Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting!
Review: Already assuming I'll enjoy it as much as I loved Hope's story...I was putting a box of books together to sell to a "we buy your books" store & just realized that I needed to check and see if a sequel was out yet for "Just The Way You Are" (that was Hope's story)...so I guess I'll be getting this one next. Guess I need to double-check & make sure there's not one in between that one & this one though...will follow up once I've read it
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Finish It
Review: I have enjoyed most of Ms. Dodd's historical romances. I didn't like "Almost Like Being in Love" at all. It wasn't till Pepper's sister, Hope, appears that I realized I neither liked nor finished her story in "Just the Way You Are". I can't remember why for that one. I didn't like Hope, I think. I didn't finish this one either. I skipped around. Hoping it would get better. It didn't. I did check out the ending. <sigh> I should have just left it at the store.
And I can't think of a recent heroine that I've disliked more than Pepper Prescott. Sheesh! That chip on her shoulder was the size of a redwood. I really, really don't like "prickly" heroines. She is awful! Why he loved her, I'll never know.
On top of that, it's hard to believe that she ran away after her first sexual encounter. And that she's still mad at Dan Graham for some reason. In fact, she stays mad at just about everybody and everything. The romance part wasn't very believable. Nor or we told why she kept travelling under an assumed name for so many years. Well, there was the lame excuse that she was afraid to find out her sisters and brother wouldn't want her if she ever found them. Right!
I'm no expert on the army/terrorist stuff that is presented. But, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. For me, it was too far-fetched that both sets of villains got together and stormed the ranch. The whole plot is far too over-done.
I guess there are 2 more books to come in this series. Brother Gabriel and baby sister Caitlin. The latter was less than a year old when the family was broken up. I am making a note to self right now to give them a pass.
All in all, I think Ms. Dodd should stick to her historicals. She does so well there where not many do.
Rating: 
Summary: Still a Great Storyteller
Review: In the second installment of Dodd's contemporary trilogy, the middle Prescott sister, Pepper is featured as a hard-nosed, hard-working, wounded young woman with a tremendous amount of trust issues. Orphaned, and torn from her family at the age of eight, she had been parceled out and lived in various foster homes, none for very long as her rebelliousness caused her to be tossed around quite often. Only once, - the final foster home in Diamond Idaho, where she had stayed the longest did she feel some sense of belonging, but even from there she ran. The years in between, after reading an inspiring memoir of a woman's accomplishments, she turned her life around and started a thriving landscape business. Discovering and witnessing her hero, General Jennifer Napier, killing her aide after he accused her of furnishing government secrets to terrorists, Pepper who had been living under an assumed name herself, knew she had to run for her life because who would believe her word over that of a General. Running to the last place that had felt like a home to her, Pepper discovered that her long lost lover Dan Graham, had taken up residence and was now keeping up the ranch. Not only was Dan there, but her foster mother had died and left the ranch to her. Years before, Dan was the reason she had left, and the years in between hadn't lessened the attraction they both still felt, but trust was another matter entirely. In this sequel, Dodd turns up the heat in some very passionate and exciting sensual laden encounters. Brisk writing, page turning action, and hot and steamy sex had all the makings of this being a stellar read, but for the fact that I was totally aggravated with our heroine and hero - especially Pepper. After all, after having this amazingly sensual connection with a he-man type gorgeous soldier, she couldn't TRUST him to tell the truth, to share her burdens that someone (an Army General) was trying to kill her? And her reasons for running away from him in the first place - didn't cut it. Granted he had his secrets too, but she was just too prickly to warm up to. I did like the action, the covert gadgets and thrill of terrorists attack. Unfortunately, even the hero turned into too much of a cave-man with the `you belong to me - we're mated' statement! Ugh, I cringe! But sensibilities aside, when an author can arouse readers emotions with a characters' distasteful personality - then you do have to appreciate the writing talent and Ms. Dodd is certainly that, a writer with enormous talent. Bottom line - I enjoyed the read, I just didn't warm up to nor embrace the main characters. ----- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicalromancewriters.com ----
Rating:
Summary: Still a Great Storyteller
Review: In the second installment of Dodd's contemporary trilogy, the middle Prescott sister, Pepper is featured as a hard-nosed, hard-working, wounded young woman with a tremendous amount of trust issues. Orphaned, and torn from her family at the age of eight, she had been parceled out and lived in various foster homes, none for very long as her rebelliousness caused her to be tossed around quite often. Only once, - the final foster home in Diamond Idaho, where she had stayed the longest did she feel some sense of belonging, but even from there she ran. The years in between, after reading an inspiring memoir of a woman's accomplishments, she turned her life around and started a thriving landscape business. Discovering and witnessing her hero, General Jennifer Napier, killing her aide after he accused her of furnishing government secrets to terrorists, Pepper who had been living under an assumed name herself, knew she had to run for her life because who would believe her word over that of a General. Running to the last place that had felt like a home to her, Pepper discovered that her long lost lover Dan Graham, had taken up residence and was now keeping up the ranch. Not only was Dan there, but her foster mother had died and left the ranch to her. Years before, Dan was the reason she had left, and the years in between hadn't lessened the attraction they both still felt, but trust was another matter entirely. In this sequel, Dodd turns up the heat in some very passionate and exciting sensual laden encounters. Brisk writing, page turning action, and hot and steamy sex had all the makings of this being a stellar read, but for the fact that I was totally aggravated with our heroine and hero - especially Pepper. After all, after having this amazingly sensual connection with a he-man type gorgeous soldier, she couldn't TRUST him to tell the truth, to share her burdens that someone (an Army General) was trying to kill her? And her reasons for running away from him in the first place - didn't cut it. Granted he had his secrets too, but she was just too prickly to warm up to. I did like the action, the covert gadgets and thrill of terrorists attack. Unfortunately, even the hero turned into too much of a cave-man with the 'you belong to me - we're mated' statement! Ugh, I cringe! But sensibilities aside, when an author can arouse readers emotions with a characters' distasteful personality - then you do have to appreciate the writing talent and Ms. Dodd is certainly that, a writer with enormous talent. Bottom line - I enjoyed the read, I just didn't warm up to nor embrace the main characters. ----- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicalromancewriters.com ----
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting!
Review: No one--I repeat no one!--writes better heroines than Ms. Dodd. Pepper is smart, funny and utterly adorable. And as always, the love scenes are really intense and made me blush! I love this book. It is fresh and fast-paced, and is the perfect summer treat.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Like Suspending Disbelief...
Review: Orphaned at age 8, Pepper Prescott had a troubled youth, bouncing around the system and acting out a bit before she eventually pulled her life together to become a successful landscaper in Washington, DC. Her newly ordered life comes to a grinding halt when she witnesses a crime perpetrated by the military self-help author she idolizes. The one bright spot in her checkered past was the high school year she spent on a ranch in Idaho with a foster mother who genuinely loved her, so when she is accused of committing the crime she witnessed, it's the first place she runs to. Enter Dan Graham, Pepper's first and only love, who was devastated when she ran away from home all those years ago. The son of the owner of the neighboring ranch, Dan felt he needed to leave town after Pepper ran away so he joined the "army". Several years later he returns home, apparently retired from the "special forces", after being seriously injured while fighting "terrorists". He's been looking after the ranch of Pepper's foster mother who has recently died. We see a touching romance between Pepper and Dan. Normally reunion stories leave me slightly irritated that the protagonists didn't just work out their issues at the time that they split, but things are handled so well here that I really believe these two needed the intervening years to bring them to this point where they could be together. Dan has never gotten over Pepper, and almost from the moment he sees her again, he wants to be with her forever. His attempts to lure her to his way of thinking are steamy and meaningful at the same time. I adore this love story. Things would probably be all right if that was all there was to "Almost Like Being in Love". I like both Pepper and Dan. The problem is that there's a convoluted plot about Dan actually still being active in the army and working with a superior to capture the terrorist he's after. Also, throwing plausibility completely out the window, the crime Pepper witnessed in Washington, DC is in fact connected to the terrorists who are seeking Dan in Idaho. It's just ridiculous. It's distracting. I'm almost angry about it. This could have been a wonderful story. The human side is so well done, the characters are so likeable and have such excellent chemistry--why this crazy plot that detracts from the emotional story? There's so much inaccuracy here that I don't really know where to begin. Though Dan is referred to as "special forces" in the "army", the way his relationship to the terrorists is described would mean he actually would have been involved in the intelligence community. In "Almost Like Being in Love", the "army" is actually running battle operations within the United States, which is silly, as everyone knows their jurisdiction is only OUTSIDE of our borders--we have internal law enforcement, both local and federal to handle domestic matters--never would anyone in the "army" be authorized to do something like this within the US, and I'm inclined to think that a situation like this if it were outside the US would actually be handled by the CIA not the army. Dan is a lieutenant, but we're never told that he went to school to become an officer and I'm almost afraid the author doesn't know the difference between enlisted men and officers. Another reviewer covered the inter-military inaccuracies, read that review for more information regarding those issues. Also, there seems to be such an effort to remain politically correct and offend no racial, religious, or national group that we don't even know who these terrorists are or what they represent, which is irritating. It's like having a villain in a story and not knowing anything about their motivations or ambitions, only that they're "bad"--it's almost cartoonish. And last but not least, completely contrary to everything that we know about both characters, Dan and Pepper are deliberately drawing "bad" people to their idyllic little Idaho paradise with apparently no thought to the friends, neighbors, and family members who could be threatened by the presence of international terrorists bent on violence. Dan's father actually lives next door to the ranch where Dan has set up his terrorist ambush, but Dan never considers what could happen if the terrorists (who surely are capable of it) hurt his father to get to him. Really, I'm torn about giving this story three stars. On one hand, the romance between these two great characters deserves to be recognized for how wonderful it is; on the other hand, the laughable terrorist plot deserves a zero. I'm a big Christina Dodd fan, I enjoy her historicals very much and I liked the contemporary prequel to this book, "Just the Way You Are". In the end, I'd say I liked this book more than I disliked it, but I have a hard time recommending it to anyone. If you're a Dodd fan, I'd say check it out and like me you'll probably revel in the romance and try to overlook the other problems. If you've never read Christina Dodd, though, I'd steer you toward "Just the Way You Are" if you want a contemporary or if you want historical romance try "A Well Favored Gentleman" or "Rules of Surrender".
Rating:
Summary: A great follow-up to JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
Review: Pepper Prescott believes her family betrayed her when she was put into foster care, so now that she's an adult she has changed her name and made a life for herself without letting anyone in to love her. Then she sees the one person she admires commit murder, and she returns to the one place she is safe, a small ranching community in the mountains of Idaho. There her high school love is, and she finds herself entangled in his life again. She's trying to escape being a murder victim. He's a soldier on an undercover mission. The sexual attraction between them burns, but they've both grown up and now have ulterior motives and deep secrets. Almost Like Being In Love is compelling and HOT (wait until you read the scene in the barn) but the story is complex and exciting. I hate ranch books, hate cowboy hats, hate horses, but Christina Dodd sucked me in when she wrote Just The Way You Are and I had to read this book. Fabulous! I can't wait for the third installment.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful next book
Review: Pepper Prescott had her world torn apart at a young age. Her parents were killed and she was separated from her siblings. Pepper has created a new life for herself as a landscaper. She witnesses a murder and runs to the one place she feels safe, the foster home of Mrs. Dreiss. Dan Graham has been taking care of Mrs. Dreiss ranch since her passing several months ago. He has been recovering from a life threatening injury from his job as a Special Forces soldier. Dan and Pepper share a past from their teen years. Dan had no idea where Pepper has been. Now that she is back he will do anything he can to make sure she realizes that the ranch is where she belongs. As danger from both their past catches up to them, they fight to protect each other from harm. Almost Like Being In Love is a wonderful follow up book to Just The Way You Are. These characters have such depth and passion. You feel their joy and pain. I really hope Gabriel and Caitlyn stories will follow.
Rating:
Summary: Almost like reading a real story
Review: This book went a little over the top for me. The sexual tension between Pepper and Dan went a little too far to be believable. Can she really be this tough independent woman who built her own life on her own and then melt into a puddle of complicity whenever Dan crooks his little finger? And, Dan. Supposedly sensitive, ends up throwing his he-man attitude around like piles of dung for Pepper to trip over. I don't know. The story was good. Bad guys after both of them end up working together. Heroics and modern technology save the day. Other than the two of them, the story was enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: insulting to women
Review: This is the first book that I've read of hers, and believe me, it'll be the last. I agree with a previous poster, "corrinne" in that there are so many obvious inconsistencies and plot loopholes that it detracts from the story. However, I felt there was no special love story between Pepper and Dan. I felt like I was watching a National Geographic special on Lions of the Serengeti. More than once Dan described their sexual relations as "mating." MATING!!!! I think I ultimately couldn't relate to either character. Pepper was painted as being a strong, independent woman, who in the blink of an eye, lost her fiery personality and surrendered to the sexual requests of Dan. I saw Dan as having the typical caveman mentality ("I man, you woman, I sit here, you come pleasure me now"). It was all utterly ridiculous and not at all believable. That stuff might have flown with 17th century period pieces but not in modern day w/ sophisticated readers. It made me angry to see Pepper succumb to his demands. I did not find Dan particularly charming, nor was he worthy of any woman with a functioning brain. Cocky, arrogrant, presumptuous, domineering--all of these describes the GREAT hero Dan Graham. One other thing that irked me were the bad guys. They weren't evil enough, weren't ruthless or vile. They were just sort of....ordinary--an all-around badness that we were supposed to accept without any real examples of how villainous they were, well, except for the time that chick shot her aide. Something along the lines of, "They're bad because they are" sort of bad. I'd return this book in a heartbeat if I could. But I can't so I'm doing the civil thing by warning you all beforehand. Do not pay full price for this book.
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