A Season Beyond A Kiss [Hardcover]

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739406957
• ISBN-13: 978-0739406953
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,590,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With more than thirty-six million copies of her bestselling novels already in print, Kathleen E. Woodiwiess remains one of America's most successful and beloved storytellers. She is the author of twelve enormously successful masterworks of romantic fiction, including The Flame and the Flower, Shanna, Ashes in the Wind, Petals on the River, and The Elusive Flame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Novel doesn't stand well on its own, March 3, 2000

By 

Tuckerby (Los Alamos, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Season Beyond a Kiss (Paperback)

For those of you like myself who didn't know any better, this book is a continuation of an earlier short story. Not having read that piece, I can only review this novel on its own merits and leave it to others to review it as a sequel. While the author goes to great lengths to fill in the missing details for her readers, the numerous recountings slow the book's opening chapters and detract from the story as a whole. A short prologue might have been a wiser choice to provide background information and set the stage for the current events. It might also have lent believability to the circumstances of Jeff and Raelynn's marriage. As presented, Jeff's proposal within an hour of meeting Raelynn and their intimacy so soon after are far-fetched. Since Woodiwiss has already introduced her characters elsewhere, that may explain why she fails to develop her main characters, especially Raelynn, in this novel. Our heroine comes across as a rash, foolish girl besotted with her husband and sex. She lacks depth or personality, unlike some of the colorful supporting characters. Jeff fares better, especially when the author uses actions to describe him rather than lengthy expositions on his traits, but I never felt as solid an understanding of him as I did Brandon in "The Flame and the Flower." The story is slow to unfold and lacks direction until a third of the way through. After that, the mystery and plot twists that readers expect and enjoy from Woodiwiss emerge, leading to the unmasking of the villain and final showdown. Unfortunately and strangely, the author robs her own book of some suspense by giving away her villain early. I was disappointed with "A Season Beyond a Kiss." The protagonists failed to hold my interest, even though Jeff was one of my favorite characters in "The Flame and the Flower," the plot took too long to develop, and the book relied on too much material from the prior short story to stand well on its own. The author's recent offerings have failed to match the richly textured stories and well developed characters of her early works. When her next book comes out, I may choose to check it out from the library rather than buy it.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as fun as I had hoped...., April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season Beyond a Kiss (Paperback)

I was so excited when I saw that Kathleen Woodiwiss had writtena full-length novel about Jeff & Raelynn. I started what I hadhoped to be a life-long love affair with Woodiwiss novels in high school when I first met the Birminghams in The Flame and The Flower. Jeff Birmingham, an almost minor character in that novel, captured my imagination.

Because of that, I had high hopes for Jeff's story, but I was so disappointed with this book. Parts of it are terrific, but the "struggle" between Jeff & Raelynn just doesn't make sense.

In the earlier Birmingham saga, there was a well-crafted plot which established a history for Brandon and Heather - and some real character insight and character development, which made the story believable. In this book, as in many of Woodiwiss's novels written after her initial group of Flame & The Flower, Shanna, Wolf & the Dove, and Ashes in the Wind, Woodiwiss seems to be relying on plot devices from earlier books without spending time developing the character or the plot to make the story believable.

I will always love the Birminghams - and will undoubtedly continue to read any story Woodiwiss creates about any member of that clan, but have been disappointed with both of the recent additions to the Birmingham saga.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Season Beyond a Kiss, March 16, 2000

By 

Anna B. Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Season Beyond a Kiss (Paperback)

I have been a fan of KEW for over 20 years. I've loved all her previous novels; The Flame and the Flower, Shanna, The Wolf and the Dove, Come Love A Stranger, Ashes in the Wind. But the last two were a great disappointment. I couldn't even get through her last effort. It was tedious and the characters were shallow. I hesitated writing this review because I am such a big fan of hers, it breaks my heart to see this obvious deterioration in her writing - it almost doesn't seem to be the same person who wrote The Flame and the Flower.