just what Ryan is involved in, but they know they must protect Olivia from Ryan's scheming. What they are not prepared for is how Ryan and his partner, when they learn that Aiden are on to them, have skillfully implicated both Aiden and Olivia in a crime. Our couple are now on the run from those who after Olivia's photos and the police community who have labeled Aiden a rogue cop. Staying one step of the bad guys is made even more complicated as Aiden has more than brotherly feelings for Olivia. At times the story seems to bog down with a large cast of villains and it would have been nice to have had a scorecard to keep them all straight, especially as they fought as much with each other as our couple. Aiden, even with his endearing rough edges, at times does not come off in a good light as a hero when he seems to lose it with Olivia's self debasing. She on the other hand is a bit of drab dish rag, who needed a bit more color through thoughts or actions if she was to be deserving of our hero. Because of these quirks or shortfalls in the characters it is hard to understand at times how brilliantly sensual their couplings are. However, this is one area where Ms Cameron is a master and can be forgiven a lot for this often time slow and confusing tale. I found the first half of the book to be the most enjoyable, but got bogged down near the end as I struggled to finish. For me this story lacked her usual mounting edge-of-the-seat suspense which is crucial to move me along toward a satisfying end. Yet, as a reader (rather than reviewer) I wouldn' t have put the book down as I wanted to arrive at a conclusion that satisfied: this one provided a limited satisfaction lacking her usual style. For Cameron fans, especially those who enjoy her romantic suspense, GLASS HOUSES will be a must read. However, Glass Houses is not the book I would recommend for first time Cameron readers: French Quarter or Key West are books that showcase this exceptionally gifted author's talents making her one of the Queens of Romantic Suspense. Ultimately, the lesson offered here is to follow her example and carve out your own path. Jody S. Allen, Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: bad guys good, good guys bad
Review: The bad guys in this book -- Kitty, Ryan, Fats, Rupert, Winston -- were interesting and even funny. But the good guys -- Olivia, Aiden -- were stilted, boring, and overly talky. Even the sex scenes, by both good and bad guys, were unrealistic, boring and not even erotic. And these good guys TALK SO MUCH! There's supposed to be action in a thriller. Oh, and the few action scenes there were, were also unrealistic. Just how many tries does one have to knock the gun out of someone's hand?
I love a good thrillers and mysteries, but this was not one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Glass Houses
Review: The hero in this book, Aiden Flynn, made his first appearance (along with his killer collectible cars) in "Key West". This book is a fast-paced and believable tale of Aiden's rescue of the heroine, chases across country by the villans, a reappearance of the hero and heroine of "Key West". Both Aiden and Olivia are enjoyable characters. The book is not as good as some of Ms. Cameron's earlier contemporaries, but is well worth reading. I buy very few romances in hardback -- Stella Cameron, Jayne Krentz and Linda Howard being the exception. This book is worth every penny!
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