Annie's Wild Ride

Rating:
Summary: "Hang on for the Ride"
Review: (Reviewed by the Writers Club Romance Group on AOL Reviewer Board)Reviewed by: Jennifer Martin

If you like strong heroes, "Annie's Wild Ride" should be required reading for you!

The book jumps you right into present times when Annie, and her and Paul's daughter Amelia are in a plane crash. The story unfolds from here as Paul struggles to get to the snowed in area where his daughter and ex-wife have crashed. The majority of the story is told in flashback as both Paul and Annie remember different events in their life together. This was a very effective tool for this story because you see both Paul's and Annie's take on their relationship.

Annie and Paul had loved very strongly. The passion they put into their marriage was almost as strong as the passion they put into their divorce. They were always considered the best of the best in whatever they did and the strongest competition they ever found was with each other. Unfortunately, the constant competition they had with each other wore their relationship down because neither of them could ever admit that they were wrong.

The near death experience leads both Paul and Annie to reconsider their feelings for each other. Although they had been divorced for many years they still had a connection. Without giving away the ending I have to say that I was turning the pages as fast as I could because I so desperately wanted to know how she would end it. Alina Adams is an extremely talented writer and I look forward to reading anything else she writes. She had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book and that isn't an easy thing to do.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite Character-Driven Romance
Review: A book to read when you want to explore two strong characters who are in love but still manage to break up amid life's conflicts. I cried and laughed.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific roller coaster of a story.
Review: A very well written, intelligently plotted and moving story with great dialogue. I want more from AA as soon as possible.

Rating:
Summary: What a Ride
Review: I loved this book, but wouldn't recommend without first giving a strong warning. Not sure what that warning would be though. Not for the faint of heart or those that don't like flawed characters. NOT a light read, but a superbly crafted, well written novel. I both hated and loved Paul with equal fervor throughout and could understand Anne's wild ride. At one point I thought, ok, if this were the typical romance plot, it's time to get rid of Paul and bring in the good guy. But just like Anne, I held out hope. I'm glad I did. It certainly took him long enough and it's a good thing Annie had a strong threshold for pain.

I can't wait to see what Alina Adams has in store for the future. It can't come soon enough for me.

Rating:
Summary: Strongly Recommend!
Review: I really, really liked this book and strongly recommend it to other readers like myself who enjoy reading romances but have been frustrated by the quality of the books being published in the romance market today. This book is interesting in that it features a pair of complex, strong-willed, imperfect characters in the form of the combatant heroine and her ex-husband. Their interactions are always interesting and believable. I love the fact that their whole history, i.e, meeting, marriage, parenting and divorce is presented to the reader. There is also genuine drama presented by the event that eventually bring this couple back together, the plane crash and the heroine's subsequent struggle to save herself and her child. This book is not cloying or "cute" with the same old predictable storyline and flowery language so prevalent in many of the romance books out today. It is good reading because the characters and the storyline are believable, the dialogue realistic and the plotting and pacing impeccable. A highly recommended read.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly well-written, sophisticated romance!
Review: In the hands of anyone less skilled than Ms. Adams, all the flashbacks might have been off-putting. But she did as outstanding a job of using this tricky literary technique as any author I've ever seen. It was a great way to reveal the inner workings of both the hero's and heroine's take on their failed marriage. Without giving away the ending, I was very glad this was a romance with a happy ending. Yet, for those who like mainstream type "realism," the book has a very believable resolution of the conflicts between the hero and heroine, which are many and complex. Can't wait to see her next book!

Rating:
Summary: A wild read about a dueling duo.
Review: Like a roller coaster in full motion, you can't abandon this book until the car comes to a full and complete stop. Although there are times when you want Annie to simply forget Paul and be done with it, his heroic side always comes through and you fall in love with him again. Buy a ticket for this wild ride!

Rating:
Summary: 4 Hearts from Romance Industry Newsletter, Lisa Ramaglia
Review: Look up the word competitive in the dictionary, and you'll find a picture of Paul and Anne Gaasbeck. Their competitiveness became legendary through their four years at the Air Force Academy, and continued through their marriage and subsequent divorce. In the end, neither of them knew what possessed them to get together in the first place, until the plane carrying Anne and their daughter crashed in a blizzard. Nothing-not the weather, not the Air Force, not the state of Colorado-would stop Paul from saving his family!

Though the non-linear time shifts did become confusing, the characters were very likable, the premise very original and interesting, and the story very engaging. Well worth the extra effort.

Rating:
Summary: Could not put this one down!
Review: The book didn't start typical first of all, with the whole: they meet, they attract, they can't keep off one another. I was cautious because it actually starts out with their divorce in the prologue. But then the action begins immediately with Anne and her daughter and with Paul breaking all the rules to get to them. The timeline goes back and forth from when they met, back to the present, then back in time so you get a full picture of Anne and Paul's personalities and their marriage and why they where there are. I found myself actually yelling at Paul at times and frowning at Anne's emotions when I knew that's how I'd probably react. You see! The characters so real and not just because their flawed but because it's not all about desire. Unfortunately after reading this book I really want to find a guy whose love is as fierce and heart wrenching for me as Paul's is for Anne. What a fantasy! It's the kind of love some of us look for and most of us, will never experience. Read this book!!

Rating:
Summary: For contemporary romance connoseurs
Review: They met as rival students at the Air force Academy and fell in love. They quickly married and their heated competition made both of them better soldiers. However, in spite of their love for one another and their eleven-year-old daughter, Paul and Anne Gassbeck's marriage is over because he cannot demonstrate how much he loves his family.

After skiing with her daughter on a vacation together, Amelia leaves early so that she can meet Paul whose turn it is to have time with his daughter. However, a nasty storm causes the plane Annie is piloting to crash, leaving her injured. Still, Annie struggles to keep herself and her daughter alive because she knows that in spite of the fact it appears impossible, Paul will rescue the two females he loves.

ANNIE'S WILD RIDE is an action-packed romance that brilliantly uses flashbacks to portray how a couple deeply in love can still watch their relationship crash to the ground. The lead protagonists and their competitive love are a refreshing look at the two military career couple. Adding the dilemma of the child to the fabulous mix turns Alina Adam's contemporary romance into a sure fan favorite.

Harriet Klausner