Customer Reviews

Luring A Lady (The Stanislaskis)

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

 

 

This is a re-release of a book I read years ago by Nora Roberts. Looking at the release date, you would think it's new. I wasted almost $6 bucks for a book I read before, being someone who hates to read the same book twice. Not a fair thing to do and feel this is a rip off and should be stated by the publishing house, that it is an old book being re-released.

I'm giving it one star because I want people to read the review before they purchase it. The story is a four star romance!

This book is #2 in the Stanislaski Family series!

This is the book about Mikhail...Here you will meet Sydney Hayward who just recently took over her grandfather's company after his death...She is prim and proper and nobody thinks she can do the job...not her family or her friends....they think she should go back to doing what they feel she does best...giving parties, shopping...getting her nails done....But Sydney wants more for herself and wants to make this job work....

Mikhail is an artist living in a very run down apartment building which is owned by Hayward....He has finally had it after months and months of letters trying to get something done about the building that is falling apart....He storms into Sydney's office and the sparks fly....She hires him to fix the building after seeing it with her own eyes....And she begins to see more with her eyes like Mikhail!

I really enjoyed this one...maybe even more than Falling for Rachel...I just love the Stanislaski series!

A really good Nora Roberts book. This story focuses on Mikhail Stanislaski and the woman he falls for: Sydney Hayward. Sydney is the new owner of the building Mikhail lives in. They set off sparks when he confronts her with problems in the building....the rest you should read for yourself. Not to be missed by Nora Roberts fans.

Is there anything Nora Roberts can't write?
She creates such wonderful family dynamics; no wonder since she's the only girl and has four brothers. I think that may be why she writes such believable sibling relationships. The MacKades, the O'Hurley's, the McGregors and so on. Like you'll read in a future book, "Convincing Alex," there's a studly Ukranian who turns out to be the perfect match of a poor little rich girl. In "Luring," the "lady" is Sydney and she has money but a barricuda for a mother who would like nothing better than to set her daughter up with another trust fund kid. Thankfully, Mikhail comes along and Thurston Howell III is not only not necessary he's an embarrassment when compared with the hot-blooded, hot-tempered Mik.
You can have your doctors and lawyers, gimme a man wearing a tool belt any day of the week. When Mik and his Dad decide to fix up the apartments that Sydney's ailing grandfather never got around to refurbishing, you can almost visualize the beeds of sweat dripping down Mik's torso. When she arrives for their date and he answers the door in a towel, ay, ay, ay! Somebody get out the ice water.
But Mik's not just a tough-talkin' handy man, he is a true artist and carves the most beautiful sculptures from wood. Sydney's snooty Mom knows Mik's artistic reputation, and he'd be okay for a fling but NOT to marry. What a loser! With the death of her beloved grandpa, Sydney needed Mik's down-to-earth family almost as much as she needed his hunky self :)
Do yourself a favor and get ALL these books, even the "Waiting for Nick" book is great. It's a sequel and features Nick, brother of Zach who is married to Rachel Stanislaski or however they spell it; who falls for the step-daughter of Natasha Stanislaski. Maybe this is where the new movie "Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, got their premise.
"Luring a Lady" features so many nice facets. There's the hot yet realistic romance, the tension between this couple as well as Sydney and one of her executives who'd like to push her out of the CEO office, and the lovable family dynamics.Mik takes Sydney away for a weekend to visit at Spence and Natasha's so we get to revisit this couple from "Taming Natasha" and you get to see Alex tease Mik that Sydney should go for HIM!
Frankly, I just don't know how someone could NOT love any of these books. It would be like trying to narrow down my favorite flavor of ice cream or my favorite relative: gotta love 'em all!

Little snippet of trivia about this 2nd book in the Stanislaski series: that lady in yellow there? That's Nora.

Sydney Hayward is a divorced socialite who's just inherited her grandfather's company. Everyone thinks she'll play at being CEO for a little while, then get bored with it and go back to what's really important: socializing. Sydney, on the other hand, is determined to live up to her grandfather's trust and do a good job.

Mikhail Stanislaski is a Ukranian immigrant, brother of Natasha from Taming Natasha, and a renowned sculptor.

Sydney meets Mik when he shows up at her office, without an appointment, complaining about the conditions in one of her apartment buildings. Annoyed but challenged, she visits the building, is dismayed by its condition, and hires Mik, who admitted he's "sometimes a carpenter," to oversee the necessary repairs.

There are obstacles from the other officers of the company, who think she should be thinking of the profits, and from her mother and Channing--her mother's choice of a second husband for Sydney--who think she should be focusing on planning her wedding. In the face of all this, finding out that Mik isn't just a carpenter is small potatoes.

This is a pretty standard early-90s romance (1991). The heroine has a masculine name (I got a chuckle when Mik objected to it), and she has no problem whatsoever running a pretty big company without any training that we can see. We never find out how big the company is, but it has stockholders and a board of directors, so I'm assuming it does more than just own/manage one or two apartment buildings. These things you just kind of have to accept and move on.

Sydney's mother is a fairly flat villain, as is Sydney's corporate nemesis. We don't really get motivations for either of them.

But Sydney's determination to do the right thing, and to make a difference, particularly in the face of so much resistance, is inspiring to watch. She was absolutely convincing--starting off as the confident rich woman to whom nobody says "no", she's initially offended by Mik's anger and protest, but her strength shows, and she takes it as a challenge. Then she doesn't duck the blame for the company's negligence--instead she accepts responsibility and begins to solve the problem. And when she discovers Mik's fame/talent, instead of flying into a rage like 90% of the heroines in Romancelandia would do, she swallows her initial reaction and carries on. Just lovely.

Also lovely is the Stanislaski family, and the contrast between their warmth and boisterousness (although really--why do all grown-up brothers in the Noraverse indulge in fisticuffs?) and the cold reserve of the Haywards.

It's Sydney's story, really--she has the changing to do. All Mik has to do is fall in love. Which is not to say he doesn't have a few difficult moments with it, but he's pretty much fine the way he is. Sydney will, I'm sure, smooth out what rough edges remain.

Well this is a story about Mikhail Stanislaski and the lady he falls in love with Sydney Hayward. This book is the best romance book that I have ever read. It makes me wish that I was Sydney Hayward. Well I will tell you a little bit about the book without spoiling it for you. It starts out that Mikhail meets Sydney when he goes into her office to complain that the apartments she owns are falling apart and that they aren't safe and he wants them fixed. She hires him to fix the apartments, soon they go out on a date and you have to read rest of the book to find out what happens.

This story was fun to read! Mik and Sydney are just perfectly paired for each other!! Besides I always love a story of a headstrong woman finally finding that one person!

Second of six in Roberts' Stanislaski series, the warm-hearted, hot-blooded and gorgeous Ukranian-American family.

I liked the hero, but maybe not as much as I expected to from his secondary role in the first book. But the author does a great job of infusing his character with a sexy-gypsy flavor. I really liked the heroine in this one, her relationships with others and discoveries of self. And I loved all the family scenes.

Enjoy.

Nora Roberts did it again. This book is from the series about the Stanislaski family. Luring a lady focuses on Rachel. A young Assistant District Attorney who meets her match when she meets Zach, the step-brother of one of her clients! This book is highly recommended for anyone but it is a can't miss for any Nora Roberts fan.