Waimea summer is a wonderful novel that teaches you a lot about segregation in old hawaii. I recomend it to people who have interests in hawaii and want to learn about its history.

The novel is about a segregation in hawaii many years ago. I recommend it to people who want to find out what hawaii was like many years ago. The book teaches you a lot.

John R. Holt, When We Dead Awaken (Bantam, 1990)

It may be stretching it a bit to stick John Holt's wonderful first novel into my ongoing re-reads of 1980s horror novels, since it was published in 1990. Indulge me for a few minutes, though, because When We Dead Awaken was one of the finest horror novels published during the decade, even if Bantam missed the cutoff by a few months. Holt's novel still has the feel of eighties horror; it's still wrapped up in old legends and ghosties/ghoulies/long-leggetie beasties that go bump in the night instead of taking the decidedly ecological turn that has been the basis of much of the horror fiction of the past fifteen years. It's gloriously awash in excess (without hitting the pitch that splatterpunk would only a year or so later), while the language used to convey it is minimal, almost journalistic. You know, eighties horror fiction. Holt was deserving of being among the decade's great lights with this novel, but for whatever reason you care to blame, it never made a huge splash. Lack of advertising dollar by the publisher is usually a good punching bag. We'll go with that one.

Holt's novel takes another old, almost-forgotten legend revived by the upswing in popularity of Dungeons and Dragons, the revenant, and puts a savage spin on it. By legend, the revenant is the avenging ghost of someone against whom a great wrong was committed, let loose upon the earth to achieve vengeance. Such is the case here, except the great wrong to the ghost in question is all in his mind. What happens when your revenant is insane? Very bad things.

The story centers around a family-owned motorcycle sales and repair shop in Florida. One of the members of the family, Billy, a mechanic in the repair shop, went nuts a year before the story opens and killed his wife and child before dying himself (the story is intentionally vague in the beginning as to whether Billy's death was suicide, accident, or murder; it's revealed later on). Billy, never the nicest person to be around, has gotten a whole lot worse after death. He's had a year to do nothing but lie around and nurture his hatred for those who he thinks wronged him over the years. And when something brings him back to the point where his consciousness can affect things in the living world, there's going to be some trouble.

The plot, the action, and the delivery are nothing special, though Holt throws in a few twists and turns that are unpredictable (layering them, quite cleverly, right under the predictable ones). Those aren't the reason this book deserves to still be around in a hundred years. What really makes this thing tick is the development of the characters and Holt's mastery at revealing the right details at the right times. Why is Billy nuts? And why, when his kid is the only thing in the world he cares about, would he suddenly decide to go on a bloody rampage that specifically targets his own family? Why is there such a love/hate relationship between Billy and is brother? The reader will be asking all the right questions by the end of the first chapter, and Holt knows exactly how long to let them drag on in order not only to heighten the reader's pleasure when the answers are finally revealed, but to highlight the depth and complexity of his own creations.

An excellent book. Hard to find these days, but well worth tracking down for the horror fan. Holt deserves a far wider audience than he's got. ****

Even to the very end, you think you know, and then you don't. That's how this book reads. It is very captivating, a page-turner that you don't want to put down. It is about a family cursed, cursed by sins of the past, and perhaps a fierce soul from the past who just won't die.

Make sure you have a few hours to put into this one before you start. You won't want to stop until you finish! The ending is superb!

With each chapter written by an expert, plus beautiful illustrations, this is a great anthology for those seeking a bird's eye view of the World's myths and legends. It is also fun to read and is not dense to the point that it cannot be read from cover to cover. I took off a star because there was nothing on Finnish mythology. Also, the mythology of Persia was just one page long, which I felt was too little.

I was doing a paper on Greek Mythology and found this book in the Reference section of our library. There was so much great infomation in it that I had the librarian xerox half of it! The layout includes vivid pictures of ancient artifacts and art work on just about every page. The book also has sidebars and "boxes" of information that are helpful--kind of like the impulse buy section at the check-out! As the title says--it shares myths and religious practices from all over the world; each country is broken down into logical topics. I really enjoyed this book and had to own it! It's ideal for anyone taking a Humanities, Literature or Anthropology course! I know I will use it again in the future!

I read and loved this book as an adolescent. I recently saw it at the library and decided to take it out and read it again. I just finished re-reading it and found it as powerful as I remembered, possibly even more so.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden presents a complete picture of mental illness from the patient's point of view, without the stigma of wrongness that is frequently associated with it. The picture painted is a very real one, from Deborah's relief when the doctors confirm what she's known all along, that something is not right, to the way her family deals with the fact of her illness. Greenberg/Green evokes very strong emotions with her writing. You feel Deborah's fear that her secret world of Yr will punish her for revealing its existence to her doctor, and you share in her triumph when she begins to make her way back to the world. I put down this book with a little more understanding of how it must feel to be mentally ill. I would recommend it to anyone, teen or adult.

I always loved this book when I was a teenager - I must have read it at least 4-5 times (actually, I'm an avid reader, so that isn't really that unusual). However, I have just re-read the book at 30, after 5 years of treatment for my own mental disorders, and have seen so much in the book that I never saw before. Perhaps this book appealed to me so much as an unkowingly sick teen because I could relate to Deborah Blau, although her disorder is of an entirely different type and scale from mine.

I must say that this book should be required reading for anyone dealing with a loved-one's journey towards mental health. One thing people without these problems can't understand is that it is easier to stay sick - that getting healthy is hard work, scary, and LONG! And along the way, the symptoms may get worse, while you're actually getting better. This book is the first time I've seen someone try to explain this phenomenom - that the mentally ill cling to their symptoms as to a life-line, using them as protection while they heal, until the reach the point where those symptoms are no longer needed.

After re-reading this book, I understand my own treatment so much better, and will recommend it to my loved-ones who have to deal with my treatment - maybe they can get a glimmer of understanding. It is rare in this world for any "healthy" person to truly understand mental illness

~ ~ ~One thing I've noticed is that most people who have read this book had it recommended to them as an adolescent. If you didn't-read it now!
This book is fascinating and extremely well written. Adults will probably have the perspective to enjoy it even more than adolescents do. I first read this book when I was 11,and I didn't quite understand it all, but it was still absorbing and fascinating. I reread it many times over the years, each reading feeling more swept away by Deborah's story. Now I'm 43 years old, an M.D., and I still love this book.
~ ~ ~
The story of Deborah, a 16-year-old schizophrenic young Jewish girl, is told with amazing insight into the delusions and hallucinations of this type of mental illness. At the same time the "unreality" Deborah experiences is described so creatively, and evocatively, and is so rich and textured, that it is very easy to find yourself falling into "her" vision of the world. This is especially true when her rich fantasies are contrasted with the cold, impersonal and randomly cruel life of the hospital (unfortunately I believe this is a very accurate description of even what was a "good" psychiatric hospital in the 1950's).
-- Deborah's progress closer to "sanity" contains moments of clarity and connection so beautifully described, they can still bring me close to tears.
~~~~
If I could recommend only one book in the whole of Amazon.com: this would be the one!

This is the horrifically real tale of people and lost dreams. The story takes place in New York in the 1930's -40's. The main charcter, Nick is a bondsman from Wisconsin who happens to move into a house nextdoor to the mysterious Jay Gatsby who throws extraveagnt parties nightly. Nick's summer in New York was a colorful menagerie of elaborate society where he meets his sweetheart and gets into some mixups with his cousin Daisy and Gatsby. Nick discovers after not too much time there is a reason why Gatsby's past is so elusive and that there is a very real and very powerful agenda on Gatsby's mind. The Great Gatsby was an awesome book. Fitzgerald has a bold voice in his writing and expresses abstrsct ideas in a very tangible form. It gave a tragic look into life and society of the East Coast and the forlorn hopes that people hold to in their minds. Gatsby was a pleasant read and the sentences seemed to contain so much substance that I found myself rereading a lot so I wouldn't miss anything. I read the authorized text, so it was identical to the original publication, so it was wholly preserved. I would reccommend this book as intriguing and enchanting to most.

Although F. Scott Fitzgerald's book "The Great Gatsby" may seem a tad superficial upon the first reading, it really is quite a gem when examined closer. There are many important and significant symbols that are so intricately and subtly woven into the story, that only a careful reader would be able to catch them all. Fitzgerald makes excellent use of colour symbolism in things such as Gatsby's clothing and car, and the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, place symbolism, in regards to East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes, and time symbolism, which can be caught when one looks at the timeline that the book follows. Fitzgerald's seemingly shallow depiction of five characters in the roaring twenties is really a symbolic masterpiece and a classic novel of the twentieth century. A must-read for any deep reader, or anyone who wants to become one.

I really enjoyed and would highly recommend reading The Great Gatsby. Overall, it was an easy read, and for the most part, a light-hearted, entertaining story. It had an interesting plot with remarkable characters to support it. Even though it was written almost a century ago, it is still easy to appreciate Fitzgerald's ideas and style of writing.
The book was very well written for many reasons. I liked the fact that it was a first person narrative. I personally enjoy first person novel because I think that the insight of the narrator makes the reader relate to the story more, as opposed to the neutral position of a third person story. The narrative offered details vivid enough to easily imagine the setting. I was not familiar with the setting in New York, but the descriptiveness was clear enough for me to picture the scenes. Also, the writing style was excellent at using setting as a device to convey emotion, and in a few instances, foreshadowing. The plot is fast moving and I really enjoyed the unexpected plot twist towards the end. The small side plots that arose between the supporting characters sustained my interest also. The story was very much to the point, and did not at any time drag on.
The strongest part of the writing was the development, connections, and introduction of the characters. Nick Cattaway fits the role of the narrator perfectly and provides a central connection among all the other characters. It allowed me to feel more sympathetic towards the characters because of Nick's sympathy for his friends. The order in which he introduces the characters and then slowly revealed how their lives were intertwined made for a very interesting story. My favorite of the introductions was the surprisingly low key intro to Gatsby. However, this character was the only one that I wasn't satisfied with, and proved to be the only flaw I found with the book.
The lack of development of the character of Gatsby was very disappointing for me. After such a unique entrance, in addition to the title, I expected much more than the book offered. Although more is revealed about Gatsby as the story progresses, I still didn't feel a connection to the character. Since Gatsby was intended to be a mysterious character, that may be the reason the lack of information about him. However, there seemed to be a true depth missing that was hinted at, but was never fully communicated. This was especially true in the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. The intensity of Gatsby's feelings seemed to be glanced over.
Besides that minor negative point, the book was very good, and as a said before I recommend it to anyone looking for a short but enjoyable book to read.

Jim Hawkins, a young man living in rural England with his parents, helps run an inn with his parents. His life changes forever when a mysterious dying pirate takes residence at the inn. The shadowy pirate is often on the lookout for strangers who begin to show up in search of the pirate. Rum finally takes its toll on the pirate and he dies, leaving behind a mysterious chest that the strangers are interested in. Upon examination, Jim discovers a treasure map.

With the help of Jim's adult friends, a crew is formed to go in search of the pirate's buried treasure on a remote tropical island. The journey is uneventful until, Jim saves the day when he realizes that their crew consists mainly of pirates who hope to cause mutiny upon reaching the island. Ultimately, a raging battle takes place on the island where Jim and his friends must outwit the pirates who are led by the one-legged Long John Silver.

For a children's book, this book had a lot of inappropriate material - drinking and violence. I also had a tough time with the old-English writing style and the nautical terms. This book was ahead of its time, though, in terms of the adventure it described, but I was hoping for more. Fans of H. Rider Haggard (ala King Solomon's Mines) will enjoy this book but I was sort of happy to be done with it as some parts were engaging and others were muddled.

"Treasure Island" is the classic adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Set on the high seas amid treasures and pirates, it is the story of a young boy's adventure. "Treasure Island" has been done by everyone from Disney to the Muppets. It's been imitated many times and influenced countless books and movies.

A mysterious pirate shows up at an inn owned by Jim Hawkin's mother. The pirate is killed by a gang of rogues, but Jim finds a treasure map belonging to the pirate. Jim then embarks on a journey to far away island to find the treasure. Of course, nobody can be trusted - especially the cook, Long John Silver. With his peg leg and parrot, Silver is the stereotypical pirate. Once the island is reached, sides are chosen - the mutinous pirates against the ship's crew. Jim goes on a journey within a journey on the island, going from one side to another, as the treasure is hunted for.

Everyone should read this book at some point. It's especially good for young boys, due to the fact that the main character (Jim) is a young boy. It's well crafted, and easy to read. And it's hard to put down once you get going. What else can you ask for?

I never did read this book as I was growing up and have now read it for the first time as an adult. I always thought that this book would not be very good but I was wrong.

I write this review for those students who may hesitate to read Treasure Island. This book is a story of high adventure. In it is the tale of a young boy who comes to possess a treasure map and goes off on a whirlwind adventure filled with sea voyages, pirates, island adventure and treasure. Stevenson wonderfully portrays the characters of young Jim Hawkins, the hero of the book, the fabled Long John Silver, Billy Bones and Ben Gunn. Each adds their own sense of mystery and suspense to the story. The settings of the story from the Admiral Benbow Inn to the Hispaniola, their sailing vessel, to the island itself are very vivid and make you feel as if you are really there. The adventure to and finally on Treasure Island is filled with secret meetings, battle scenes and a quest to find a long since buried fortune in gold. The novel is truly great and is a very entertaining and interesting read.

For those adults who have never read this novel definitely read it and for those who have already read it, read it again it is well worth it. The swashbuckling adventures of Long John Silver and his men, along with Jim Hawkins, are truly timeless. If you have children of age, share the story with them. It is truly a family classic worth sharing with generations to come.

Taming of the Shrew is not my favorite Shakespearean work. Actually, it's not even my favorite of his comedies, but it's a pretty good read. I didn't like it as much as I liked reading Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, or Macbeth. It drags a little despite the humor in it. I was annoyed that Baptista Minola allowed men to buy Bianca's hand rather than letting his daughters choose their husbands, although I realise that was the way things were done in Shakespeare's day. I think Bianca is a pampered little fool. She is spoiled by all the male attention she gets and by her father's undivided adoration. I think it's natural that she becomes the less perfect wife in the end. She was never very nice in my opinion. She ought to have been angry at her father for not allowing her to marry until Katherine married, not be angry at Katherine for not marrying against her will. I'm not sure whether to admire Petruchio's eventual love for Kathrine or hate him for initially marrying for money alone. The one character I definitely feel for is Katherine. I blame her initial shrewishness on the inattention of her family and the men of Padua. In the end, she loves and tries to please Petruchio. I think she will get her way with him in private. I can picture her speaking her submission with a glint in her eye and a plan for the future once she has his trust.

Of all of Shakespeare's plays that I have read, this is the most enjoyable. The characters are real and engaging - the sweetly stupid Bianca and her hoard of suitors, Baptista, who is more interested in selling his daughters to rich husbands than making them happy, the sly and masterful Petruchio, and most of all, Katherine, the Shrew. The play is full of action, comedy, and enough mistaken and hidden identities to keep the reader happily confused.

Katherine, who appears to be "tamed" by Petruchio's cruelties, learns the art of subtlety and diplomacy that will enable her to survive in a society ruled by men. Her speech in the last scene is not a humbling affirmation of the superiority of men, but a tounge-in-cheek ridicule of Petruchio, Lucentio, and Hortensio, who think that a woman can be tamed like a wild animal by a few days of bumbling controll.

The Folger Library of Shakespeare's plays are the most readable editions that I have seen. There are detailed side notes and definitions of unfamiliar words, which are perfect for the reader who is not familiar with Shakespearean English.

Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew is dramatic, witty, and hilarious all at the same time. The plot itself borders on ridiculous, as it is unlikely anything like it would happen in real life. However, the play is made plausible by realistic characters. Perhaps Shakespeare's characters are so believable because they all seem like people we could know today. The shrewish Kate and the seamless Bianca may as well be sisters in the house down your street. The doting Lucentio, Gremio, and Hortensio are reminiscent of high school teens trying to win the head cheerleader. In the end, this play not only takes us back to a time not so different from our own, but teaches us some lessons as well.
This comedy has a lot to offer readers. It reasons that like Petruchio with Katherina, sometimes it takes a little cruelty to show kindness. After days of starvation and punishment all under the guise of love, Kate learns to respect her husband. At the same time, she learns to love him.
Overall, this classic play is definitely worth reading. Those who take the time won't regret it.

Gambling establishment owner James Stewart is used to women visiting him to offer money, jewels and their bodies to pay off the marker their husbands owe him. However, this visitor is different. Abigail Weston offers to pay James to teach her about sex. James' younger brother Michael informs him that Abigail is the younger half sister of Lord Jerold Marbleton, a prig.

Intrigued by a woman for the first in years, James goes to the meeting place and demands she explain why she wants to hire him. Abigail tells him that her younger sister Caroline, who she raised, is on the husband market, but fearful of sex. Abigail wants to talk to her sibling with knowledge, but knows nothing. James accepts the job of tutoring Abigail in every thing she wants to know about sex but is afraid to ask. As they fall in love, social and family pressures make a permanent relationship seem impossible.

LOVE LESSONS is an erotic Regency romance that is fun to read though the plot moves at a leisurely pace throughout the novel. The characters are a discernible group with easy to identify personalities. However, readers are required to have an initial leap of faith that Abigail would have the courage to ask James for lessons, but once that jump is made, Cheryl Holt's tale will remind readers of Susan Johnson's SEDUCTION IN MIND.

Harriet Klausner

James and Abigail are two very well matched main characters. It is nice to see a no nonsense heroine, even if she is still a virgin. She is the only contact for her younger sister, and wants to make sure Caroline has enough, and correct information before making a choice for a husband. In order to give her accurate information, Abigail must find out herself. Thus enter our hero. These two have sparks flying from the first time they meet.

There was very little about this story that detracts from it. I liked all aspects of it. The characters, the plot, the depth. Abigail's position in society and James's lack thereof and how they are entwined in the story. James has a lot he needs to overcome in regards to his "family" and I really liked that whole part of the story. The secondary romance is charming as well.

All in all this is a great book. Well written, well thought out and very sensual. Pick it up and enjoy!

Cheryl Holt is remarkably successful in transposing modern sexual sensibilities onto historical characters. Her sexual scenes are explicit, and the vocabulary is very blunt. If you are turned off by candid, love scenes, this book is not for you.

Our heroine is virginal old maid Abigail Weston, a spinster who wants her younger sister, Caroline, to wed well. Normally when in her right mind, she's a pattern-card of propriety. Caroline's impending marriage and questions about what happens in the marriage bed however, has her feeling less than her usual self. She does the unthinkable and approaches a notorious rogue, James Stevans in order to to give her lessons!

I was instantly drawn to the fact that the female protagonist doesn't hide behind the limitations of "polite society". It was refreshing to see an independent woman going after what she wanted, despite the disastrous results that could occur. Intermingled in the complex background of histories, vulnerabilities and past experiences is a passionate story.

James joins the line of heroes who overcome horrific childhoods and build themselves into powerful, intimidating men. Abigail and James complement each other in ways the other could never imagine!!

Love Lessons is very intense sexually, as James introduces Abigail to the pleasures of the flesh, and, eventually, the pleasures of the heart. Men could learn from reading these books. The entire book has a sensuous quality that draws the reader in, leaving you wondering when the estranged lovers will meet again.

I have to admit this book had me blushing for a long time. I must have blushed all the way home from work on the bus. But it was worth it.

I wouldn't recommend Ms Holt's books if you are looking for the 'traditional' soft/romantic moonlight, poetry and candles - 'don't come near me with that big thing', done-to-death type of story. Personlly, I expect, and like more for my money and reading pleasure. Cheryl is very good at what she does. She turns on the heat and lets it slowly simmer to a boil throughout the story. And when it boils you only want more.

I subtracted one star because I felt that the book was written with modern sensibilities in mind. I just didn't feel that I was being transported back to the time written about.

I do hope she writes more books as sizzling as this one! A bit of caution, only atempt to read "Love Lessons" if you have a cold shower near by. With that said, I highly recomend it.

This book with its simple format and language has opened my eyes to possibilities and perspectives that I simply never thought of. As an educator, I think everyone in the world of education should read. From policy-makers to administrators to teachers to school psychologists, and very specially, parents, we all owe it to our children and to ourselves to become informed and critical about the efficiency (or the lack thereof) of our educational system. Especially at times, such as now, when our children seem to be failing more than ever. Holt's observations, although limited to private schools, provide one with a solid view of what is happening in the world of teaching accross the board. Holt makes and answers questions that are not only relevant to his subject but vital to the development of better teaching. Holt's idea that we don't know enough about student-teacher relationships could not be more accurate. I know this because I am an educator. I agree with Holt when he says that it is time that we look beyond ourselves and our own interest and begin looking at students with respect. As an insider, I couldn't help blushing while reading the reasons that Holt gives for children's failure in school. I was only able to nod my head positively when he said that teachers aren't listening to their students because they are only listening to what they want to hear. Another reason children fail, according to Holt, is that they are not being intellectually challenged enough at school. The conclusion made by Holt makes plenty of sense. Teachers definitely need to make every effort to free their teaching from ambiguity, confusion and self-contradiction. Besides teachers, the pointing finger also points to standardized exams. Standardized exams, I agree with the author, do not make our children more knowledgeable. Holt's final verdict is clear and pungent: Students are failing because adults-teachers, administrators, parents, policy-makers, etc.-are not doing their jobs. Although not a pleasant thing to hear (especially for those of us who have chosen to dedicate our lives to the education of our young), I am personally grateful to Mr. Holt for taking a bold stand to face us with our demons.

Being an education major I was assigned this book for a class project. It is an interesting day by day journal of author John Holt's experience as a teacher in a Colorado private school. Holt's insights are honest and convey what some of the major problems are with todays students. The book's strength comes from the way Holt sees through the eyes of children who desperately want to please the adults who teach them but, out of fear hold back their talents for learning. Although the book is sixteen years old it remains a strong indictment of our modern educational system. I strongly recommend this read for anyone entering the field of education.

Written in the mid-to-late Fifties, but still incredibly relevant today, "How Children Fail" was originally a series of memos composed by teacher John Holt to his fellow faculty at the primary school where he taught math. Holt was bothered by certain trends he noticed in the classroom -- among both the teachers and the students -- and started analyzing what he saw over the course of several years. Eventually his notes grew to the point where his fellow teachers persuaded him to edit and publish the book, and it has since become a cornerstone of educational theory. Regrettably, its lessons are all too often mouthed rather than taken to heart.

Holt's contentions are simple: Children are born learners. This is not even a particularly controversial observation; Piaget was showing that children are inclined to learn more about their world from day one. But there was little or nothing in the current educational system -- designed for the training of factory-workers and desk jockeys, not thinkers and builders -- that supported actual learning. Obviously, Holt has plenty to say about rote learning, which to him is mostly useless when dealing with things like mathematics, where creative approaches are not only needed but urgently desired. One of the best examples of this comes when he gives his class a number of math problems to solve and says, "You've never seen problems like these before, and I don't care how you go about solving them, but try them out." The class eagerly got to work and did some real learning... until Holt was leaned on by the administration to "pick up the pace".

This is the second thing that Holt notices: the sometimes subtler ways in which children are kept from learning. One is the pace and size of modern education. The other is the endless farrago of half-baked strategies which are little more than the same old recipes in disguise. Holt takes a moment, for instance, to talk about New Math, and shows that it doesn't matter how good the New Math is when it's just the Bad Old Math in disguise: "cook-bookery," as he puts it; a mindless set of recipes for getting right answers.

Holt's contempt for the church of right answers is clear through the book. What is annoying is how his anger has since been misappropriated by people who did not understand that Holt's anger was directed at the emotional fetishism attached to right answers, not the right answers themselves. Holt very obviously wanted children to learn and use their minds -- something which modern outcome-based education, derived at least in part from books like these, does not allow. Holt should really not be blamed for the development of educational fads that would have sickened him.

On top of everything else, the book is also a grand work of classroom sociology. The way kids interact with each other and their teachers, the way they do one thing and say another (and why) is dissected and shown up. And Holt also takes the time to show how parents do stupid things like use homework as punishment (a great way to kill a kid's curiosity).

The most remarkable thing about the book is how after thirty years it is still relevant, timely, accurate, readable, and indispensible.

Like other people, I was excited about reading this book since it was in "the Tradition of Victoria Holt." Yes, while it was similar to Victoria Holt's works, it doesn't come close in quality. The characters were flat and not really believable. The dialogue sounded forced and the plot was predictable. The typos were obvious and annoying, and frankly I expect better from a book. Having said that, the book is an okay read, but don't waste your money. Borrow it or buy a used copy.

I am a huge Victoria Holt fan and was so excited to see this book. The reviews on it were great and said it was like reading Victoria Holt again etc. etc. so I couldn't wait to get it. First of all when I got this book and started reading it I noticed that there are many typo's in this book, almost on every page. This was very distracting and I couldn't believe a publisher would even publish a book this way. Second, it was very slow. It was an easy read, but very slow. Third, the ending was really quite exciting and did have a touch of Victoria Holt in it. Overall, this book is not like Victoria Holt all over again. It's basically just an okay read.

This work by B.J. Conner is an outstanding tribute to the Gothic Romance style made famous by Victoria Holt. I don't believe that Ms. Holt could have written a better novel herself. I was so engulfed in the intrigue and mystery surrounding Conner's novel that I could not put it down. I can't wait until B.J. Conner's next work. If it is half as good as "Roses Are Deceiving," it will be a great book. Anybody who does not find "Roses Are Deceiving" to be in the tradition of Victoria Holt, must not have much literary knowledge or much experience with Ms. Holt's works. This is a can't miss novel. If you are a fan of Victoria Holt, you will soon find yourself a fan of B.J. Conner!