Tag: Lisa Gardner

Guest Review: Brandon’s Bride by Lisa Gardner (Writing as Alicia Scott).

Posted February 7, 2014 by Natalia S in Reviews | 0 Comments

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Brandon's BrideNatalia’s review of Brandon’s Bride (Family Secrets, #3) by Lisa Gardner, writing as Alicia Scott.

Three siblings searching for the truth about their family are about to find more than they bargained for…

For years Brandon Ferringer has sought to untangle the mystery surrounding his father’s disappearance. Now training as a hotshot—a seasonal wildland fire fighter—Brandon feels he’s on the verge of finally discovering the truth. In need of temporary lodging, Brandon rents a room at a local farm, and is surprised when his attraction to the ranch’s alluring owner threatens to distract him from his mission.

Single mother Victoria Meese struggles to find time for herself in between raising her son, Randy, and running the Lady Luck Ranch. When she meets Brandon, she suddenly finds something to believe in again. But Brandon’s search for answers is about to turn dangerous, threatening their growing connection—and their very lives.

This book is the final installment in the Family secrets trilogy.

The trilogy is a recent reprint originally written in the late 90s under a pseudonym Alicia Scott. It proves that from the beginning Lisa Gardner had a talent for writing incredibly complex and relatable characters, and a great story. It also proves, that over the years her story lines have gotten loads better, which in no way diminishes how good this book was and is a great thing in my opinion.

I was looking forward to this book. Usually in a trilogy of romance, the last book seems to have the best love story, because it has the most complicated protagonists. Brandon Ferringer had all the fixings. A lost soul who has just suffered too much in his life, and blames himself for all of it, including the death of his late wife. Who will win his heart? What kind of story will it take to get him on to the path of healing? Then there’s ranch owner Victoria Meese, strong, independent, fearless single mother, who is making the best of her life for the sake of her son. On top of that we have the mystery that has been hanging over our heads from the beginning of the book. How did max Ferringer die? I’m sad to say that while I enjoyed the book, I was disappointed.

My first problem was Brandon and Victoria. While I loved them as characters individually, I still can’t figure out why they are together. I can understand how they balance each other out and why they’re good for each other, but do they? If so, the foundation wasn’t clear in the book. For me they went from sizzle to bed, to love. Also, I didn’t think that Brandon’s accepting his love for Victoria so readily was realistic considering his widower status. I’m not saying I enjoy the books that have those widowers that never go through the acceptance stage of grief until the last page, and make their dead spouse out to be an absolute saint, but realistically, When you’re planning to spend the rest of your life with someone, and they’re wrenched away from you that way, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that life goes on, and even harder to accept that you’re capable of loving someone else without feeling a little bit guilty. I think there were unresolved feelings of grief inside of him that needed to be addressed, and I felt that instead of letting Julia go, he simply replaced her with Victoria, but maybe that’s just me.

Lastly, I am disappointed in the mystery. Again, I am used to Lisa Gardner’s unexpected twists. I was also desperately waiting for the resolution. As Per Lisa’s usual, it was unpredictable. Yet it fell flat for me. I finished the book with a huge question mark in my brain.

I have finished yet another series by Lisa Gardner. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Her entertaining writing style, pounding suspense, and three dimensional characters are always absolute winners in my mind.

Grade: 3 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover Book Cover

This book is available from Signet. You can purchase the book here or here in e-format.  This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Guest Review: MacNamara’s Woman by Lisa Gardner (writing as Alicia Scott)

Posted December 18, 2013 by Natalia S in Reviews | 0 Comments

17707489Natalia’s review of MacNamara’s Woman (Family Secrets #2)by Lisa Gardner (writing as Alicia Scott)

Another awesome read by Lisa Gardner. I just realized that the books in this series are actually reprints of books Lisa wrote in the early 90s under a pen name. Now that I know this, it explains a lot of my curiosity at the lack of modern technology. Regardless of when the book was written, my enjoyment of it is in no way diminished.

Lisa Gardner has always had the talent of writing some seriously messed up and complex characters that enthrall you from beginning to end. This story is about the second McNamara Sibling CJ. A former Marine, He now runs a Bar in Arizona, races cars, and is enjoying his quiet life. CJ has one weakness. He loves Saving Damsels in distress. .

Tamara Allistair is the perfect damsel in distress. Having lost her entire family in a horrifying car accident 10 years ago, she has returned to Arizona to confront her pasts and find out the truth.

This book was different from what I am used to by this author. Rather than mostly suspense with a hint of romance, we get mostly romance with a hint of suspense. From the beginning, the main characters know most of the puzzle, and just need a few pieces to put it together. This made the plot mostly predictable. It did surprise me at times and that was unexpected.

I enjoyed the Chemistry between Tamara and CJ. I can’t say I loved it as much as that of Maggi and Cain of the first book, but it was obvious to me that CJ and Tamara needed each other. They balanced each other out well.

I am super excited to read the next book in this series. It is about the last sibling, Brandon. I can’t wait to hear his story, and to finally find out the last remaining secrets in this series. I am sad that I have to wait all the way until December to see what will happen next!

Grade: 4 out of 5

The Series:
Book Cover Book Cover

This book is available from Signet: Reissue Edition. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Guest Review: Gone by Lisa Gardner

Posted October 9, 2013 by Natalia S in Reviews | 0 Comments

Gone- Lisa Gardner
Natalia’s review of Gone (FBI Profiler Series #5) by Lisa Gardner.

From New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner, author of Alone and The Killing Hour, comes a thriller that goes from heartbreaking to heartstopping in the blink of an eye.…

When someone you love vanishes without a trace, how far would you go to get them back?
For ex-FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, it’s the beginning of his worst nightmare: a car abandoned on a desolate stretch of Oregon highway, engine running, purse on the driver’s seat. And his estranged wife, Rainie Conner, gone, leaving no clue to her fate.

Did one of the ghosts from Rainie’s troubled past finally catch up with her? Or could her disappearance be the result of one of the cases they’d been working–a particularly vicious double homicide or the possible abuse of a deeply disturbed child Rainie took too close to heart? Together with his daughter, FBI agent Kimberly Quincy, Pierce is battling the local authorities, racing against time, and frantically searching for answers to all the questions he’s been afraid to ask.

One man knows what happened that night. Adopting the alias of a killer caught eighty years before, he has already contacted the press. His terms are clear: he wants money, he wants power, he wants celebrity. And if he doesn’t get what he wants, Rainie will be gone for good.

Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it’s still not enough.

As the clock winds down on a terrifying deadline, Pierce plunges headlong into the most desperate hunt of his life, into the shattering search for a killer, a lethal truth, and for the love of his life, who may forever be…gone.

I absolutely Adore Lisa Gardner. She never fails to keep me captivated from beginning to end with her books. Gone didn’t at all disappoint.

This book is part of a series. If you’re a nut like me, you’ll read them in order. However they all can stand alone quite nicely. Gone is Book 6 in the Quincy and Rainie FBI Profiler series. In this book, Quincy and Rainie have been married for 2 years and together for 8. They are not at the best point in their Marriage. Their attempt to adopt a child fell through and they are working a particularly heart wrenching homicide. All that pressure does not bode well for their communication. When Rainie’s car is found on the side of the road with blood stains and no sign of her, things take a turn for the worst.

I wasn’t sure at the beginning of this book. I read many series that go on for too many books, and I’m always afraid that a series I love is going to turn in to one of those sour grapes. Also in my mind I was thinking that Rainie and Quincy are always having one problem or another and wondering if that was healthy. I was proved wrong though. While reading the book, I got a deeper understanding of what Quincy and Rainie have been threw in their lives. It has all been sad and traumatizing for both of them to say the least. I realized that they are too wounded survivors that are trying to make the love they have between them work the best way they know how. Contrary to what I suspected, it actually does work for them.

The mystery was fantastic as always. I won’t say much about it because I don’t want to spoil it, but I have to say that I never imagined who the kidnapper was. I finished this story a couple hours ago and in my mind I’m still going, “Huh?” every time I remember who it was.

I know there is one book left in this series. I am looking forward to reading it, although I’m sad that the focus won’t be as much on Quincy and Rainie. Still, I like to imagine that they are getting time to be happy, which they have beyond earned. I think I’ll remember this book for a long time if not forever. It taught me one of the most important lessons of life.
“Dying isn’t the ultimate cruelty. It is all the unfinished business a person’s death leaves behind.” A quote like that one reminds us to enjoy each day as though it is our last one with those we love. Then, if it happens to be our last, we will be spared from that ultimate cruelty.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Bantam.  You can purchase it here or here in e-format.


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Giveaway: Macnamara’s Woman by Lisa Gardner

Posted October 9, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways | 10 Comments

NAL is reprinting Lisa Gardner‘s Family Secrets  romantic suspense trilogy that she wrote as Alicia Scott. To celebrate, we’re giving away two copies of Book 2, Macnamara’s Woman.

 

mwMACNAMARA’S WOMAN

Three siblings searching for the truth about their family are about to find more than they bargained for.…

When Tamara Allistair lost her family, she quickly learned that the only person she could rely on was herself. Now Tamara wants revenge against the man who wronged her. But going after a target with far-reaching connections is a dangerous gamble, and soon Tamara is the one being threatened.

A man with his own share of family issues, ex-marine C. J. MacNamara knows that protecting Tamara is the right thing to do. Keeping her safe is no easy task, but getting her to trust him is an entirely different challenge. As Tamara attempts to right a wrong ten years in the making, C.J. puts his own life on the line to protect the woman who is more worthy of love than anyone he’s ever known.

 

We’re giving away two copies! (US Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

ph-gardnerLisa Gardner is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen previous novels. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels includeCatch MeLove You More, and the International Thriller of the Year award–winning novel The Neighbor. Her FBI profiler novels include Say GoodbyeGoneThe Killing HourThe Next Accident, and The Third Victim. She lives with her family in New England.  Visit her online at www.lisagardner.com.

 

 

 

 


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