Customer Reviews

Going Home: Unfinished Business/ Island of Flowers/ Mind Over Matter

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

 

 

For those people who have been desperately searching for Nora Robert's older books, this has definitely been the year to do that. Many of her older Silhouette novels are being republished, and this is the case in the Going Home trilogy which contains Mind Over Matter, Unfinished Business, and Island of Flowers. I have read all of these books seperately and none of them really stand out in my mind as being superior stories, but they aren't bad. They are still enjoyable reads. Any fan of Nora Roberts books will enjoy reading these, but as I said, keep in mind that they are reprints.

Of the three, I liked Mind Over Matter best. Island of Flowers is about Laine, who visits Hawaii after her mother's death to meet with her father, a man she hasn't seen since she was a child. There, she meets and falls in love with her father's friend and business colleague, Dillion.

Unfinished Business was about Vanessa and Brady, high school sweethearts. They'd had a parting of ways 12 years ago, and now he wants to get back together.

Mind Over Matter is about Aurora and David. Aurora is known as somewhat of a "psychic" though I don't think that term is used in the book. She comes on to protect her mother who is a consultant for David's documentary, and so she agrees to help, and the sparks fly. Like I said, my favorite of the three.

All in all, an interesting package of book choices. It should leave any romance fan satisfied.

"Going Home" is a delightful omnibus of three older Nora Roberts novels, repackaged into one fabulous collection. The three tales that make up this book are wonderfully matched and I loved each and every one. I can't even choose a favourite; each one was unique, compelling, and fun to read! I was utterly charmed and satisfied by this Silhouette reprint and I'm sure you will be too.

"Unfinished Business" introduces Vanessa Sexton, a hugely successful but strung-out concert pianist, who is returning to her small home town for the first time in 12 years to get some answers from her estranged mother. But the one thing Vanessa never expected to find was her high school sweetheart Brady Tucker, who broke her heart on the night of his senior prom. Brady had his reasons for what happened that night, but after only minutes in Vanessa's company this bad boy turned doctor realizes there's a lot of unfinished business between them, and that Vanessa can still turn him inside out with one of her pouty looks!
Vanessa slowly begins rebuilding a tentative relationship with her mother, while trying to sort out the powerful emotions Brady stirs up in her. Vanessa knows that she's still intensely drawn to Brady, despite her lingering hurt from what happened 12 years ago. Confused and in emotional turmoil about her life, Vanessa finds that Brady is the best person to turn to. And the more time they spend together, the more Brady and Vanessa come to see that they never stopped loving each other.
But Vanessa is feeling lost and uncertain as to what her future holds for her. Though her music is a vital part of who she is, she's not sure she wants to continue with the stressful life she's been leading. Vanessa is afraid that what she and Brady feel for each other is only an echo of remembered love, and her insecurities about herself lead her to start pushing Brady away. Will Vanessa see through her self-doubt to the truth and find love and happiness in Brady's arms? Or will she turn her back on the only man she'll ever love?

"Island of Flowers" tells the story of Laine Simmons, a young boarding school teacher from France who has traveled to Hawaii on a whim in hopes of finding her father. Laine is awed by the paradise in which her father lives, and Roberts' brilliant descriptions make the island of Kauai come alive.
And though Laine didn't expect her estranged father to greet her with open arms, she was totally unprepared for his sexy, and hostile, business partner, Dillon O'Brian. Dillon believes Laine has ulterior motives for this reunion with her father, and a misunderstanding regarding years of unreceived gifts and correspondence leaves Laine without a way to clear her name. So she simply goes about trying to get to know the father she never had, but while he's busy with work at his airport, Laine spends a lot of time with Dillon.
And despite his suspicions about Laine's intentions, Dillon just can't stop thinking about her. As they get to know each other, Dillon falls hard for the unbelievably innocent and sweet Laine. And the lovely young Laine finds herself caught up in a storm of unfamiliar and intense emotions, as the passion between her and Dillon grows. But even though they have both fallen in love, they won't admit it to each other. Afraid of Dillon accusing her of being a gold-digger, Laine stubbornly keeps her true feelings to herself. So when a terrible misunderstanding sends Dillon into a hurt rage, it prompts Laine to take her broken heart and leave. Is there any way to overcome the pain and misery that Dillon's mistrust has caused? Or will they be denied the lifetime of love and happiness they could have found together?

"Mind Over Matter" introduces Aurora "A.J." Fields, a tough and respected Hollywood agent. When her mother, known psychic Clarissa de Basse is approached by renowned documentary producer David Brady, A.J. is determined to protect her mother. David wants Clarissa to be a large part of his newest documentary on psychic phenomena, but A.J. isn't sure it's a good idea. A.J. and David spend a lot of time negotiating a deal, and the more time he spends with her, the more David becomes intrigued by A.J.
A.J. too feels a strong pull towards David, and she tries to fight the attraction at first. As time passes, David gets to know Aurora, the soft, vulnerable and unsure side of A.J.'s personality, totally at odds with her prickly agent persona. No woman has ever made David feel the way A.J. does, and he doesn't know what to do about it.
But A.J. has what she considers a terrible secret burden. She's inherited her mother's psychic abilities, and even a lifetime of burying them as deep as possible can't close them off. A.J.'s first and only love rejected her because of her abilities, labelling her a freak, and A.J's terrified that now David knows of her talents, he'll either abandon her or want to dissect her mind. David's not sure how he feels about A.J.'s gift, but he knows he wants to break through the wall she keeps firmly between them, and show her how he feels about her. Will David be able to accept A.J. for who she is, and convince her that he means it? Or will A.J.'s fear of rejection ultimately destroy their love?

"Going Home" is an excellent read, containing three stories that will amuse, entertain, and satisfy the romantic in all of us. Each of the three tales is beautifully written and though they are all quite old, none of them seem dated. "Going Home" is an undeniably terrific anthology and you don't want to miss it. So buy this book today, I very highly recommend it!

This is a collection of 3 early Nora Roberts stories. Unfinished Business and Mind over Matter were both good stories. Fans of Nora Roberts' work will recogonize her trademark style, and though they didn't have the suspense her later work has, the plot was still entertaining. I didn't like the middle story Island of Flowers. It was very short, and in my opinion, none of the characters were very fleshed out. I also didn't like how naive the heroine was in that one. Nora's stories usually have strong, daring women. That is one of my favorite things about her work. I didn't like this heroine. Buy it because of the first and third stories.

Once again, it's a REPRINT of Nora's books.......only these are from 1982, 1987 and 1992. Come on, 20 years??? Nowhere in any of the editorial reviews is that little fact mentioned. I love ya, Amazon, but from now on, if there's a doubt about the publication date, I'm going to buy my books at the bookstore, where I can hold them in my hand, open the front cover and check the original publication date. I've been fooled too many times! Oh--if you care, these stories are just that--silly formula stories that Nora should have kept on the shelf.

I really enjoyed all three of these earlier Nora Roberts stories, I read this book in one day. All three stories are well-written and will pull you right in. The characters are charming, sassy and sometimes frustrating - totally human all of them. The romantic tension between the main characters is perfection. Nora Roberts writes about the lives of a concert pianist, a doctor, a bush pilot, a schoolteacher, a documentary producer and a Hollywood agent as if she has worn all of these hats herself, the stories flow well.

I really cannot say a bad thing about this collection of stories. Find a sunny porch or patio, a comfy chair and lose yourself in this wonderful book.

Going Home is Nora at her best. I am so glad they reprinted this trilogy. For those who can't get enough of Nora, this is well worth your time. Thoroughly enjoyable. Also have enjoyed The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe and Shade of the Maple by Kirk Martin (you won't believe a guy can get inside the heart of a woman like that!). Can't wait for Nora's next novel!

Unfinished Business is a cute 200-page story about a classical pianist who left home as a teenager to pursue her career under the overbearingly high-pressure of her father/tutor/manager. Now, 8 years later, after the death of her father, she decides to return home to Western Maryland to rest and recover from an ulcer and severe burn-out, and to reconcile with her mother and childhood sweetheart. From her new adult prospective, and out from under the misguided influence of her father, she realizes that the misunderstandings that to her estrangement from both of them wasn't what she had been lead to believe. A nicely presented story about repairing mother-daughter bonds that seemed damaged forever, and about reconnecting with one's soulmate. This was the only story in the collection I found to be worthwhile reading.

I could tell right away that Island of Flowers was written very early in Nora Roberts career (copyright 1982) because it is not up to the well-polished and skillfully written standards we've come to expect from her. There are flashes of Nora Roberts brilliance in the detailed descriptions of the beautiful Hawaiian scenery, in particular when Laine and Dillon are snorkling in the reefs. However, the story is very weak. The dynamics of Laine's troubled relationship and subsequent reconciliation with her father is poorly developed. Dillon is so abrasively hostile towards Laine that it is impossible to believe that she ever falls in love with him - there is nothing at all likable about him except maybe his brooding good looks. The dialogue between them is painfully unbearable to read because it flows so unnaturally and unrealistically. Even the housekeeper, who is supposed to be a ally, isn't presented in a favorable manner. Thankfully this story is only 100 pages, otherwise I'd never have been able to finish it - it was that bad.

Mind Over Matter is a pure escapist reading that cannot be taken seriously or realistically. I found it difficult to get through, mostly because it wasn't believeable and the dialogue was so unnatural. I had a hard time looking at it superficially. A clairvoyant mother-daughter duo hooks up with a documentary producer who wishes to portray them in the most positive light possible. The mother is very likable, but the daughter is so prickly and hostile that it is hard to imagine the sympathetic producer becoming interested in her. I have to admit to skimming through the last half of the story because I couldn't bear reading it any further that I already had but I needed to satisfy my curiosity as to whether the story got any better and my need to know how it ended. The subject matter was interesting and unique enough that the story had great potential if only it had been better developed and was well-written.

Well actually I would give it 3 1/2 stars only because of one of the stories I could not warm up to. The first story was excellent,Vaness and Brady Tucker were easy to like characters I gave it 4 stars. The second one with Lainie and Dillon only 2,why, because they were not easy to like characters. I had a difficult time warming up to them, and also a complete reversal to the first story. The final story Mind over Matter was to me the best of the three I can see an early begining to her witch series and the Donavon Series. All an all a better group of stories than her last Dangerous series. I still think that she is great and you should give this book a try.