Customer Reviews

Magnolia Moon (Callahan Brothers Trilogy)

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

 

 

If you like predictable and boring then MAGNOLIA MOON is definately the book for you. "Mcquire" fans might like this one, but I sure didn't. I was disappointed in a very big way! This was my first and last JOANN ROSS book!

Although I liked the first two books in this series this installment left me a little let down. I think that this was due in large part because of the actual characters.

Nate Callahan is a ladies man. The reader will be aware of this trait if you have read the previous two books in the series. He was also very likable which is why I feel that his pairing with sarcastic, acid tongue, tough as nails I need to prove myself Regan Hart was a mismatch in my opinion. Although many may find a strong willed heroine enjoyable I found her to be too abrasive and unlikeable.

As a result I did not find the romance as interesting as I found the mystery surrounding Regan's mother's death. This book was saved by my opinion by the Callahan brother's and other character's that we have been introduced to throughout the trilogy. If you have not read the previous titles in this series, do yourself a favor and get them. They are worth the time it takes to read them.

MAGNOLIA MOON, along with the first two installments in the trilogy (BLUE BAYOU and RIVER ROAD) are going into my discard pile. All of the characters in these books are likeable, but the plots are shallow. One reviewer of the first installment (BLUE BAYOU) found a similarity to Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb. This similarity is even more apparent in MAGNOLIA MOON. Regan Hart is J. D. Robb's Eve Dallas down to the plain gray suit and the "Detective Cherie." Regan Hart is a poor substitute for the real Eve Dallas. I suggest that you give this trilogy a bye and go straight to the J. D. Robb IN DEATH series, if you haven't already.

Nate Callahan, Mayor of Blue Bayou, Louisiana, makes his living from remodeling homes. As he cleans away old files in the sheriff's office, Nate comes across a folder from thirty-one years ago that includes valuable stock. The owner was Linda Dale who apparently committed suicide. Linda's sister took her infant niece with her to Los Angeles. That niece, Linda's daughter, has quite an inheritance awaiting her if she can be found.

Nate's brother locates LA Homicide Detective Regan Hart, who is shocked to learn that the woman she thought was her mother is her aunt. Regan comes to Blue Bayou to learn the truth about her biological mother and the rest of her roots, but the twists of reality make the DNA helix seem quite simple especially when some folks want the past kept quiet. Adding to her confusion is Regan and the mayor have fallen in love.

Because of the twists on twists, readers will expect Rod Serling to explain that this is Bayou Country in the Twilight Zone. The story line is action packed whether it occurs on the West Coast or the Gulf Coast as readers see deep into psyche of the heroine and to a lesser degree Nate. JoAnn Ross will gain new readers with her magnificent MAGNOLIA MOON even if it takes one more spin than is necessary.

Harriet Klausner

Regan Hart is a cynical Homicide Detective in L.A. She went into law enforcement because she believed she would be able to make a difference. She had incorrectly assumed that since she was going to be in Homicide, that she wouldn't have to deal with the victims so her emotions wouldn't be involved. After ten years, she's finally ready to admit that she was wrong. When Nate Callahan shows up in the Golden State, he not only makes her question her identity, he makes her take a good look at her life.

Nate Callahan loves women. He's loved women since he was a teenager. He would never get involved with a woman that he couldn't be friends with after the relationship was over. All that changes when he first lays eyes on 'Dectective Cherie'. He's never met anyone like Regan and he felt like he was hit in the head by one of his 2x4's when he wasn't looking. Everything from her dry wit to her reluctance to get involved with him facsinates Blue Bayou's ladies man.

But they have a murder to solve and an identity to uncover. JoAnn Ross takes the reader through trying to find out who you are to finding love and believing that it's true after a such a short amount of time. It is a heartwarming story and a fitting end to the end of Ross' Callahan trilogy.

I loved the first two books in this trilogy. The only reason I rated this a four instead of a three was due to the updates on the characters from the first book. This book was somewhat choppy and I really didn't see what the attraction was between the two leads. It's just as well this was the last in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed the final installment of the Callahan brothers trilogy. I found Nate charming (despite his Peter Pan syndrome--and I happen to like Peter Pan) :) and thoroughly tantalizing--much more so than his two brothers (who are much darker and edger). Regan Hart, although resembling J.D. Robb's Eve Dallas, does a good job of struggling with her own identity as well as her uncharacteristic attraction to the Bayou sweetheart.

I think any comparison between authors (Ross and Roberts) does both writers a disservice. Romance writers (and writers in general) do not try to emulate each other, but engage in a creative conversation. No two characters are alike--they're not supposed to be. As for unrealistic action, feeling, or description, I'd encourage readers to remember why you read FICTION in the first place.

As a member of JoAnn's writing group, I do not personally know Ms. Ross, but I admire her dedication to the craft and to her readers and fellow writers.

Way to go, JoAnn! I loved Magnolia Moon!

Scarred LAPD homicide detective goes to LA smalltown to get answers about her real mother's ID & circumstances around her death with help from charming & woman-loving mayor who is inexplicably attracted to her.

I found this Ross book tedious to read because there was too much details about history of the bayou & other characters. The writing is good but it wasn't romance-focused. The romance was not strong & not very exciting either. Heroine was portrayed as hardened & detached so her succumbing to hero's flirtatious seduction didn't fit & was not convincing. H & H just were not compatible & Ross' writing couldn't convince me otherwise.

If you like location history & murder plots, this book might be interesting. As a romance novel, I don't recommend it.

Old library book but was in great condition and received fairly quick. Will definitely buy from again. Thanks!!

While cleaning out city hall, Mayor Nate Callahan comes across some cold case files that are still unsolved. One is a 31 year old suicide that could possibly be a murder. He asks his brother for help locating the surviving child, who has quite an inheritance coming to her.

Regan Hart is a LAPD homicide detective who is quickly getting burnt out. When sexy Bayou Bay Mayor Nate comes to visit to tell her that the woman who raised her is really her aunt, Regan is ready to send him packing. The only thing stopping her is her curiosity. She decides to visit the bayou and check this out for herself. The running gag in the story is that everyone in town assumes she is the new police chief (the last police chief is in jail thanks to Nate's brother Jack). The Callahan brothers were the local ladies men, with, Nate is the lone hold out, since the other two recently went off the market. While investigating her past, the bayou town and its quirky residents leave their mark on her.

The last installment in the Callahan Brothers series is a huge disappointment. Nate is the most complex of the brothers and the relationship with his heroine is lukewarm at best; they are just too mismatched and frankly, boring. Missing is the sizzling chemistry - when they finally do get together, after about 3/4 of the book, it is pretty anti-climactic (at least for the reader), as was the mystery of her parentage.