Customer Reviews

Whirlpool

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an old book that was originally published in 1995 I think. At any rate it's not a new release. This is a good book, just not a new book by Elizabeth Lowell.

Beware, this is a reissue of "The Ruby"; this information does not appear or did not appear when I ordered "Whirlpool".

Elizabeth Lowell is a good author, but she's really bad about re-issues. I've been tricked by her books before. I don't know if this is her publisher's doing or her own, but it makes me think twice and twice again before I buy anything with her name on it. She's been writing for a long time--I can't always tell from the synopsis if the book is new or not. Her re-issues or new releases ought to be clearly labeled as such (I think Nora Roberts does this now.) You have to open this book and look at the small print to discover she previously published this as "The Ruby" under Ann Maxwell. I don't know what the rationale behind this was, but it's hard to imagine it was done in good faith.

This was called The Ruby when it first came out. Very good book though.

An exciting read with fast moving action. It has an alpha male as the hero and a strong female for the heroine. The action keeps going with a wide range of characters whose motives are never pure or obvious until the end. It all ends very romantically. However I was disappointed that it was not the new novel that I had anticipated. I had read the book some years ago under its previous title of 'Ruby'. The fact it was a rewrite was not made clear when I saw the book advertised.

I originally purchased this book as "The Ruby" and thought it was a good one. Of course, 10+ years have gone by and I forgot the original purchase. I told myself it was "familiar" but took the chance that it was a new book.

Publishers: Please do not reprint a book under a different title and author's name (originally Ann Maxwell). You are cheating us. Chances are we would buy the reprint anyway, but give us the option.

As others have stated. This is a re-print of a book published in 1995 and 1999. This is a trend that is starting to really make me mad. This isn't the first time I've bought a book in the last 2 years only to find it's one that I've read under a different title and/or author. In some cases I now have 2 copies of the same book. If I'm lucky when I get one of these, the author has updated the book to reflect current events. But this is something that is becoming really frustrating. The last year, in particular, seems to be bad with publishers re-printing under different titles/names. This book is an excellent read that I would normally give 5 stars but won't since the publisher has misrepresented the book.....which is sneaky on their part.

When Laurel Swann receives a package containing a rare Faberge egg, she knows her father, Jamie Swann, must have sent it. Jamie didn't mean for Laurel to get involved in his latest escapade. Unfortunately, Laurel's life is now at stake and the only man who can save her is Cruz Rowan, a former FBI agent, who also wants the egg. Laurel is trapped between her love for her father and her love for Cruz. How will she resolve her WHIRLPOOL of emotions?

Readers should be aware that WHIRLPOOL is not a new Elizabeth Lowell book, but is a reprint of THE RUBY originally published under the name of Ann Maxwell. Time has not erased the power of this story, however, as Elizabeth Lowell always delivers a compelling tale of intrigue. The story is not dated, despite being set in 1995, as international intrigue, particularly in the area of gemstones, is always a current and hot topic.

WHIRLPOOL has a plethora of characters and initially it was a bit difficult to see the importance of each one. However, the pace picks up as the story progresses and all of the pieces begin to neatly tie together. Laurel's love for both her father and Cruz provides some poignant moments, and the similarity between the two men provides for some tense moments.

WHIRLPOOL is a reliable tale of romantic suspense. Readers new to Elizabeth Lowell or fans unfamiliar with her Ann Maxwell books will relish this reprint of an old favorite. WHIRLPOOL is definitely worth reading.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This is a release of The Ruby which was published in May 1999. Lowell published it under the name of Ann Maxwell. You can get this much cheaper by buying the older version used.

I knew from reading the back cover of this book that it was a "reworking" of an earlier release, so I was expecting it to be a little out-of-date, and it was. What I didn't expect was that half the novel would center on a great romance, and the other half would be a crude, vulgar exploration of the "bad guys" in the story. The book spends as much time telling the stories of three different sets of villains as it does telling the story of the two supposedly main characters. Frankly, I don't pick up an Elizabeth Lowell novel to read page after page of how much the female villain wants to have sex, how much the male villains want to have sex with the female villain, and how pretty much every male in the world (except the hero) is sexually controlled by the female villain. I don't have a whole lot of interest in her sadomasochistic tendencies, either.

After I finished the book, I checked the publication info page to see when it originally was published - I thought maybe it was one of her earliest works and she just hadn't gotten into her fantastic Lowell style yet. Turns out this is a reworking of a book originally published under her "Ann Maxwell" pseudonym, which I remember hearing was the name she used when writing with her husband. That goes a long way towards explaining the teenage-boy-fantasy villainess and the frequent appearance of charming words like "cocksman" to describe someone's skills in bed.

The book does have a great hero and heroine, and their story is almost worth reading. It also has kind of a prequel feel with her Donovan series - precious gems, international intrigue, etc. Suggestion to fans - skip this one and go for Jade Island. Suggestion to Ms. Lowell - leave your husband out of the mix next time.