Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as some of her others
Review: I find with Jill Marie Landis that it's either hit or miss, I loved "Blue Moon" and "After All", but some of her others I simply couldn't get into. "Magnolia Creek" fell somewhere in the middle.
This is a story set in the Civil War, where Dru and Sara were married for a very short time when Dru went off to war as a doctor. When he returned - years later - he found Sara back home - with a child that was not his. This story deals with how Dru and Sara handle this and are able to get over it.
Just one problem - when Sara explained her side of the story, I simply did not see that there was a problem at all. From where I sit, Sara did not do anything really wrong, maybe only a small lapse of judgment, and from then on I found Dru's reaction not-understandable. It's one thing when he walked in and was hit in the head with it - so to speak - quite another when he gets the explanation and still reacts like she did something terrible - well, Dru did not come across as my favorite hero, at all.
And Sara as the heroine was not too much better either. Okay, she's a pretty nice person, and a good person, but she does some small, but stupid things in this novel that make me like her alot less. First, there is all this stuff about her grandaddy's charms. I have no problem with charms, and I'm sure her grandaddy helped alot of people, and in those days charms were probably almost as good as real medicine - almost, but not quite. She herself explains how the charms work - the placebo effect, so to speak.
but she IS married to a doctor - you'd think she'd have a little bit of respect for his profession - even if she really DID think her charms worked better than his medicine (doubtful) - have a little respect for your husband, please? If I go to a doctor, and the doctor examines me and gives me a prescription to follow, and on the way out the nurse whispers to me - take this herb, it'll work - how long do you think the nurse will be working for that doctor? And if that person would be his wife - well, I don't know about you, but I would be wondering about the state of their marriage, wouldn't you? And this is supposed to be a romance novel.
Jill Marie Landis has her formula - she writes decently, with a strong emphasis on emotional depth, in which she explores her characters - why they do things, how they feel as they are doing it, etc. Sometimes this formula works for me, sometimes it doesn't. I suspect this has to do with how much I like the h/h - in a character driven novel, this is essential. And I just couldn't like these two characters that much.
I would rate this only an average read, that's how it was for me.
Rating: 
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: I love books by Lavyra Spencer (sp) and have read them all. She stopped writing books and I was CRUSHED. UNTIL I found Jill Marie Landis. Ms. Landis is a great romantic writer!!! I'm really tired of poor girls falling in love with spoiled dukes and princes. This is like real people! YEAH, Keep those books coming!!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: I love books by Lavyra Spencer (sp) and have read them all. She stopped writing books and I was CRUSHED. UNTIL I found Jill Marie Landis. Ms. Landis is a great romantic writer!!! I'm really tired of poor girls falling in love with spoiled dukes and princes. This is like real people! YEAH, Keep those books coming!!
Rating:
Summary: Something different for a change
Review: I nearly went into shock in the aisle when I looked at this book and realized, lo and behold, it wasn't a Western romance nor, and this is the biggie, it wasn't set in England either.
Wow. No overdone "ton" and the hero wasn't a Duke! I wanted
to leap for joy. Are publishers finally beginning to realize there are readers, who would enjoy some variety after several
years of not being offered much?
Not only does the book have a interesting setting and time period but it is a great love story. I loved the hero and
the emotional pull of this story makes it a keeper. I think most romance readers will enjoy it, especially those who have
tired of the usual English/Western stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: exciting Reconstruction Era romance
Review: In 1866, Sara Collier Talbot returns to the Kentucky home of her deceased spouse looking for shelter for her and her little girl, born out of wedlock to a northerner. After her own father recently beat her and rejected her and his granddaughter, further dismissal would not shock Sara. Instead her sister-in-law Louzanna welcomes the fallen woman and her niece "Lissybeth" to live with her.The next day, Sara's spouse Dr. Dru Talbot comes home after serving time in a northern prison and recovering from amnesia. He is stunned to learn that his beloved, the only reason he survived the war, had cuckolded him with another woman. He cannot even look at her lovechild without ire. As Sara tries to atone for her transgression and regain what she once had before the war, an epidemic threatens to destroy the town. MAGNOLIA CREEK is an exciting Reconstruction Era romance that is more of a historical character study of the aftermath of the deadly American Civil War. The story line uses coincidence (or as Louzanna felt divine intervention) to move forward the plot yet engages the audience through the trials and tribulations of the lead characters and the secondary cast that does not always end in happily. Fans will understand the dreary pessimism of the locals as Jill Marie Landis makes the audience feel the pain from the loss of loved ones and the suffering from economic ruin. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Emotional Historical
Review: In the spring of 1866, with the aftermath of the Civil War, a destitute Sara Collier Talbot returns to Magnolia Creek, Kentucky. She seeks shelter at the home of her sister-in-law, Louzanna Talbot. Though Sara left Kentucky in disgrace over a year after discovering that her husband Dru had been killed in the war, Lou welcomed her back with open arms. But Dru has in fact survived the war, and struggles with his damaged male pride when he learns that Sara hasn't spent recent years pining away at the Talbot family home. For her journey west to Ohio resulted in a surprise that Dru never expected when he dreamed of his homecoming. As Dru and Sara try to maintain a platonic truce, she hopes for his forgiveness even as he struggles with his attraction to her. And when a devastating tragedy involves the whole town, Dru, the physician, and Sara, the healer, must employ all their skills to save as many lives as possible. Ms. Landis is a standout in the sub-genre of historical romance, not merely for her page-turning stories, but also because her novels are filled with the emotional angst appreciated by many romance readers. Once again, this latest novel is filled with emotional conflict and an intense story line. While the drama is not quite as compelling as previous reads, fans of Ms. Landis should not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Emotional Historical
Review: In the spring of 1866, with the aftermath of the Civil War, a destitute Sara Collier Talbot returns to Magnolia Creek, Kentucky. She seeks shelter at the home of her sister-in-law, Louzanna Talbot. Though Sara left Kentucky in disgrace over a year after discovering that her husband Dru had been killed in the war, Lou welcomed her back with open arms. But Dru has in fact survived the war, and struggles with his damaged male pride when he learns that Sara hasn't spent recent years pining away at the Talbot family home. For her journey west to Ohio resulted in a surprise that Dru never expected when he dreamed of his homecoming. As Dru and Sara try to maintain a platonic truce, she hopes for his forgiveness even as he struggles with his attraction to her. And when a devastating tragedy involves the whole town, Dru, the physician, and Sara, the healer, must employ all their skills to save as many lives as possible. Ms. Landis is a standout in the sub-genre of historical romance, not merely for her page-turning stories, but also because her novels are filled with the emotional angst appreciated by many romance readers. Once again, this latest novel is filled with emotional conflict and an intense story line. While the drama is not quite as compelling as previous reads, fans of Ms. Landis should not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Forgiveness
Review: plays a huge part in this book as well as love and families. I loved Lou, Sara and the baby. Some characters could have and should have had a stronger voice, but overall this story of love and "betrayal" was enjoyable. As another viewer said I really didn't see what the big deal is. If someone is said to be dead, are you supposed to wait around for them? Sort of like in the movie Pearl Harbor.
I have enjoyed a few books from this author and look forward to more!
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