McCloud's Woman (McCloud Brothers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia Rice (Author)

Book Description

Series: McCloud Brothers | Publication Date: March 4, 2003

From the remarkably talented Patricia Rice comes a new novel about passion and dreams, old insecurities and new outlooks, and finally finding the truth of one’s heart. . . .

A lot has happened to Mara Simon since she was a teenager. And although on the inside she’s still the sweet, sensitive girl she was back then, the face she shows the world is that of a beautiful, high-powered Hollywood producer with a movie to make and a schedule to keep. She can’t let the fact that Tim McCloud, her first and only love, has turned up on her set rattle her. With so much riding on the success of this film, all she can do is ignore the way his presence makes her rethink everything she thought she wanted out of life and turns her steely façade to jelly.

Tim McCloud didn’t even recognize her when she walked into his office. The girl he knew had been replaced with a sizzling bombshell. Underneath the paint and glitter Tim sees that the girl he used to love has become a woman with an incredible mind and a loving heart. Their goals are wildly different but he can’t ignore the fact that her presence makes him rethink everything he thought he wanted out of life. Now, to win her back, he must show her the difference between Hollywood artifice and real happiness. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A sequel to Patricia Rice's Almost Perfect, McCloud's Woman throws together TJ McCloud, a callous forensic anthropologist, and flashy movie producer Mara Simon, but inconsistent character development and an overstuffed plot prevent sparks from flaring between the two. Mara's film crew needs access to an ocean site, but TJ's dig site stands in the way. Hoping TJ will give her a break since he used to be friends with her deceased older brother, Mara appeals to him only to be rebuffed. The two eventually fall in lust with each other, but several obstacles stand in their way-including TJ's guilt over Mara's brother's death and his potential involvement in a war crime scandal. The protagonists frequently push each other away and come together again, but Rice gives readers little reason to care for her characters, let alone cheer for their happy ending.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Forensic anthropologist T. J. McCloud has spent a decade traveling from one exotic locale to the next, so when his brother asks him to come to South Carolina to examine some bones buried on his beachfront property, T. J. readily agrees. Completely engrossed in work, he barely notices the women there until someone unrecognizable arrives from his past. Mara Simon is a glamorous and confident Hollywood producer, a far cry from her years as Patsy Simonetti, the shy, geeky little sister of T. J.'s best childhood friend who once caught his heart. She's there to shoot a film on the very beach property T. J. is excavating, and when T. J. refuses to compromise his site, the two start a war that doesn't end until they're in each other's arms. Then T. J. begins to receive ominous warnings to quit digging into the past and to leave town. Unsure of whether he can trust Mara, T. J. must decide whether to follow his heart. The second in Rice's trilogy about the McCloud brothers is intriguing and passionate. Megan Kalan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books; 1 edition (March 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804119821
• ISBN-13: 978-0804119825
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is hot., March 4, 2003

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McCloud's Woman (McCloud Brothers) (Mass Market Paperback)

TJ McCloud knew he was in for trouble when the stranger walked into his office. The beauty seemed to know him, but for the life of him, he could not place her. When he finally realized that skinny and irratating Patsy Simonestti had grown up to transform herself into the lovely, but no less irratating Mara Simon, there is no happy reunion. Rather, the two are at loggerheads. He is investigating the skeletal remains found on a stretch of beach that she must cross to film a movie that will hopefully salvage her ex husband's failing movie company. The profits of that film would be enough for her to buy him out and become the owner.

However, TJ will not allow fim crews to mess up his dig site's historical integrity, especially not once it turns out that he might have a decades old murder on his hands. A battle royale ensues, exacerbated by the sexual chemistry that burns between TJ and Mara.

***** These two could easily join the classic couples such as Scarlett and Rhett or more recently Maddie and Dave for engaging in witty and passionate interplay. Both have grown and developed into new people since first knowing one another, yet they still share the most important thing of all, love. This book will melt the snow and ice if you are snowed in right now.

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for fans of contemporary romance, April 5, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McCloud's Woman (McCloud Brothers) (Mass Market Paperback)

For the past decade, forensic anthropologist Timothy John "TJ" McCloud has traveled the world visiting hot spots as a consultant. Currently, TJ rests on the property of his sister-in-law on an island off the South Carolina coast. TJ is studying the remains of two individuals found on the beach when a storm struck. He estimates the two men died during World War II.

Hollywood executive Mara Simon hopes to save her movie company with an on location pirate's film. The problem is that her access to the beach is blocked by the investigation conducted by TJ. She hopes she can charm the man that she knew as her first love back in a Long Island high school and who knew her as Patsy Simonetti. As "Timid Tim" and Patsy fall in love, his connection to Army Colonel Martin places him under suspicion of abetting war criminals and her ex-husband Sid Rosenthal makes a bid to cut her out of the movie industry.

Though there is too much secondary clutter, fans of contemporary romance will gain much pleasure from this tale that mostly focuses on the battle between the lead couple. The story line engages the audience especially when TJ and Mara squabble. Adding critical pivotal point to the story is the suicide of Patsy's brother years ago, which helped shape their personalities and ended their teen relationship. Her challenge from her ex-husband and his trouble with the military add suspense yet take the audience away from the war of the sexes that make Patricia Rice's novel fun to read.

Harriet Klausner