5 comments about Lightning Strikes (Hudson Family, Book 2).

1. I'll make this short:
   I like this book better then Rain. I also like how the writer put her in London. I don't think any other of the characters have traveled outside of the USA and it was a nice change of pace, like going on vacation without moving an inch. Rain's reunion with the father she never met was kind of sad but as they form a tenative bond it becomes happier.



2. "Lightning Strikes" is the second installment in the Hudson series. I really had a hard time getting into this second installment....not only were the characters pretty dull and boring...but Rain disappoints me with her behavior with the men she encounters along her journey in London.



3. I was reading this book and compared to the others in this series this was not my favorite one. It was hard to follow in some spots, and when you think you have figured out what is going on with the characters, it leads you to a different direction.
   But out of all the V.C Andrews books this was a little different in plot. I would recomanded this book to anyone who likes mystrey and would enojoy getting lead in the wrong direction



4. this is the second book in the hudson series. this book was just a tiny bit better than the first. in this book, rain is sent to london to study acting at a prestigious drama school. rain finds herself in a few bad situations. she finds a few secrets that are hidden in the house of which she is staying. the secrets are so wrong, that if they were found out, the family would be ruined. when rain is called back to the states for a death in the family, she finds that war is set to begin. a war that she never thought she would have to fight.



5. I started reading VC Andrews about 20 years ago and have been reading them ever since! This is great reading for when I just want to relax!!

5 comments about Crystal (Orphans, 2).

1. Crystl is the second book of 5 in the miniseries called THE ORPHANS.It is about a 15 year old girl who get adopted by a nice couple named Carl and Thelma.Carl is wprapped up in saving money and Thelma is wrapped up in soap operas.She is having a great life she has friends and a nice home.Her grandparents are wonderful.But soon her only grandmam would die and she would be left with two grandfathers.But that would all end very soon.About a month later Carl and Thelma had to go and sign some papers to put one of her grandfathers in a retiring home.Crystal was at her friends house.Her friends mother got a call and asked Crystal to go get her uncles number.Crystal had a bad feeling and her feelings were right Crystals parents had both died in a car accident.Crystal could not stay because her uncles didn't have enough money and her grandfather's were to disabled and soon Crystal would be back in the system and she would soon meet one of her three best friends named Janet(butterfly).



2. Intelligent Crystal has spent most of her life living in a not so nice orphanage. She watched others get adopted before her and tried to sever all ties off from people her age. But one day everything changes when she's adopted by two very nice people Thelma and Kurt. Kurt lives his life by a constant schedual and is very organized. Thelma lives her life through the soap operas she watches on TV and the Romance novels she reads. Crystal feels slighlty out of place in this world but finds a friend in the smart boy down the street, Bernie. But when one single act shatters all that she has. She finds herself back where she started.

   Like Raven and Butterfly, Crystal is a good read though a bit unrealistic. I'm looking foreward to read Brooke (the 3rd short book in the series) and Runaways (the full length novel staring all four girls.)




3. General Horse Spittle! If you dont like these books and you think these girls sre stupid im going to ask you not to put anymore things on here becauz if you think these charters are morons you shouldnt be readin vc andrews so get the BEEEEEEEP Out I dont want to say the bad word case smaller kids might get on here and I dont want to ruin their BRAINS LIKE YOU!



4. Crystal is an intelligent girl, who is an orphan. She is adopted by a couple, Karl and Thelma Morris and quickly adapts to their lifestyle, even though her adoptive mother is living in a world of soap opera and romance novels. Crystal even has a boyfriend. But then, her chance for happiness is taken from her, and she is alone in the world again.

   This is the second book in the orphans series, and it's not very good. None of the books are, the writer uses poor metaphors, which try to be sophisticated, but fall flat. However, like Butterfly, some good scenes and good characters make up for all the shortcomings, and believe me, there are a lot. I read the Wildflowers series, also, but I didn't like those girls, the way I like the Orphans. They aren't as human, somehow. Try the series, at least once, and remember, VC Andrews is dead. This is just a ghost writer, and if you don't believe me, look at the small print in the front cover.




5. Honestly, I don't like "Crystal".
   There are a couple of lines that could really confuse kids.
   Plus, the people in it and the situations are so off-putting.
   I don't know what it is with 'Virginia Andrews' characters all being wacko, especially sexually.
   And both Crystal and her best friend having always longed to "play Doctor"..??????? This book is just Sick!!!
   
   Most of it was just nauseating
   
   I found myself disliking all the characters and not caring what happened to them.
   
   And the sudden phone call informing Crystal of her foster parents' death , at the end, seemed so out-of-the-blue that it was almost like.. a cop-out. (Similisr to Mr. Harvey's sudden death by falling icicle in The Lovely Bones)
   
   Overall!!!!.. This book just really left me with a gross taste in my mouth.
   (Please. No cracks like "stop eating the pages" I'm predicting this already)
   
   Anyway, I;m so glad I'm through with it!
   
   I stuck it in my bookshelf after I'd finally finished it and couldn't help thinking to myself, "What a load of crap that was!"
   
   Actually, I was reading the final chapters in my Specialists waiting room and I thought of just leaving it there among the magazines when I left.But my conscience wouldn't allow it.What if some other poor person actually decided to READ IT!!!
   That wouldn't be fair.
   (I'm not trying to be funny.I swear to God I honestly thought this)
   So now this yucky-yucky book is on my bottom shelf, never to be touched again!!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   (It's just gross,I hate it.)

5 comments about Rain (Hudson Family, Book 1.

1. I found 'Rain' all right; it didn't prime me for the rest of the series however, as I found a lot of scenes rather unrealistic. A young black woman raised in a ghetto, whether her 'real' mother is white or not, doesn't usually go for white guys. Besides this,
   the ghetto part was totally unreal and to have Rain using Standard English while the rest of the family speaks slang is a major goof. Also, Rain's natural mother & family did not behave in natural manners and this just did not sit well with me. I have
   yet to finish reading this series and I read 'Rain' over 5 yrs. ago, which tells you how much I did not really enjoy this book. VC Andrews' novels were far more intriguing when SHE was writing them; this ghost writer (Andrew Neiderman) doesn't write in the same vein at all (compare 'Flowers in The Attic' with any of the books he's written and you'll understand what I mean). I stopped
   reading VC Andrews after 'Rain', in fact, as I am more into novels by Robert Ludlum, Robin Cook, & Tess Geritsen these days.



2. It is terrifying that there are people out there who believe this is a good book. Not only is the writing and character development mediocre at its best, but the author also seems to be perpetuating stereotypes that I do not believe VC Andrews would have approved of. Here is a list:
   
   Stereotypes:
   
   1. Because Raine is half white she finds the idea of sex frightening. (This is to
   present the image that white women have a higher sense of morality than their African American counterparts.) Where as her sister is hot in the pants.
   
   2. That people who are poor and black can't have healthy relationships.( Her
   mother and her sister.)
   
   3. That Raine is prettier and smarter than her sister. Since she is the only
   character that is half white, or smart, than one must assume that it is her
   "semi-whiteness" that makes her so.
   
   4. That the projects are some war zone, that only people who are pulled out of it
   can escape. Like half-white Raine who is taken out of this environment by
   her "real" mother.
   
   This book's horribly racist view point is terrifying to me, and disappointing. I loved VC Andrews's books and now I will never buy another. I would suggest you don't either.



3. this is the first book in the hudson series. it's about how rain finds out the truth about her family. she is quickly moved from the poorest of neighborhoods to the richest.
   i am a fan of v.c. andrews, but not of this book. i find that the book doesn't prepare you for the rest of the series. there is alot of unneeded jibberish. like beni. what really is her point? she doesn't really have a need in the book. roy is pointless, but not as pointless as beni. i've decided not to read the rest of the series at the moment for fear of falling asleep.



4. RAIN IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ!!! THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH AND CRY! I THINK ALL YOUNG ADULTS AND TEENS SHOULD READ IT.
   PICK UP THE BOOK FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC TOO!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1



5. True to all VC Andrews books, this book draws you in immediately and doesn't let you go until the very end! Even then you crave more. Thank goodness her books are usually series, the more the better.
   
   Rain is a very heartfelt book, it'll make you laugh, cry and laugh again. It is a page turner that keeps you interested the entire way through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

5 comments about The End of the Rainbow (Hudson Family, Book 4).

1. If you have trouble sleeping at night, you just might want to purchase this book. Trite, slow-moving, cliched, this book is just like the other V.C. Andrews book, only it is by far one of the most poorly-written published works of "art" I'd ever come across. Obviously, if V.C. Andrews's ghostwriter hadn't penned it and it had been some other schmuck, it never would have gotten published, much less touched an editor's desk.

   In a nutshell, this book is just like all the other V.C. Andrews books. There's plenty of rape, a bad boy with a fiery temper who feels the need to protect his lover/relative, an incarceration ala FITA or Gabrielle Landry, and a bunch of cliched metaphors and similes that will make any reader cringe. And was it just me or was Summer not worthy of a narrator where this book was concerned. Seemed to me this book should have been told by Harley. It was more about him than her anyway.

   Once again, if you can't sleep at night, pick up this book as a knockout pill. Otherwise, be smart and avoid it.

   Cheers!




2. I started reading the Andrews novels over 10 years ago and was totally hooked. Rain was the first Andrews novel I'd read since the Landry series.

   I started reading the novels again because I wanted something fun to read while studying for the Bar Exam. The other books in this series were bad, but End of the Rainbow is one of the worst novels I've ever read. I kept reading the other novels because I kept expecting Rain to lose her inheritence or something unpredictable to happen.

   I really don't think the ghostwriter planned this novel very well. It was as if he had one storyline going and decided near the end to have Summer and Harley trapped in the basement. Ridiculous.

   If End of the Rainbow is any indication, the better days of the V.C. Andrews novels are over.




3. I had never read VC Andrews, or Virginia Andrews before, and I really enjoyed this book.
   Actually I wasn't well and I kept my head stuck in this book for hours and it was like a pain-reliever!
   
   The novel is about a girl named Summer who has had a rich and pampered life.
   Shortly after her 16th birthday, however, she is raped.
   Wanting to escape the bad memories, she readily agrees to follow her best male friend Harley out of town, as he searches for his birth father.
   But, Harley's 'father' is evil, and lives with a crazy old witch!
   Summer and Harley are locked in an attic and poisoned!
   Will they get out????!!
   
   Crazy story, heh?But I enjoyed it(like I said).
   I have taken-out 3 more Andrews books, but it bothers me to hear they are all basically the same story ( ?? )
   I have started reading Gates of Paradise and it certainly seems familiar!!! I hope it and the others will be fun, and not monotnous, to read.
   
   Again, I really liked Summer's story.



4. SUMMER IS SUCH A BORE. IF YOU LIKE BORING STORIES READ THIS! THE ONLY HALF INTRESTING PART IS HARELY! I LIKE RAIN WAY BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   
   IF YOU LIKE GOOD BOOKS GET FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC OR EYE OF THE STORM.



5. My grandaughter started reading the first in this series and was hooked. I read all four books and really enjoyed them. We discuss the characters and problems they encounter. She is reading the last book now and wants more. Her exact words were, " Finally I can read the same books you do Grandma."

No comments about Butter Fly (Orphans Series, 1).

No comments about Cinnamon.

5 comments about Secrets of the Morning.

1. I like this book better than its predecessor, "Dawn", even though it's actually even more stupid, which is saying a LOT. It was just so funny. In this book, Dawn, who already strikes me as an idiot, becomes even more moronic. Sent to a theater school to develop her supposedly extraordinary singing talent (this was pre-American Idol days), Dawn decides that she will put out for her voice instructor Michael.
   
   I have to say, this is the most ridiculous relationship that ever made it to a book under the V.C. Andrews' name. V.C. always had her heroines only sleep with men who were utterly obsessed with them. But here, the ghost writer has teenage Dawn give it up for the most transparently sleazy guy I could imagine.
   
   It's kind of gross just thinking about it. Dawn should have been able to see through Michael's trite phrases and unbelievably cheesy lines about how special Dawn is and how she's his muse and a bunch of other crap. Ok, teenagers are dumb, and I was too, and fortunately I didn't have a handsome, world-famous singer repeatedly trying to get into my pants. (Only because none were around, not because anything was wrong with me!!!!!)
   
   But usually Andrews' characters are pretty smart even at that age, so I was really disappointed. Well, not when I read it. I was about Dawn's age at the time-I thought, "why don't I know a world-famous singer I can have an affair with?" But now, as an adult, I think, Dawn was an idiot. That's why I feel so bad for pregnant teenagers. It really isn't their fault, but their naivete is so painful to witness.
   
   Dawn has a few ridiculous nights of passion with Michael and they have Thanksgiving together. Then, being an idiot, Dawn gets pregnant, because apparently birth control wasn't something she thought a highschooler would want to use. Michael, predictably, abandons her. So she ends up prisoner with a religious fanatic relative being tortured. It's all really fun, except unbelievably stupid. So after hearing this, decide for yourself if you can stomach its plot. It's not exactly a touching love story!



2. While I read the first book, Dawn, cover to cover, I only skimmed this one and was glad I did. While it covers most of the topics one can expect in a sequel, Dawn should have used her head and avoided a disaster.
   
   Dawn's scheming grandmother has decided to wash her hands of this aweful, dirty little secret she tried to hide by sending her away to an exclusive school for dramatic arts in New York. As it turned out (sorry to reveil things from the first book if no one has read that), Dawn's mother, the twitering bird in a golden cage, had an affair with an entertainer and became pregnant. Fearing the stigma of an illegitimate heir to the family fortune, like in some gothic novel (which this just happens to be), baby Dawn was given away to be raised by another family as theirs. But, as some twist of fate, the illegitimate heir to the throne has resurfaced and now she wants her out of there again. So, off Dawn goes to New York under the false pretense of artistic talent.
   
   Here Dawn meets some handsome Broadway star (who isn't gay! Talk about fiction!) and, quite typically, becomes engrossed, allows herself to be taken advantage of, is abandoned and left carrying her own illegitimate child. Apples don't fall far from the tree, as it seems. It was a disapointment, the story wasn't half as juicy as the first in this series. Of course, this is fiction, and in the real world we would hope that someone can have at least a 50/50 chance of pulling themselves up out of the gutter and not repeating the mistakes their parents made. Had she done the smart thing and not let herself be taken advantage of, there wouldn't be a story.
   
   It has enough dirt to make readers want to read the next in the series, but this reader had already outgrown it and decided not to continue.



3. In this book Dawn is sent to a performing arts school in New York to pursue her singing career. (although i think the real reason is that Grandmother Cutler wanted Dawn out of her way) But when Dawn arrives she is still excited about being there. But just as she gets used to the school and her surroundings a new face appears...Michael Sutton... she is immediately enchanted by his charm. Before you know it, Dawn becomes pregnant. So Grandmother Cutler sends her to her terrible sister (miss emily), and her simple minded sister (charlotte) to have her baby and protect the Cutler name. But when she gets here she is tortured into almost miscarriage by Miss Emily. So when she has the baby Miss Emily sends it to Mr. Updike (the cutler's attorney) to send it away. But just as it couldn't get any worse, someone rescues her. (read the book to see who)And they both travel to Cutler's Cove to find Dawn's child. But when they get there, they find out that grandmother cutler is sick, and soon after they get there she passes away. Then at the reading of the will, another twist turns Dawn's life completely around. But that will not stop her and her rescuer from retrieving her child.
   
   A must read!



4. Well, i decides to myself one day that i needs to catch up on meh readin; I comes across this book titled Secrets of the Mornin' and i thinks to my self sounds intriguin don't it?
   
   It started off great when jus' then i finds out that dawnie, the filly is actually in lurve with her brother who ain't actually who he is. It's real disrespectful to us traditional families when y'all unconventional hillys go to New York and have an affair wit yer teacher. T'aint no respect on the school grounds.
   
   I liked the grandmuther. She was too darn nice. If i were her, i'd smack dawnie the filly right side UP.



5. Though I have just re-read the first three books of the Cutler series, many years after having read them the first time, I was shocked to read the dust jacket, because I had no memory of Dawn's having a torrid, ridiculous affair with a Broadway star. I remembered Christie (probably because I liked the name--at least Dawn wasn't foolish enough to name her Michaela!), but not how she came into being. Though I did think Trisha a wonderful-good friend, I didn't remember her either. Perhaps "The Meadows" and the looney toons it were just so freakin' weird, it overshadowed the characters and events in the first half of the book.
   
   I found Dawn to be an incredibly stupid girl in this, shacking up with some sleazy actor who promises to introduce her to people who will help her career but never does (beware of any man who invites you up to his apartment, secretly, and tells you that there will be other people there and they never show). Not only is she stupid, but she betrays Jimmy, when they had made promises to each other. I know she's still a teenager (and most teenagers are stupid, especially when it comes to their hormones), but Dawn wasn't a sheltered girl. She wasn't worldly moneywise, but she had grown up impoverished; even after she was whisked away to her rich family, she was made into a chambermaid and slept in a small, dingy room, not to mention raped by her brother (who, of course, it turns out isn't exactly), and tormented by her sister (where, again, not all is at seems). Actually, I thought she was kind of a b*tch for what she did to Jimmy, even though their relationship was still creepy to me. When I think of how he was serving their country and she was screwing this pathetic loser instead of concentrating on her music, it makes me sick. And why didn't she use birth control??? At least she wouldn't have been AS stupid, not to mention there weren't DNA tests back then. Of course he deserted her! I really thought the worst blow was when she went back to his apartment and all those packages that were under their little tree that she thought were filled with gifts for her were really empty.
   
   I do give her credit, though, she didn't even consider an abortion. Why punish the child for her mistake?
   
   At least she wasn't still in love with him after his abandonment. That's like those battered women who keep going back for more. And why couldn't she keep her fabricated story about her lover straight?
   
   What also irritated me about Dawn was that she acted like she did nothing wrong, humping this guy, betraying Jimmy, lying to her best friend, etc. Grandmother Cutler was right about her, though Michael Sutton did take advantage of her. I mean, she was naive (at least when it came to him). She really brought a lot of the unpleasantness on herself, though she didn't deserve the treatment she got at "The Meadows".
   
   I will say that Dawn is a nice person, because even though she would describe someone in an unflattering way, she never called them ugly or felt she was above them because she was a slender blue-eyed blonde (and Mr. Ghostwriter, just so you know, blonde refers to females, and blond to males), even if she was plain on the cover. The U.K. version of Dawn is much more attractive.
   
   She did say something that seemed off, that no one belongs in hell, except maybe Miss Emily. What about Hitler???
   
   Despite ALL of this, "Secrets" was a great read. However, the Ghostwriter needs to stop pulling names out of his heinie, for one of the students at the Sarah Bernhardt Academy, his last name was Garwood, and then one of the employees at the Cutler's Cove Hotel, his surname was Garwood also. We need some variety here!

5 comments about Brooke (Orphan Series, 3).

1. When I first read this book, I thought it would be almost the same as "Butterfly". Pretty blonde girl gets adopted from the orphanage and lives with rich parents; father is as nice as can be but the mother is obsessive with trying to make the newly-adopted daughter and clone of herself. However, as I read on, I saw some differences: 1. Butterfly (Janet) tried to please her adopted mother (can't think of her name right now..."Mona" keeps popping into my head, but I know that wasn't it...) any way she could, while Brooke is a little more headstrong and does what she wants to do; 2. Brooke handles stressful situations better than Butterfly did until the end, which is just a smidge more dramatic than "Butterfly"'s ending; 3. Brooke does not let usually herself be intimidated. Unlike most of the V.C. Andrews heroines, she stands up for herself against the snotty girls at her private school. All in all, this was one of the better books in the "Orphans" series.



2. This book was obviously aimed at young teens and pre-teens, which alienates all of V.C.'s older fans that she has earned over the years. Of course, I had to buy it anyway.
   I felt that Brooke's story would have been much more interesting had it been put in a longer book. Also, the book was a complete rehash of Butterfly. Extremely trite and predictable, yet better than Butterfly or Crystal. I wouldn't recommend this book for adults, not even die-hard fans of V.C. Save your money and buy the full-length Runaways instead.



3. A girl that likes sports and a grown women wanting to live thou a adoted daughter A true story of what really matters Any one who is about ready to adout read this book it tells you what not to do Which some need that spelled out They are not their to fullfill your spot in thir life life to do things they couldnt do! Read it Great Book!!![.]



4. Brooke is a completely new version of Butterfly, however there is one large difference, more of which I will come to later. Pamela Thompson wants to live through Brooke, by making her into a beauty queen, just like she was. Brooke, however, just wants to play softball for the private girl's school she attends. Peter Thompson, Pamela's husband is proud of Brooke's accomplishments on the field, but he can't help her at home, Pamela definitely runs the house. Eventually, Brooke, unlike Butterfly refuses to give in to Pamela's desire to take over her personality, has to leave the home after causing Pamela to age....or have a nervous breakdown.

   Better than the first two, not as good as Raven, but definitely getting there. Please editor, work harder...




5. Brooke is the third book, in the seventh series of the V.C. Andrews novels. Brooke is a novel in The orphans Miniseries. When this book is read, keeping up with the novels is absolutely necessary. Brooke is the middle of a series, and starting them all over is a must! It is very good and makes you feel what she is feeling. It can relate to everyday life and the troubles of trying to be someone else. If you like this or are interested, try starting from the beginning. The beginning of the V.C. Andrews book is novels is The Dollanganger Series, and the first book is Flowers in the Attic.

5 comments about Raven (Orphan Series, 4).

1. What would your life be like if your mother was a drug addict? Raven and her mother lived in a run-down apartment until she got into more trouble then she could handle. Raven had no stable family life however she managed to be a great person who was strong willed and able to stand up for herself. She had good morals, and wonderful values despite what her mother may have done. Raven was put in her uncle Reuben's custody but before too long she was taken away. Read the book to find out why.

   VC Andrews wrote many books, and many series. One series that she wrote was about orphans. This series had many other books such as Butterfly, Crystal, Brooke, and Raven the book I read. I have never read any of the other books but it they're as good as this book I will. The way VC Andrews used figurative language was terrific. If you ever get a chance to read any of these books, do because they're written wonderfully.




2. This book was much, much, MUCH better than the first three in the series! Sadly, that's not saying much. Raven's story is different from the other girls', however, and not quite as predictable. I really liked Raven's character. She is bold, smart, and not afraid to speak her mind!
   I would have loved to see this book made into a full-length novel, without the ugly cover! I am tired of these teenybopper "mini-books" V.C. keeps writing, but if you have to read one, pick this one.



3. Raven was a good story I believe and I probably got a higher reading leval than you stuck up superfecialBEEEEEEEP. Beep had somthing to do with a female dog!! Im disappointed in you if you dont like the mini books how can you like the big books i would sugest you read some stupid boring novals about the life of a worm if you think that guy is a prevert you havent got a real taste of life have you well i have ive had friends who had to getprenacy tests and girls whove allready know their favorite comdome so go get a life and dont read vC Andrews!



4. Raven's mother, an alcoholic and a drug addict, has finally gotten herself into big trouble. As in, legal trouble, as in, she very well may go to jail. Raven is sent to live with her Uncle Reuben, Aunt Clara, and her cousins Jennifer and William. Reuben beats her, Clara won't stand up to him, Jennifer makes things unbearable for Raven in school. Raven dreams about getting away from them, but nothing seems to go right for her. Eventually, however, Reuben beats her badly enough for the school officials to find out, and Raven is taken from the home.

   This is the best in the series, easily. It's better written and Raven is a better character than Butterfly or Crystal, equal with Brooke. The last two of the series, have characters that are more concrete, and that the reader will empathize with. If you are going to read the series, at least try to get to Raven.




5. I've just finished reading Raven yesterday and I totally loved it, even thought some scenes scared me(u know which-with the uncle and the abuse). The book was good but the writing style is definatelly different. Since V.C Andrews passed away her family has been writing the books and they're almost like a sugar substitute for the real thing. Sweet but not quite there. She gave more depth, the houses were more descriptive and the evil sisters, cousins, mommas, grannys etc, were REAL bitchy. .Heavem series were my absolute favorite, the poverty, loss, fear, frustration and pain were very real, and they made for a tantalizing read.
   All in it's time I suppose. I also loved Ruby and the Flowers in the attic ... Great books for those cold snowy winter days!

5 comments about Hissy Fit CD Low Price.

1. I was really into this book when I started reading it I couldnt put it down! I was turned off by the male character being into another woman who wasn't the leading female character. And once they got together it wasn't hot enough! There wasn't a beautiful love scene to make up for all the crap that she had to endure while working under him!



2. Designer Keely Murdock has every right to throw a "hissy fit". As a young girl her mother deserted her and on the eve of her wedding she finds her fiance in a very compromising position. As her friend says, Keely as "abandonment issues". She also has a shrinking paycheck when her former fiance's family begins to sabotage her decorating jobs. She and her aunt are finally thrown a lifeline when Will Mahoney, a new entrepreneur in town, decides to refurbish an old plantation house into a real show place. Keely enthusiastically tackles her new project, but she encounters a few problems along the way, such as an impossible deadline and Will's haughty girlfriend. This book is full of laughs and southern charm and is a light and entertaining read.



3. I read this in two sittings. I loved the start. i haven't read Andrews before and now I will order her other books for my long summer trips. I am southern and TOTALLY identify with everything she talks about. I KNOW these women. And men. I liked the little side tracks in the plot. I don't care for stories that are so focused that there are no complications. I loved that I felt Rhett Butler would show up at any moment. It is a typical beach read for me- lots of characters that I could see in my mind. The only character I had a problem with was the Atlanta lawyer- she was supposedly bright but her dialogue was stilted and vapid. I just am not sure any female big city lawyer is going to be that shallow. BUT, other than that, I loved reading this book and I will read her others asap.



4. When you're at a point where you want or need a light book, this is a good one. I had doubts at the very beginning but it got better quite quickly. I could have done with a bit less decorative descriptions but that might appeal to other readers. Overall it was an enjoyable, light, funny, and quick read.



5. This is an over the top romance novel about Southern women that's about as far from reality as you can get. I didn't enjoy this book as much as her books.