Another Spring [Paperback]

Joan Hohl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996

The perfect society wife and mother, beautiful widow Elizabeth Leninger discovers the sensual fulfillment she had only fantasized about in the arms of best-selling author Jake Ruttenberg, an arrogant and notorious womanizer. Reissue."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

He's a bestselling author; she's an aspiring mystery writer. He's a sexy playboy type, a confirmed bachelor; she's a recent widow with two teenagers. They don't seem to have much in common, but when Jake Ruttenburg and Elizabeth Leninger meet at a writer's conference, the attraction is immediate.

Elizabeth had been the perfect Philadelphia society wife. Her husband left her financially stable and debt-free, but she's trying to cope with the loneliness of his death and the advent of empty-nest syndrome. She's also astounded to learn, when going through his personal papers, that her husband had been having a longtime affair with a woman in his San Francisco office.

Jake has been living a carefree life. After a brief marriage with a less-than-honest wife, he's been enjoying his life as a wealthy bachelor and all the freedom it allows. However, when he returns home exhausted after a whirlwind book tour, Jake finds that he can't seem to keep Elizabeth off his mind. Can love conquer a confirmed bachelor and a woman scorned? Joan Hohl's Another Spring highlights how sweet love can be the second time around.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821752588
• ISBN-13: 978-0821752586
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,609,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spring can come again after age 40!, March 31, 2005

By 

Donna K. "bookcrosser" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Another Spring (Thorndike Core) (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of mature love and of re-inventing one's self when life's situations change around age 40. It was well-written, with naturally flowing dialogue and delightfully colorful descriptive settings.

Elizabeth was dealt a blow when her husband died suddenly. As part of the grieving process, she reconsiders what appears to be a cozy, comfortable upper-class life and decides that it isn't as fulfilling and satisfying as she'd like it to be. Digging up the mystery novels she wrote some 20 years earlier and abandoned upon marrying and having children, she pursues her girlhood dream of becoming an author. Her children, who are on the verge of independence, are as supportive as they can be in their own self-involved ways. However, she encounters stern disapproval from her former mother-in-law, who is concerned that Elizabeth's new career would appear as though she wasn't left properly provided for. I wouldn't describe Elizabeth as a woman scorned, as in the above product description. Instead, her discovery that her husband wasn't faithful to her only strengthened her determination to forge ahead with her goals.

Elizabeth attends a writer's workshop and meets an energetic and dynamic younger woman with whom she establishes a refreshing and rewarding friendship. De De's uncle happens to be a famous author, and when Elizabeth meets him, the chemistry between them nearly ignites the pages! I wouldn't describe Jake as a playboy or womanizer, but rather someone who has come to realize that he needs to move beyond shallow relationships and casual sex, and re-invent a more fulfilling life for himself.

The secondary plots add depth to the story, particularly the sisterly friendship between Elizabeth and De De, and Elizabeth's relationship with her daughters. De De has been in love with her Uncle Jake's personal assistant Beau since childhood, but fears that he still sees her as a little girl even though she is now in her late 20's. He has fallen in love with her too, but fears that it would jeopardize his friendship with Jake who might not approve of him for the niece he dotes upon, especially since there is a 15 year age difference.

The subplot about Cassie, a crazily obsessed woman who Jake decided against having a casual affair with, seeking revenge should have either been better developed to add further depth and mystery to the story, or left out entirely. As well, it was very confusing that Elizabeth's daughters were named after their grandmothers, and at many times throughout the story, I got lost trying to follow which Sally or which Ella was involved.

I would have like to see Elizabeth stand up to her condescending, domineering, all-around obnoxious former mother-in-law, who in my opinion needed a good telling off. This would have strengthened and empowered Elizabeth, but I suppose it took even greater strength not to create tension between her daughters and their paternal grandmother. However, I had trouble believing that Elizabeth would be bullied into permitting this woman to take the children skiing during the first Christmas after their father's death, leaving Elizabeth to face the milestone holiday alone. However, that she didn't put her foot down and insist that the family stay together for Christmas paved the way for her to spend the weekend with De De's warm, loving and outgoing family in New England, to be snowbound there with Jake, and for their relationship to bloom.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but sexually dull and contrived, March 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Another Spring (Paperback)

I have read a few of the author's works, but this one took almost 300 pages before the characters got together. Also, the last minute mini-intrigue with Cassie and Elizabeth's daughter was ill-contrived and poorly written into the plot.