Rating:  Summary: Judith McNaught's BEST contemporary to date Review: This book was (for me) nothing short of superb. I loved the characters and felt they were marvelously developed and incredibly believable. The secondary characters (highly important in my opinion) were terrific and added so much to this book. We were also treated to some secondary characters from previous books which is a considerable bonus to me.The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat and I literally screamed out loud more than once. One friend I spoke with said she was "standing up pacing the floor as she read" because she was so extremely anxious. Any novel that can evoke that kind of response is to be venerated. I laughed and cried, sometimes almost simultaneously, and was happily and on occasion frantically carried through the web of intrigue, cliffhangers, uncertainty, intoxication and rapture that I am sure this author wished for her readers. The plot was an intricate weaving of captivating suspense and electrifying relationships combined to keep you on a roller-coaster ride until the last fulfilling, climactic moment. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Although it is a slight departure from her previous work, I think Judith McNaught hit it "out of the park" with Someone To Watch Over Me. You will not be disappointed. Run, do not walk, to buy this book!!
Rating:  Summary: Almost Perfect Review: It's been a long time since I last read a romance novel that actually made me form a lump in my throat and made my heart go pitter patter. Someone to Watch Over Me, Judith McNaught's latest novel did just that. The book starts with Leigh Kendall, a famous broadway actress on her way to a romantic tryst with her successful businessman husband, Logan Manning. On the way, she meets an accident and wakes up in a hospital to find out that her husband is missing. Throughout this, the mysterious Michael Valente, a colleague of her husband helps her to locate her husband. In her quest, she finds out that she never really knew her husband and the plot thickens. Leign Kendall is a great heroine who although in pain always find the strength to be strong for her man. And Michael Valente, is one of the better romantic heroes written by Judith McNaught, which says a lot since she is one of the best romantic writers around. This is a novel about the old adage that you can't judge a book by its cover, and first opinions don't always count. It is difficult to tell more about Michael Valente without giving away one of the novel's twists. But suffice it to say, he's the kind of leading man every girl looks for, he always watches out for his lady whether she knows it or not. There is also an interesting side story about the detectives in charge of the missing Logan Manning's case. But the whole mystery angle took too much space which could have been better spent on the Leigh - Michael story. Overall, I enjoyed this book and romance book lovers everywhere would too.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointing Review: This was the first time I'd ever read a Judith McNaught novel, which I received from a friend. The story started off okay, in my opinion, and overall, in general, I liked the story. However, my main problem with the book was that it appeared that Ms. McNaught's editor did not do his/her job! The book is very poorly edited (if at all) and I found it difficult to read because I couldn't get past the editing mistakes. The biggest one is that she often had two different characters speaking or having thoughts within the same paragraph! A big no-no. Each character is supposed to have his/her own separate paragraph when they speak or when their thoughts are being expressed.
There were many other editorial mistakes (poor scene transitions, implausible actions and thoughts by characters, such as the detectives Shrader and Littleton; to name a couple) that took away from my enjoyment of this novel.
Read it if you want something slight to pass time with.
Rating:  Summary: I finished last night Review: I just finished this book, I could not put it down until I got to the end and found out who the murderer was. Then I quit reading. I couldn't believe that Leigh moved on so quickly. It lost my interest. I felt embarassed for her, for being so stupid. Judith really needs to stick to Historical. I know she is coming out with another contempary next fall of 2005. That stinks I have read all of her other books and was hoping to have something good to read.
Rating:  Summary: caveat emptor, fellow mystery fans!! Review: I must admit, this was the first time I read any of Judith McNaught's novels. Probably serves me right for not checking to see what genre she is *really* considered (curses to the used book store for putting her in the Mystery section).
The plot, on preview, had a lot to offer - a missing husband, the target of police suspicion, and the whole "you-never-really-know-anybody" mystique really leads to high expectations. But that's where I found the real mystery ends. The book seemed to be more about developing a love/hate relationship (or two) that hardly prompted me to keep reading. And the ending was trite, cliché, and more like a literary low-budget B movie than the its promised "pitch-perfect duet of suspense and intrigue".
The bottom line? <yawn> Enough said.
Rating:  Summary: Oh Judith, why have you deserted your fans? Review: Let me start by saying that this was a good read for a mystery novel-that is why I,at least, gave it 3 stars. If I had to rate it for the romance, which was practically nonexistent, I would give it a big round ZERO.
Unlike many of her previous and absolutely wonderful romances, this novel was purely based on plot. While she did delve into the hero and heroin's characterization, it was a desultory job compared to her earlier work. Sadly Judith Mcnaught has left the genre of Romance and have been writing suspense/mystery novels-that possess a dash of romance, for the last couple of years.
The plot is pretty simple: A famous heroine loses her husband to the hands of a murderer; the hero-a shady character from the past, appears to her aid, while the NYPD are adamant on nailing the hero in jail due to his previous run-ins with the law and his sudden connection to the heroin's life.
While the story kept you turning the page in order to find out who the murderer was, it fell flat on the plausibility of the heroin's feelings of love towards a man she barely knew while erasing her deceased husband's memory in a mere 3 months. This was the downfall of the book and I regret to say that after the heroine declares her love for the hero, I stopped caring about the whole book as a whole.
Judith should have left the romance out, which would have been a more successful novel. Her other choice was to do what she did in "Perfect":Develop a deep characterization that centers on a gut-wrenching romance, while developing a shallow mystery that would hold the story together and keep it going.
If you are a Judith Mcnaught fan, do not bother with this novel. However, if you are one of those readers that enjoy a piece of suspenseful fiction, I do not see why you would not enjoy this book.
Judith, PLEASE come back to what you are truly gifted at-telling an unbelievable love story.
Rating:  Summary: Beautiful Story Review: I love many types of stories. In fact, I own hundreds of novels from sci-fi to horror to suspense. My favorite novel though will always be a good romance. The only problem is that I have read all of the classics and am finding it harder every time I go to a book store to find a good quality book. Thank goodness for Ms. McNaught. I have read all of the historical and regency romances to the point I have become bored with them. Then I started on contemporary romances, and most of these are just below average. Only Ms. McNaught can take a contemporary romance with some suspense and turn it into an excellent read.
Leigh is a famous Broadway actress who is married to Logan, a very rich businessman. Logan is thinking of purchasing some land to build a home for him and Leigh. He has found the perfect property and asks Leigh to meet him there. On the way to the property, Leigh is involved in a car accident. When Leigh wakes up after the accident, she finds herself in the hospital and alone. She waits for Logan to come see her, but he does not. When Leigh is finally coherent she realizes Logan has not shown up and is in fact, missing. As the days pass, Leigh waits for her husband Logan to show. When he does not, the search is on for him.
The story is about all of the discoveries Leigh makes while searching for her husband. Is he alive or dead? Could it be a stalker that she thinks is following her? The police have another take, did Leigh kill her husband? In this book, people are not what they seem to be. I don't want to give too much away, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it!
Rating:  Summary: Definately not her best Review: I wish Judith would stick to what she does best..... plain old romance. Perfect is my all time favourite book, along with Paradise and Tender Triumph, Whitney, Something Wonderful and Once and always. Her last two books have been sad in comparison. Judith just doesnt do suspense well. Half way thorough this book I was wanting the two female lead characters to get together....The men were boring. The story wasnt that great, and in places it was unbelievable. No way would someone who was that much in love with their husband fall head over heels with someone else. Two romances in the same story was just confusing, and I had no idea who the girl was who was from the previous novel until she spelled it out. Forget this novel by Judith, if you want qualtiy suspense/romance, try Elizabeth Lowell instead... she knows what she is doing!
Rating:  Summary: Good Grief Review: The first Judith McNaught book I read was A Kindom of Dreams and I've been wondering if I would ever fall in love with another character like I'd fallen in love with Royce Westmoreland. So hungry to find such a compelling and engrossing love story as that one, I RAN to the bookstore and, unfortunately, ran into this book. What an atrocity. It's just, a real lame story. Going from A Kingdom of Dreams to this was like leaving wedding to attend a funeral. Skip this one.
Rating:  Summary: Average Review: I love Judith McNaught. She's a great storyteller, so I couldn't wait to read this book. But at the end of the book I felt like: This is IT? I was hugely disappointed. The plot wasn't bad, but the relationship between Leigh and Michael seemed forced. I loved Sam and Mack, though. Still, I felt like it missed some of Judith's usual magic.
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