Wish You Were Here

Rating:
Summary: Bravo, Christie!
Review: Wish You Were Here is a splendid read! I laughed, I cried. The characters came to life on the page. Ms. Ridgway created a wonderful setting that made you feel as if you were there. I'll definitely watch for this author in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Rich and tender, funny and moving
Review: WISH YOU WERE HERE is the kind of romance that hooked me on the genre in the first place--wise and rich and funny, but also tender and poignant. I loved reading about the struggles of these characters to find happiness and meaning in spite of the curves life has tossed their way. This is a book about not just surviving life, not just rising from the ashes--it's about embracing and triumphing in spite of all kinds of setbacks. This is what romance is all about. Great book.

Rating:
Summary: IF YOU LOVE SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS...
Review: You'll love Christie Ridgway. She has that same wonderfully breezy, funny style of SEP's, and just like SEP, when you least expect it, the emotions of the story jump up and grab you. Zoe is so sincere, so good. She trying so hard to hold her life together and has such a wonderfully optimistic soul. Yeager is world-weary and blind-sided by her. And Deke doesn't stand a chance against a very determined Lyssa, who has all sorts of secrets of her own.

Rating:
Summary: Four people, two love stories
Review: Zoe and Lyssa Cash have been to hell and back in the past six years. Now they have each other and their island home, Abrigo, a refuge from the rigors of the past, where they run a bed and breakfast. Into this safe paradise come two very disturbed and disturbing men: Deke Nielsen and Yeager Gates. Deke is on an errand of family business, tying up loose ends from an estate left to him; his friend Yeager is accompanying him on a vacation that is part recuperation and part running away. Once upon a time, Yaeger was the country's golden boy astronaut hero; now, he is a disabled pilot who has been permanently excluded from the space program. However, Zoe, Lyssa, and Deke have also suffered losses which have left scars. These three have figured out how to survive - although they have also been left more than a little stunted, in various ways, in the process. Yeager has not reached that survivorship point, and is still struggling alternately with rage, grief, and denial. The life lines of these four people intersect on a tiny island off the coast of California, as CR tells four stories of loss, change, and love.

These characters are wonderfully written as the attachments and sexual tension develop between them. There is no big subplot or mystery in this book, just an unfolding of relationships in a protected, greenhouse-like environment. This allowed me to get caught up in the people-part of the story without distraction. Zoe's insecurities, in particular, are both poignantly and realistically portrayed. This is one of the most enjoyable stories I've read, and I wish I could give it six stars. The trailers on the back of the book make it come off a little flippant. Don't take them too seriously.

By the way, don't read too fast through the mud fight. It's so well written that you'll feel like you're part of it, and it's a scream.....

Rating:
Summary: A Most Excellent and Funny Love Story
Review: Zoe and Yeager seem to be complete opposites. Maybe the saying "opposites attract" really is true?

While Yeager is recouping from a horrible motorcycle accident, his friend brings him to Zoe's island paradise to recover. Zoe is known more for fixing up everyone else and never thinks she will be the one to be "terminally fixed". Yeager cant see due to medical circumstances from the wreck.

When Yeager meets Zoe he is sensorily charged to the bone in her presence. He falls for her and she does the same. Zoe just knows that when Yeager's vision is returned to normal, she will be history with the sexy Astronaut whos known for his wild party boy life style and the gorgeous women who are constantly pictured with him in all the magazines. Zoe has another thing coming.

The subplot with Zoe's sister and Yeagers friend will move you too. I enjoyed this book and there was some wonderful sexual tension and some great comical moments in it. Hope you enjoy it too!