Rating: 
Summary: A not to be missed book
Review: I believe this is the first and not to be last book I've read by Brenda Joyce. I love all kinds of genre but romance and mystery are my favorites. Third Heiress has the best of both. I especially liked the inclusion of different time periods...almost a time-travel type story but more realistic. I recommend it highly. Like the other reviewer, I too stayed up too late reading it but just couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: A Frustrating Read!
Review: I have only read a few of Ms. Joyce books and read this one on recommendation by a friend. First off I read just about any genre so I was not put off by the fact that this was more of a mystery novel with a dash of romance added between Alex and Jill. My problem with this read was due to the fact that I felt that some of the sub plots (i.e Lauren, Thomas, and the rest of the family dislike/like/back to dislike) as well as Jill's friend KC witnessing her friends apartment being broken into were never fully explained (meaning why were these problems introduced if they didn't play a part in the story except to add several pages to the read) and another question that plagued me was when exactly did Alex start feeling things for the almost always nauseous Jill? She was constantly wanting to or getting sick. The mystery about Kate was a good vehicle which moved the story forward and the several pages that went back and explained who Anne, Edward, and Kate were was in my opinion very interesting. Jill on the other hand made me frustrated, angry, and forget about feeling any sympathy for her! First she is constantly unsure about Alex but not enough to prevent her from sleeping with him. The total lack of communication between these two people was another difficult thing to understand. The rest of the family was at turns nasty and then nice but it always seemed as if the explanation of how these people felt for Jill was always left hanging. The mystery regarding Hal and his love affair with Kate was in my opinion only a sad way in which to introduce the whole premise of the story. If you want a frustrated 400+ page read well this is the book for you. The only thing that kept me turning the pages was 1) I wanted to see if things would work out between Alex and Jill with a certain amount of credibility and 2) to find out just exactly what happened to Kate all those years ago! Do yourself a favor and pick this book up second hand or borrow one from a friend.
Rating: 
Summary: Page turner in spite of flaws
Review: While the story engrossed me, especially the sub plot, there were times when I got so impatient with Jill that I felt like throwing the book down. She did not come across as very smart. Every time she went snooping (which was often), she got caught. She always seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and drank whenever she got the chance ;-). Hard to imagine how Alex could ever have fallen in love with her! There were a few instances where I felt the plot was stretched too far. The basic plot was great, though, and Anne's betrayal of her best friend, Kate, was well set up. Kate was vividly portrayed, though even by today's standards she was very forward. Not surprising that her life should have come unstuck in the prudish early part of the last century. (I guess Jill inherited her unsmart genes.) I kept hoping she would escape (good suspense here) and that Jill would find justice for her. The end was a bit of an anti-climax.--Sophie Simonet, author of ACT OF LOVE, romantic suspense (Fictionwise)
Rating:
Summary: not mushy romance, but a great read
Review: As a romance reader, I typically favor the lovey-dovey style with lots of strong heroes and spunky heroines. This book is not a typical romance but I couldn't put it down! I'll agree with other reviewers that Jill (the main character) is very emotionally distraught and that if sex scenes are your thing, then you won't get your kicks here. Yet, it only makes sense that Jill would be emotional (personally, I'm a little tired of books where the heorine has undergone some terrible misfortune only to completely recover two days later) and slow to trust anyone in the hostile Sheldon family. The male lead, Alex, is fascinating, and the question is, can Jill trust him? As she takes off down the road to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an American heiress named Kate (who is somehow tied to her dead fiancee even though she lived at the turn of the century), it quickly becomes apparent that someone doesn't want Jill to find the truth. This book is mystery, romance, suspense, and a hint of ghost story all in one. It's a good read, and the romance that develops is realistic yet exciting. Kudos to Brenda Joyce- The Third Heiress is a strong piece of work!
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Plot
Review: Normally I love Brenda Joyce's work, having read all of her novels, but I was greatly disappointed with The Third Heiress. I felt the plot was too ridiculous to be believed. I wondered why Jill had such a fixation over Kate, and why she'd be so concerned with a possible murder from 90 years in the past. Throughout this never-ending book, I found myself thinking, "Oh, please, let's be a bit realistic here!" No one, but no one, would be so concerned with Kate and what had befallen her so long ago, and I also found it hard to believe that Alex would willingly wrap himself up in this "mystery" as well. More than likely, he'd have walked away muttering to himself. One major annoyance--"He stared." "She stared." I was about to scream. Certainly Ms. Joyce can manage better than that. Normally a fast reader, I think it took me a week to get through The Third Heiress. I'd pick it up, read a few pages, then go find something better to do. I hope her next book is a much better read.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I could not put this book down - I read it in about 3 days. It's different from her other books, but nonetheless, very enjoyable. The first chapter draws you in and the storyline keeps you going until the end. I've read several times now and am still intrigued by it. I highly recommend it to romance and mystery novel lovers!
Rating:
Summary: I luved this book
Review: hey i read the reviews and i juss gotta sya it i really liked this book. no i havent read ne of her other books to compare it to,so u may think that i sholdnt be commenting, but hey i liked the book. it had everything, even a surprise twist at the end in my opinon. so go read it
Rating:
Summary: The sub plot was better and wish there was more....
Review: The story started very promisingly. It intrigued me to read on and find out what happened. Then Jill got increasingly paranoid and neurotic. She kept behaving in ways that she soon hated herself for, which was annoying to read. Alex was mysterious, why he fell in love with Jill was mysterious too. The problem with the story was that there were not enough reasons for readers to understand why Jill and Alex cared about each other. It was the sub-plot that shone. The story between Kate and Edward was moving. In fact, Kate was the most vivid and haunting character in the entire story. She got most of the best lines too. I wish the author could devote the same talent to the character development of Jill, Alex and Edward. Kate was so heartwrenchingly steadfast in love and friendship, yet her death was so tragic and haunting. The image of how she suffered fear, hunger, cold, helplessness, hopelessness, pain and yet still keeping her faith of love and friendship was too moving and haunting. After the fierce quest of Jill to find justice for Kate, I found it hard to accept that there was not. There were many flaws in the story. It did not make sense that Kate sent her son away because she felt something might happen to her and yet left no trace about who she was meeting. I finished the book without feeling satisfied. I could not get enough of the tale between Edward and Kate, Edward and Anne. I wished I could read more about Edward in the years after Kate. Somehow, the relationship between Jill and Alex was not important at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Good....but something was missing
Review: I have read a few of Ms. Joyce's books and I have to say that the woman knows how to spin a story. The Third Heiress is definitely a great book, BUT while reading it your under the impression that something is missing. I think the missing piece in the book is the romance that builds up between Jill and ALex. The mystery that the book has is superb but the love story seems kind of stilted. As a reader I found that I'd have preferred Jill to have ended up with someone else other than Alex because throughout the novel Jill can never trust in ALex and it makes no sense for her to end up falling in love with him. There is never that connection where you can say this seems like true love between the hero and heroine.
Anyway...if you're looking for a romance novel this is not the book for you, but if you want a mystery read the book!! THe mystery is great! You get completely absorbed by Jill's fascination for Kate and her "quest" to find out her roots.
Rating:
Summary: didn't i just read this?
Review: Okay- I've only read one other novel by Brenda Joyce... House of Dreams. The two plots are, in my opinion, almost EXACTLY alike. This novel is lacking originality and romance. The writing is adequetely written, but I wouldn't recommend this book.
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