All She Ever Wanted

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put this one down!
Review: ALL SHE EVER WANTED by Barbara Freethy
December 11, 2004

Courtesy of WWW.LOVEROMANCES.COM

Three women are reunited, after the publication of a murder novel informs the world about a past they had tried to forget, in ALL SHE EVER WANTED by Barbara Freethy.

Natalie Bishop is currently a resident at San Francisco's St Timothy's Hospital, achieving the goal she had worked for so hard while a student at Santa Cruz University ten years ago. Back in college, she was one of four young women who called themselves the Fabulous Four - Natalie, Laura, Madison, and a fourth girl, Emily. They were part of the same sorority and had banded together as four special friends who were different as night and day, yet they shared a great friendship. Natalie was the studious one, the one that had promised to take care of Emily. Laura was the all-American girl next door. Madison was the ultra-sophisticated girl, who was experienced in more ways than one. And finally, Emily was the glue that held the group together. She was full of life and adventure, but had a number of secrets that she had taken with her when she died. They were as close as sisters, and no one would have guessed that one night their lives would be changed forever, the night when Emily fell to her death from the roof of their building during a party. According to the novel that is penned by a new author named Garrett Malone, Natalie was the one that supposedly pushed Emily to her death.

Natalie learns about the book by accident while on a break at the hospital. The names had been changed, and she panics when she realizes the book is about her, the Fabulous Four, and Emily's accidental death. While Malone may have thought he had disguised the characters in the book, most people recognize who these girls really were. Natalie's career is now on hold, due to the damage the book is doing to the hospital's reputation. And her ex-boyfriend Cole, who was Emily's brother and is now working for the family newspaper, the San Francisco Tribune, finds himself in a situation where he tries to defend Natalie's innocence, which angers his parents who believe that Natalie did indeed kill Emily. His loyalties are torn, and he also realizes that he has never gotten over Natalie, the girl that broke his heart.

Laura and Natalie reunite to solve the mystery of the book, to find out who Garrett Malone really is, and to discover what really happened that fateful night. Madison does her own investigative work, trying to find out if there is any truth to the novel that is making front-page news. It's been years since they have all been together, but the novel that should never have been written is uncovering skeletons from their past and forcing them together again. Although they had missed the camaraderie of their college years, each of them secretly suspects the other in pushing Emily off the roof that night. With the help of Cole and a few others from their past, they solve the mystery of Garrett Malone, as well as uncover the story of Emily's death.

Freethy had this reviewer guessing until the very end as to who killed Emily, and at one point it almost seemed obvious as to whom the murderer was. Freethy did a good job with adding plot twists here and there to confuse the reader, keeping one in suspense until the very end. This reviewer feels that the author was quite successful with this romantic suspense novel, using Natalie and Cole as the star-crossed lovers who try to convince themselves that they no longer love each other. The romance was not too overwhelming to detract from the mystery that needed to be solved, and the characters all felt believable and logically written. A surprise ending, at least for this reviewer, may catch other readers off guard as well, and kudos to Freethy for achieving that shocking finish. The book was fast paced and judging by how fast this reviewer read the book, it was definitely one that was hard to put down. ALL SHE EVER WANTED was a well-done romantic suspense novel, and it is not always that an author can get it "just right". This novel is highly recommended.



Rating:
Summary: fabulous investigative romance
Review: In San Francisco, St. Timothy's Hospital ER specialist Dr. Natalie Bishop hears about a bestselling novel, Fallen Angel, written by an unknown author Garrett Malone that eerily sounds like what happened a decade ago to her college roommate Emily Parish. Natalie thinks back to the Fabulous Four (she, Emily, Laura, and Madison) and that fatal day that changed all their lives.

When his irate girlfriend hits Tribune editor Cole Parish with a stapler, his friend takes him to nearby St. Timothy's. There he runs into Natalie. They were attracted to one another when the death of his sister ended their relationship and remain engrossed with each other even now though Natalie mentioning a book surprises him. When they try to meet the author at a book signing, he flees from Natalie or Laura who also arrived at the bookstore. Natalie and Cole agree to investigate further the claim of Malone that one of the other surviving Fab Four killed Emily.

ALL SHE EVER WANTED is a fabulous investigative romance tale that grips the audience once Natalie learns of the novel obviously written by an insider but how that reflects the worse moment of her life. The lead couple is a fine pairing as both are very attracted to one another, but the ghost of his sister keeps them apart as it has for a decade. Though unnecessary coincidence staples and sutures the first meeting between Natalie and Cole, fan will enjoy this tense thriller wondering how Malone knows what he does and whether murder did occur.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: 3.5 stars
Review: The real victims in death are those left behind. Long after a beautiful friend tragically dies and her friends have moved on, the three sorority sisters are haunted by the events that led to Emily's death. Now, Madison, Natalie, and Laura are being forced to recall their friend's fall to her death when a bestselling novel clearly is patterned after their lives and Emily's death. Plunging back into their memories brings up old hurts, renewed love, and danger. Yet, when the end comes, it has a twist that no one suspected, and could kill again.

Demonstrating her versatility and talent, Ms. Freethy has created a story that will draw in many of her current fans and win new ones. With psychological complexity and chilling suspense, this can be said to be her best novel since Daniel's Gift.