Rating: 
Summary: Joan Wolf Returns to Form
Review: "That Summer" is Joan Wolf's third full-length contemporary romance, and with it she has once again found the unique voice that made her Regencies so enjoyable. Anne Foster has come home for her father's funeral, a home she has avoided for ten years. Her father was the highly successful trainer of Wellington Farms' colts when he died suddenly of a heart attack. Anne's stated reason for taking a month's leave from her veterinary practice was to help her grieving mother, but she also hoped that spending a month around Senator Wellington's son, Liam, would exorcise Liam from her heart. Anne first met Liam when she was six and he was eight, when her father took the Wellington Farms' job. They grew up together, with Anne loving Liam and Liam regarding her as a little sister. Now that they are 26 and 28, Liam still thinks of Anne as his little sister, but Anne's feelings for Liam haven't been sisterly for a long time. She is taking this opportunity to either get over him or seduce him. Woven skillfully into Anne and Liam's romance are two more stories: the story of Wellington Farms' promising three-year-old thoroughbred, Someday Soon, and the story of an old crime in which Liam is implicated. All of this is told from Anne's point-of-view, I am happy to say. There are few romance authors writing from the first person point-of-view - Patricia Gaffney does come to mind - and aside from Ms. Gaffney, I know of none other doing it as well as Ms. Wolf. Anne's distintive voice adds much to a well-told tale. Welcome back, Ms. Wolf!
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly disappointing
Review: As a long time Joan Wolf fan, her name on the cover is enough for me to buy the novel as soon as I see it. I like Joan Wolf's writing style, and this book was no exception to that. I do think that her latest books have not been as polished or engaging as her regency ones. I don't know if she is uncomfortable with modern day or what, but these stories don't flow as smoothly as earlier ones. Also, the heroine was slightly immature. The story is that Anne comes back to town after her father dies. Liam, the guy she has loved since 6, has been under suspicion for a murder for 10 years. When the body is found, the suspicion kicks into overdrive. Liam is a horse breeder. (Long term fans will not be surprised that horses figure heavily in the plot.) Anne pursues Liam and, he is uninterested in her. She persists. Sometimes Anne seems like a high school student with a mad crush instead of an adult. I liked the mystery and I've never read a Joan Wolf that I didn't finish. I'll keep it, but it will never be my favorite. If this would be your first Joan Wolf, try another one before this.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly disappointing
Review: As a long time Joan Wolf fan, her name on the cover is enough for me to buy the novel as soon as I see it. I like Joan Wolf's writing style, and this book was no exception to that. I do think that her latest books have not been as polished or engaging as her regency ones. I don't know if she is uncomfortable with modern day or what, but these stories don't flow as smoothly as earlier ones. Also, the heroine was slightly immature. The story is that Anne comes back to town after her father dies. Liam, the guy she has loved since 6, has been under suspicion for a murder for 10 years. When the body is found, the suspicion kicks into overdrive. Liam is a horse breeder. (Long term fans will not be surprised that horses figure heavily in the plot.) Anne pursues Liam and, he is uninterested in her. She persists. Sometimes Anne seems like a high school student with a mad crush instead of an adult. I liked the mystery and I've never read a Joan Wolf that I didn't finish. I'll keep it, but it will never be my favorite. If this would be your first Joan Wolf, try another one before this.
Rating: 
Summary: A complete bore...
Review: As I was reading THAT SUMMER a Kentucky saying kept floating through my mind, "If he (she) had a brain, he'd (she'd) take it out and play with it." Anne, the heroine of THAT SUMMER, acted brainless throughout much of the novel. The word juvenile also comes to mind with regards to this heroine. I almost wished Anne had taken her brain out and played with it at times. Might have been more interesting than this story. Anne had come back to Virginia for her father's funeral and to spend a month with her grieving mother. So what does the heroine spend her time doing? Accepting dates almost every night to make Liam, the hero and the man she has loved since the age of six, jealous. She even dates one suitor, a local cop, to learn particulars (to help Liam, of course) about the murder that happened ten years before. A murder in which Liam and his cousin were prime suspects - even though the body wasn't found at the time. A young, beautiful heiress disappeared the same night as a bloody baseball bat - a bat belonging to Liam - was found in the summerhouse of the hero's family's horse farm. The body conveniently turns up during Anne's month long visit - ten years later. THAT SUMMER didn't work for me on several levels. One, the romance is plain bland. There is no real intensity between the hero and the heroine. Anne is too busy scheming to gain Liam's attention for the couple to spend any quality time together throughout most of the book. Two, the murder is too shadowy to really be interesting. This mystery is relegated to the back burner through most of the story and solved too hurriedly toward the end of the book. Finally, the horse racing aspect of the story was also glossed over. None of the atmosphere surrounding, say, the Kentucky Derby was evident in That Summer, partially because of Ms. Wolf's use of first person point of view. Anne was too obsessed with Liam to take note of or to describe details of the Derby's pageantry. THAT SUMMER was hampered by that first person point of view. I personally have never liked first person narrative because I find it restrictive to secondary characters. My sentiment is evident in the one-dimensional, shadowy characters peopling THAT SUMMER. Liam can do little more than scowl when Anne purposely mentions her many dates to him. Oh, and he whines really well, too. My biggest grip with this story though is Anne. She is a shallow, selfish, obsessive character who tramples over other character's feelings without much thought. She convinces other characters to lie to the police about the murder ten years before. She knows Liam couldn't have murdered anyone. Why? Well, just because. She has the same sentiment about his cousin - another suspect. And then in the next breath is ready to throw the cousin to the wolves to save Liam. Not exactly the sort of character I'd want to narrate a story. This Wolf piece doesn't flow well because Anne tends to meander. For instance, while she is working with horses, she gives the reader rather lengthy instructions on how to train horses. Debbie Jett
reviewer, Romance Reader At Heart
Rating:
Summary: A complete bore...
Review: As I was reading THAT SUMMER a Kentucky saying kept floating through my mind, "If he (she) had a brain, he'd (she'd) take it out and play with it." Anne, the heroine of THAT SUMMER, acted brainless throughout much of the novel. The word juvenile also comes to mind with regards to this heroine. I almost wished Anne had taken her brain out and played with it at times. Might have been more interesting than this story. Anne had come back to Virginia for her father's funeral and to spend a month with her grieving mother. So what does the heroine spend her time doing? Accepting dates almost every night to make Liam, the hero and the man she has loved since the age of six, jealous. She even dates one suitor, a local cop, to learn particulars (to help Liam, of course) about the murder that happened ten years before. A murder in which Liam and his cousin were prime suspects - even though the body wasn't found at the time. A young, beautiful heiress disappeared the same night as a bloody baseball bat - a bat belonging to Liam - was found in the summerhouse of the hero's family's horse farm. The body conveniently turns up during Anne's month long visit - ten years later. THAT SUMMER didn't work for me on several levels. One, the romance is plain bland. There is no real intensity between the hero and the heroine. Anne is too busy scheming to gain Liam's attention for the couple to spend any quality time together throughout most of the book. Two, the murder is too shadowy to really be interesting. This mystery is relegated to the back burner through most of the story and solved too hurriedly toward the end of the book. Finally, the horse racing aspect of the story was also glossed over. None of the atmosphere surrounding, say, the Kentucky Derby was evident in That Summer, partially because of Ms. Wolf's use of first person point of view. Anne was too obsessed with Liam to take note of or to describe details of the Derby's pageantry. THAT SUMMER was hampered by that first person point of view. I personally have never liked first person narrative because I find it restrictive to secondary characters. My sentiment is evident in the one-dimensional, shadowy characters peopling THAT SUMMER. Liam can do little more than scowl when Anne purposely mentions her many dates to him. Oh, and he whines really well, too. My biggest grip with this story though is Anne. She is a shallow, selfish, obsessive character who tramples over other character's feelings without much thought. She convinces other characters to lie to the police about the murder ten years before. She knows Liam couldn't have murdered anyone. Why? Well, just because. She has the same sentiment about his cousin - another suspect. And then in the next breath is ready to throw the cousin to the wolves to save Liam. Not exactly the sort of character I'd want to narrate a story. This Wolf piece doesn't flow well because Anne tends to meander. For instance, while she is working with horses, she gives the reader rather lengthy instructions on how to train horses. Debbie Jett
reviewer, Romance Reader At Heart
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I'm a huge Joan Wolf fan. But her latest is a disappointment. The characters are flat, the plot pointless, and the romance ... well, since there's not a speck of the romantic, it's hard to comment. Save your money and buy one of her older books.
Rating:
Summary: Warm contemporary romantic suspense
Review: Maryland veterinarian Anne Foster returns home for the funeral of her beloved father in Midville, Virginia. Everybody who knew Pete loved Pete, which just adds to Anne's warm feelings about her dad. She worries how her mother will adapt to the loss of her long time mate so Anne is on a leave of absence for one month to help with the adjustment. When Anne sees Liam Wellington of Wellington Farms horse racing family, she realizes that she still loves him, but he still considers her his "little Sister". Anne reflects back one decade to the incident that ended everyone's youth: the vanishing and probable murder of Leslie Bartholomew whose body was never found. She wonders who killed the girl. Was it her beloved, his cousin, or their friend? Liam soon realizes that he loves Anne too, not as his sister, but as someone he wants as his wife even while the truth slowly surfaces that point towards him as the culprit who murdered Leslie. Though the who-done-it takes a back seat for much of the novel, readers will appreciate this warm contemporary romantic suspense due to an engaging cast. Anne is a delightful lead female protagonist who struggles with conflicting feelings about her beloved, as she wants to believe he could not have committed homicide, yet the evidence makes him the likely suspect. The rest of the secondary characters augment Anne's question of who is the killer, but like the heroine they will have to wait until Joan Wolf reveals the killer's identity. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Warm contemporary romantic suspense
Review: Maryland veterinarian Anne Foster returns home for the funeral of her beloved father in Midville, Virginia. Everybody who knew Pete loved Pete, which just adds to Anne's warm feelings about her dad. She worries how her mother will adapt to the loss of her long time mate so Anne is on a leave of absence for one month to help with the adjustment. When Anne sees Liam Wellington of Wellington Farms horse racing family, she realizes that she still loves him, but he still considers her his "little Sister". Anne reflects back one decade to the incident that ended everyone's youth: the vanishing and probable murder of Leslie Bartholomew whose body was never found. She wonders who killed the girl. Was it her beloved, his cousin, or their friend? Liam soon realizes that he loves Anne too, not as his sister, but as someone he wants as his wife even while the truth slowly surfaces that point towards him as the culprit who murdered Leslie. Though the who-done-it takes a back seat for much of the novel, readers will appreciate this warm contemporary romantic suspense due to an engaging cast. Anne is a delightful lead female protagonist who struggles with conflicting feelings about her beloved, as she wants to believe he could not have committed homicide, yet the evidence makes him the likely suspect. The rest of the secondary characters augment Anne's question of who is the killer, but like the heroine they will have to wait until Joan Wolf reveals the killer's identity. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This book drags out over 356 pages. The "mystery" of the death of Leslie is obvious to any person who is really paying attention, and I must admit that it is hard to pay attention, so maybe it is MORE than obvious. The romance seems unnatural; one minute Anne is considered by Liam to be like a sister and is resisting her at all turns, then they are in the bed together! It did not seem like they worked their way in to a romantic love but rather, the author just decided that she was tired of writing about their adapting, so threw them together. I ended up putting this book down for a few days, and had to force myself to finally finish reading it. If you love horses, then this may be a worthy book, for there is more in the book about horses, races, and breeding than anything else. If you do not really care about horses then do not waste your time. The only reason this book got "2 stars" was for horse lovers, for anyone else this is a "1 star"!
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: What is wrong with Joan Wolf??? Is someone else writing these boring books and using her name? Each book since Someday Soon has been worse than the last. The plot is flat and obvious. All of the characters are wooden and one dimensional, including the hero and heroine. There is no suspense, no buildup, and no real development of the romance. I kept checking the cover of this book to make sure it was really Wolf.
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