Customer Reviews

Twice Loved

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There hasn't been one book of LaVyrle Spencers that I haven't enjoyed immensely. And I mean, immensely. Her books are some of the most romantic I've ever read. They take you away into such a fun place, you can't put the book down.

This story starts off in 1837. It's about Laura, Rye & Dan who were childhood friends & grew closer into adulthood. Laura & Rye had a magical connection, married and soon after he left on a whaling ship to try & earn their fortune. However, fate stepped in, his ship went down, and as everyone assumed, with him on it. 5 years later, with a son Rye never knew, married to his best friend Dan who saw her through the toughest times in her life, Rye returns and walks into a house that was once his & a woman he thought was still his wife. Not to mention the son he didn't know existed, but who's now calling another man papa. Rye's returned, but lost everything, including his house & it's belongings as he finds out that legally Laura's married to Dan. But with a love so very strong, Laura & Rye begin a journey, not knowing where it will leave all 4 of them & no one wanting to hurt the other.

I enjoyed this book for so many reasons, interesting & likable characters, memorable love story, great friendships and humor. It was also interesting to read about what it was like to live in Nantucket in the 1800's with the whaling industry & all of the other sorts of things like horse & carriage rides, making homemade candles & wearing those hideous corsets.

If you are looking for a love story, I'll guarentee you this one will not let you down!

I wanted to love this..I really did, but I just COULD NOT STAND Laura. I felt that she was playing both Rye and Dan. I disliked her so much that I didnt think she deserved either of them. The writing was pretty good and I thought that the idea for the story was an interesting one, but I just couldnt connect with the characters. One thing that I really did LOVE about this book though were the flashbacks of Laura and Rye discovering eachother and falling in love when they were young...in my opinion, no one can write sexual tension like Lavyrle Spencer. All in all, not bad, but not to die for either.... for a book by Ms Spencer, I thought this was woefully average.

LaVyrle's first really good book! This is a story about the power of love. I also enjoyed the setting -- Nantucket -- and the whale and cooper industries.

I've always felt that there's several people you could be happily married to -- but there's probably only one real love of a lifetime. And that is the case in this book. Even though Laura enjoyed being married to Dan, her heart had always belonged with Rye.

Have read all of LaVyrle's books and put this one in my own top 5.

The concept of a husband long suspected lost at sea returning to find his wife married to his best friend is certainly an interesting concept, but ultimately, I feel, this story falls short of its potential. I did not feel sympathy for Laura and felt that her character was weak and did not inspire empathy or compassion. Rye, while I felt sorry and empathized with his situation, was rather annoyed by his lack of respect for the Laura-Dan situation. In the end, I liked Dan best of all and felt that he conducted himself the best given the situation, and actively felt sorry for the man. Not really how you want to end a novel, feeling sorry for a man other than the hero!

I almost bought this book a couple years ago, but decided against it based on the other reviews here. I am a big Spencer fan, and intend to read all her books, so I finally checked this out from the library and surprise! -- I really enjoyed it. I had a very difficult time putting this down. I didn't like the character of Rye at first, but later in the book I was able to sympathize with all the characters, I mean, what a dilemma! I didn't like the way Dan handled the situation, but how else would a man act when he realizes that out of the blue he's going to lose the wife and son he loves? I also enjoyed the sparring between Rye and his father, I wish the author could have brought a little more of it into the story. The one thing I didn't like was the ending; I know the story could not have ended any other way, but it was sad none the less, I especially felt sorry for Josh at that point. I would definitely recommend this book, but I can only give four stars. Five stars need to be saved for other Spencer books like Morning Glory, November of the Heart, and Family Blessings.

This is the second book by LaVyrle Spencer that I have read and I must say that I am now hooked on her love stories and on her writing style. Although this book starts off really slow because of its painstakingly detailed decriptions of the setting, her diligence in and ability to describe the history between the characters and the love scenes was much appreciated and gave me a very intimate look into the minds and lives of the characters. This is what made Laura, Rey and Dan real and its also what makes readers feel the emotions that the characters feel throughout the story. That is the test of a truly good writer, and LaVyrle Spencer has passed the test with flying colors!

A friend and a niece put me on to LaVyrle Spencer books. Every book I have read, I have loved. I loved this one in particular. It was such a love story. I love the way Miss Spencer writes about the location in a knowledgeable manner. It makes each book more special. What a find - I will read all her books eventually...

I was really disappointed in this one. I'm a big fan of LaVyrle Spencer and there's just a few of her older ones that I haven't read yet, so I picked this one up for cheap at a used book seller. Like another reviewer said, it did drag on and on. This book could've easily been a hundred pages shorter and been better for it. I found Laura kind-of annoying with her wishy-washiness and found myself wondering why both men wanted her so bad. Dan (the one she's married to when the book starts) was weak and clinging and made me wonder what the heck made him and Rye best friends to begin with. Instead of stepping up and giving Laura a reason to stay with him, he turns into the kind of man any woman would divorce regardless of circumstances. I didn't mind Rye, although there were times I wondered why Laura wanted either of the two. All-in-all, none of the main characters were that likable.

But, despite all that, LaVyrle did what she does so well, and that's paint a vivid picture of life on Nantucket Island during the mid 1800's when whaling drove the economy. You can almost smell the smells and see the colors of the island, so vivid is her picture. That's what I love about her books. You feel truly transported, and in that she did not disappoint. I still liked this book okay, it just didn't deliver on the love story like most of Spencer's do. I found myself really not caring about the main characters at all. If this was your first LaVyrle Spencer novel, I'd recommend not basing your opinions on this one. It wasn't her best by a long shot! Try Morning Glory. That one was brilliant! I doubt you'd be disappointed.

the book went on and on. All the descriptions of the town, weather, ocean, people, etc were too boring and I started to skip paragraphs and pages to get to some kind of action. I couldn't see, what was so special about Laura to have 2 such good men fell in love with her. Seemed to me, she didn't want to make any decision and was waiting for either one of the them to give her an ultimatum. That way, she sort of didn't have to decide for herself. And, actually, Dan was the one who started the legal proceedings, not Laura. Last couple of chapters were easier to read, since there was something going on there.
That is the first book I am reading by this author, and I am not sure if I am going to read any of her books again.

A very powerful story - emotionally moving. The characters are well-developed - the emotions realistic. Childhoold sweethearts Laura and Rye face conflicting emotions when they Rye returns from sea after believed to be dead. Laura has married their close childhood friend Dan for the past 4-5 years, believing that Rye is dead. The two lovers struggle to get back together. Laura has borne Rye's son and Dan, her husband fears losing her back to Rye. Laura is conflicted between the two men - duty and gratitude towards Dan, love & passion twds Rye but how to choose between them? This tale is bittersweet. A very good read.