2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed feelings about this one, August 19, 2008
This review is from: Ashes of Dreams (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
From the back cover:
Amanda Jeffrey has not been dealt an easy hand in life. Widowed at a young age, she is left on her own to raise three small boys, tend to her ailing father-in-law, and maintain a languishing horse farm in 1880s Kentucky bluegrass country. Not one to let circumstances defeat her, Amanda faces each challenge as it comes. But when the roof abover her head is literally about to cave in, she must suddenly rely on the assitance of strangers.
Irish immigrant Cole Donnelly and his son are seeking food and shelter in exchange for honest labor. His skills and hard work are exactly what the farm needs, but his rugged presence and quiet Irish charm stir emotions in Amanda that she never thought she'd feel again. As Amanda invites Cole and his child into her home, and as they in turn reveal themselves to her, the hopes and dreams that Amanda believed long buried in ashes begin to smolder and spark to life inside once again...
And my review:
I read and enjoyed Langan's
Duchess of Fifth Avenue (Berkley Sensation), so when I saw this book on the discount table at my local department store, I snapped it up.
Langan has taken tried and true plot devices and still made a fresh story out of them. The story of a widow struggling to hold on to her failing ranch, and a man with a spotty past and wounded soul finding love never felt stale. I also really liked that the children were realistically portrayed. They weren't spoiled brats, nor were they perfect angels who never misbehaved. They felt like real characters. I also really enjoyed that the heroine had truly loved her late husband. So many romance writers either make the first husband a horrible person, or when the heroine falls in love again, she discovers that he was more like a good friend, and wasn't a very good lover, blah, blah, blah. Not the case here. This was a refreshing change from the norm.
So why only three stars? The heroine's father-in-law really set my teeth on edge. By the time I was less than 100 pages in, I wanted to leap into the book and throttle him! He was such a sour, bitter jerk! First off, he acted like the heroine would be committing an unforgiveable sin if she were to find love and marry again. Sorry, buddy, but that's not your decision, and nowhere is it written that a woman who's loved once must mourn forever. Then, he overrules her in front of her children, and she decides to back down, because it would really hurt him if she overruled him. Uhh...it was HER house! Not the father-in-law's. And it was an issue concerning HER child! I know this is a historical novel, but it still drove me nuts. If it were my house, I'd tell him that he has to treat me with basic respect, or he'll find himself without a home to live in, injured or not.
I could understand that the father-in-law felt guilty and useless, knowing that his injury had only added to the heroine's burden, but it just went to far. He was constantly putting everyone down, and never got called up on it. Being elderly or a family member does not give a person the right to be rude and childish.
Okay, rant over! This aspect of the book probably won't bother everyone as much as it bothered me, but it was enough that I couldn't fully enjoy the book. Everytime the father-in-law appeared, he ticked me off. While it added a lot of conflict to the novel, it prevented it from being enjoyable escapist entertainment. And that's really what a romance novel is for. However, I will probably try more books by this author, as she obviously has talent.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New dreams in the ashes of the old, April 5, 2007
This review is from: Ashes of Dreams (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
A devil horse, a horse farm that's falling down around her ears, debts, a neighbor who keeps pressuring her to sell the devil horse that's her only stallion, a bitter, injured father-in-law, and three young boys of her own--widow Amanda Jeffrey has a lot to deal with. And like so many women, she does. She just starts every day doing the best she can, taking care of everyone and everything without complaint or expectation of help or even gratitude.
Then one day, a drifter shows up with a young boy in tow, looking for work. The two have secrets, and her father-in-law is suspicious, but Amanda knows she needs help repairing the barn roof, and though she can't pay them, she offers Cole Donnelly and his son work in exchange for meals and a bed in the stables.
The good:
The characters. They're realistic and gritty--definitely not idealized.
The setting. 1890s America is not a very common setting for historical romances, and it's written in a very vivid way.
The mysteries. Why the horse turned on his master, and what it is that Cole is hiding. They kept me turning the pages.
The bad:
Amanda is a little too saintly for my tastes. It fits with her character, but I'd have told the father-in-law to take a hike.
I am not particularly fond of horses, so the emphasis on horses got a little old.
The unusual:
Widow Amanda actually loved her first husband. I was very impressed with that, as it's something you rarely see.
The verdict:
Ashes of Dreams is a lush, warm story of, as the title suggests, finding new dreams in the ashes of the old. The characters are all real and sympathetic, and I hated saying goodbye to them when I closed the book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a wonderful read - I've read it at least 5 times, September 1, 2007
This review is from: Ashes of Dreams (Berkley Sensation) (Paperback)
There's something about this book that keeps making me pick it up and rereading it. I've never done that before in my life! I don't know if it's Amanda's cooking that's written about so well you can taste it. Or if it's the romance you know is bound to happen...and the way it happened...oh my goodness!
If you want a feel good book with grit and a realistic story line, this is it. You'll fall in love with Cole...guaranteed! The man can fix anything.
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