Castles in the Air

Rating:
Summary: Good Old-Fashioned Love Story Wins You Over
Review: Although Castles in the Air has its share of intrigue, deception, and angst, it's definitely not a depressing book. That's because Raymond and Julianna are, from the get-go, basically two good-hearted people, who are destined to love each other. There are some different angles to the book - Julianna is a widow with two girls, her first husband wasn't evil (although just about every other man in her past was), and although she's plenty strong-willed, she's not totally goat-headed like a lot of heroines are. Yes, Raymond is the classic hansom hero, but he's got an endearing personality too. (Plus, he doesn't get along with his parents - don't heroes usually admire their father and worship their sainted mothers?) Another interesting side to the book is Dodd's attempt to portray medieval England at least somewhat accurately - the lady of the castle still sleeps in the great hall (enough of these castles with all these private rooms!), walls take years to build, 11-year-old girls aren't considered far from marriageable (or worse), pagan rituals are still observed, even by pious Christians. Some of the side characters are interesting and well-drawn (Kier just cries for his own book), others (Sir Hugh) aren't fleshed out enough to really understand. Love (the emotion) is very strong in this book, "love" (the physical act) is not as "fleshed out" (pun intended) as it is in other Dodd books. Overall, a great read because of the wonderful love story.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: I am an occasional romance reader. One day I was bored and picked up this book to flip through. I was very pleasantly surprised. The book had all the necessary elements to create a good book. It was funny, romantic, thrilling and overall had a lit bit of everything to engross the reader. I also found the descriptions of the era very interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone even partly interested in romance novels.

Rating:
Summary: Good Story...
Review: I bought this book after reading quite a few reviews on it and although it wasn't quite what I expected (I thought his charade as the "master castle-builder" would have been carried out a bit longer) - it was a pretty good story. There were several scenes that made me laugh and one or two that brought tears to my eyes. It made for a very believeable story and I really liked how well the secondary characters were portrayed. I wouldn't say the story was boring in the least and it would make a good read for many a romance lover.

Rating:
Summary: Corny
Review: I thought this book was corny and the dialogue was forced and repetitive. A good book for the beach maybe when you're not expecting much....

Rating:
Summary: Very Touching Love Story
Review: The characters came to life, seemed like real people. They were proud and brave, and they had flaws. There was sadness and there was fun (chuckles). And, there was love. Raymond and Juliana are to be remembered. Raymond's tender respect for Juliana was moving. There should be men like Raymond now days. I found this story/the Hero and Heroine to be touching, they touched my heart. My only criticism is I would have liked the intimacy to have been more detailed. This was my first Dodd book, I will read another.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This is how a historical hero should be. Raymond was a man who was very sensitive to the feelings of the heroine. I am so sick of hearing the hero say that he is a warrior and he does not feel love for another woman because it will make him weak. And the heroine was just as great. She was strong, compassionate, considerate, logical but she had flaws just like everyone else. The love story was wonderful. You get to see this couple change and mature together and become stronger with each others support. Read this book! You will not be dissapointed!

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: This is the most boring historical romance I've ever read. Hero and heroine are characters full of psychological problems, of which nature is kept secret for a long time. OK, the book has a historical setting but romance??? The story is very poor and boring.

Rating:
Summary: From beginning to end a wonderful love story.
Review: This story will make fans of Christina Dodd. Raymond and Julianna were real people facing real issues. This book even had an exciting finale that will keep readers transfixed until the end of the book. Raymond was a true knight, to quote a couple of lines from a poem by Stephen Hawes on true knighthood: "And no quarrel a knight ought to take But for a truth, or for a woman's sake." It was especially refreshing to see that Raymond behaved like a man, and not simply a caveman by conquering what is rightfully his, but by being a sensitive human who is aware of the needs of other people. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, it is a sweet and complex story that won't disappoint readers.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating and emotional, I couldnt put it down!
Review: This was an exceptional book! The charectors came alive and were believable. The dialog was witty and realistic. The hero, Raymond was strong and opinionated but also kind and gentle. The heroine Juliana, was not the typical snotty rich girl or sniveling idiot, she has depth and layers. Both charectors evolved and changed into better people for having met eachother. This was my first Christina Dodd book, I am a very picky romance reader. I cant just pick up any romance and enjoy reading it. It has to have depth and mystery and most of all the people need to pop into life and this book has that. I am on line now to order some more

Rating:
Summary: Captivating and emotional, I couldnt put it down!
Review: This was an exceptional book! The charectors came alive and were believable. The dialog was witty and realistic. The hero, Raymond was strong and opinionated but also kind and gentle. The heroine Juliana, was not the typical snotty rich girl or sniveling idiot, she has depth and layers. Both charectors evolved and changed into better people for having met eachother. This was my first Christina Dodd book, I am a very picky romance reader. I cant just pick up any romance and enjoy reading it. It has to have depth and mystery and most of all the people need to pop into life and this book has that. I am on line now to order some more