Big Girls Don't Cry (Harlequin Large Print Super Romance) [Large Print] [Mass Market Paperback]

Brenda Novak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | Series: Harlequin Large Print Super Romance (Book 1296)

- Since 1999 she has published 20 novels for HarperCollins and Hrlequin Book.
- A two-time nominee for the Golden Heart award, she has received nominations for the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Harlequin Superromance, the National Reader's Choice Award and the Award of Excellence.
- Her recent Harlequin Superromance novels A Baby of Her Own (9/02), A Husband of Her Own (5/03), and A Home of Her Own (12/04) ranked #1 in their months.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Novak's phenomenal tale kept me on the edge of my seat, Kleenex in hand, totally enthralled to the last page. This is a forget-about-dinner-just-order-a-pizza kind of read!"

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373780419
• ISBN-13: 978-0373780419
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,019,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Novak Bio

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times, USA Today and Borders/Waldenbooks bestseller lists and won many awards, including two Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fund-raiser for diabetes research--an online auction held on her Web site (www.brendanovak.com) every May. Brenda has raised over $1 million to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pager turner, October 9, 2005

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Big Girls Don't Cry (Harlequin Superromance No. 1296) (Mass Market Paperback)

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY by Brenda Novak
October 9, 2005

Amazon rating 4/5

"This has got to be one of the juiciest Harlequin Superromances I've ever read. BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY is the story of two women who discover they are married to the same man. Reenie and Elizabeth both feel happily married. The one thing that makes them discontented is that their husband, Keith O'Connell, spends two weeks of each month working away from home.

It's Elizabeth's brother, Isaac Russell, who notices that something does not add up. While discussing a major car accident on the freeways of Sacramento, where Keith supposedly worked two weeks out of the month, Isaac notes that Keith says it had no impact on his commute. Isaac can tell that Keith is lying, but why? Isaac would not have thought twice about it, except he accidentally sees Keith at the airport in Los Angeles, when Keith is supposed to be in Arizona. Isaac decides to miss his own flight to follow Keith and find out what's really going on with his brother-in-law. What he discovers is beyond belief. Keith was on his way to see his other wife, Reenie, in Idaho. When Elizabeth learns the truth, and is told that Keith wants to stay with wife number one, she makes an impulse decision. She and her two children move to Idaho to be closer to daddy." Complete review at BookLoons dot com. - M Lofton for BookLoons.

A pager turner! One of my favorite Superromances this year so far.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Novak can do much better, April 15, 2006

By 

Mrs. K (OHIO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Girls Don't Cry (Harlequin Superromance No. 1296) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've now read and enjoyed several books by Brenda Novak. She has terrific potential in both the romance and suspense genres. But in Big Girls Don't Cry, she failed to tap the potential.

Great story idea...unfortunately, the dishonest, bigamist Keith NEVER got his come-uppance...instead, he got a low-stress job, access to all of his children AND still managed to exert control over both of his "wives" (to one extent or another) through most of the story.

I felt pitifully sad for Elizabeth throughout the book. She was portrayed as ALWAYS being second choice-to both her "husband" and her own brother! I didn't realize while reading this that there's another book focusing on Elizabeth. In fact, the ease with which (beautiful sweet perfect wonderful) Reenie found happiness-with no concern for Elizabeth-really annoyed me. I found it difficult to be happy for her. Maybe I'll feel better if I read Elizabeth's story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fresh extended look at the impact of bigamy, September 16, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Girls Don't Cry (Harlequin Superromance No. 1296) (Mass Market Paperback)

Unable to believe the number of business trips his brother-in-law Keith O'Connell makes to Dundee, Idaho, Isaac Russell decides to serendipitously follow him. Isaac is stunned to find that Keith has another wife with three young daughters besides his sibling Liz.

Forced to make a decision, Keith chooses his Idaho family for the sake of his offspring. When his despondent sister Liz decides to follow her "husband" to Idaho, Isaac does likewise to insure she does not break the law by doing something stupid or even try to do something stupider like getting her "husband" to come back to her. Complicating matters at least in Isaac's mind is his attraction to Keith's schoolteacher first wife Reenie Holbrook, who uses her maiden name.

Big girls do cry when they suffer broken hearts as both women do when the truth about Keith's bigamy surfaces. However, Reenie recovers faster perhaps because she has the kids to take care of (no time for breakdowns) and the interest of Isaac to help her move on while Liz feels abandoned and betrayed first by her two-timing spouse and then her brother. She and the kids provide the fresh extended look at the impact of bigamy.

Harriet Klausner