Customer Reviews

A Coral Kiss

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a delightlful book. The development of love between a man and a woman who had friendly platonic relationship is very well written. A man who has a mysterious job mission and frequently out of country for weeks at a time and a science fiction writer with a nightmarish past begin a slow friendship in a tiny coastal town in California.

A trip to an island in Pacific Ocean unravels the hidden past and a new threat to their very survival. The story is intriguing and the suspense in the underwater cave is very real to readers.

Jane Anne Krentz has done a wonderful job of writing a modern love story between the two people whose courage and love for each other overcame their pasts and enabled them to build a new life for themselves.

Jedidiah Glaze is a covert government agent running from internal demons. Amelia Slater is a writer dealing with demons of her own. When Alpha Jed and precocious Amy become more than friends, each must help the other deal with their private demons.

The plot from this 1987 JAK is clich?d, but entertaining and well-written. JAK's attention to detail of the off-the-beaten-path island of Orleana and the emotional reality of murder and blackmail on the main characters is potent.

Amelia - Amy - is strong for a female character written at this time, though she does have bouts of feminine temper that remind me of the books where it was OK for a male character to threaten to beat the female.

Still, this work is a good read - and one of JAKs greatest early works. It's been republished, so check for used copies before you purchase new.

Nothing surprised, delighted me or held my interest. I bought this book after reading All Night Long, hoping for something similar. The two books are very different. All Night Long was published in 2005 and had me laughing out loud many times due to wonderfully creative dialogue. A Coral Kiss was published 18 years earlier in 1987. The dialogue was ordinary. There was nothing witty or fun about it. The plot was ok, kind of predictable, nothing special. The hero was ok, but the heroine was lacking. I was not emotionally drawn to her or the story. On one occasion, she panicked while diving, but she refused to admit it to Jed. She got angry at Jed for trying to help her, and she slapped him.

CAUTION SPOILER: The violence level was mild. When thugs try to kill the hero, he responds by just making them unconscious rather than killing them. One bad guy accidentally kills himself.

Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: seven. Setting: the small town of Caliph's Bay near Monterey, California and the island Orleana a few hundred miles beyond Hawaii. Copyright: 1987. Genre: romantic suspense.
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For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 4 star review of "Sizzle and Burn" posted 2-09-08.

I love Jayne Ann Krentz and her pseudonyms-Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle. She is usually a superb author, but I really don't know what came over her when she was writing this book. It was so boring that I couldn't get through it. I suggest you read one of her other books.

It doesn't matter if the author is writing as JAK or Amanda Quick, most readers know what to expect. Her stories are fast reads with lots of attempts at humor and "clever" repartee. If you've read one, you've read them all, they are great for relaxing summer reading. Therefore, I was surprised to discover A Coral Kiss. I understand this is a reissue of a 1987 book. Unlike so many of her more recent books that seem to strain to be interesting, this book is truly well written. Her dialogue is more "real" and though the premise is a little far-fetched, secret agent, sunken emeralds, etc., the writing almost makes it seem possible. I thought authors were supposed to get better over time. Perhaps Ms. Krentz used up all her good ideas awhile back. Regardless, this is one book by the author that shows a mature writing style that doesn't make the reader cringe at some stupid dialogue. I recently read Ghost of a Chance also an earlier book by JAK and again was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of an early Anne Stuart book.

I really enjoyed this book and was put off buying it by the comments on this page. I thought Jed and Amy's story was lovely. The reason I'm writing this comment is that if you like Jayne Ann Krentz books you'll like this one.

This book was typical JAK fare. It's one of her early ones, published in 1987, but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable. The female character, Amy, was easily recognizable b/c she's really like most of JAK's characters. But, I liked her for the most part. Jed, the male character, was also standard...but that's why I read and re-read my JAK romances. My favorite JAK plots are the ones where neither character is rich and/or successful. I think her characters and plots are more interesting when there's a good back story. In this book, there's a good backstory and the usual JAK mystery. If you are a fan, you will like this one.

Love all of the books by Jayne Ann Krentz. As a fiction writer myself I know good writing and this is it!! Highly reccommend.

I love this book. Shipped when and received as promised. Will order again.

this was a good mystery romance, a read it quickly and it kept up my interest. I would recommned to anyone, it is full of mystery, and always kept you guessing, and never left out a detail, nicely written. Happy Reading