Lost Cause (Harlequin Superromance No. 1351) [Mass Market Paperback]

Janice Kay Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

Gary Lindstrom doesn't remember ever being a child named Lucien. So when his long-lost sister calls to remind him of who he was, he tells her he's not interested. But even he can't resist the pull of the past, and he goes to meet the only family he has left. Little does he know that he's also going to meet Rebecca Wilson....

Rebecca has never met anyone like Gary. He's attractive and successful, but determined to go through life alone. His first attempt at marriage was a bust and he doesn't want kids. She knows there's no future for them. But how can either ignore what's developing between them?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373713517
• ISBN-13: 978-0373713516
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,369,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janice Kay Johnson is the author of sixty-plus books for children and adults. Her first four published romance novels were coauthored with her mother Norma Tadlock Johnson, also a writer who has since published mysteries and children's books on her own. These were "sweet" romance novels, the author hastens to add; she isn't sure they'd have felt comfortable coauthoring passionate love scenes!

Janice graduated from Whitman College with a B.A. in history and then received a master's degree in library science from the University of Washington. She was a branch librarian for a public library system until she began selling her own writing.

She has written six novels for young adults and one picture book for the read-aloud crowd. ROSAMUND was the outgrowth of all those hours spent reading to her own daughters, and of her passion for growing old roses. Two more of her favorite books were historical novels WINTER OF THE RAVEN and THE ISLAND SNATCHERS which she wrote for Tor/Forge. The research was pure indulgence for someone who set out intending to be a historian!

Janice is divorced and has raised her two daughters in a small, rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She's an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter, and foster kittens often enliven a household that already includes a few more cats than she wants to admit to!

Janice loves writing books about both love and family -- about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life.

In addition to her real name, she has also written under several pseudonyms through the years, including Janice Stevens, Janice Bartlett, Kay Bartlett and Kay Kirby.

Her Superromance novels are frequent finalists for Romance Writers of America RITA awards, and she won the 2008 RITA for Best Contemporary Series Romance for SNOWBOUND.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second in a trilogy, June 16, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Lost Cause (Harlequin Superromance No. 1351) (Mass Market Paperback)

LOST CAUSE by Janice Kay Johnson
June 10, 2006


Amazon rating 4/5


"This is the second in a trilogy centering on siblings separated after their parents died in a car accident. The previous book introduced the eldest, Suzanne Chauvin, who was six at the time of the accident. Suzanne was sent to live with her maternal aunt, while the others were adopted by different parents.

Middle child Gary (Lucien) was adopted by a farmer and his wife. Unfortunately, his childhood was not a happy one. He was abused, and it became worse when his adoptive mother finally left her husband. As an adult Gary feels he no need for family, and has kept friends at arm's length. He has a lot of issues and vows to never have children, afraid to follow in his father's footsteps. Though Gary does have vague memories of a happier time (he lost his parents at age three), most of his memories center on his adopted family.

Suzanne had already reunited with her sister Carrie. After asking Gary to meet them and being rejected, she does not expect him to show up on her front steps. The timing is bad, as she's about to be interviewed by a social worker about adopting a baby. Rebecca, employed by The Complete Family Adoption Agency, feels it best they reschedule. Suzanne invites Gary to stay with her while he is in town (a suburb of Seattle). Gary feels uncomfortable and overwhelmed by Suzanne's generosity. She barely knows him! But they slowly cultivate a relationship and catch up on the twenty-six years they missed. Gary gets involved with Rebecca against his best instincts. Their unlikely friendship and love affair is something that neither expected." - Complete review at BookLoons - M. Lofton

I enjoyed this story about a man who was separated from his siblings at a young age, thus changing the direction of his life in a very huge way. He's got a lot of baggage, and a lot of resentment. I was intrigued with all three siblings and how they handled their separation and their reunion. The romance between Gary and the social worker was almost 2nd to the story of the three siblings and where their lives went after the death of their parents 26 years ago. Nevertheless, both plot lines kept me interested until the very end. Recommended.