Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and emotionally satisfying
Review: Losing her sight, Jessie Ryder returns to the home that she left fifteen years before--and to the daughter she left, adopted by her sister, Luz. Jessie has been a photographer, taking pictures of the world, rescued from her mistakes by her sister, but her sister can't rescue her from blindness. Jessie intends to see her daughter, visit her sister, and then vanish again. She doesn't count on meeting a handsome pilot with a story of his own, or on her daughter Lile's decision to sneak out of the house for a night of joy-riding. When she must leave, the pain is more than she can stand--still, Jessie leaves, it defines who she is. Dusty Matlock lost his pregnant wife but kept her on life support until their child, a wonderful daughter, could be born. For two years, he's retreated into himself. But when the pretty photographer comes to take his pictures for an article, he feels the stirrings of desire--and love. Dusty may have lost his love, but he isn't the kind of man to swear off love for a lifetime--and what he feels for Jessie is the real thing. Of course, the onset of Jessie's blindness is a secret--will Dusty be able to survive another terrible blow? Author Susan Wiggs turns up the emotional intensity with this gripping story. Jessie is believable and thee-dimensional as the woman who sees herself as trouble, runs from her problems, yet who has punished herself more than anyone can. Luz is interesting and an apt counterpart to Jessie's flamboyance (three tattoos?). Dusty breaks the stereotype of romance heros by being confident of his emotions and certain of what he wants. Jessie's blindness is handled sensitively and realistically as she deals with the loss of this critical sense, the loss of her career, and the realization of all that she lost by walking away from her daughter at birth. Susan Wiggs is a wonderful author who seems to grow stronger with each novel. HOME BEFORE DARK is an important achievement. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Women's Fiction at its best
Review: Many a historical romance author has tried to make the crossover to contemporary fiction. In rare instances, authors excel equally in both genres, and Susan Wiggs is one of those rare exceptions. With her latest novel, she explores the bond between sisters Jessie Ryder and Luz Ryder Benning. After almost sixteen years traveling the globe on photojournalism assignments, Jessie is back to see her beloved sister Luz, three nephews, and fifteen-year-old niece Lila, who is actually the baby Luz and husband Ian adopted from Jess who took off years ago. Through the pain of separation and untold secrets, the sisters try to fit into each other's lives again, as Luz and Ian must decide whether to tell rebellious Lila the truth of her birth. And even Jessie has some secrets regarding Lila's conception. Amidst this very realistic glimpse into one family's drama is the surprising romance Jessie finds with local pilot and widower Dusty Matlock, who has a tragic story of his own. Expertly drawn characters set against the beautiful Texas landscape are the life force of this compelling novel. Not only is the reader entranced by the unearthing of past secrets, but present-day secrets come to light in this thought provoking read with a unique and believable view of one family's ability to stay together despite personal trauma and tragedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Hopeful romantice
Review: This book was loaned to me by a co-worker. I'd not read any of Wiggs's books before, so this was a good introduction. Excellent story plot, wonderful "moral of the story" ending. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good romance without any explicite sex scenes. A person's imagination is always better than the written word anyway!
Rating:
Summary: Unsentimental sentiment
Review: This is a wonderful story of sisters separated by life's deepest issues, and how they find their way back to one another. Not just each other, but the other people in their lives. Older sister Luz rediscovers the magic in her longterm marriage. Younger Jessie is facing a life-changing problem just at the moment she learns to fall in love. It all sounds pretty schmaltzy but trust me, it's not. The sisters are hip, funny, sad and altogether human. You'll never forget them, and the lessons they learn along the way.
Rating:
Summary: fits the bill for the Perfect Read
Review: What's a Perfect Read? The sort of book you can sit down with and meet characters who feel as real as your friends. A story so involving that you forget all the crud going on in your life and realize that there are deeper things in life that are wonderful, you discover this in your own life as Jessie, Dustin, Luz, and Ian find out in theirs. The Perfect Read reminds you to accept your children with all their flaws and to recognize Love when it walks into your life. Thank you Susan Wiggs for a Perfect Read.
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