Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: A vintage whodunit from one of the Romantic Suspense genre's consistent stars! The story revolves around the presumed suicide of a millionaire, whose less than legitimate business practices are revealed after his death, propelling his company into bankruptcy. His oldest daughter Alexandra finds herself handling the liquidation of all of the family holdings (including a horse farm in Paradise County Kentucky), dealing with a very interesting younger half sister, the crusty young horse farm manager and his family, and unbeknownst to her a serial killer.The book was refreshing, and a shear pleasure to read. So many of the Romance turn Romantic Suspense writers, including Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag and Nora Roberts have turned away from their roots with their hardcover novels (to be fair to Nora Roberts, however, her niche books in the "Romance" genre remain pretty steamy). I've begun to wonder, however, if editors have convinced these once best selling authors that a good hardcover book shouldn't focus on romance, but down play. If that's the case, they've done it, to the extent that this element of their stories has become bland and uninteresting, and in most cases, so have the stories themselves. Karen Robards and Linda Howard are two authors who haven't made this change in their hardcover books. Both Robards and Howard have only become better, maturer storytellers in the Romantic Suspense genre; remaining true to their strengths-great romantic tension in the middle of a plausible mystery. In Paradise County, the predator is as evil as they come, and the suspense leading up to the climax is well handled. Paradise County is one of Ms. Robards' best. It's an engrossing, suspenseful read.
Rating: 
Summary: It's an OK read
Review: After the death of her father, Alexandra Haywood is left with the job of seeing after her father's estate. Contrary to what everyone believes- the estate is broke and has to be down sized. The lawyer suggested that Alexandra let him take care of dismissing employees and selling race horse farm but Alexandra feels she owes it to the loyal employees to be told by her that they no longer have a job. She sets out for Paradise County, Kentucky. When she mets Joe Welch, the farm manager face to face and tells him to sell off the horses so she can sell the farm, Joe fights her all the way. His dream was to make these horses the best race horses yet and now it is being shot to pieces. Sparks fly! Emotionally and physically between the two. There's an attraction there between Alexandra and Joe but never want to admit it due to the friction over the farm. It is still hard for Alexandra to believe that her father would commit suicide- but that is what the report says- but even from it things don't add up. And Joe Welch was the one that found him dead. Alexandra wants to do some questioning of her own. The more Alexandra ask the more unusual things start turning up, like a presence in her bedroom at night and someone setting the house on fire- could someone be out to harm Alexandra? Alexandra's kid sister showing up from school to live with her doesn't help the matter. Joe has his kids to keep track of too. Being a single parent hasn't been easy but Joe has worked at it. Now he has someone else needing some of his attention- Alexandria. Can he deal with someone special coming into his life after all of these years of being single? The story line is good but there seemed to be something left out of it. It seemed choppy to me- I don't know. It just wasn't one of my favorites. But I wouldn't say don't read it. Just don't buy it. There is better out there.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Suspense
Review: Alexandra has lost her father and his millions, not to mention her finance married someone else and her sister Neeley has runaway from school again. She now has to sell everything that she loved, including Whistledown her father's horse ranch. When meeting the farm manager Joe Welch she finds herself in for a challenge. The first night at Whistledown she discovers someone is in her house. Frightened she and her sister run to Joe's house. Not sure on what to believe Joe helps her out. You know in the book there is a serial killer and now he is fasinated with Alexandra. He wants her and sneaks into her house to watch her sleeping. He's just biding his time... When Neeley and Joe's son Eli disappear they know something bad has happened. Now they are in a race for time. Can they find Neeley and Eli in time or will they be the next victim. And what will happen to Alex? Fast paced and hard to put down. Ms. Robards does it again.
Rating:
Summary: Robards best since Walking After Midnight
Review: All in all an excellent read. Not since Walking After Midnight, have I enjoyed reading about a hero, so much. Joe Welch certainly personifies the sexy man of the 21st century. Handsome, compassionate, family man, with a great body, Joe really sparks up the pages. When he and Alex after facing off twice, find themselves alone at an opportune moment, things really heat up. The supporting cast of teenagers was wonderfully characterized and so believable. I am so tired of reading about nearly perfect teenagers in a lot of Romances these days.I mean who do those kids belong to? With two of my own, it was refreshing to see that someone else has normal, body piercing, hair dyed pink, teenagers that smoke marijuana, even if they aren't real. It was obvious that Karen has teens or has been around them. As with all of Karen's books there is a macarbe psycho pervert on the loose and there is a nice plot twist with the old house and the secret passages. Best of all was the highschool pep rally, hay ride and walk in the woods, reminiscent of days gone by and it was nice to see not much has changed that way in small communities.
Rating: 
Summary: Paradise County is disappointingly lame and distasteful
Review: Believe me when I say I would love a sizzling romantic suspense -yet Paradise County by Karen Robards failed to enchant. Alexandra Haywood, daughter of billionaire Charles Haywood returns to Paradise County, Kentucky distraught over the death of her father. She prepares herself for the firing of one of her father's employed manager at his Whistledown establishment. Joe Welch runs his stable and has dreams of bringing his fine horses to tournaments but they are shattered. His livelihood along with his son Eli and daughter Jenny is threatened and he blames it on Alex. Yet their chemistry cannot be denied and when the killer who claimed her father returns for her, Alex has no choice but to reach for safety in the arms of Joe. When stunning relevations about Joe's long-lost wife are made and Alex's sister Neely together with Eli has disappeared, the danger becomes more treacherous than ever.... Karen Robard's contemporary romance is hot and sexy with Joe and Alex but the suspense leaves readers cold. It is contrived and unimaginative with cliches of chasing scene ripped off from a Scream horror movie. The pages can be skipped to the next hot sex outing because it is exactly the author's intention. The mystery is there to provide lame excuses to the passionate scenes and is embarrassingly distasteful. The killer's identity is hastily revealed and the motive is an insult to the intelligence of any mystery readers. It can be summarized in a page - so why have the mystery in the first place? It is made unneccessarily violent with the killer burning dogs and threatening young girls. This book is vile and save for the chemistry between Alex and Joe, it rambles on without any clever plotting and leaves readers disappointed beyond words.
Rating: 
Summary: JUST SHY OF A FIVE STAR BOOK. . .
Review: First of all let me say I HATE books where the bad guy is a psycho-female-killing-torturing goon. (I'm not giving away the plot by mentioning the psycho since he is in the story from the start.) To my way of thinking, it is a plot cop-out. I KNOW authors can come up with a better way to get the heroine in danger (and thus allow our hero to rescue her). BUT. . .that said, I really liked this book. I more or less skimed over the psycho part and concentrated on the rest of the story. Yes, you need one to make the other, but you don't have to dwell on his actions until the end of the book. This book might not singe your eyelashes, but it is pretty hot stuff and Joe and Alex are hot together. I'd put this one on the keeper shelf.
Rating:
Summary: An Ok Read
Review: From the beginning of Chapter 1 I thought I wasn't going to be able to put this book down. By Chapter 3 I was becoming very disappointed. I really love a good suspense, mystery and romance, but somethings need to be left to the imagination. The story line was very good and intriguing, but the crimes were definitely too graphic, to the point of being disturbing. The sexual antics of Joe and Alex were too descriptive, I mean really...a whole chapter describing their love making, please. Even when Eli and Neely are missing, they can't stop from going at it. The ending was very exciting but it all came together a little too fast. I just wanted to hurry up and finish this book. I will probably read more of Karen Robards writings but not if the next one is similar to this.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Have read most, if not all, of Ms. Robards' novels and found this one to be a major disappointment. I found the central romance to be way too far beyond the bounds of possibility---even within the romance genre. Instead of developing one strong theme, she threw a surplus of subplots and diversions into the mix---reminding me of an overly-decorated Victorian parlor.
Rating:
Summary: a very good read
Review: I found this to be another good Karen Robards romance. I'd have to agree with another reviewer that the chapters involving the pschopathic murderer were a little to graphically violent but the rmoance was hot and the story basically fun. I liked it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Nasty Romantic Suspense
Review: I have read all of Ms. Robards' books and enjoyed all but the last few. Lately, it seems that she is upping the ante with her villains as their acts become more heinous. I read romantic suspense novels for a few hours of escapism, not to be grossed out by evil antics. Ms. Robards needs to lighten up or be listed with other horror genre authors.
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