Rating: 
Summary: The Pursuit Wins!
Review: I have read all of J.L.'s books and I really enjoyed this book. While it may not rank as one of my favorite J.L. books, the story moved very fast as all her books usually do, and the dialogue many times was witty, especially with Melissa. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in a day. I also enjoyed the storyline, showing mature hero and heroine characters. The only thing I felt was a little over the top were the uncles and how involved they were in Melissa's life and what they would do to prevent the two from getting together.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the paperback - not one to be re-read
Review: As a huge JL fan of many, many years, I find this one much below her usual in plot and in the interaction between the main characters.
Though, for me, JL's most recent books haven't been as well loved as her earlier works, I at least felt they were worth purchasing and re-reading occasionally. I am relieved I got this one at the library. This was just an "okay" to read "once only" book for me.
:-(
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the effort
Review: Called all over town to get the book on the release date - should have waited for the paperback. Ms. Lindsey has obviously lost her touch. Not enough interaction between Melissa and Linc and way too much with the 16 uncles and Linc. Wait until you get to the ending - you will not believe what you read. I will think twice about buying another Lindsey hardcover.
Rating: 
Summary: Cupid's arrow has been shot!
Review: The arrow has been shot - Cupid has claimed another heart this time it's the geart of Lincoln Ross Bennett - the seventeenth Viscount Cambury - Lincoln's heart has been claimed forever and he will never feel whole again until Melissa MacGregor is his bride. Though destiny has spun them down separate paths currently in life - Lincoln is determined to win Melissa's heart even if he has to follow her to the ends of the earth.The Chase is on or perhaps in this case I should have said "The Pursuit." "The Pursuit" by talented author Johanna Lindsey is a romantic tale of an enticing nature!
Rating: 
Summary: I was this close to throwing it across the room!
Review: The main idea of the story is that when Lincoln, the "hero," was a 10-year old child, he was befriended by a boy with 15 brothers. Linc and this boy got into a fight and the other brothers more or less ganged up on our hero. The brothers swore that Lincoln had "gone crazy" and therefore when he is older and has fallen in love with the brothers niece Melissa, they are determined to kept the two apart for fear that he will "go crazy" again and hurt Meli. How stupid of a premise can you get? Because of his actions as a 10-year old child the 16 brothers have decided the two lovers can not be together. That was 19 years ago the fight happened. I'm sorry but people can grow up and learn to control their anger, as Lincoln had done. That was a big point of my reason for hating this book. The characters continued to dwell upon what he had done as a child, giving no thought to the fact that in the following 19 years he had never "gone crazy" again. I found the 16 brothers to be extremely annoying in all of their actions. At one point they shanghai Lincoln to China in order to keep the two apart. This is not a sane or rational idea, especially considering that Linc is the sole provider for his aunt and cousin, which the brothers never give a second thought about. I didn't like Lincoln because I found him to be a little too "needy" of an individual. He seemed like the type to smother Melissa and cling to her. Definitely not one of Johanna Lindsey's best works. If you want one of her good books, check out her early fantasy works, like Challen and Tedra d'Ar in "Warrior's Woman," and stay away from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Short, Simple and Sweet
Review: I've read a lot of Johanna Lindsey's works, this is by no means her most stellar piece of prose, but the story makes for a very pleasant read. The book was missing the primary key: tension, especially the kind between the two protagonists.
I would recommend this book for a nice afternoon when you have a few hours to spare between loads of laundry, in other words read it whenever you can because the story doesn't require vast amounts of attention.
Rating:
Summary: I kept thinking the badness had to stop
Review: But I was wrong. The Puruit sucked the whole way through. I want the hour and a half I spent reading it back.
There could have been a decent story in here about a girl who has already made up her mind going through a season anyway, to please her family and learn about society. Instead we get a wooden hero and a cast of unremarkable secondary characters... oh, and no romance to speak of. Lindsey drops potentially interesting plot points like last year's Old Navy fashions, and then throws in every bad plot twist she knows in the last 100 pages.
Almost nothing happens in The Pursuit. The entire plot is overtaken by the kudzu-like MacFearson brothers. They're like a circus act.
The Pursuit is a sad excuse for a romance novel. I'd give it negative stars if I could.
Rating:
Summary: A Story About 16 Interfering Uncles (Not Much Romance)
Review: "The Pursuit" is rather passionless for a Johanna Lindsey romance novel. The third in a series beginning with "Man of My Dreams," "The Pursuit" follows the exploits of 16 uncles determined to keep their niece from marrying a man with a "crazy" past. Note that the story is more about the uncles than the romance!
Lincoln is the man with a past, a Scot raised in England who is now seeking a wife. He spies Melissa in Scotland, talks with her briefly, lets her dimples wreck havoc on his system, and then decides to marry her. Unfortunately, she's leaving the next day for her season in London. Plus, she has the 16 uncles who, having had a rather nasty experience with Lincoln when he was 10 years old, go to great lengths to keep the two apart.
Most of the book revolves around Lincoln facing off against the scheming uncles and then proving he's not crazy. In between, Melissa and Lincoln see each other about three or four times - briefly - in the span of about two months, kiss only twice, and somehow (though I'm not sure why) fall madly in love.
I did like Melissa's and Lincoln's characters. Melissa is adorable with her Scottish burr and impish wit, and most amusing in her anger towards her interfering uncles. Lincoln is honorable and has a lot of pent-up resentment towards his mother, who abandoned him as a child. Alas, together, Melissa and Lincoln lacked that spark that makes a Johanna Lindsey romance so great to read. They acted more like kids with a crush than the hero and heroine of a romance novel.
I could have accepted the story being mostly about the uncles, amusing hotheaded savages that they are. I could have also accepted the overblown crush between Melissa and Lincoln as being the basis for a romance novel. But I could NOT appreciate some of the dopey plotlines in this book. Worst was the plot involving Melissa and the dragon in the lake. Here was a scene that could have been played out into something intense and meaningful; instead, it was treated almost comically. Too bad. I also did not like the fact the uncles and Lincoln were obsessed over something that happened when Lincoln was 10. Even Lindsey, in her writing, seemed to be getting annoyed with dwelling on it, if you pay attention to her character's responses over it. Finally, the situation with Lincoln's mom is way too dramatic. What, exactly, did it lend to the story, other than to give Lincoln a simple excuse to forgive her?
All in all, this was a strange read for a romance novel. "The Pursuit" is full of lame coincidences (Lincoln, for instance, gets out of being shanghaied to China rather easily) and ridiculous storylines, with very little passion to hold it together. The only real pleasure I got was in reading about the uncles. I hope Ian Six gets a book (with passion) of his own. The same goes for Justin St. James - what a hottie!
My advice is to avoid "The Pursuit" (especially its endless back story) and instead read its prequels, "Man of My Dreams" (5 stars) or "Love Me Forever" (3 stars). Or, if you'd like a great Scottish romance, read Lindsey's immensely satisfying "A Gentle Feuding."
Rating:
Summary: Bland and redundant
Review: This book is unusually dull and not worthy of even a light, escapism-type read.
The uncles, there being 16, are redundant in themselves and so is their behavior. These characters repeatedly act the same way in every situation, so that they are not only horribly predictable, but also beyond dull. The scenarios they are involved in are outlandish and it is impossible to imagine other characters taking their antics with such good humor (they repeatedly beat the hero senseless, intimidated him non-stop, shanghai-ed him to China, and otherwise fouled all of this plans - but, no hard feelings?).
The hero is rather spineless. He shows no signs of heroic characteristics at all. He gives up easily, sulks and pouts, stays on the field only because the heroine keeps him there, and ultimately triumphs only because everyone else (the 16 uncles) gives in to other forces and allows him to have the day. He is too weak-willed to be likable.
And, his relationship with the heroine is not at all developed. The reader can not believe that after one brief meeting and a few more (equally brief) angst and drama ridden moments together, he is willing to pursue her to that extent. All that he is put through is unnecessarily drawn out and quite ridiculous.
The plot revolves around the hero having turned "crazy" for a short time as an eight year old and therefore must be a "crazy" adult, 19 years later, and not good/safe enough for the heroine. Perhaps that is why the author made him so spiritless. She goes to extremes to make the uncles savage (tries for endearing, too, but that doesn't work) and absolutely committed to their belief that the hero is still "crazy". She seems to also go to extremes to make the hero appear emotionless; perhaps to show a mature and "sane" contrast to his childish emotion-driven "craziness".
In any case, the bland, redundant plot, over-the-top uncles, and dull hero were not a winning combination. A "light" read should not equal a "mindless" read.
Rating:
Summary: The Pursuit
Review: This isn't the worst book I've ever read, but it is overly simplistic to be a Johanna Lindsey. Melissa and Lincoln meet and it's practically love at first sight. Throughout the course fo the story they don't spend much time together. The focus of the story seems to be Melissa's 16 uncles. I found it too many to keep track of (especially since many of them were named Ian) and I didn't even try. Their objection to Lincoln's pursuit of Melissa is a fight that occurred 19 years ago. This fight is brought up numerous times--enough times to bring new meaning to the phrase "making mountains out of molehills." What's more incredible is that Johanna Lindsey thought that she could base an entire novel around such a flimsy idea. My last objectioin was to Melissa's nickname--"Meli." What was that about? "Mel" maybe, but "Meli"?
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