Rating: 
Summary: Another Page Turner
Review: There's a message in this book for all of us Plain Janes. You CAN make a difference. Love the 'spirits' in the story. I'd love to have one in my house. Stayed up to the wee hours in the morning to finish reading because once I started I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Great job, Ms. Michaels.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This was a wonderful read. I was lucky enough to be in the book store when they were setting the books out and I snatched it, went home and read it through the night. At times I laughed out loud to my husban'd annoyance. I think I used a box of tissues at different times because I cried like a baby. I just loved all the characters and how they acted with each other. The dogs were magnificient especially Jeeter. I'll save this and read it again. And again. This author never, ever disappoints me.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: I adored this book. I especially like books that have animals in them and this book certainly had a lot of them. I just fell in love with all of them. The old couple was simply delicious. I never heard of a floppsy doodle hat before. I want one. I laughed and cried. Wonderful book. This author just keeps getting better and better. Thanks for a great read.
Rating:
Summary: A good as it gets
Review: In 1988 PLAIN JANE Lewis is a senior taking her last finals at the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. While the overweight Jane walks back to her dorm at night with a new acquaintance, Homecoming Queen Connie Bryan, five guys and one more on the outside attack them. The five participating animals gang rape Connie. None of the males would do more than hold "Miss Piggy" Jane so she would not interfere. Afterward, Connie insists that Jane tell no one including the police. Connie refuses to inform her fiancé because he will believe it to be her fault. Two days before graduation, Connie kills herself. Twelve years later Jane practices psychiatry in Rayne, Louisiana. Never quite forgiving herself for remaining silent, the guilt inside Jane bursts into the open when she suspects one of her patients partook in the rape of Connie. Jane turns to her dog Olive for psychological listening help without the feedback bark and to her peer Dr. Michael Sorenson who she has loved even back in high school. Jane realizes she needs closure and with the help of her godparents begins investigating the rape that led to Connie's suicide. PLAIN JANE is the usual scintillating Fern Michaels as the story line contains a very interesting series of subplots that tie together like a string of dominoes into a main theme. The tale is entertaining for fans will who will appreciate Jane's discussions with Dr. Olive and Michael. Though quite formulaic, the best selling Ms. Michaels appears ready to return to all the lists. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: didn't like it!
Review: This book was really hokey. The author has an odd way of writing that feels very disjointed to me. Also, I didn't like the way that both the rape victims in the story were treated by their significant others. Neither man could supposedly deal with the rape and left them. I am sure this happens sometimes, but I feel it did a diservice to men. Most men do NOT leave their spouse when they are raped or blame their spouse for the rape.
Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea
Review: This book had a lot of potential, but boy was I disappointed. First of all Ms. Michael's writing style was not for me. It seemed to be all conversation, the whole book was in quotation marks practically. There was little narrative by the author. Therefore, you had little insight into what the characters were thinking. This makes for very one dimensional characters and I didn't enjoy the act of actually reading the book--it was awkward. Also, it seemed very hokey to me. As another reviewer has said, you can tell the author is older. The writing was not very current, a little cutesy for my taste. On the positive side, however, I did enjoy the characters of the godparents, Trixie and Fred. They were much more interesting than Jane. Also, I found it commendable that Ms. Michaels wanted to spotlight the hard-working K-9 police dogs.
Rating:
Summary: didn't like it!
Review: Well folks, I have to agree with most of you. This book was unbelievable. As a mystery, it left you wondering. As a romance it was seriously lacking. As a ghost story, it was benign. No redeemable qualities at all. How can someone's best efforts miss the mark so far?
That's about all I have to say.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing something
Review: Heroine: formerly plump Jane Lewis, haunted by a horrific past, entered the field of psychiatry in the hopes that she could at least improve the lives of others, if not her own. As a therapist, Jane often advises her struggling patients to accept whatever help is offered to them, no matter what its source. But can she take her own advice when the help being offered to her is from the Other Side? What worked for me: Although I didn't think much of her professionally, I did like Jane in general. Size-wise Jane was plump teen who slimmed down quite a bit as an adult, but she just couldn't shake those ingrained put-downs from her slender, beauty queen mother. What didn't work for me: I love ghost stories, but I much prefer the ghost to be a main character rather than a peripheral one. "Plain Jane" started out as a romantic suspense, but neither of those elements really came to the forefront for me as the story went on. Jane never had to pay for the poor judgment calls she made where the bad guys were concerned. And since my heart never went pitter-patter for her beau Michael, I couldn't really feel the heat between the two of them. Overall: This story of second chances is an all right read, but the heroine's downward-spiraling weight might not appeal to some. If you liked "Plain Jane" you might also enjoy: "Sweet Memories", "His Seductive Revenge", "Dear Cupid", "Looking for Laura", "Too Much Temptation", "Walking After Midnight", and "Shadows in the Moonlight".
Rating:
Summary: not worth finishing
Review: This is the first for me from this author. I didn't know what to expect, except that she is very popular and a lot of people seem to like her writing very much. Which brings me to why I was so surprised in this book. It was very disjointed and I got lost in the numerous plots she has weaving throughout. I was under the impression it was mainly about a woman named Jane Lewis who is overweight and shy and wishes to be like the homecoming queen and in one fateful night witnesses a brutal attack that leaves the homecoming queen dead and Jane with nightmares to follow her into the future.
She strives to become a well respected psycologist and does, even has her own radio show, but things fall apart when one of her patients seems to remind her of the attack that happened 16 years ago. Who is he? Should she be worried? Well, as I found out, she shouldn't be. I was lost and didn't understand how he got into the storyline and when she tried to explain it later, I was just plain tired of the confusing 'twists' to be interested.
The attack and mystery of Connie Bryan's death was very compelling, but the way the author wrote in a romance between Jane and her old college admirer Michael was way too much. Michael did not fit into the story. He was like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. If you push him hard enough he will squeeze in, but he will still be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, he doesn't belong here.
The romance was really tedious and the most boring part of the confusing tale to say the least. The fought and bickered a lot throughout about nothing. Jane was way too touchy and she would flip out on him for no reason and accuse him of calling her things or insinuatiing things about her when all the poor guy was guilty of was trying to have a relationship with a woman who needed her own shrink.
Jane was too much for me and I found her distasteful and tacky. There is also a side story about her mother she hates that comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere fast. Jane spends her whole life being overweight and unattractive, but we hear nothing more about it later on when she is a psychiatrist. What happened? Did she lose the weight? Is she happy? Did she work out her problems? We never get enough information to make that decision. The characters are sketchy at best and I liked the Godparents more than Jane or Michael. They were quirky and fun and the only thing I looked forward to while reading this. The 'mystery' was okay and I only finished the book to find out who the attackers were and what happened to them, but it wasn't much of a mystery. The ghost aspect was weak and I was surprised that the author thought it would be creepy or weird, it was plain funny that Michael was so serious about the ghosts and that Jane neurotic. The only thing I thought was unique and different in this mix of a mystery/romance was the way the author added pets into the story skillfully. The pets and the Godparents are the only thing holding this mix together. You're better off skipping this and trying something else. It will only confuse and irritate you...Oh by the way, the other reviewer said that she was laughing when the Michael kept calling Jane's hat 'flopsydoodle' and how her husband would die before saying something so stupid and unmasculine, I agree, lol.... Michael was too unreal as a male lead here... Tracy Talley~@
| 
