Rating: 
Summary: It's about LOVE.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I am interested in romances that feature interracial relationships and, in the past, have been disappointed when they don't really focus on the romance itself. This book did not disappoint. It's a love story about 2 people who clearly belong together, but, have to overcome several obstacles before they can be together. The race issue is just one of them and not the overwhelming focus. Leslie is smart, talented, determined to meet her goals and afraid to give in to her attraction to Jordan. Jordan is strong, gorgeous, totally in love with Leslie and equally determined to overcome her fears and prove that they can make it together. All his actions display respect and consideration for Leslie -- It's a wonder she held out as long as she did! Throughout the story you discover new and interesting things about the 2 main characters and also important, the people around them. When I finished the book, I wanted to read it again - and did!
Rating:
Summary: Against the Wind is one of the year's best romances!
Review: I tend to shy away from interracial romances because the major emphasis in most novels is not on the romance. Interracial romances are often hampered by an overzealousness to tackle "the race question" head on. As a result, the main characters spend most of their time focusing upon the objections to their relationship than on the relationship itself. Against the Wind is the story of accountant Leslie Collins and Jordan Saber, a college professor and gentleman farmer, set in Talbot County, Maryland. As the story begins, Leslie has come to Saber Estates in search of a job. When a former employer attempted to rape her, Leslie filed charges against the man. He was convicted and sentenced to jail, but not before vowing to get revenge against Leslie. He has served his time and recently has been released from prison. The threats have begun anew. Afraid for her safety, she has left town and has found temporary shelter in a women's residence near Saber Estates. When Leslie asks for clerical work, Jordan tells her he has recently fired his bookkeeper for dishonesty and only needs seasonal workers to help with his lettuce crop. Noting her desperation to find work, he offers her a job as a cook. Leslie, who cooked for a family in exchange for room and board as an undergraduate, accepts his offer. We know from the outset that Jordan Saber is somehow distinct. But Leslie has had a bad experience with men in general and with male employers in particular. She does not necessarily balk at a relationship with Jordan because he is a white man, but because he is a man. Period. Leslie has been traumatized by the attempted assault and she is determined to fight any attraction she may have to Jordan Saber. She keeps her distance. And, although Jordan is attracted to Leslie, he respects her space. He also senses that she is afraid and hiding from something. Jordan secretly vows to protect her and to find out what is causing her so much anxiety. His pursuit of Leslie is intense, yet subtle. It is powerful, but at its core is always respectful. Because Leslie is Black and Jordan is white and she is his employee, Gwynne Forster was careful not to create master-slave story. Jordan is a man, a wonderful man that any woman would want. However, we are not blind to his shortcomings. Forster is painstakingly sensitive in her development of the romance, but she has been careful not to create the pretense of a utopian, color-blind existence for Jordan and Leslie within the happily ever after. To her credit, she is not heavy-handed with pronouncements on the subject of race. On Saber Estates opposition within Jordan's world will not be tolerated. Reality sets in once they leave the fortress he has created. A restaurant scene in which two men silently react to seeing Leslie and Jordan together speaks volumes without getting on a soapbox. In Against the Wind, Gwynne Forster has given us a mature, believeable, full-bodied romance.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking love story
Review: I truly enjoyed "Against the Wind." Leslie and Jordan were a terrific couple. Leslie was plagued with obstacles from her past that prohibited her from showing her true feelings to Jordan. However, through trust and Jordan's strongwill, their relationship would stand the test and battle the storm that was raging against the wind. Leslie, as an African American female, had to pit feelings against Jordan's devoted housekeeper, Julia, as well as Ossie, one of the workers, who had trouble accepting Leslie's and Jordan's relationship. Jordan was a compassionate, kind, considerate man, who was not only responsible for the operation of his ranch, but he also accepted responsibility for his workers and others. However, Jordan was a man who did not let society dictate what he should feel. He was determined to fight for what he felt was his right to have -- the love of a woman, no matter what color she was and to Jordan, that woman was Leslie Collins. Jordan set out to prove to Leslie that she was what mattered most in his life.
Rating:
Summary: Great Romance of the Heart
Review: I'll keep it quite simple. I LOVED IT!! It was well written and touched my heart deeply. I felt like the story was realistic in terms of the emotions the heroine was experiencing as it related to entering into an interracial relationship with a white man, despite how wonderful he was. I know some readers consider such strong contemplation on race to be a burden in a romance story, but I don't. As a sistah who was passionately pursued by a white man and soon entered into an interracial relationship with him a few years back, I found myself identifying with the main character wholeheartedly, especially many of her thoughts, feelings and words. For some, entering into an interracial relationship may come easy, but I think for many more of us, we go through a private struggle, which I think was well captured in this story, however subtle. This story was wonderful and gave me hope in love, despite whatever color it may come in. It reminded me of what's important and that when someone deeply cares for you, race doesn't matter, just how much they love and cherish you. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL, especially for sistahs that may have found themselves in their own private struggle over an interracial relationship (or the potential for one). It was refreshing!
Rating: 
Summary: Still scratching my head
Review: I've read interracial romances,and this one just didn't cut it. The book has a lot of logical errors which I found extremely distracting. The author doesn't seem to develop the characters, they seem to shift from sentence to sentence. Frankly, if Jared was so wonderful, he should have dumped Leslie for an adult. His maturity compared to her lack of it left me with the impression of an indulgent pedophile. Finally, she just seemed too self-absorbed. How can anyone that flighty be honest enough to admit attraction, and then spend the rest of the book vascillating between resentment and superiority. I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't get any grip on Leslie. I've yet to discover what was so utterly fascinating about her that every man within 200 miles wanted her, WHAT EXACTLY DID SHE LOOK LIKE? And as for her decisions, I don't know that fear of a stalker would lead me to an ultra isolated coastal area where newcomers are bound to stick out. Overall, I thought the idea was cute, but there was no development. Morover, the pacing was really bad. I felt jarred at the end of each chapter from all the changes in speed, and found myself re-reading some passages to see if I missed something. The book seems like it was written entirely on the fly, with poor transitioning. But having read other books by the same author, I'm guessing this was a fluke.
Rating:
Summary: Still scratching my head
Review: I've read interracial romances,and this one just didn't cut it. The book has a lot of logical errors which I found extremely distracting. The author doesn't seem to develop the characters, they seem to shift from sentence to sentence. Frankly, if Jared was so wonderful, he should have dumped Leslie for an adult. His maturity compared to her lack of it left me with the impression of an indulgent pedophile. Finally, she just seemed too self-absorbed. How can anyone that flighty be honest enough to admit attraction, and then spend the rest of the book vascillating between resentment and superiority. I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't get any grip on Leslie. I've yet to discover what was so utterly fascinating about her that every man within 200 miles wanted her, WHAT EXACTLY DID SHE LOOK LIKE? And as for her decisions, I don't know that fear of a stalker would lead me to an ultra isolated coastal area where newcomers are bound to stick out. Overall, I thought the idea was cute, but there was no development. Morover, the pacing was really bad. I felt jarred at the end of each chapter from all the changes in speed, and found myself re-reading some passages to see if I missed something. The book seems like it was written entirely on the fly, with poor transitioning. But having read other books by the same author, I'm guessing this was a fluke.
Rating: 
Summary: Love can triumph adersity
Review: Ms. Forster, Is the first book I've ever read on interracial LOVE. I found the story line good but the outer characters views on dating between a white and african american person were soft. I would have like to read a more in depth view of what Julia, Ossie and the town folks really thought of one of its's leading citizens Jordan (white)and Leslie(black)a new comer, seeing one another. Julia was like a mother to Jordan when he was growing up. I can not see her just sitting back and accepting a relationship between her boss and an upstart newcomer. Image is everything to Julia how does she really feel about one of the towns most handsomest men going about with an african american woman. Ossie definetly didn't like the thought of a sister going out with a white man even if the man was his boss and friend. It would have been interesting to get a african amercian mans point of view for a change. What about the reaction of the town folks when they were out and about in public. Not much written there except for the two brothers that didn't like seeing Leslie touching Jordan in the resturant. No mention of what the white female population thought of an african american woman coming into there town and capturing the most handsomest male in the town. The love of the two main characters did flow very well and the love scene's were fantastic. I like the way Jordan handled the complicated matter of the attempted rape of Leslie. Ms. Foster wrote a whimsical fantasy of interrical LOVE on how the world should be but is NOT. If you're going to tackle a highly charged subject be honest and true to your characters and your readers and make them see that true LOVE can triumph over all adversity.
Rating: 
Summary: 1 bad apple
Review: One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. I have read all of Gwynne's books and thoroughly enjoyed them all with the exception of this one. I felt like the characters were under-developed as well as the relationship between Leslie and Jordon. To me it just stunk. I wished that she had dealt with the romance between the two of them more and made Leslie a little less stubborn and stupid in the ways of romance and Jordon a little more human and less the perfect love God.
Rating:
Summary: Against the Wall...
Review: That's what this book should have been titled, because I felt like I was banging my *head* against the wall. This book was honestly the worst I have read in a long time. The character of Leslie is so frustrating and indesicive. One minute she wants Jordan and the next she doesn't. On and on, back and forth. Her attitude sucked all the romance out of the novel. By the half-way point, I was hoping another heroine would pop up to grab Jordan's attention. I'm not sure what Ms. Forster was going for when developing the character of Leslie...but she has succeeded in creating one of the most unlikeable, wishy-washy, teases that I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. Sorry, but true. Trust me on this...save your money and use it on titled like "Three Wishes" or "At Last". There are so many to choose from there is no need to endure this dribble.
Rating:
Summary: Against the Wall...
Review: That's what this book should have been titled, because I felt like I was banging my *head* against the wall. This book was honestly the worst I have read in a long time. The character of Leslie is so frustrating and indesicive. One minute she wants Jordan and the next she doesn't. On and on, back and forth. Her attitude sucked all the romance out of the novel. By the half-way point, I was hoping another heroine would pop up to grab Jordan's attention. I'm not sure what Ms. Forster was going for when developing the character of Leslie...but she has succeeded in creating one of the most unlikeable, wishy-washy, teases that I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. Sorry, but true. Trust me on this...save your money and use it on titled like "Three Wishes" or "At Last". There are so many to choose from there is no need to endure this dribble.
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