The reviewer who claimed that Califia thinks that transexuals should not exist or change their bodies clearly did not read the book. Not only does she protect transexuals, transgenders and gender misfits in general, she praises transsexual Kate Bornstien lavishly, calling her brave, beautiful and brilliant.

What Califia does is question the binary categorization of gender, given that humanity is expressed on a spectrum of gender expression, not two distinct categories. Why do people feel the need to pathologize those that don't cleanly fit? Is changing our bodies giving in or resisting the binary gender discourse? In her introduction she makes clear that only the individual can decide what gender path to take, and that claims of objectivity in gender research or theory should be viewed skeptically. She ultimately upholds personal choice of gender expression, which is varied, not one-or-the-other, and attacks those who judge, medicalize, and pathologize those of! us who refuse to conform to one box or the other. Her chapter on the gender "scientists" of John Hopkins medical school was brilliant.

Excellent work, as usual, from Pat Califia.

Most of you may know Pat Califia as a SM writer -- both fiction and non-fiction. This is one of Califia's non-fiction works. In 8 chapters, Califia tackles the public lives of several transgendered folks in the twentieth century. In no way does Califia endorse their views, in fact she points out that many of them are hardly gender radicals because they embrace very traditional views of gender roles. In many ways, this was quite sad to read. If you know that Califia has now become Patrick Califia you can read this book as both a historical and psychological analysis of the issue of transgenderism as well as a historical look at Califia's own personal journey. This book is not for those of you with very conservative views of sexuality or gender roles so if you buy it, it will make your upset but now you are warned.

Ms. Califia approaches the history and politics from the viewpoint of what many would call a radical feminist lesbian dyke. While all of these terms do apply to Ms. Califia her book provides insight and compassion not found in similar works. Her outlook on the politics of transsexualsim and her treatment of the subject shows she has spent a lot of time with transsexuals. Her doubts about her own gender identity might be one reason for her outlook. That isn't important. What is important is the way she treats the "transphobic" and the medical community at large. I hope to have the chance to meet her one day and say thanks for understanding and caring. This is a definite book to add to your buy list.

I have two of her books, this one and the Tapas book. The Tapas book is really great. The paella book is really a bit too much. I mean, how many kinds of paella can you really eat? This is probably my own fault for buying the book- I should have figured that an entire book of paella would be overkill. But a friend of mine, whose culinary tastes I respect, suggested it, so I bought it site unseen. If you are an afficionado of paella, by all means you should get this book, but for me it's not worth it. I really like paella, but I dont' make it once a week or anything like that. I make pizza once a week, and frankly even then the "Chez Pannise" pizza cookbook I have is far too much for me. Who needs a recipe for venison, duck sausage and baby octopus paella, for crying out loud? Some do, most don't. Now, Casas' "Tapas" book is a MUST have- she's a tapas godess. Well worth the investment. But unless you are a total rice freak and can't get enough of risotto, suchi, jambalaya and paella, each of which in umpteen gazillion different forms, you'll be spendng a couple dozen greenbacks on a book that will realistically yield about four or five recipies you are likely to make with any degree of frequency.

I think this is a great book my rice was not mushy at all and my vegetables and meat came out nice and tender. I got this book last week and yesterday the spanish rice I ordered online arrived and I made the chicken and eggplant paella. It was deeeeeeelicious!! I can't wait to make the other recipes. They are very easy to make and the hardest part is actually getting all the ingredients ready and cut to make the paella. After that, your home free!! I would definitely recommend this book!!!

Penelope Casas has come up with yet another indispensable addition to anyone's library of Spanish cuisine. This book greatly expands our knowledge of Spain's great rice dishes and I highly recommend it. Although many paella and arroz recipes seem daunting, if you follow Ms. Casas instructions you will find that, except for prepping the dishes, good paellas are surprisingly easy to make, colorful on the table, and usually popular with everyone. These enjoyable dish can even be reheated by micro-wave the next day, if indeed, there is any left. (My advice is to make double the amount you think you will need.) Making paella is a great family endeavor and the dish is a great dinner party, picnic, or outdoor barbecue dish. The variety of rice dishes in Casas's book gives an idea of the great diversity of Spanish cuisine.

I bought this book having already read each of the vampire chronicles, as well as several of the "New Tales of the Vampires". It was probably a good thing too, as it's quite possible that if you haven't read all the books, the Companion will give away some very important plot twists.

However, the book is obviously meant as a guide and reference point for people who are already very familiar with Rice's vampires, and not for people who are too lazy to read the books. A mind-bendingly comprehensive "encyclopedia" of everything you could possibly want to know about anything to do with the first 5 vampire chronicles.

This book is made even stronger by the fact that it was written in conjunction with Anne Rice, and as such contains many asides and comments from her on the development of her characters, how she feels about them, and of course, the much-publicised parallels between the child vampire Claudia and her own daughter, who died of leukaemia at the age of 5.

While there are many people who think Rice is extremely long-winded and a trifle strange to boot, those of us who thoroughly enjoy her fantastic novels and seductive characters will wonder how we ever made do without the excellent Vampire Companion.

Being a fan of Anne Rice and having read a couple of her books I wanted to know more about the characters and other details in her novels. This book in question, i.e., The Vampire Companion: The Official Guide to Anne Rice's the Vampire Chronicles By Katherine Ramsland, Anne Vampire Chronicles Rice does fulfill this need. It starts out with a well-developed table of contents; however, it does lack an index which makes searching for a term quite arduous and therefore a bit time consuming. The acknowledgement and the introduction are very well written and are very easy to read. The entries themselves are also well written, e.g., that of the bio on Lestat.

"The Vampire Companion" is a very exhaustive encyclopedia of most of the terms, characters, locations, and events in the Vampire Chronicles series. It only covers the first five books in this series, though ("Interview With the Vampire", "The Vampire Lestat", "The Queen of the Damned", "The Tale of the Body Thief", and "Memnoch the Devil"), which may bother more die hard Vampire fans. Information on the other four books ("The Vampire Armand", "Merrick", "Blood and Gold", and "Blackwood Farm") is obviously missing since they were published after this book.

Just about everything's included in this mammoth 500+-paged book: maps, illustrations and photos, bits of Anne Rice information, a time line, in-depth character biographies, etc. Even the unpublished short story of "Interview With the Vampire" is included, which originated the novel one year later.

If you're an Anne Rice fan--and especially if you enjoyed the Vampire Chronicles--then I highly recommend this official reference guide to her popular vampire series, even though it only covers half the books in the series. (Hopefully, there will be another revised edition published soon.) But for what it does cover, "The Vampire Companion" is very thorough and worthwhile to Vampire fans. This is certainly a book worth owning, since it answers just about every question you've ever had about this series and then some.

Also recommended: Katherine Ramsland's "The Witches' Companion."

Very well researched, this book reads more like a textbook than a literary piece. One would expect more from an author of 20+ books, though laying out the vast amount of information Edward Rice has gathered is no easy task. Albeit we should pay tribute to his concern for accuracy and discussing different accounts of Burton's life, the reader is easily distracted by too many details and the author's constant digression. But if you're patient enough to get through, you'll be fascinated by the adventures of Sir Richard Burton and his erudition. A geographer, explorer, linguist, writer, soldier, diplomat and a spy, he traveled through four continents, describing in immeasurable detail the cultures, traditions and places he experienced.

Burton lived a remarkable life and this is the definitive account. If you want to go deep into his life and adventures this is the book to get. But if you're looking for some light reading or entertaining adventures, search somewhere else.

This is the way history should be written, as an interesting narrative. The author worked with a tremendous amount of source material to compose this biography of one of history's most important and fascinating characters. Where "facts" were in conflict, the author presneted multiple viewpoints. Suppositions were presented as such and not as facts.

Dick Burton is undoubtedly a larger than life historical figure, however, the author portrays him as human - both his faults and his strengths are exponded upon.

Much of the material is directly quoted from source material, which makes Burton and related individuals voices come alive.

My only criticism of the book is minor. There are some tangents that seem to me to be given too much space in the book. The author sometimes writes mini biographies of somewhat incidental characters. This is simply my opinion, and others may, and probably will disagree.

While this book is a biography, there is historical and thological gold there. Much can be learned about the 19th century Middle east, Africa and the politics of the time. Also, there is a lot of material about Islam and other religions that Burton studied.

This is by far one of the best biographies I've read in recent times. Not only is the subject matter astonishing, capturing the life of one of the most exciting figures of the 19th century, the author focuses on the man's profuse writings, thankfully leaving out the once fashionable psychoanalytic approach of interpretation when writing biography. This is the third life history I've read on Richard Burton, and it's certainly the finest written and the most thorough.

Those of you, who are not familiar with R.F. Burton, are in for a thrilling reading experience. This man, probably more so than Byron himself, is the archetypal Byronic figure of the age: a linguist, (29 languages and numerous dialects), scholar of eastern literature and religion, particularly the mystical arm of Islam, Sufi; a practicing mystic; explorer of Africa (co-discoverer of the source of the Nile); a secret agent working for her majesty during England's acquisition of India's wealth, known to historians as 'The Great Game'. He was also one of the first white men, who made the Pilgrimage to Mecca, and as Rice argues, Burton was and continued to be a practicing Muslim, therefore his pilgrimage was deeply religious as well as a journey of danger and adventure. Burton was dashing, an expert swordsman and horseman, and a prolific writer, poet and translator who rank as one of the best of his time.

Burton is known to most as one of the scholars who brought 'The Arabian Nights' to the West...he heard a lot of the tales through the Persian oral tradition; memorized them in their original language, and sat around many a camp fire in the desert, re-telling these wonderful stories to anyone who would listen. Burton was a storyteller in the truest sense. But 'The Arabian Nights' only scratches the surface of his many translations from eastern literature - 'The Kama Sutra of Vatsyaya' and 'The Perfumed Garden of the Cheikh Nefzaoui: A Manual of Arabian Erotology', to name an infamous few...

What impressed me most about Burton was his alarming intellectual curiousity, his exhaustive industry as a recorder of foreign cultures. While other 'gentleman' of his time would rather murder the wildlife to take back to their drawing rooms, to then hang on their walls, Burton preferred to sketch and write about the places and people he came across in his travels to then share with the rest of us. He was an incessant scribbler. The man's thirst for life was daunting and this magnetic soul ensured he did not waste a minute of it...

Edward Rice's ~Captain Sir Richard Frances Burton~ is the definitive biography.

Reinventing the Woman is the story of Camille Foster, a very confused woman looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places.

The story opens with Camille getting beat one time too many by her boyfriend of 7 years Evan. She decides to leave him and ends up back at her childhood home. The house is now occupied by her sister Melanie and Melanie's young son. Mysteriously their mother Catherine appears and we never really find out why. Speaking of whys---there are lot of them and unfortunately the reader is left with alot of unanswered questions (maybe this is leaving room for a sequel).

I read the book but feel that I never really got to know any of the characters, because at one point I just said to myself "why is this person in this story? What is the purpose?". I liked subject matter of the story--but personally I don't know anyone like Camille. I applaud Patty Rice for telling the story of an abused woman who finally leaves her abuser, but the way in which this story was told leaves far too many questions and not enough answers. Continued success and blessings to Patty Rice. Peace.

I was reluctant to read this book. I was first introduced to Patty Rice via Somethin Extra and lets just say that book wasn't my bag. However, "Reinventing the Woman" left me with a wholenew respect for Patty Rice and a chance that I will go back to the first book.

This is the story of deceit, betrayal and love. Not a love story of the usual kind but a story of a woman learning to love herself. Camille Foster a woman abused by her boyfriend for seven years. Camille makes a deal with herself to leave the next time the man who says he loves her hits her and flees to the home that she has long since abandoned. On the road to recovery Camille takes a job with Nora Roberts, a motivational speaker and author of a workshop 'Reinventing the Woman'. From here Ms Rice weaves a story of a woman longing to be loved, learning to love herself and what it means to reinvent Camille.

There are some loose ends with Camille and the relationship with her abusive boyfriend as well as her relationship with the mother who ignored and shunned her. I believe (and I hope correctly) that this means that there will be a sequal.

The developement of the main characters was pretty good. I appreciate the fact that Camille wasn't written as someone who automatically was able to turn off her feelings for the man that hurt her. The supporting characters could have used a bit more developement, especially some of the players in Nora's company and Camille's mother Catherine.
All in all this is a very good read, engrossing and kept me rushingthrough the pages so that I could see what was going to happen next.
~R

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Rice and it was a really good read. I was also happy to see that Camille's character portrayed what it is really like to try to get over someone you really loved. It does take a lot of time to go on with your life and be able to not think about that person all the time. I am waiting for Ms. Rice to write a sequel to this book. I believe it would be a great idea because there are so many unanswered questions that I have, such as who left the note on Camille's desk, does she find out who her true birth mother is, and why did Nora pretend to be her mother? I was also a little disappointed that she does not give you the update on Camille's baby and that Camille did not stay with Greg. However, Ms. Rice still gets definite A Plus from me. I hope to read many more novels from Ms. Rice in the future.

I'd only read one other Luanne Rice title before picking up "Summer Light", and although I enjoyed it (Firefly Beach), Summer Light has it beaten, hands down . It's truly been a while since I got up early to continue reading a book, but I did it for this one. This book was fantastic.It had everything. May Taylor is a quiet, reserved woman, making the best out of a life that has left her dissappointed too many times. To top it all off, her daughter Kylie is 'gifted' with the ability to talk to, and see, angels. It is through Kylie's frequent trips to various doctors and specialists that May meet hockey legend Martin Cartier.One of Kylie's 'angels' tells her that Martin needs their help, and they need him. After a chance meeting and a freak accident, May and Martin find themselves so deeply in love it seems that nothing can tear them apart.
As always happens in the books we love the most, reality is a nasty presense in the lives of our fictional heros, and May, Martin and Kylie must all face their own demons. Struggling to build their family and protect their future, the Cartier's must make their peace with the past.
By the last three chapter of 'Summer Light' I was constantly dabbing at the tears. I was totally touched by Ms. Rice's story, and found little Natalie to be as real as any other character in the book. This is a book I will HAVE to lend to friends, because I know how much they will enjoy it. And I know that I'll be keeping "Summer Light" handy enough to read again soon. Great characters, great story, great romance, great, great ending. Need I say more =:)

This book was absolutely perfect for a romance novel and hockey fan like myself. Luanne Rice has to be one of the best writers that I have come accross in a long time. Her take on family relationships is unriveled by any other author I have recently read. This book is a perfect mixture of romance and sports. Don't listen to the reviewer who slammed the book because of its "inconsistencies" - If I want reality, I'll turn on the news. I want romance and a book that tells about the power of love on multiple levels - and this is it!

Summer Light is my favourite !! I think this is the best novel of Luanne Rice. Summerlight was the first book that I read of Luanne. Through Amazone, I came across and gladly found her novels !! Summerlight proved that my believe, "Angels and love", do exist in this world.

What, May Taylor and her daughter, Kylie experienced in their life as Kylie helped her mother to find love and hapiness as what my daughter and I went through life together in few years back.

May Taylor of the Bride Barn also mentioned "Twice" in Firefly Beach at Firefly Ball. May Taylor knows Caroline Renwick. My smile came to me when read this part in Firefly. How wonderful I thought!!

I think that it is so great that Luanne Rice had put the above excellent personal touch into her novels. I think it makes the reader, I don't know about others but for me it did, feels involved and want to read more and more of her next book. As I now just discovered that her next book "Safe Harbour" has Sam Trevor, Joe Connor's brother, of Firefly Beach as a main male character. This is so great, Just can't wait for "Safe Harbour" to come to New Zealand.

I just finished rereading this remarkable adventure story, and must say, some of the capsule summaries above leave a bit to be desired.

Yes, John Carter returns to Mars after 10 years absence, and finds himself in a paradise. But ironically, it's a paradise that soon turns into a kind of violent warring hell. The plant men are only the beginning. The bitterest enemies are a race of almost diabolical priests, the Tharns, who set loose white apes and plant men to slaughter thousands of religious pilgrims. I'm not spoiling the plot at all, since this becomes clear in the first two or three chapters.

Again, there's a deep bond between the hero, John Carter, and a brave and stunning young woman named Thuvia. John Carter, a warlord, is not content to merely escape. He must somehow end this evil empire of hypocritical priests and mass slaughter.

One fine element is the reintroduction of the green warrior chieftan, John's dear friend from the first novel in the series.

There are strains of deeper thought woven throughout. For example, the biting satire against mindless "fanatic" religions.

Heck of a book. Burroughs writes in a style that would seem a bit heavy today. But after a chapter or two, the reader usually can get in the stride. These books read fast-- you can't put them down. The heroines are GORGEOUS-- but the language is "clean" and the books can be recommended for teens. The description-- often in battle scenes-- is up to anything written in adventure science fiction today. This book was written-- amazingly-- in about 1917.

People notice how ERB poked fun at religion in this book, but he ripped racism to shreds and made the reader laugh, cry, and want to visit Mars with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. Not even the evolutionists escaped the expert wit and satire of this masterful and entertaining epic story.

John Carter returns to his beloved Barsoom ten years later, but instead of finding himself in Helium with Dejah Thoris he instead awakens in the lost Valley Dor, the Barsoomian heaven. But in reality it's a far cry from heaven and Carter turns a world upside with his challenging revelations.

The real hero of the story, however, is Dator Xodar, a prince of the black-skinned First Born of Barsoom, the highest race on the planet. The First Born prey upon the white-skinned Therns, who in turn prey upon the nations of the Red and Yellow men of Barsoom. As Xodar learns from Carter that all men should be equal, Carter learns from Xodar that even the most feared Barsoomians can be a truly noble people.

Having introduced the characters in 'A Princess of Mars,' the author gets down to the action, in this the second Martian adventure of John Carter, with, as I recall, a new opponent, ready to fight, on almost every page.

The author subtly pokes fun at religion, race and our conventions and rituals regarding them, while writing an exciting adventure story that certainly gripped my imagination in the early sixties.

John Carter remains the perfect Virginian gentleman, respecting women, seeking no unfair advantage, while fighting plants, animals and multiple races of Martians. He must struggle to overcome them all, if he is to set free his beloved Dejah Thoris from a nested series of "Heavens within Heavens."

If he wins, will he kill the "Gods of Mars" in the title? What will happen to religion on Mars if he does? If he loses...........

An ideal introduction to science fiction and fantasy for boys reaching puberty. They can sublimate their aggressive tendencies as they imagine themselves opposing plant men, white apes and other foes.

I really loved this book. First, much of it is simply incredibly moving as a story about people, regardless of where and when, surviving some of the most challenging things life can throw one's way. And doing so with love and dignity. Secondly, Ms. Lee's account, though speaking of one family, covers so much of the experience that makes our Korean citizens and residents who they are: those parts of their remote past, their immediate past in Korea, and their sometimes difficult experiences here in the US. I loved the characters and learned human lessons from them, but I also learned a lot about members of a growing and important part of my own community here in Oakland, CA. Brava and "kamsa hamnida!", Ms. Lee.

A friend recommended this book to me and now I recommend it to everyone. Of course you will learn a great deal about Korean culture (including some Korean-American culture), but you will also learn about people struggling against all odds, suffering, joy, the power of family and a strong and risk taking mother, as well as daughter. The power and depth of these people inspires me to live my life with greater courage and gratitude.

A must read!

I met Helie at a booksigning and she is wonderful. She is down to earth and very present and available when you speak with her. I felt as though she was interested in my story, not her story alone. Helie and her family are wonderful people and they give a glimpse of what a family who takes risks can accomplish for love.

I saw Helie Lee on Oprah in a show called "You were an Inspiration".

"Still Life with Rice" is a beautifully written book. From the first page, I was hooked and could not stop until I was done. The triumphs and tragedies of Helie's grandmother were amazing testaments to the human spirit. I truly enjoyed reading this book. I am not Korean but it was wonderful to read of her life and how the Korean culture was several generations ago.

After hearing Helie describe her uncle and grandmother's reunion after 40+ years, I knew I had to read both books.

I am anxious to receive my copy of "In the absence of Sun" so I can find out how their reunion took place.

Having already read several of her books, this one did not disappoint me. Some of her early books were not very good in my humble opinion, but she gets better all the time. In this one, Zeb Mayhew and Rumer Larkin, the two main characters are childhood friends, next door neighbors and eventually sweethearts. He is a star-gazer, she an animal and nature lover. He grows up to be astronaut and she a veterinarian. He marries her sister Elizabeth, breaks Rumers heart in the process, has a son, divorces, then comes back to Hubbard's Point (Connecticut) and tries to win Rumer back again and make peace with his own heart. Along the tumultuous way, we get familiar with the whole family, and township of Hubbard's Point, and to read about other characters from some of Ms. Rice's other books, which we feel we already know. I love how she does this, as we get so connected with her characters that it is nice to pick up a new book and get an update and what happened to so-and-so from a previous novel. Every time I read one of Luanne's books about Hubbards Point I want to go there and see for myself what it looks like. I love her characters and few authors can rival this author's ability to portray the complex situations and emotions that bind family members as well as Ms. Rice can. Even 'though the reader can predict the outcome of this novel, it still has a surprise or two at the ending and nevertheless is a beautiful story of love, loss and reconciliation, without the explicit sex that other authors rely on to sell their books. I look forward to each of her books and definitely recommend this one.

Zeb Mayhew and Rumer Larkin, the two main characters are childhood friends, next door neighbors and eventually sweethearts. He is a star-gazer, she an animal and nature lover. He grows up to be astronaut and she a veterinarian. He marries her sister Elizabeth, breaks Rumers heart in the process, has a son, divorces, then comes back to Hubbard's Point (Connecticut) and tries to win Rumer back again and make peace with his own heart. Along the tumultuous way, we get familiar with the whole family, and township of Hubbard's Point, and to read about other characters from some of Ms. Rice's other books, which we feel we already know. I love how she does this, as we get so connected with her characters that it is nice to pick up a new book and get an update and what happened to so-and-so from a previous novel. Every time I read one of Luanne's books about Hubbards Point I want to go there and see for myself what it looks like, even though her discriptions are wonderful. I love her characters and few authors can rival this author's ability to portray the complex situations and emotions that bind family members as well as Ms. Rice can. This is a beautiful story of love, loss and reconciliation without the explicit sex that other authors rely on to sell their books. I look forward to each of her books and definitely recommend this one.

True Blue is a wonderful reading experience and an escape to a beautiful seaside. Luanne Rice has captured the look and feel of a small New England town where everyone cares about everyone else. This is a heartwarming story of two sisters and the boy next door. Rumer's strength and determination are inspiring and her ability to forgive hard to fathom. I would love to move to Hubbard's Point, go lobstering with Quinn, another of Rice's enchanting characters and have my pets taken care of by Dr. Larkin. I would like to see a sequel to True Blue. I'd like to continue Rumer and Zeb's story, along with finding out what happens with Quinn and Michael. Ms. Rice has created such loveable characters that I have grown attached to them. Go after your dreams but never lose sight of what's right in front of you. For a wonderful escape pick up Luanne Rice's, True Blue.

I have read and enjoyed several of Luanne Rice's books, though after reading Dream Country, I hesitate to continue. As a native of Wyoming, I am extremely disappointed that she didn't spend a little time in our beautiful state, and give her readers an accurate picture of this country, its people and the abundant wildlife (though sadly you'll not find bison grazing by any streams, unless you're in Yellowstone Park, or on a Reserve). She has wolves howling throughout the book--one wonders if she has them confused with coyotes??? Does she know these animals had disappeared from the West, and had to be brought in from Canada several years ago to re-populate Yellowstone Park, and though they are doing well, they are not prolific throughout the entire state? Even her geography is completely off---believe me, I don't know of any "logging" roads connecting Nebraska and Wyoming, and beyond that, it would have taken Sage and David about seven hours (in good weather) to get from the Nebraska border to anywhere near Dubois. Her picture of ranch life, and the cattle industry is filled with innaccuracies and stereotypes. A small number of calves may be sold for veal, but most cattle are not sent to slaughter until long after they are weaned. Many are not slaughtered, but sold for breeding stock to other ranches. It all makes me wonder what other kind of misinformation and shoddy research techniques (or none at all) were used to create the atmosphere in any of her other books. One assumes she knows the New England area, because that's where she grew up, but if she intends to set her books in other locations, I really believe some research, and perhaps a trip to the area is required. The American West is a fascinating and beautiful part of the country, with history and mystery to spare, and deserves to be rendered accurately.

I totally enjoyed this book. It was an easy read with a good story. It is about a couple that divorced after the heartache of a missing child. Daisy can't stay where she lost her son and James will not leave because he is always keeping a watch for his return. When their daughter (who was living with Daisy) runs away across country to James, Daisy comes to wait for her daughters safe arrival. This is a touching story to show the power of faith and love.

Most people agree that no one can ever truly go home, but events will show that if Daisy want to return she not only can, she can stay.

Daisy traveled west many years ago in search of colors that would mesh with the jewelry she creates. When she reached the Wyoming ranch of taciturn James Tucker, she fell in love and they married. Daisy gave birth to fraternal twins, Sage and Jake and everyone knew the foursome would live happily ever after. However, three-year-old Jake disappears while on a round up with his dad. The marriage disintegrated and Daisy accompanied by Sage returned to her home state of Connecticut.

For the next thirteen years James fails even to see his daughter once as he keeps his vow to his son to never forsake him dead or alive. Sage feels the pull of her birth state and when she becomes pregnant, journeys to her father's ranch where her parents greet her. The adventures of the Tucker crew have just begun.

Luanne Rice always tells a strong story about what happens in life when bad things happen to good people. This novel is character driven with heroes and villains that feel as if they come from the real world. Ms. Rice has a talent for hiding her heroes and villains from her audience. The poignant plot requires a handy tissue box as Ms. Rice leaves the reader needing tissues.

Harriet Klausner