Customer Reviews

Summer Pleasures

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.
Hunter is intrigued by the stunningly beautiful Lee, who wears a thin coat of confidence over an excess of ever-present nervous energy. Hunter decides to agree to the interview on one condition, that Lee must join him on a two-week camping trip in Arizona's Oak Creek Canyon. Not one to let a little adversity keep her from her goal, Lee agrees and her journey with Hunter begins.
But as time goes by, Lee finds it harder and harder to deny her intense attraction to Hunter. Not only that, but as she learns more and more about Hunter, she begins to fall for the complex, intelligent, sensitive, and passionate man he keeps hidden from almost everyone. Lee and Hunter inevitably become lovers, and their romance will surely entice and satisfy readers. It's not long before Hunter realizes he has fallen irrevocably in love with Lee. But when Hunter asks Lee to spend her life with him, she is overcome by doubts about leaving her work in L.A. and taking a step into the unknown. So Lee pushes Hunter away and returns to the life she knows.
Will Lee sentence both herself and Hunter to a life of loneliness and longing because of her fear of failure? Or will she follow her heart, take the risk and find a lifetime of love and happiness in Hunter's arms?
"Second Nature" is a wonderful tale filled with fascinating characters and breathtaking descriptions that make you feel as if you are right there alongside Hunter and Lee!

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.
Shade isn't too pleased with having to take on a partner either, being a man who is happiest working alone. But because the assignment is so appealing, they both grudgingly agree to work together.
Unfortunately, Shade and Bryan have trouble agreeing on anything, and as they start their journey each grates on the other's nerves. But as time and states go by, Shade starts to appreciate Bryan's innate goodness and warmth, and learns to admire, if not agree with, her ability to look at only the positive side of life. Shade finds it harder and harder to control the raging desire he feels for Bryan and eventually he and Bryan can't deny their feelings any longer. Shade and Bryan's romance is filled with tenderness and affection as well as red-hot passion.
Though Bryan and Shade are both deeply in love with one another, neither of them seems capable of sharing those feelings. As the end of summer draws closer and closer, Bryan feels her heart break a little at the thought of losing Shade. Intending to make it easier on both of them, Bryan plans to fly home immediately once the assignment is done.
But will Bryan follow through with her plan and never let Shade know how she really feels about him? Or will fate intervene and give Shade the strength to show Bryan what's really in his heart?
"One Summer" is an undeniably great read. I loved both Bryan and Shade, and I found the storyline utterly absorbing. I was truly sad to see this story come to an end.

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!

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.

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.

I enjoyed reading the two books in this volume (this book has reprints of Second Nature and One Summer), but I don't think I'm going to keep this book around. Second Nature featured Lee Radcliffe, a reporter for Celebrity magazine, and Hunter Brown, a reclusive writer of popular horror novels. Lee is determined to get the interview of a lifetime, but the time she spends getting to know Hunter makes her think about more than just her article. One Summer featured a friend of Lee's, Bryan Mitchell, and Shade Colby. Shade and Bryan have to work together on a photography assignment. They see the world in entirely different ways - Shade sees the gritty sides of life, while Bryan enjoys the fun she finds - but that doesn't stop them from becoming attracted to one another. Although I did have fun reading the books, I didn't think any of the characters were really all that wonderful. They were okay, but they didn't grab me, and they aren't enough to entice me to reread this book. I liked the fact that both stories were basically about the characters finding out a lot about each other because of the closeness their circumstances demanded. Still, the characters weren't really up to par, and there were occaisionally little things that bugged me (we never find out what the genre of the book Lee is writing is, for instance). A lot of the first book felt like "Nora Roberts' Advice to Writers" (Hunter gave a lot of writing advice and opinions), and the second book seemed to end rather abruptly. I think there are better Nora Roberts books out there, although, if you can find a cheap copy, this still isn't a bad read.

Second Nature: (2 stars) Throughout the book, I had the sense of deja-vu, a feeling that I had read this story before, however elements of it were so unique that I was sure that I hadn't. I suppose this is because it contained a basic plot that many other stories share (several of Linda Howard's come to mind) - a domineering man draws a woman into spending time in the wilderness with him so he can see what she's really made of, testing whether or not she has the strength and courage to rise to the challenge. Hunter was a darkly intriguing man, a smooth talker, with an aura of mystery about him and a tremendous charisma. Lee was a composed, independent, hard-working woman who became reduced to a bundle of nerves around him. The connection between them was intense, and crumbled the protective walls they had so carefully constructed around them over the years. The gorgeous setting (canyons of Arizona)was described in vivid detail. The story and dialogue was very well-written, with a good balance of romance, action, mystery and surprise. The two protagonists were considered brilliant writers, each in their own special genre, and they picked up on subtleties of their surroundings that would have gone unnoticed by the average person, and expressed them in tangible words, showcasing how writers are truly artists.


One Summer: (3 stars) There was nothing unique about the dynamics between the couple or the romance itself, but what made this book so interesting was the setting and storyline. Bryan, a portrait photographer for a glossy magazine, was famous for espressing what lies beneath the surface of her subject's face, eyes, smiles. Shade was a Pulizer-prize winning photojournalist who was famous for presenting the overall drama of a scene. They bring their two different styles together, traveling across the USA, creating a powerful photoessay of summer life in America. I loved the artistic representations vividly described from each of their opposing prospectives of The Last Day Of School, Little League Games, Grandmother and Granddaughter on the Beach, Roadside Reststops, Small Town Carnivals, Kansas Wheatfields, East Coast Clambakes, etc. It was Americana at its finest!

This was a two-tales-in-one book by the wonderful author Nora Roberts. For some reason this book just didn't do it for me at all. The first story "Second Nature" is about magazine reporter Lee Radcliffe and recluse horror author Hunter Brown. I thought the chemistry betwwen these two characters was force fed to the reader by a bulldozer. Hunter was too perfect, he never made mistakes and he was incredibly arrogant announcing how Lee had to do this and that without ever giving up anything himself. Definitly not Nora's normal style.
The second story was "One Summer" about two photojournalists Bryan Mitchell and Shade Colby. I liked this book alot better. The couple was likable and the romance seemed real. Then I don't know what happened. Nora Roberts deadline approached and she just sort of ended the story. It was really weird. Good romance, ubrupt ending.
I wouldn't run right out and but this book , but if your a fan......

Lest we not forget...this was an early effort of Ms. Roberts, therefore....not her best character profiles. Nontheless...i enjoyed all the characters, especially Sarah, Hunter's daughter. Nora has come very far since she wrote these 2 books. True...some of her newer efforts, including 3 Sisters Trilogy have been greatly improved. I recommend these 2 books. I will next be diving into Time and Again.

I am a devoted Nora Roberts fan, and upon discovering this book, I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to read it. I read the back of the book and was convinced that it would be great.
However, when I came home and began reading, I realized something was wrong. The plots wereweak and I did not get into the stories easily. There was no chemistry between the four couples, and hardly any romance that I have come to expect from Mrs. Roberts. I could not relate to the characters, as I usually can.
The last story ended so quickly, it was as if she had just scribbled those last few paragraphs on the way to the mailbox to mail it to her publisher.
I hope that Mrs. Roberts writes a more substantial book.

This is a two-story anthology, both written by Nora Roberts. I will note below an individual rating of each.

SECOND NATURE- It would be a professional coup to be granted an exclusive interview with horror fiction novelist, Hunter Brown. Los Angeles based reporter, Lee Radcliffe, intended on accomplishing just that. Flying to Arizona to attend a writer's conference he would be speaking at, she met the reclusive, enigmatic Hunter at the airport. Except she thought he was a taxi driver, and he didn't bother to correct her. He grants her the interview, but only if she will go on a camping trip with him in Oak Creek Canyon. Alone with Hunter for two weeks, Lee just may find out more about him than she anticipated.

This was my favorite of the two stories. I enjoyed the characters of Lee, and especially the cool and complicated Hunter. I would rate this five stars.

ONE SUMMER- Celebrity photographer and junk food junkie, Bryan Mitchell, would be spending her summer traveling across the country with a difficult man. Cynical photojournalist, Shade Colby, accustomed to photographing images of war, and the grit of life, had reluctantly agreed to share the assignment. Recording bits of American life on film was an opportunity neither could pass up. But despite their continual conflict, they may discover a depth of mutual feeling neither anticipated.

While I felt the first story was much better, this was still an enjoyable read. Three and one half stars would be my rating for this novella.

These stories were originally published separately in 1986 as Silhouette Special Editions. Even though they're eighteen years old, they have each stood the test of time. The only blatant thing I found that dates them is the hero of each story is a smoker, and that is rarely seen now in romance novels. Ms. Roberts is a master storyteller, and I've yet to read something of hers I didn't like. As the title suggests, this would make a good summer read.

An enthusiast reader of all Nora Roberts books including
her J.D Robb series, this one pulled heart strings. Granted that this is one of her earlier works, it still reflects her talent for character development and the little details that makes her books so smart.