The Present

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for what it is...
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this shorter, sweet novel that renews fans with their favorite family, the Malory's. If you loved the different characters from the various books and want to see a slice of their holiday lives and see how they are "doing"-then I think you'll enjoy this. I also found the story of the romance of Anna and Christopher Malory very sweet and charming-and is a nice lil way to "tie up" loose ends, explaining why some Malory's are a bit adventuresome and gifted, and leading into a much anticipated union for two of the older, beloved characters.

If you are looking for a full length, sensual romance focusing on two main characters, then your looking at the wrong book. But if you want a endearing, uplifting story to read this holiday season I'd recommend this book. It's like having old friends stop by to visit and you'll finish the book with a smile on your face:)

Rating:
Summary: Christmas with the Malorys . . .
Review: It's the Christmas season at Haverston and the Malorys and their extended family are gathering to bring in the holidays together. In the midst of the usual family squabbles, a beautiful and intriguing package arrives -- but no one seems to know where it came from.

Inside the package is the account of the second Marquis, Christopher Malory, and his half-gypsy, half-Russian wife, Anastasia. As any long-time reader of the Malory series knows, it's often been reputed there was a gypsy in the Malory family past and Ms. Lindsey's _The Present_ is the final confirmation of the rumor.

In my opinion the two plots of this book could have been better handled as two separate books. The first plot, the well-known Malorys meeting for a Christmas reunion, with a bit of romance between Jason and his housekeeper thrown in, would have done well for a book this length. However, the second plot, the story of Christopher and Anastasia, while intriguing, was not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked. I realize _The Present_ was only meant to be a novella and was only intended to hold Malory fans over until the next full installment, but I feel this story would have been better utilized as a full-fledged prequel. With so many things going on, so many characters to deal with and so many plots and sub-plots, there was entirely too much information to be squeezed into such a small book. Many aspects that usually make up a Lindsey book were skimmed over and more often than not left out completely. By the end of the book I felt cheated in many respects.

Don't get me wrong, while _The Present_ is not quite on par with previous books in the series, it was still a pleasant way to spend an evening. I really enjoyed catching up with all of my favorite characters and getting a glimpse into the future with the new generation of Malory children. I just wish I'd had more time with the Malory ancestors.

Until recently this was the last book of the Malory family annals. Thankfully, since the last time I read this amazing series, Ms. Lindsey has extended it to include Jeremy's story (_A Loving Scoundrel_, currently only available in hardback). As a fan of all the characters introduced in these outstanding books, I fervently hope Ms. Lindsey has plans to continue the saga. There are so many characters (namely the Anderson brothers) who would benefit from stories of their own. Until such time as she decides to give us what we all want, though, I will continue to revisit the current Malory books -- I never tire of this amazing family.

Rating:
Summary: Too Many Plotlines, Not Enough Romance
Review: It's hard to compare "The Present" to the last 5 Malory novels, since "The Present" is a novella with three storylines: one involving the Malory family at Christmas, another continuing Jason and Molly's secret love affair from "Say You Love Me," and the third revolving around The Present itself, which is the tale of how grandparents Christopher and Anastasia Malory defied social convention to marry. I very much enjoyed the Malory family reunion, which introduced all our past hero's and heroine's new babies, as well as included much-loved bickering between Anthony and James. However, I think it's safe to say only someone who has read all the Malory novels will appreciate (and be able to follow) the MANY characters present at Haverston for Christmas. I'm also glad "The Present" tied up loose ends with Jason and Molly, as their situation seemed so sad in "say You Love Me."

That said, this being a short book, with so many different characters, I think that the romance between the actual hero and heroine of this book - namely, Lord Christopher and the Gypsy Anastasia - was definitely short-changed. Christopher pretty much lusted after Anastasia, while Anastasia had only one day to pick an Englishman to marry to save herself from a brutal Gypsy bridegroom. This is hardly romantic, especially since Christopher was so drunk he didn't even remember marrying her. In fact, their love (or lust) affair flies by so quick you might miss it if you blink. Their bizarre courtship could be forgiven if it were drawn out and filled in with seriously steamy love scenes, as JL has done many times before in other books. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Something else I noticed about "The Present" were some questionable items in the family trees. Can anyone explain why Warren Anderson's children have Malory last names, why George's twins aren't even listed on the Anderson Family tree, and why it is written that Warren and Amy have an older son named Eric, yet only the twins were mentioned in the story? Very odd.

Anyway, "The Present" is a light, fast read (two hours for me) that most likely would appeal to Malory fans; anyone who has never read a Malory novel would be better off starting with #1 "Love Only Once" and working your way through some AWESOME Malory novels ("Tender Rebel," "Gentle Rogue") before you get to #6 "The Present."

Rating:
Summary: I thought this book was a great ending....
Review: I thought this book was a great ending for the Malory Brothers and a great beginning for their children. I have read all of the Malory books and I have to say I am partial to James and George. I hope that Ms. Lindsey will continue writing about this intriguing family. I would like to see how the brothers handle their daughters and the men in their lives.