The tragic story of Princess Charlotte, only child of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, is more than just history, it's a tale not uncommon to today's children of divorce. Even though her parents never divorced, Princess Charlotte was a true child of divorce. She was caught between two adults who loathed each other.

Her mother, always given to excessive familiarities and eccentricities, was starved for love and lavished it in excess on her daughter. For all this, Caroline was unable to truly give her daughter what she needed, when she needed it.

Although Charlotte inherited her father's looks, she reminded him too much of her mother. As a result, George IV kept her at a distance, yet he played her for a pawn and denied her the comfort and companionship of her mother.

Even her grandmother, Queen Charlotte, and her spinster aunts looked upon her with critical eyes, finding fault in any behavior that reminded them of her mother. It's no surprise that Princess Charlotte developed a nervous stutter and lived down to their expectations that she'd be a graceless reminder of her mother. In the British royal family, one can see all social pathologies and human foibles writ large.

Charlotte found happiness in the end but died giving birth to a stillborn child. Her death set the stage for another princess, one who would become Queen Victoria. Once more, Jean Plaidy makes history easy to read and clear to the casual reader.

I enjoyed the depth of "behind the scene" of a Royal family. The secrets,lies,and royal problems were of great intrest to me. I enjoyed this book greatly.

Struggling pro golfer, Lee Ofstead is playing the best round of golf of her career. When she hurts her arm administering CPR to Ted Guthrie, the most hated man at the golf course, Lee cannot finish the game. When her lover, California cop Graham Sheldon, joins her at the tournament, they join together to solve the murder. This was a light, cozy mystery. What appealed to me was the setting and the characters. I don't play golf but the setting was fresh and interesting without overwhelming you with golf information and the budding romance between Lee and Graham was nicely done. The authors are a husband and wife team. Aaron Elkins has written several fine mysteries and Charlotte is a serious amateur golfer and writer. The first in the series was A Wicked Slice.

The second installment of the Lee Offstead series from Charlotte and Aaron Elkins is a delightful, easy read. Though not a golfer myself, the material revolving around the course was not lost in lingo and jargon but was instead presented clearly. The authors do a good job of developing the characters and the plot lines, both those integral to the story and those developing for the book series. I enjoyed the down-to-earth character of Lee and the predicaments she faces in the story. I've been a long-time fan of the Elkins' and look forward to the third installment in this series.

RUTLAND PLACE is dark and moody with an excellent sense of period and locale, as are all the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books. And this time Perry has given us especially interesting characters. This book involves more than one mystery, with unusual solutions. It is not always the expected thing that happens in Anne Perry's books. That's one reason I like them. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt work separately and together this time, in about equal shares. There's even some light-hearted fun. And at 217 pages it's a good, quick read.

Another Pitt mystery that made me turn the pages. When Charlotte Pitt discovers that her mother has lost a locket, a keepsake of an indescretion, her first thoughts are to protect her family. Soon, this spirals into a world of secrets, lies, murder, and sexual misconduct. All conducted above stairs.

Once again, Charlotte and Emily are great characters, both with talents for solving a mystery, but different ways of doing it. Pitt, himself, is a great character.

My only complaint is my regular complaint... more Charlotte and Thomas together!

Mr. Duncan was a paint salesman. He lived in the Pocono Mountains and traveled all over the U.S. selling paints. But he met Serena Katz over the phone. She worked in a hardware store in New York City and was one of his best customers.

Whenever he phoned, she would ask for the latest colors and then order--Luscious Lemon, Lobster Red, Banana Surprise, Raspberry Riot. With one order, she also issued an invitation for the entire Duncan family to come and stay in her roomy brownstone.

Before they left the Poconos, the Duncans heard a half dozen stories from as many people about Serena Katz. She was the best pool player on the West Side, she pulled gerbils out of her ears, she was called Krazy Katz for her daring motorcycle stunts, she baked stupendous wedding cakes, she tamed lions.

When they got to town, Krazy Katz helped the Duncans paint the town red--and confirmed some stories in the Kraziest way.

This is not a classic, but it's cute. Children like to hear it again and again. Hang on to your handlebars. Alyssa A. Lappen

Serena Katz is the name of an interesting woman, as the Duncan family discovers. Everyone in town seems to know Serena Katz, but everyone knows her as something different. The Duncan family goes to visit Serena in the city to learn for themselves. The book has humorous, colorful, interesting illustrations throughout that really make the book. The story teaches that people are not always what they would seem - - and that you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it. The little elderly lady who buys paint from Mr. Duncan's store actually knows how to ride a motorcycle, fly a hot air balloon, create fabulous wedding cakes, and tame lions. A fun book to read to kids 4 and up. Well done illustrations!

I bought this book when it came out like I do all Intrigues, and it took me three months to work up the enthusiasm to read it. Ho hum. Another secret baby. Another federal agent with amnesia. When I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. The flashback that makes up the early chapters are suspenseful and engrossing. The kind of fast-paced detective work Rachel and Stephen are forced to go through in their race against time to save a kidnap victim is a blast. Then the story moved back to the present, and everything became familiar. Very familiar.

There are two things I need to make me love these kind of books and forget that it is a story told too often: good explanations for both the amnesia and the baby being kept a secret. This time, the cause for the amnesia was so abrupt that it came across as stupid and random. One minute Stephen doesn't have amnesia, the next he has to hit his head because this is an amnesia book. I can also buy some reasons for heroines to keep their pregnancies a secret and not let the father know. The one offered here was not one of them. After winning my respect in the beginning, the characters quickly lost it. Throw in the fact that the villain was obvious, the result of too few suspects to chose from, and "Undercover Dad" (A bad title. Stephen is not really undercover through most of the book, if not all) left me cold.

The problem with pointing out a three star book's flaws is that it can sound worse that it is. "Undercover Dad" isn't terrible by any means. It is old hat. Charlotte Douglas is an able storyteller with an engaging writing style and some clever plotting. The moment where Stephen meets his daughter is very moving. I liked her other amnesia story, "A Woman of Mystery," earlier this year. That one was surprising. This time I felt two steps ahead of the characters most of the time. Anyone who hasn't read variations on this theme so many times, or who likes it reading it repeatedly, will get more out of it than I did. A fast read, but not much more.

In Undercover Dad, we meet Rachel Goforth, an ex-FBI agent and single mother. The life that she's worked hard at stabalizing is turned upside down when she receives an urgent call from her former partner Stephen Chandler warning her of oncoming danger. She agrees to flee to a safehouse where he will soon join her. Unfortunately, Stephen arrives bleeding from a gunshot wound. When he finally awakens, Stephen has amnesia and doesn't remember anything including the dangerous foe that's stalking them. And to make matters worst, Rachel has a secret she's kept from Stephen in the form of a baby girl named Jessica, Stephen's daughter. Can Rachel and Stephen figure out who's after them before the faceless enemy kills them? And will there be any hope of a lasting relationship between Rachel and Stephen once the secret of Jessica's father is revealed?

Undercover Dad is a wonderful fast-paced read that you will enjoy time and time again. I recommend it. You'll love it. Trust me!

Luciano

I read lots and lots of regency novels like this one because I enjoy the period and I like romances. This novel stood out as one I enjoyed more than most because it flows naturally. The writer can tell a good story in an authentic setting without a contorted plot or stilted anachronisms. It's a story for an enjoyable read. No deep literature here, but it is interesting and better written than many.

I rather liked this one. Richard is a man who grew up on the streets who isn't in the ton and therefore cannot reasonably expect to have a bonafide "lady" fall for him. However, the old axiom of beggars not being choosers holds true. When the heroine finds herself in a no win situation, the uncouth Richard Hawke is far and away her best option. . . naturally she falls head over heels for him.

I thought the underdog hero was nicely done and was happy to see him win his lady's heart.

Heather desires a more Orthodox life after she lives with an Orthodox family for a month, while her parents are on vacation. This book emphasized the struggle between Heather, who wants to become an Orthodox Jew, and her mother, who couldn't stand the idea of no twinkies, lard,frappes and hamburgers etc.

If anything was faulty about this book it was the fact that it slightly over emphasized. The only other fault I could think of is that the end is too happy go lucky, too fast. This was a great book for roughly 5th or 6th graders.

When Heather, from a non-observant Jewish family, spends some time with a friend from a religiously observant family (despite her mother's hesitation about the idea), she discovers there is much to respect and admire in a more religiously observant lifestyle and starts to follow it at home, trying to keep her secret from her parents.

This book is good reading for high school students and advanced readers of junior high age, as well. Watching Heather discover more about her religious background can be quite enriching for Jewish students, from observant and non-observant backgrounds. Non-Jewish readers may enjoy the book as well, but may not find themselves identifying with the characters and siutations quite as much. However, if they have ever had questions about their religious background, they may find Heather's journey quite intriguing.

This book was about a girl who falls in love with this cowboy guy. It's really funny but it is also really sweet. you should read it.

I read this book and was simply amazed at all the facts it contains. It is an ideal book for all African-American school children to read. The illustrations are great, and I found a world of valuable information. Kudos to Ms. Stokes and Mr. Middleton for a job well done.

Picking up this little gem of an old love story made my day. It covers several years of a young girl's life and takes her from childhood to - well, I mustn't say more. It is a bright, joyous tale of the wooing of a country maiden by a man twice her age, an artist accustomed to the big city life of Atlanta. Juliana's brothers don't want this dark mature stranger from the city in their young sister's life, and they take measures to make sure the two never see each other. There are pitfalls aplenty, Foster Kirk's age being the biggest. Juliana is searching for a meaning in her life. She is a very normal teenager, having more questions than answers. There are pitfalls aplenty as various other family members, and friends of Juliana's and Foster's, join the separating force. A good book to tuck in your bag for that next trip.