No comments about Summer in Tuscany: Library Edition.

5 comments about The House in Amalfi.

1. The characters came alive and I was able to totally immerse myself in their tale. It was astouding to look up the specific places mentioned in the book, and find out they were real - and what glorious places in which to find oneself. A great escape!



2. A shattered woman tries to reconnect with happiness along the Italian coast where her father died mysteriously years ago. Adler does a beautiful job of building a believably Italian setting, if a little too rosy. (Are there any ugly, unromantic Italians in Adler's world?) Her characters are likeable and realized pretty well.
   
   They're also shallow and one-dimensional, which is a shame given their likeability. Lorenzo is the perfect noble lover, his son is the perfect charming layabout, his daughter is the perfect neurotic girl, and his irritatingly Zenish Japanese gardener is the perfect wise old man. And when I say perfect, I mean they don't change in the course of the story. No one learns anything about himself or herself, becomes better or worse. In addition, the heroine thinks and acts like a bubble-headed adolescent, emotionally erratic and easily swayed by glitz and trinkets. It's hard to feel much sympathy for a character dumbly stumbling her way into romance with a man who's way too perfect for such an immature gal.
   
   Unrealistically scripted dialogue and a moment of out-of-the-blue violence in the climax are also downers in this light, poolside romance. Adler tells a nice story nicely, but leaves a lot to be desired in the execution.



3. Thirty-eight year old Lamour (Adler loves giving her heroines outrageous names) Harrington has been pining away for her dead husband, killed in a car crash two years before. She can't seem to get along with her life until her wise-cracking best friend, Jammy, ( best friends are another Adler staple) finally reveals to her that her dead hubby was on his way to meet his mistress when he was killed. This jolts Lamour out of her doldrums and sets her on her path to return to her childhood home on Italy's gorgeous Amalfi coast where she once lived idyllically with her brash, loveable, womanizing father annoyingly called by all, including Lamour,Jon-Boy. While Lamour was back at school Jon-Boy was killed on Amalfi in a boating accident, his body never found But what is strange is that Jon-Boy hated boats and Lamour has always wondered about the circumstances under which he was on one.
   
   She returns to her beloved Amalfi home on the estate of the Pirata family - Lorenzo the sixty-something patriarch of the wealthy family, Nico his dashing 28 year old son, and Aurora his strange and beautiful 21 year old daughter. Lamour is not given a warm reception by Pirata pere and fille. Lorenzo senses that she wishes to unravel the mystery behind Jon-Boy's death opening up a Pandora's box he rather keep closed.
   
   But Lamour and the much older Lorenzo are romantically drawn to each other. Ultimately the mystery is unraveled and romance of course triumphs. In the end a novel like this is pure escapism. Readers can sink back, indulge in their fantasies as the sights, sounds and smells of the Amalfi coast unfold around them.



4. I'm giving the book a 2 star only because it did contain quite good and vivid description of Italy that made me want to travel there... but the story in the book is just terrible.
   
   i cannot help wondering why every character is the book is so impossibly extreme... every man in the book is so handsome, wise, charming,... and there are too many beautiful, independent women. this books present you with such an improbable world and the decisions made by them were so incredible (and yet predictable as in novels). i believe many people who love romantic stories will enjoy this book. but to me, it is quite boring. and after Lamore found out about what happened to her father, i was finally relieved that the story is going to end soon (i was listening to the audio book and so had no idea how much was left) and yet it dragged on and on about ridiculous love story between a 30ish woman and 60ish man... and the wise comment from the 'zen' gardener only made the whole storyline worse. it feels the author was trying to preach... so i like the way the author describe things but the story itself is just too boring.



5. There are no words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. I soaked in all the beautifully described details of Rome and the Amalfi coast! The characters were very well-drawn, the plot was well-balanced with romance and mystery, and the dialogue was very natural! Elizabeth Adler writes in a style that I aspired to write in, and I found this story to be very well-written and thoroughly enjoyable!

No comments about Meet Me in Venice - A Novel (SLD 1135).

5 comments about Invitation To Provence.

1. Lonely matriarch Rafaella Marten impulsively invites a series of old friends and family members to her chateau in Provence for a family reunion. In addition to the sons who were a disappointment and left the estate many years earlier, she has invited veterinarian Franny Marten, who has no family of her own left; Jake Bronson, the son of her former lover; Juliette, her estranged best friend; and vintner Scott who has taken over the reigns at winery. Rafaella's eldest son dies suspiciously in Hong Kong and leaves behind a half Chinese daughter, who is summoned to the villa as well.
   
   While Franny waits patiently at the table for her lover Marcus to arrive for a dinner date, she is shocked to discover that he wife shows up instead. It seems that Marcus does not have a faithful bone in his body, and he cannot even dump his own girlfriends. While Franny loses Marcus, she gains his soon-to-be ex-wife Clare as a friend.
   
   Jake is a wealthy security expert. He knows that Rafaella is looking for an heir, so he decides to check out Franny, and is immediately smitten with her. A one night stand with Franny results in her broken heart, and his immense guilt.
   
   When an invitation to Provence is received, Franny does not plan to go, but Clare talks her into it and they decide to go together. She has never met her aunt Rafaella, and only knows that there was a falling out several generations ago. When they arrive in Provence, she is shocked when Jake arrives, but tries to play it cool with him, but soon finds herself in his arms, much to Rafaella's delight.
   
   Old rivalries and passions are reignited, and there is tension and romance amid the vines, as someone who has everything to gain from the demise of Franny is lurking in the shadows.
   
   The mystery is somewhat lacking, and the story a little too easily wrapped up, but Adler is able to take you away from the hum drum of everyday life and transport the reader to an idyllic place. It makes for a nice escape.



2. I drive an hour to school every few days and book up a book on cd to listen to. Unfortunately, I picked this one. I was trying to find another "Under the Tuscan Sun" kind of book, and this WAS NOT IT. It was SO BAD it was absolutely hysterical at points. I can't even list all the problems with it. The stereotypical characters, the pathetic dialogue, the pedantic and predictable storyline - AWFUL!!! Don't waste your time!



3. Elizabeth Adler has a lyrical and detailed way of writing so that the scenes vividly come alive off the pages to be experienced by all of the reader's senses. The tastes, scents, sounds of Provence are all so tangible!!! The product description on the back cover really sells the story short because it is about so much more than a wife becoming friends with her husband's mistress. It's about a lonely old woman who wants to breathe life back into her ancestral vineyard chateau and reconcile the misunderstandings of the past which separate her heirs. There are a longlost niece and an unknown grandchild to discover. There are murders to solve and sibling rivalries to resolve. There are action and danger to balance the beauty and romance. This book captivated me to the point were I couldn't put it down and just had to read straight through until the end. It was beautifully written, interesting, and very cultural.



4. Several Reviewers have given us pretty much the storyline so won't go into all of it. There are some interesting characters as in all Elizabeth Adler books along with some romance and descriptive details of food and clothing. There is a villian, though not exactly what I would call a mystery. I thought the story drug a little from the time Franny meets Jake until they meet again at Rafaella's. I found myself skimming through this part. Once the characters got together, I found more interest in the book. It was fun to have Lola and Jack from Hotel Riviera pay a visit in this book. Invitation to Provence will probably not be listed along with the works of great novelists but it's just a light fun read. Very predictable and very much like some of her other novels. No surprises really! Just a few hours to get away and visit another world and the foods; I've never heard of most of them. However, they make your mouth water. Okay it's not a great book, but it's not bad either.



5. I listened to audio CD of this book and thought it was well done. I was appalled, however, by what another reader noted as "lack of research". Definitely! Any literate person could find out that rat poison does not kill immediately. It also wouldn't be hard to discover that vets don't go to medical school (guess where they learn their skills- vet school). I know this sounds like whining, but the problem is that these ridiculous mistakes really distract, and therefore detract from your enjoyment of the novel.

No comments about Summery in Tuscany.

5 comments about All or Nothing.

1. This was my first Elizabeth Adler book. It started off good, and it did have several worthy twists that were different and refreshing, but...

   There were too many times the POV switched within the narrative. First we're in Giraud's head and in the next sentence we're in Marla's. At least this was consistent, but disturbing. Sometimes there was a chapter or scene break to let us know we're in someone else's head, but that was the exception rather than the rule.

   I also found Marla a bit too conveniently motherly to the poor accused man's wife at times. She seemed like a sex pot one time and then she suddenly had all of these maternal instincts pouring out. Didn't jibe with me.

   Overall, however, it was not a bad read. I didn't put it down or want to stop and it was easy to get through. And I did like Marla and Giraud's playfulness. They would be a good duo for a sequel.




2. "All or Nothing" is just another Elizabeth Adler book. There's romance, there's some mystery, and *spoiler* the villians always die *spoiler*. In this one, Marla, a Pepperdine law prof. has a jones for doing P.I work like her main squeeze Al Giraud, a Southern good ol' boy. Marla and Al are hired by the wife of a man accused of murder. They look into the background of the husband, and the woman who disappeared, and they find that things are definately not as they appear, as the woman turns out to have a very shady past, and they wind up on the trail of a remorseless killer who'll do anything to get they want. Danger and thin plot abound, as our duo almost gets killed a couple of times before clearing the name of an innocent man.



3. I read the reviews on this one and they aren't great but decided to read it anyway. If you want a book that touches you or makes you think, this is not it! However, if you want a book just to give you a few hours of distraction, then this will do it. I thought the hero and heroine were quite comical (though the sex was overdone a bit)and a villian you loved to hate though not all bad (she loved dogs). As for detective work, they were all so pathetic, I got frustrated with them. It's not one I would read again but was a fun read for a few hours.



4. The author had a great story line in the beginning but failed to keep the story streamlined. The readers are jolted back and forth between the plot and Al and Marla's out of control libidos. Marla, who I thought was going to be evolving in her character as a P.I. because as the author puts it, "she wants to be a P.I. so bad that she hurts with it" was a huge disappointment in her character development. Marla came across very flighty and dense since she can't get ler libido in control long enough to concentrate on the case and to be of any real help. Al, was not much better although his character was a lot stronger and tried to stay true to his desire to help his clients. Marla was not a successful partner, I wanted to smack her half the time to get her head in the game. Then we get to the end...this was by far the worst part of the book. The author leads you for 329 pages to a climax of finding the killer and then she writes one sentance and it's over? Did she even put any thought into it?
   I am so glad this was a library rental and I didn't waste my money. Adler will not be on my list of things to read in the future.



5. This is an older novel by Adler. I prefer her newer ones. Real estate agent Laurie Martin has disappeared and the cops suspect the client she was to have met. Meanwhile, attorney Marla Cwitowtiz wants to team up with her PI boyfriend, Al Giraud. I had the main point of the plot figured out early in the book and the main characters did, too, at about the halfway point. The second half of the book was spent just explaining background with a bit of excitement thrown in to pick things up a bit and a lot of bedding between Marla and Al.

5 comments about Sailing to Capri (Sound Library).

1. A friend reccomended this book so I picked it up at the library. I won't dwell on the storyline except to say EA gives you enough insight into the characters to make them real and alive. I thought Harry Montana was a great character and liked Daisy though she was annoying at times. MS Adler leaves you guessing sometimes at the end of her books as to how it actually ended. She tied it up pretty well this time for all of the characters except for the 2 main characters. I was left with whether they married or just got together when they could or ??? At any rate the story moves along well with no great feeling of romance or mystery. It's all just very light which is fine once in awhile.



2. A rootless woman finds unexpected love and purpose after her billionaire boss's will instructs her and a handsome private detective to find out which of his former friends and lovers killed him. To do this, she must submit to a luxury cruise with six murder suspects and less than a week to unmask the killer.
   
   This novel suffers from Adler's usual flaws: a silly heroine with no emotional stability; irrelevant and tedious descriptions of food and luxuries; and characters who remain flat and develop in no direction whatsoever. By the end of the book, this reader no longer cared who killed Sir Hardwick or whether Daisy ever found true love and happiness. Adler is good with words and her novels are easy on the mind; she simply struggles with creating characters compelling enough for the reader to invest in their fates.



3. I am so excited that I came across this author! Elizabeth Adler really knows how to transport you to whatever location she is writing about. This book was read front to cover in record time. I look forward to reading more!



4. Romance, murder, intrigue and a Mediterranean cruise, what more could anyone want to pass a few hours on a plane or on a beach? These are the elements that Elizabeth Adler combines in her easy on the brain novels. Daisy Keane meets the difficult Sir Robert Hardwick at a party. He is bruque, brilliant and a billionaire although not a looker. He takes Daisy under his wing as his assistant lifting her out of a rootless post-divorce life. Several years later Sir Robert dies in a car accident. Harry Montana, a rough and tumble and handsome private investigator working for Sir Robert,tells Daisy that Sir Robert believed he was killed. Sir Robert has left behind a letter asking Daisy and Montana to ask six suspects on a cruise to his villa on Capri where the will will be read. As an inducement each suspect is offered $100,000 to come. The suspects line up (to see if they might be included in the will)- the ex-wife, the ex-mistress, the ex-friend, the ex-business partner and a former scientist. This is where the fun and games begin. Although formulaic this book is light hearted and entertaining.



5. I ordered this book because: 1) it had generally good reviews and 2) it was supposed to be about Capri. Actually, reverse the order. We're going to Capri in three months--thought it would be interesting reading a book wherein Capri is the destination.
   Enjoyed the book, more readable than I expected, but with three caveats:
   
   1. The final "letter" is strange. It's written past tense to events in which the author could not possibly have knowledge of what happened. I won't elaborate further, but again, the last letter, in my opinion, is flat out strange.
   2. The characters are extreme caricatures.
   3. It has extremely little about Capri, or Sorrento. Here's what it has about Capri: they get off the yacht, talk about hand made Capri sandals and the botanicals and the cliffs. That's it. the entire book is about a mystery and cruising there. Only the last chapter is on Capri. The sole day at Sorrento talks about lemons and oranges and going to a villa for a great meal and view, and that you can see Vesuvius to the North and Capri to the West. That's about it. For a novel that supposed to be part travelogue, this book doesn't cut it.
   
   But as I said, it was a light, fun read. I'd order another of Elizabeth Adler's books.

5 comments about Meet Me in Venice.

1. I am new to Elizabeth Adler's books, but please, please assure me that others are better than this one. Her protagonist, with the unlikely (and speaking of cringe-inducing) name of Precious, is 38 years old, owns her own business in the most sophisticated and pragmatic city of Paris, and she falls for this guy's quick line and pretty smile, not once but twice? Refuses to believe that two identical murders are linked? Runs all over the world because "she just has to give him a chance to explain?" Puh-leese. I love light romantic suspense as much as the next person, but halfway through this book, I decided that most of the characters, to quote my Southern friends, "deserved killin'." Some depth and credibility -- somewhere -- are needed here.



2. My attention was drawn to the cover of this delicious book, AND because I have been to Venice several times. Had never read any of Adler's books prior to this. Loved "Meet Me in Venice" because it is purely make-believe and it was really grand to sit in the sand, hear the ocean and get taken away from it all. I could not put it down. Since then (3 weeks ago), I have read "One of Those Malibu Nights" - which was equally enthralling, and am now half-way through an Adler paperback (bought at a flea market years ago and forgot about) "Fortune is a Woman". This one kicks butt. Back to my beach chair. p.s. absolutely LOVE how the author describes and writes about familiar places, in Venice, Malibu, and all the other wonderful places.



3. I've never read Adler before and cringed when I discovered Adler's heroine is named Precious but I read on because of the promise of Venice delights. This isn't great literature, nor was it meant to be and should not be judged using that criterion. This is a light read full of romance, a mystery and interesting locales in not only Venice, but Paris, Shanghai and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's perfect beach or airplane reading. I look forward to reading her other novels to while away the time on my next long haul flight.



4. I had never read Adler before and I may not after this story.
   
   Basically you start in China with the Antiquities smuggler Lilly who inherits a valuable necklace. Her friend who wants to take it; hooks up with the overly gorgeous widower. He learns of the necklace and of the cousin with the wealthy aunt. He dumps the friend and heads to France to meet Precious. They decide to get married and head to Venice where he leaves her at the alter after learning she will inherit nothing. Precious tries to get on in life, is told a murderer is after her and in the end has to be saved by a the famous detective novel writer and her aunts.
   
   Overall the story was so weak I knew who was the murderer after the character was introduced.
   
   The novel writer was supposed to draw suspicion as to being the murderer or an accomplice especially after Precious learns of his wife's questionable suicide. But I decided this was not so since he appeared so late in the story.
   
   Precious was supposed to be innocent but I found her annoying and a whiner. I found her cousin Lilly more interesting.
   
   I wanted to like her crazy aunts but they were basically Auntie Mame.
   \
   I found the end to be rather lame. The author gave the murderer a karmic end but it was just for a lack of better words "yawn"
   
   The only thing I liked was the narrator Carrington MacDuffie. I liked her voice....



5. This is my first attempt at reading any of Ms. Adler's works and I am not sure if I should take it as representative or not, but I found it to be very silly in concept and execution.
   
   I am not sure if this book is supposed to be a gothic romance novel? (you know, the kind where the innocent heroine is rescued from the bodice ripping bad guy) Is this some sort of a thriller? Is it supposed to be a mystery? A travelogue?
   
   It has elements of all those things but they are really put together in a most unusual way. The book starts with the murder of a plain young woman in a town in China. While the culprit is not identified, the attentive reader figures it out in the very next chapter. So, there is no mystery as to who the bad guy in the story is. Next we are treated to a mysterious pearl that disappeared from view some decades before - only to resurface in this story. This pearl is of course valuable beyond belief and immediately kicks off a series of events that culminate in multiple murders and attempted murders.
   
   We are introduced to Lilly Song - who is an antiques dealer in Shanghai and her co-hort Mary-Lou Chen. We also find out about Lilly's cousin named Precious Rafferty who is an American who lives in Paris. The two cousins have never met but they both deal in antiques. Somehow, even though they know of each other only via family telegraph, they have each other's cell phone numbers (but they never speak?), email addresses (but they never write to each other?), and business addresses (??). When it is needed, it seems, it is possible for them to know what is needed about each other.
   
   When Lilly realizes that she is in danger because of the famous Pearl, she flies off to Paris. However, this is in mid-winter and a storm closes down the airport causing her to be diverted to Frankfurt. From there she takes a flight to .... Venice! Preshy manages to find out about this and she hops in her car and drives to the south of France to then fly to Venice. Huh? Look at a map of Europe - it would have taken the same amount of time to get to Venice directly.
   
   Also, what is this with all the money being spent so freely? People who can barely make ends meet with their antique stores have no trouble booking flights at a moment's notice to anywhere they fancy. 5-star hotels are the norm, and eating at famous restaurants is a walk in the park. Also, didn't the author realize that you can't just board a plane at whim these days? Many countries require such things as passports and even visas. Another example of this is the bad guy - here is a scheming wanderer who kills one woman but is denied her money yet he manages to spend fortunes on flights all over the world, car rentals, expensive hotels and restaurants and gifts. How can any of this make any sense?
   
   The heroine turns out to be Precious Rafferty who has an interesting tendency. She is an American who lives in Paris so, I suppose, she speaks French pretty well. Nonetheless, when anyone in the world wants to find her, she is easily found in empty restaurants. At least twice in this book, she is approached by a man who is conveniently placed right next to her - obviously the author does not frequent too many restaurants...
   
   Another oddity was a scene where Pershy is concerned about going to the police in Venice. Immediately her rich aunt flies in from France with her lawyer in tow who clears up the mess. Um. Hello? Venice is in Italy and the legal system would require a lawyer who is familiar with the nuances of Italian law. Hello!
   
   Which reminds me - how come everyone in this story speaks American English? In Paris, Venice, Shanghai and more, all that anyone needs to use is American slang. OK, maybe in the touristy spots that might somehow works, but there is a key scene in a small market out of the way in Shanghai. To expect to have a vendor who occupies a tent in a local market in Shanghai to be a fluent and nuanced English speaker is way too much of a stretch.
   
   Even with all these faults, though I found that I enjoyed readng the book and was pulling for Preshy. Maybe it was the zaniness of everything and how silly it all was. Maybe it was the very simple plot with the neon advertising of what the next plot twist will be. Who knows. I only know that I liked it enough to give it a second star.

5 comments about The Hotel Riviera.

1. Dis iz da place if you want to explore:
   
   Sensitive, sauntering sensuality, babbling beauty (as in the symbolic brook, not the flapping mouth)... globetrotters taking up residence anywhere around or in (Yacht) the Mediterranean. The "Home" in your feet baring beaches in Saint-Tropez.
   
   
   At the end of last August I began reading my first Elizabeth Adler novel, THE HOTEL RIVERA. Most reviews of Adler's novels praise them as pleasantly fluffy, romantic suspense set in exotic getaways. To me, THR definitely has an artistically melancholy, literary feel. I was happy to discover that it didn't down-track into the typically dark or depressing enhancements of "lit-er-a-ture." It edged there at times, with good taste, but thankfully it never fell torturously into the sordid, sourest swamps of despair which too often permeate a book touted as "A Great American Novel."
   
   Almost didn't pick up the book, even though the beginning pages (Amazon's handy "see inside this book") were a good capture due to the vivid feel of the hotel and the main character being a chef (reminding me of Claire Johnson's BEAT UNTIL STIFF, see my review). It appeared that THR might work easily into a culinary mystery series, though I didn't know if it would manifest a murder in the plot, and, as Amazon's buying pages indicated, Adler's available published works appeared to be single mainstream novels slanted to the commercial literary end.
   
   While pro & conning THE HOTEL RIVERIA, I began getting ideas (oh no, not that surge again) for book jacket blurbs for my mystery pilot, dealing with its mainstream angle. What cinched my "Yes" choice for THR was the picture of Adler on the back flap. She photo shoots as a happy-go-lucky, genuinely warm, unjaded, unhyped person. I thought, "No one can look that honestly, easily happy and write an alcoholic-hazed, classic downer."
   
   At the end of November, I returned to finish reading THE HOTEL RIVIERA, hoping it would ease the escape-fiction-addiction panic I felt after finishing my ARC of Pence's RED HOT MURDER a coup among mystery series, while I was waiting for delivery of Barbara Workinger's SHOOFLY PIE TO DIE (see my review of the pilot, IN DUTCH AGAIN). I had no doubt that Shoofly would fill the Royal Gorge gap of finishing one of those fiction winners so far beyond the best they don't have to race.
   
   I was not in the mood for the typically melancholy/sensual, sing-songy voice with "what-is-this-life" questioned in every other word, which often underlies classic literary fiction. However, I did anticipate pleasantly the globetrotter ambiance of THE HOTEL RIVERIA, with its tangy tinge of "no-place-like-home" underlying the glitz, glamor, and goodies. I knew I would feel pampered to receive, from the cush of my easy chair, travel tidbits like, according to Adler, in France one must arrive at a lunch destination before ten to two; yet, in Italy one (if you're a woman) can get lunch anytime. My eyebrows scrunched slightly as I recalled the seated-through-ages, daily siesta, a religiously rendered habit of a 2-4 pm pause (if my recall is correct on time-frame), when all keepers close shop, as my Italian college prof had confirmed was still a practiced luxury in his country
   
   (Okay already; that particular university sojourn when I was majoring in Foreign Languages occurred at the end of the 60's; I don't know if the afternoon siesta is currently in action throughout Italy. How should I know at this point in my life, in which I'm stuck on a Godot pause, and where/who the Heck IS that guy?)
   
   Actually, it was "Thank God" easy to slip into THR's sauntering, simmering lifestyle. I was intrigued by the contrast in strutting-through-life venues of the good guys Vs the losers (who would kill their spouses to secure a high-life, designer-garbed, jet-setting, globetrotting routine, doing nothing of consequence except beauty maintenance, and wallowing in empty "pleasures"). The losers in THR were so misguided, and edged with such ennui they never developed enough charge to quite feel "Evil," which, from my perspective is a characterization coup for an author to accomplish in this case. Great job getting the dark-side of the jet-set right in their lazy ways, Adler.
   
   Even so, smoky, slithering hints of embedded evil worked through the plot and edged every word and page with a low-ebb, nearly subliminal terror. When that sense of unease underlies a life of "ease"; and when a heightened sensuality is deftly slathered throughout the plot, the effect poofs a feather-tic-bed with tiny pins and nails. I suppose that's why the sensuality in this novel was so melancholically unsettling (which is a good carry-the-reader-onward ploy for escape fiction)... until Lola snuggled into Miss Nightingale's cottage (snuggling is good, too).
   
   Arriving at Mollie Nightingale's classic Cotswold cottage felt like going "heel-clicking" home to Kansas, with The Riviera, Saint-Tropez, and globetrotter "Destinations" contrasting as an off-set Oz. In a way this novel is a kaleidoscope of lifestyles which ooze from more style than life; to life in style; to more life than style; to life, love, and cozy contentment in which style is so natural it would be termed "shabby-chic" in Architectural Digest. I'll take that! Done did.
   
   Of course the kaleidoscope of potent and penetrating edges of this range-of-emotion and scenic rapture richly succeeded in giving a sensually-paced, engrossing read of high entertainment. Please take any bumbling review prose on this novel as high praise (no underhand intended) rather than as subtle intimations of criticism. Adler paints Mona Lisa masterpieces with words. Don't doubt it. Any reader of her work is guaranteed to be immersed in an easy flow around wealth in exotic environments; to wallow in complex emotional fluctuation; to revel in deep, dark mystery; and to take possession of vivid, visceral characters.
   
   One of my favorite lines, due to its cheering effect in context, was spoken by Miss. Nightingale:
   
   "Good riddance to bad rubbish."
   
   I've never read or heard that expression posed or placed more "thumbs up" perfectly.
   
   Maybe one could say that THR is less a story and more a sensual feast. Yum. Its type of sensuality is graceful, delicate, engaging all five senses rather than relying exclusively on simmering, slithering sexuality, as the word has come to mean.
   
   Elizabeth appears to have a sensual soul with Architectural Digest class, dichotomized with a surprising quick-charge capacity to pack the action, as exposed especially through the novel's resolution. Wow. Those spicy-go scenes were hot, fast, gritty, and riveting. Loved the "old" lady speed demon with highly honed driving skill trying to save the day, with a bit of help from unexpected sources.
   
   As an added bonus to the action-packed scenes in the novel's resolution, the reader was given a soothing awareness of the growth and intimacy gifted through the rigors of loss and death. Through the apres-denouement, quiet, wind-down scenes, tentative answers were posed for souls who are so restless any feeling of HOME is fleeting; its seeding flounders on the hard, dry granite of ungrounded pleasure and unearned or un-manifested glory.
   
   Somehow the concluding contemplations in THR reminded me of a short story I wrote in the early 70's (my first rejection from Atlantic Monthly), titled, "I Can Wait."
   
   The story revolved around a 5-yr-old boy, Tommy John, who was the dramatization of an author trying to rid herself of impatience, and playing with literary wings by putting her difficult personality into a young boy instead of a girl. I had asked myself what would be the best "thing" to help slow the restlessness, to release the painful, nervous pushing of time. I wanted to help others, along with me, escape the rush, absolutely, before it was too late. Sadly, I realized what would work in ultimate, final effect.
   
   Throughout the story I spotlighted Tommy's youthful exuberance as it rushed to repeat, "I can't wait `till..." I dramatized his speeding, nervous character by not allowing him to settle into in any single moment. The closest he came to alighting in the present, the warmest spot in the boy's heart was fueled by visits with his bedridden grandfather, who once paused perfectly to say:
   
   "You have to stop once, Tommy John, to start living."
   
   When the grandfather peacefully expired, from one soft breath-to-the-next, with the boy's hand resting in the large, wrinkled palm of his elder, the boy said through tears, "Please stay, Grampa. I can wait."
   
   Adler can do Literary Classic with just the right limelight twists to blend it successfully into the high entertainment sought in escape novels. THE HOTEL RIVERIA got me through the overwhelming grieving process of having finished the intensely satisfying read of Pence's RED HOT MURDER, to be published February, 2006. As noted, blessed with an ARC, I've already read RHM; I'll will post my review as soon as it's finished and Amazon's buying page is set up to receive Customer Reviews. I can wait.
   
   Now I know why I paused in the reading of THR. A time was coming when I would desperately need its final quarter of pages of sensually sauntering style.
   
   Pence, Adler, Workinger, and Johnson. All 4 are authors of consequence with dramatically different literary voices. All 4 know and show where the heart lives, as they reveal a variety of riveting road-maps to The Source.
   
   If the eyes are the window to the soul, the great voices of literature provide gateways there; for a moment in time, between the pages of a novel, words breathe and dance in the fertile mind of a reader.
   
   Ching, ching, ching, ching, clop, clop, clop ...
   
   Iiii''''lllll be hooooommmme for Chriiiistmas ...
   
   In all seasons, I'll be reading good books by the glow of lamplight, or through the perfect slant of sunlight,
   
   Linda G. Shelnutt
   
   P.S. Tis the season; see my review of MISTLETOE & MAYHEM, by Joanne Pence & 3 other fabulous authors. Also, in ironically intriguing contrast to the warmth of lamplight and printed words, see my review of THE MEDIUM IS THE MASSAGE, Marshall McLuhan.



2. I really wonderfully warm, romantic, slightly mysterious read with great characters. I really enjoyed reading this, and was sad to see it end! I would defiantly recommend this book to everyone.



3. I read this book on vacation and found it enjoyable. It was a romance and a bit of a mystery. The main character is a woman whose husband took off on her and then the authorities believe she may have killed him. In comes the handsome stranger and mother figure to assist her. There was definitely a mystery, not a sit on the edge of your seat book but enjoyable light reading.



4. If you're looking for a book just to read for fun, this is it. The characters are great (even a villainess you'll love to hate). There's a fun romance between Jack and Lola. You will love the older lady, Miss Nightingale. She is just a delight. There is humor, the mystery of a missing husband, lots of good food (I know I gained a pound or two just reading the menu's)and of course the romance. We musn't forget the animals; a pet chicken named Scramble and then there is Bad Dog and at the end a kitten named Chocolate. I found the whole book just great entertainment for a few hours. If you're feeling down and need a lift, pick up "The Hotel Riviera" at your library or order it off of Amazon. Enjoy! I did!



5. I've read quite a few of Adler's books and I really liked this one a lot. A novel idea was having Lola narrate the story occasionally, as if she were talking to us. Made it seem personal. Of course, I love the beautiful scenery and interesting characters, too. If you're wanting to transport yourself to somewhere warmer, sunnier and lovelier, you can't go wrong with one of Adler's books.

5 comments about The Secret of the Villa Mimosa.

1. I enjoyed the book. I don't remember reading any of her books before, so was pleased that it kept me entertained till the end. I would probably give it a three and a half star rating as the story line was a little too coincidental and Cinderella like, but I enjoyed it. Dr. Phil Forster sees on t.v. that an unidentified woman has been found in a ravine. At first they think the woman is dead but she is still barely alive and she is rushed to the hospital. Phyl is drawn to her and soon is treating the young woman who, when she finally comes to, has amnesia. Franco Mahoney, a likeable homicide cop is assigned to the case and he is trying to identify the woman, but is not having much luck. It looks like a homicide attempt. Through the course of the story Bea French (made up name for victim) ends up going to France while working for a rich lady as a companion of sorts. Bea can speak French that much she knows and she remembers a house but doesn't know where it is until by chance she runs across it and discovers another murder years before was committed in that very house. The story keeps your interest til the end. Not a spectacular mystery but still a decent one. I would read more of her books.



2. From a writer who delivers great novel after great novel, comes one that truly has everything. The suspense and mystery are first-rate as clues to a decades old murder are revealed. An amnesiac searching for her past, two orphans looking for their future, a handsome stranger, a dedicated psychiatrist, and an elderly eccentric are some of the characters you will take to heart. But it is homicide cop Franco Mahoney who is my personal favorite as he combines the best of Irish charm and affability with his innately Italian love of opera and gourmet cuisine.

   Set in San Francisco, Paris, and Hawaii, this story follows the key characters as their lives overlap in a well-plotted, page-turning story. Accident victim Bea French finds a true friend in psychiatrist Phyl Forster who has forgotten what a personal life is. Naturally, Franco Mahoney hopes to give her one, until a handsome stranger with an erotic obsession whisks her off to his private island. Can the good guy win the girl? Will ancestors long dead be avenged? Will Bea's memory return, and at what price? Will a cat named Coco and a dog named Poochie save the day? This is one you won't want to put down and one that leaves you wanting more from these characters and this writer.




3. Elizabeth Adler's "Secret of the Villa Mimosa" tries to combine romance with a thriller, and it works as neither. Dr. Phyl Forster is drawn to a "Jane Doe" who has amnesia. She is named "Bea French" by the doctor, mainly because she could speak French fluently. Then, Phyl tries to restore the woman's memory, while keeping detective Franco Mahoney at bay. We know instantly that these two will become close, as both try to discover who almost killed "Bea." Then, Bea gets a job with a rich French socialite, and start having her memory jogged in France, while Phyl has a chance meeting with Brad Kane, a rich Hawaiian with a terrible secret. The thriller unfolds as the reader is keyed into the connections between the Kane family and Bea, and the reader starts to feel that things would have added up quicker if Bea and Phyl had talked more in the second half of the book.



4. This was my first Elizabeth Adler book and found the storyline different and interesting. There were several villianous people going into the past and difficult to read of the character of Bea's father and such an abusive childhood. There were a few too many abusive situations in the book and found I just had to skim some of them. Another thing I don't think I had found in a book by any of my favorite authors was for the main character to have a love affair with the villian. She was a Psychiatrist and she couldn't figure out he was psychotic?? His first jealous rage would have had me running to the nearest exit. Of course Detective Mahoney was my favorite character and again Ms Adler ended the book and leaving you guessing whether he and the heroine end up together. Actually I wasn't sure who the main characters were. The villian plays such a large role, it sort of makes him a main character. I would have liked Mahoney to have played a bigger part in the book but it just seemed there were too many main characters. It was still a good read tying all the characters from the past and present together.



5. Dr. Phyl, a psychiatrist, was intrigued with the story of a young woman who has been found injured in a ravine. When the girl gains consciousness, it is discovered that she has lost all memory of who she is or how she came to be lying in the ravine. One of the first fragments of memory to return is of "a child sitting on the steps of a wonderful pink villa". This is a novel of betrayals and family secrets, madness and survival. While I read it all, I would not put it towards the top of the many Adler books I have read.