Customer Reviews

This Time Love

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

 

 

Couldn't quite pull the 5 Star rating for me, but I was intrigued - first by the fact that Elizabeth Lowell was the author, and second that this was a "reconditioned version" of the '86 book. Too bad it took seven years for the star-crossed lovers Joy & Gabe to get their act together, but I enjoyed seeing these two characters 'spark'. Fatefully, seven years ago Joy, as a very young woman met Gabe when he was a budding journalist working on a cave exploration site in New Mexico with her parents. After a brief, but tender love affair, Gabe leaves Joy to further his career, not knowing Joy was pregnant with his child. Joy soon loses her parents to a tragic accident, and couragiously raises her child, earns her doctorate, and continues to pursue her parents' dream studying the Lost River Cave. Enter Gabe, seven years later, unaware of Joy's presense, his child, and is HE in for a big surprise! Joy is no longer an innocent, clinging young woman - and he is in for the fight of his life. It's all about choices. Career and success vs. happiness and contentment. This story is a keeper.

It pains me to give this author so few stars, because by and large, her work is excellent. I personally enjoyed all the details about spelunking; one of Lowell's great strengths is the amount of research she draws on for her novels. But if you aren't interested in the subject, you will be bored by this book, because there is a huge amount of detail about it, to the point that all the caving descriptions are at the expense of plot and character development.

The hero didn't appeal to me; it's difficult to like, much less respect, a man who seduces a young woman and then disappears without ever following up with her personally to see if there were any consequences from their affair, and THEN has the nerve to be outraged when he thinks she had an abortion after he abandoned her. Immaturity and irresponsibility are just not characteristics I find attractive in a man. My sole response to the hero was that he needed grow up and get over himself. As for the heroine, she was just a little too much of a stoic victim to suit my tastes.

I wish Lowell had left this book in the past, where it belonged, and spent her time writing a good novel instead of rehashing one that was mediocre at best to begin with, and certainly NOT worth a hardcover edition.

I like a good romance. This isn't one. Forget the fact that the author provided WAY to many details on caving. The fact that Joy and Gabe never talked really got to me. All they did was dwell silently on the past and what the other person MUST be thinking. Ask for heaven's sake! You aren't mind readers. I listened to the book on tape only to kill time while driving. I don't think I would have made it through by reading.

I was very disappointed with this novel. The hero Gabe was very immature and self centered. Basically Gabe Venture is on assignment and meets 20 year old Joyce who is a virgin. They meet, they fall in love, he has sex with her. He doesn't wait around to find out if she is pregnant but leaves on his next assignment. Joyce is pregnant and tries to contact him through his brother who won't give her any forwarding info but $3700 that Gabe left for Joyce. Gabe finds out Joyce took the $3700 and assumes she had an abortion, and has the nerve to be upset. How dare she abort his child? He has abandoned her with the excuse he has to take care of his mother and older brother (two adults perfectly capable of taking care of themselves) and he leaves a 20 year old alone and pregnant. Seven years pass and Gabe returns to do a second article on Lost River Caving. He meets Joy and guess what she never had an abortion. This is pretty much the story line of the entire book, and it doesn't get any deeper than this. The rest of the story spells out in boring minute detail the aspects of caving which is what the heroine Joy does and which Gabe is writing his story about. There are pages and pages of information about equipment; how to wash and clean them; what is exactly in their back packs before they go caving; but no other plot development or story line. This was one of the most boring romance novels I have ever read. Very disappointing.

I am a big fan of romance, esp. Elizabeth Lowell, BUT, what a disappointment. If you are into cave exploration, learning the "lingo" of climbing, what to wear, and how to describe the inside of a cave, then this is the book for you. I bought the unabridged audio and after the first tape, it was hard not to hit the eject button on the second one. The audio could have been 2 tapes instead of 6, if you left out the cave explorations. The characters were constantly having thoughts about their past, but would not tell each other how they felt. This kept getting old. Give Elizabeth Lowell another try, but I would definitely skip this one.

I read this book back when it was first published and I thought it was pretty good. I had just started reading romance novels and my standards were not that high as they are now. Now having reread it recently I think it was just okay. One of the problems I had with the book, was that it dragged a little too much. Especially before the couple even met again. Another problem, my major problem that I had with this book is it was a little longwinded when it came to the cave expoloration and information on the particulars of the heroine's profession. I felt at times that I was reading a textbook instead of a romance novel. Don't get me wrong I don't mind being given information on a character's profession but it should not be at the expense of the romance. After all, that is why we are reading the book. But having said all that, I still think Ms Lowell is a fantastic writer and she has certainly improved and up the ante with her other novels. One of my favorites is her"chain Lightning". I hope this novel is published as a Book on Cassette (Unabridged). Thanks.

Though in his early twenties, reporter Gabriel Venture knows what he wants and that is to become an international journalist visiting the globe. Currently, Gabriel is involved in a report on the Lost River Cave in New Mexico. His guide is a local teen Joy Anderson. The pair fall in love before Gabe moves on to explore and report on the Orinoco River mysteries.

Six years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days later, Harry Larkin informs Joy that they received a break with their grant running out soon. The great Gabriel Venture is coming to New Mexico to do an article on the Lost River Cave. Joy, now Dr. Anderson, is not thrilled by Gabe's return because six years ago she gave birth to his daughter that he does not know exists. How will he react to that news and how will she react to seeing the only man she ever loved are questions that disturb and concern Dr. Anderson.

THIS TIME LOVE is a rewriting of a 1980s Elizabeth Lowell tale that tightens the plot line so that the audience receives a passionate romance. Though the story line has been the major theme of many genre novels, the driven lead couple and their precocious daughter Kati along with the intertwining of speleology make the tale feel new. Warning to readers: do not take their significant other to a cave unless it is their bedroom or one of you is a speleological expert.

Harriet Klausner

Whenever I look for romance books, I look for one with Elizabeth Lowell's name on it. She describes everything so throughly that you start feeling like you are there, watching what's happening. This story is about two lovers that seperate over a misunderstanding (and, Gabriels work load) from Gabe's brother. He doesn't realize the misunderstanding until it is too late.. and he comes back for her and begins to realize how much he really loves her.
I just finished reading this book today, and highly recommend it to anyone who loves Elizabeth Lowell's other books.

Being that this book is a reprint, I thought it was really good. This is the first and only book that I have read by this author and I loved it. I like learning about new things too, so all the info about the cave exploring was not so bad. Gives you a different perspective, sience most people dont know all that much about caves and climbing. It really was not so bad. I really fell in love with these characters. It in on my keeper shelf to say the least. Maybe one day when I read it again, my opinion might change, but I liked it.

I listened to the unabridged audio tape of this book and was thoroughly disappointed. The author spent so much time and too much focus on cave exploration and not enough time on the relationship of the 2 main characters. I was bored after the first cassette, but I tried to continue listening to the remaining 5. After the 3rd, I gave up. Unless cave exploration is your hobby and you have a passing interest in romance novels, I advise you to take a pass on this book.