Rating: 
Summary: Another winner from Sandra
Review: There is no question that this is definately one of my favorite Sandra Brown books. I am usually more a fan of her novels, but this one had a very interesting plot and some very poignant moments. I've read it numerous times and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick, yet unforgettable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-achiever
Review: This book starts out with promise, and kept me wondering what really happened to the lovers that kept them apart. Other than the supsense of finding out what really happened between Caroline and Rink, there was nothing good about this novel. The secondary characters seem pointless, as if Brown only included them in her novel to fill space and add more pages to this book. With character names like Rink, Roscoe, and Granger, Brown tries too hard to make this into a romance. There is no distinguished climax to this story, other than Caroline becoming pregnant. I was always taught in English class that stories should have climaxes, and shame on the publishers for not noticing that there is none. It was a big let down to receive this book, which kept me in supsense for a while, and read as nothing came of it. The characters aren't very likeable and Caroline is not the heroine one might expect her to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Sandra Brown is great
Review: This book was interesting, and it kept my attention with all that lovey-dovey stuff, but I think Sandra's way to obssessed with just one topic, and it's not romance.
Rating:
Summary: one of my all-time favorite books
Review: This book was my first Sandra Brown, and it's one of my favorite books because of the way it made me feel. The whole time I read it, my heart was just aching for Rink and Caroline. I have to admit, like other reviewers, I wasn't too sure about the plot before I read it, but Sandra Brown really makes it work without it getting ugly. I actually cried at some point in this book, though I may have been tired from staying up reading, I'll never know. The whole book is so sweet, and sad, and you really feel for Rink and Caroline, because it seems like they can never get back the love they lost. This adds a poignant edge to the whole book that just makes it more beautiful. One thing that readers might object to though, is the character of Rink's father. I found it hard to believe anyone on this planet could be so evil and go through such great lengths just for pure spite. It seems like such a petty and totally unreasonable thing, and not quite realistic (I don't believe many people are entirely bad). However, while it seems strange, I can overlook it because the love story is so beautiful. I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who likes love stories and it might get you started on Sandra Brown, like me.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: This is one of Sandra Brown's best! I think I must have read it at least 4 times! You can get so absorbed in it and not want to put it down! The characters are written so real! I highly recomend it! :)
Rating:
Summary: Synopsis
Review: This is one the first books by her I read- it still reads well almost 20 years later- the timeless love story is fantastic!The Ties That Bind... Caroline Dawson had married Roscoe Lancaster, a man 30 years her senior, and she had been a loving wife to him. But the deepest love in her heart was reserved for his son. Rink Lancaster had broken teenaged Caroline's heart, and now he seemed destined to break it once again. He returned home for the first time in years to satisfy his dying father's final wish, and came face-to-face with a Caroline who had grown into a woman beyond his wildest dreams. She was now the only woman he would ever want - and the one woman it seemed he could never have
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking!
Review: This is the first of Sandra brown's books I've ever read but will not be the last! Not only an author but an artist! She made the characters come to life for me and I could visualize in my mind's eye what they all looked like and even the looks they gave each other! It made me long to be at The Retreat, I can't wait to get another of her books. I hope it's just as good because I'm not sure it can be better!
Rating: 
Summary: More bitter than sweet
Review: This was my first Sandra Brown Book. Maybe the many good things I had heard and read about the author had raised my expectations too much or maybe this is just not one of her best works, but I was fairly disappointed with this book. Sure Mrs. Brown adheres to the 411 of romance writing and the basic story is not without originality. But the characters and their actions are as real as the ones in a cheap soap opera, complete with all the tears, screams and cliché stances (his cornering her, hand against the wall, her walking away turning her back, his standing rigidly, head forward, tight fists by the sides). The heroine was given more maturity with 15 than with 27 and the lead couple was more likable in those flashbacks (these were however well interwoven with the main story). Also, the couple's reasons to stay apart until the end of the book, her concern about her reputation in the town and his pride are really weak. This and some of the character's other flaws kept me from ever relating to either protagonist. Additionally, some of the plot twists were unconvincing (Caroline's sex life with Roscoe); others were easily reconizable crutches to give the couple more time together and later vanished into obscurity. Some promising threads were never tied up. The sexual tension was overbearing and the prolific sex scenes dragged on too long, all for the price of some deeper character exploration. So if you just start out with romances or with Sandra Brown for that matter you can probably make a better choice than this book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!!!!
Review: This was the first book I've read by Sandra Brown and I just bought 4 more!!! I bought this book mostly just to see how on earth she could make the step-mother/step-son scenerio work and I was amazed. It started off alittle slow, but it picked up and boy...I didn't want it to end. And if the story about Caroline and Rink wasn't enough, there was a secondary romance between his sweet little sister Laura Jane and Steve going on. This book stirred my emotions with the cruel Roscoe (I was furious!!),Caroline's years growing up with the town drunk, Rink's first wife and her daughter that he missed...there was just so much. I couldn't put it down once I got about half-way and stayed up until 2:30am this morning to see how it ended. I'm glad I did.
Rating:
Summary: My first by Sandra Brown, but definitely not my last.
Review: This was the first novel I've read by Sandra Brown and I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed. I usually steer clear of contemporary romances (unless it's a book from Judith McNaught), but I'm now real glad that I gave Brown a try; the story was very romantic. I didn't think she could pull it off, with Caroline being married to Rink's father. Their relationship was very sweet though, and the author conveys the tension, love and longing between the couple so well that it was as if nothing was lost between them despite the long separation. The only problem I've had with the book was that I found the names of the characters (Rink!) a bit strange which is a minor complaint which will not deter my appreciation for this book.
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