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Out of print for nearly 10 years, these two editorially connected full-lenght novels will provide the perfect summer reading for Nora's millions of fans!
Celebrity was a slick, respected publication whose sales generated millions of dollars a year. In addition to stories on the rich and famous,it ran articles by eminent psychologists and journalists, interviews with both statesmen and rock stars. Its photography was first–class, just as its text was thoroughly researched and concisely written.Some of its detractors might have termed it quality gossip, but the word quality wasn't forgotten.
An ad in Celebrity was a sure bet for generating sales and interest and was priced accordingly. Celebrity was, in a tough competitive business, one of the leading monthly publications in the country. Lee Radcliffe wouldn't have settled for less.
"How'd the piece on the sculptures turn out?"
Lee glanced up at Bryan Mitchell, one of the top photographers on the West Coast. Grateful, she accepted the cup of coffee Bryan passed her. In the past four days, she'd had a total of twenty hours sleep. "Good," she said simply.
"I've seen better art scrawled in alleys."
Though she privately agreed, Lee only shrugged. "Some people like the clunky and obscure."
With a laugh, Bryan shook her head. "When they told me to photograph that red and black tangle of wire to its best advantage, I nearly asked them to shut off the lights."
"You made it look almost mystical."
"I can make a junkyard look mystical with the right lighting."She shot Lee a grin."The same way you can make it sound fascinating."
A smile touched Lee's mouth but her mind was veering off in a dozen other directions. "All in a day's work, right?"
"Speaking of which—" Bryan rested one slim jean–clad hip on Lee's organized desk, drinking her own coffee black. "Still trying to dig something up on Hunter Brown?"
A frown drew Lee's elegant brows together. Hunter Brown was becoming her personal quest and almost an obsession. Perhaps because he was so completely inaccessible, she'd become determined to be the first to break through the cloud of mystery. It had taken her nearly five years to earn her title as staff reporter, and she had a reputation for being tenacious, thorough and cool. Lee knew she'd earned those adjectives. Three months of hitting blank walls in researching Hunter Brown didn't deter her. One way or the other, she was going to get the story.
"So far I haven't gotten beyond his agent's name and his editor's phone number." There might've been a hint of frustration in her tone, but her expression was determined."I've never known people so closemouthed."
"His latest book hit the stands last week." Absently, Bryan picked up the top sheet from one of the tidy piles of papers Lee was systematically dealing with. "Have you read it?"
"I picked it up, but I haven't had a chance to start it yet." Bryan tossed back the long honey–colored braid that fell over her shoulder. "Don't start it on a dark night." She sipped at her coffee, then gave a laugh. "God, I ended up sleeping with every light in the apartment burning. I don't know how he does it."
Lee glanced up again, her eyes calm and confident. "That's one of the things I'm going to find out."
Bryan nodded. She'd known Lee for three years, and she didn't doubt Lee would. "Why?" Her frank, almond–shaped eyes rested on Lee's. "Because—" Lee finished off her coffee and tossed the empty cup into her overflowing wastebasket "—no one else has."
"The Mount Everest syndrome," Bryan commented, and earned a rare, spontaneous grin.
A quick glance would have shown two attractive women in casual conversation in a modern, attractively decorated office. A closer look would have uncovered the contrasts. Bryan, in jeans and a snug T–shirt, was completely relaxed. Everything about her was casual and not quite tidy, from her smudged sneakers to the loose braid. Her sharp–featured, arresting face was touched only with a hasty dab of mascara. She'd probably meant to add lipstick or blusher and then forgotten.
Lee, on the other hand, wore a very elegant ice–blue suit, and the nerves that gave her her drive were evident in the hands that were never quite still. Her hair was expertly cut in a short swinging style that took very little care—which was every bit as important to her as having it look good. Its shade fell somewhere between copper and gold. Her skin was the delicate, milky white some redheads bless and others curse. Her makeup had been meticulously applied that morning, down to the dusky blue shadow that matched her eyes. She had delicate, elegant features offset by a full and obviously stubborn mouth.
The two women had entirely different styles and entirely different tastes but oddly enough, their friendship had begun the moment they'd met. Though Bryan didn't always like Lee's aggressive tactics and Lee didn't always approve of Bryan's laidback approach, their closeness hadn't wavered in three years. "So." Bryan found the candy bar she'd stuck in her jeans pocket and proceeded to unwrap it."What's your master plan?"
"To keep digging," Lee returned almost grimly. "I do have a couple of connections at Horizon, his publishing house. Maybe one of them'll come through with something." Without being fully aware of it, she drummed her fingers on the desk. "Damn it, Bryan, he's like the man who wasn't there. I can't even find out what state he lives in."
"I'm half inclined to believe some of the rumors," Bryan said thoughtfully. Outside Lee's office someone was having hysterics over the final editing of an article. "I'd say the guy lives in a cave somewhere, full of bats with a couple of stray wolves thrown in.He probably writes the original manuscript in sheep's blood."
"And sacrifices virgins every new moon."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Bryan swung her feet lazily while she munched on her chocolate bar."I tell you the man's weird."
"Silent Scream's already on the bestseller list."
"I didn't say he wasn't brilliant," Bryan countered, "I said he was weird. What kind of a mind does he have?" She shook her head with a half–sheepish smile."I can tell you I wished I'd never heard of Hunter Brown last night while I was trying to sleep with my eyes open."
"That's just it." Impatient, Lee rose and paced to the tiny window on the east wall. She wasn't looking out; the view of Los Angeles didn't interest her. She just had to move around.
"What kind of mind does he have? What kind of life does he live?
Is he married? Is he sixty–five or twenty–five? Why does he write novels about the supernatural?" She turned, her impatience and her annoyance showing beneath the surface of the sophisticated grooming. "Why did you read his book?"
"Because it was fascinating," Bryan answered immediately.
"Because by the time I was on page 3, I was so into it you couldn't have gotten the book away from me with a crowbar."
"And you're an intelligent woman."
"Damn right," Bryan agreed and grinned. "So?"
"Why do intelligent people buy and read something that's going to terrify them?" Lee demanded. "When you pick up a Hunter Brown, you know what it's going to do to you, yet his books consistently spring to the top of the bestseller list and stay there. Why does an obviously intelligent man write books like that?" She began, in a habit Bryan recognized, to fiddle with whatever was at hand—the leaves of a philodendron, the stub of a pencil, the left earring she'd removed during a phone conversation.
"Do I hear a hint of disapproval?"
"Yeah, maybe." Frowning, Lee looked up again. "The man is probably the best colorist in the country. If he's describing a room in an old house, you can smell the dust. His characterizations are so real you'd swear you'd met the people in his books. And he uses that talent to write about things that go bump in the night. I want to find out why."
Bryan crumpled her candy wrapper into a ball. "I know a woman who has one of the sharpest, most analytical minds I've ever come across. She has a talent for digging up obscure facts, some of them impossibly dry, and turning them into intriguing stories. She's ambitious, has a remarkable talent for words, but works on a magazine and lets a half–finished novel sit abandoned in a drawer. She's lovely, but she rarely dates for any purpose other than business. And she has a habit of twisting paper clips into ungodly shapes while she's talking."
Lee glanced down at the small mangled piece of metal in her hands, then met Bryan's eyes coolly. "Do you know why?"
There was a hint of humor in Bryan's eyes, but her tone was serious enough. "I've tried to figure it out for three years, but I can't precisely put my finger on it."
With a smile, Lee tossed the bent paper clip into the trash. "But then, you're not a reporter."
Because she wasn't very good at taking advice, Lee switched on her bedside lamp, stretched out and opened Hunter Brown's latest novel. She would read a chapter or two, she decided, then make it an early night. An early night was an almost sinful luxury after the week she'd put in at Celebrity.
Her bedroom was done in creamy ivories and shades of blue from the palest aqua to indigo. She'd indulged herself here, with dozens of plump throw pillows, a huge Turkish rug and a Queen Anne stand that held an urn filled with peacock feathers and eucalyptus. Her latest acquisition, a large ficus tree,... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two Wonderful Romances!,
By Sophie (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Summer Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)
"Summer Pleasures" is a delightful omnibus of two related stories written by the amazing Nora Roberts in the mid-1980's. "Second Nature" and "One Summer" are both enchanting tales of summer passions and unexpected love that kept me captivated from start to finish. I am eternally grateful to Silhouette for re-printing Nora's older, out-of-print books so that I can have the pleasure of reading them all these years later!"Second Nature" tells the story of Lee Radcliffe, a highly successful reporter for Celebrity magazine. Lee is determined to get an exclusive interview with notoriously reclusive Hunter Brown, highly acclaimed author of horror fiction and one of the nation's most popular authors. When Lee gets a tip that Hunter will be speaking at a small writer's conference, she jumps on the opportunity and signs herself up. But when Lee finally gets to meet Hunter, he isn't at all what she expected. He has the most intense and unnerving eyes that seem to see right into her most private thoughts and he is dangerously handsome. Though I really enjoyed "Second Nature", "One Summer" was my favourite of the two. Lee's good friend, Bryan Mitchell started her career as a photographer for Celebrity magazine, but has now turned to freelance work. When offered the opportunity to travel across the country and create a photo essay on summer in America, for Life-style magazine, Bryan is thrilled with the prospect. The only problem is she has to take on a partner if she wants the assignment, brooding and cynical photojournalist Shade Colby. In short, "Summer Pleasures" is a perfect summer read that will give readers several hours of pure enjoyment. This re-print is well worth your time and money, so buy "Summer Pleasures" today and get ready for some hot and satisfying summer romance!
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great stories by Nora,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Summer Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)
Another two in one fron the Queen, Nora Roberts. Second Nature, and its sequel in a sense, One Summer, are classic Roberts. I personally prefered Second Nature, but One Summer is a good story nonetheless. Second Nature revolves around reporter Lee and her quest to get an interview from Hunter Brown. He agrees to the interview as long as she agrees to on a camping expedition with him. The trip turns out to be very funny. Lee is not at all an outdoors person, having come from the New York City if I remember correctly. She struggles to make it, and has a few funny moments, but she does grow as a character as she discovers a new side of herself. Hunter is a good Roberts Hero, and is a good match for Lee. But, she doesn't see it. Naturally there is some conflict, but it does work out. A great story all in all.One Summer features Bryan and Shade, two photographers going on a quest across America one summer. They have to take pictures that involve America, from its fun loving and happy side, to the seaminess that invades some parts of it. Along the way, the both learn about each other, and fall in love. This was the first story that I had ever read that used Bryan as a girls name, and it took me awhile to get used to it. I did like this story though. Both of these stories are great, and I like how they are repackaged as one, a great benefit to any Nora Roberts fan.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sort of plodded along,
By
This review is from: Summer Pleasures (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was a nice book to take to the pool or somewhere else where you didn't have to concentrate. The characters never really developed. I got the feeling that the writing of this book was rather hurried.Lee and Hunter were a mismatched couple and I don't think in the long run they could have made things work. I believe that deep inside each one, the flames of their old lives still burned. Lee transformed herself from a glitzy business woman to earth mom so quickly that I don't think that she knew what hit her. Personally, I didn't care for Hunter. There was the potential for a dark and cynical side to him that in anger would have reared up. And his ten year old daughter was too sophisticated for her age to be real. There was the smoking issue with both male characters which is something that we are not looking for in role models these days. When Lee told Hunter that he smoked too much, he did not offer to stop. The story of Bryan and Shade moved so slowly. This was certainly not a book that I couldn't stop reading. The second story was something that I almost had to force myself to finish. These two characters were both somewhat hardened and jaded in their attitudes of life. There is not really enought background on either of them to fully grasp the issues that they have. All of that was rather glossed over. It was just so, so and was for sure not magical as some of Nora Robert's other books have been.
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