Customer Reviews

The Waterfall

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gotta say right up front, Carla Neggers is one of my most "favorite" authors.........been reading her since she began writing category romances, all those years ago <bg>...and, she hasn't let me down yet!! Her newest book, The Waterfall, has something for everyone - - great dialogue (especially between Lucy and her kids), beautiful setting, very realistic and likeable hero/heroine, suspense, and of course, romance..........Now who could ask for more?? Three years ago when her husband died, Lucy moved herself and her two children from Washington, DC to a quaint farmhouse in Vermont. She owned an "adventure" travel agency and was planning on taking a tour to Costa Rica, but forcing herself to make a stop in Wyoming first, to see Sebastian Redwing, her husband's friend and security agent........Colin Swift had made Lucy promise that if she ever was in trouble, she would go to Sebastian..........and, with all the bizarre happenings lately, she had no other choice......she had been getting late-night phone calls and hangups, and a bullet was found inside her car..... Sebastian had loved Lucy for years even though he didn't let her know.........and even though he was hesitant to help, he did go back to Vermont to protect her and find out who was the culprit...... We know who the villain is from the beginning, but it doesn't detract from the wonderful read.......it builds up to a great climatic ending.. This author not only uses cute one-liners, she draws the reader right into the story.......I felt as though I was Lucy, feeling her emotions - her fears - her happiness......... Hooray for Carla once again!! Each new book of hers becomes my "favorite."

Three years have passed since Collin died from a brain aneurysm, but his widow Lucy Blacker Swift and their children feel as if that was a lifetime ago. They left DC to live in a Vermont farmhouse where she runs a travel business for those seeking an adventurous vacation. The move has allowed Blacker to stay outside the "Beltway" influence of her father-in-law, a US senator.

When someone begins to stalk Lucy, she rejects turning to her in-law for aid. Instead, heeding Collin's advice, she heads to Wyoming where Sebastian Redwing, an expert on security lives. Sebastian is burned out from his years of performing international investigations and security. However, he follows the only woman he ever loved back to New England to keep her and her children safe from a cold blooded killer with lethal intentions.

Carla Neggers puts the emphasis on suspense with romance playing a secondary role, a change that will remind readers of the works of Sandra Brown but using Ms. Negger's personal writing style. The excellent characters are fully developed including the children. Readers will feel the emotional turmoil of the thirteen year-old girl and the impishness of her younger brother. This and the motivations behind the actions of the lead couple augment the tension filled story line that grips the audience from start to finish. The wonderfully wry THE WATERFALL is going to be watershed mark in the rising and expanding career of the talented Ms. Neggers.

Harriet Klausner

Sometimes when you try a new author you are wonderfully surprised. Sometimes when you try a new author it's a struggle to get through every page and you throw the book away without ever finishing. This book falls into the second category.

When widow Lucy Swift's family is threatened, she won't go to the local Sheriff. (Sheriffs are usually the ones to see when you find bullet holes in your dining room walls.) Lucy somehow just "knows" the law can't help her. She has a father-in-law who is a senator. She won't go to him for help either. Why you ask. Her indecisive, wishy-washy parenting has brought criticism from the father-in-law in the past. She's too weak to risk more advise from the senator so she has to keep the threats a secret from him.

Lucy takes a little trip to Wyoming to ask for help from Sebastian Redwing, a friend of her deceased husband. Sebastian ran a security company until he killed a bad guy. Later he finds he didn't really kill the bad guy, but just the thought has sent him into a neurotic state of seclusion. Anyway he's a surly, rude, misogamist who's hiding out in a hut without running water or electricity. (Seems like he could have used some of that money he was saving on electricity to see a psychiatrist about his social problems. Maybe going without bathing and wearing dirty underwear is his idea of psychic healing.)

Turns out Sebastian wasn't such a good choice in the help department. First thing he does while skulking through the woods looking for evildoers is to tumble off a cliff. Of course this requires Lucy to take care of him. Ah, what woman could resist falling for a mean-mouthed guy with poor judgment, serious psychological issues, and a concussion?

For everyone who thinks rude, uncommunicative macho-men are romantic as heck, get this book. Personally, I like my men with a deep appreciation of the finer things in life like hot showers, electric washing machines, and good reading lamps. Doesn't hurt if they actually want to say a few words to me now and then either.

What I like most about Carla Neggers books is that she makes the humans in all her books seem very ordinary and very real. This book is no exception. It is a combination mystery, suspense and of course romance. I liked the main characters, Lucy, Madison, & Sebastian immediately but also became involved with the Senator, Plato & Sidney. This is a good read, good storyline and fast paced enough that you will not be able to put it down until done. I highly recommend this book.

The Waterfall is a wonderful read, a fun adventure and a satisfyig romance. The characters are realistic and finely etched.Ms. Neggers is writing at the height of her powers here and is able to entertain while striking the right emotional tones. While ratcheting up the tension, she is still able to hit laugh out loud lines. A good read all the way around.

Only recently have I discoved Carla Neggars and I have been quickly devouring her books. The Waterfall was another great contemporary read. The characters were multi-dimensional and the story took realistic twists and turns. Neggars puts a lot of depth into her characters and Lucy, Sebastion, Madison and the Senator were written as human. This was a compelling family story and anyone who is a fan of Vermont will enjoy the scenery.

THE WATERFALL is a powerful story. The characters are right on. I laughed out loud on several occasions because Lucy's children are just like mine! I cried along with the Senator and was scared right along with Lucy. Carla Neggers put me right in Vermont, right in the story, and I couldn't put it down. That's how I identify a five-star book. I have been a fan of Neggers for years and as always when I finish one of her books, I can't wait for the next to come out. Plato's story, I hope!

**Disclaimer** My review is of the abridged audio version.

Most of the time I can find something redeeming about a book. But there are exceptions . . .

This book really re-defined "bad" in a whole new way. Histrionic women that give us girls a bad name, completely unbelieveable actions by the characters, phony affairs, odd revenge motives . . . the list is unending.

And let's not forget the dead bat on the bed as an aphrodisiac?????

Suspense is great, but it needs to be based on some plane of reality. (Anyone believe that the Senator wouldn't have requested at least one photo of the supposed "affair" before buying the whole thing, hook, line and sinker?)

Romance is great, but it needs to be believable between the characters. (Barbara and the villain? Even the lead couple - what is the basis?)

Women are emotional (hey, we could even be described as mercurial at times), but most of the time we need some provocation before going stark raving crazy and falling into the arms of the nearest available good-or-evil stud muffin. (Apparently none of the women in this book ever matured past Madison, the 15 year old.)

So, fellow readers . . . pretend this book is a waterfall, pretend it's a psychotic good-guy-gone-bad, pretend it's a dead bat on your bed . . . STAY AWAY!

I really enjoyed this book and had never read books from this particular author before. The book was so great, that I have been searching for some of her other titles. I would definitely recommend this book. I couldn't put it down!

I loved Carla's last book "On Fire," but this book had, I thought, many problems. Sebastian was supposed to have been "in love w/ Lucy since her wedding day to his friend 20 years before." How do we know this? Does Sebastian have flashbacks of their quality times together? Ruminate over the family outings he joined, all the while longing for his friend's wife? No, never. Sebastian has maintained this "love" for 20 years from one single glimpse of Lucy on her wedding day ... and they barely even spoke then! Supposedly, he never visited his friend because he couldn't handle seeing Lucy. We are simply TOLD that he's loved her; we are given no reasons why. Then there's the matter of how Sebastian is supposed to be "superspy guy," and yet almost every character, except Lucy, knows that "he's been in love w/ Lucy for 20 years." No, they don't have "quality time" flashbacks either. I believe in "love at first sight" to a point ... do I believe in maintaining a "true love" feeling for TWENTY YEARS w/ someone I've only met once? No way. And that thing of Sebastian hiding behind the couch during the showdown ... seriously uncool! :-)