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I received a very interesting, detailed and positive review from Melissa Bradley for Lost In His Arms. Evidently my heroines are only too human!
http://melissasimaginarium.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-in-his-arms-by-m-s-spencera-review.html
Friday, October 1, 2010Lost In His Arms by M S Spencer...A Review Red Rose Publishing Mainstream Contemporary Action Adventure M/F 61,150 words e-book ISBN 978-1-60435-357-0 In the chaotic world of the early 1990's, political writer Chloe Gray is going through a creative crisis as she struggles with her column and her book. Enter Michael Keller, a CIA operative. He walks into her life under the most mundane of circumstance and the sparks fly between them, awakening Chloe to new possibilities. Every encounter is hotter than the last, leaving her weak and longing for more, yet Michael's work keeps him away from her for longer and longer periods. When he disappears while working in Vietnam, she meets Emile, a French diplomat. Emile is debonair and sophisticated, attentive to her needs. He can give Chloe everything she's ever wanted, especially the security she's always craved. When he proposes, she finds herself at a crossroads. Postponing things with Emile, Chloe embarks on a search to find Michael, to confront him about their relationship. Her search plunges her smack into his world, in the middle of a cat and mouse game between two Mid-East powers where both their lives hang in the balance. Spencer deftly weaves together the genres of romance and political thriller, setting it all against the backdrop of pre-Clinton DC. She takes the reader behind the scenes of political journalism, giving them a glimpse into the press corp and the back door dealings. Bush the First's Washington is realized in vivid detail as Chloe navigates the stories of the day; the Middle East, Vietnam's re-emergence and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Chloe is by turns interesting and irritating, but she is always genuine, a hallmark of Spencer's heroines. She comes to life on the pages under this author's skillful hands. Her flaws make her very relatable and I found myself rooting for her as she tried to put her life back together after each encounter with Michael. She is in love with a phantom, someone who disappears and reappears at random moments in her life. I felt for her, trying to hold on to essentially a dream. Chloe is spirited and intelligent, unafraid to go after what she wants. With nothing in Michael's point of view, we are left to relate to him only through the brief times he drops in on Chloe's life. He talks about duty, but there is no insight into what drove him to espionage. Which frustrated me more than a few times and I wanted him to go away. On the other hand, I do love the way he treats Chloe when he's with her. In these scenes he is clearly head -over-heels and it's at these moments where I cave, and want things to all work out. By contrast, Emile is almost an open book. His relationship with his parents, his career, his affections for Chloe all provide clear motivation for all his actions. I understand Chloe's torture when she has to ultimately choose between them. The relationship between Michael and Chloe is electric. The moments they are together are magical little vignettes out of time. I wanted them to go on. However,they spend the majority of the book apart, which lends little credence to them developing a working relationship beyond the physical. Ms. Spencer's descriptions are lush and paint a picture in the mind's eye. We are right there with her characters, roasting in the DC heat, we can smell the bar in Spain, hear the traffic in Paris. Her love of food and wine shines through as well. There are several dishes here that I would love to try. This book has a solid, original storyline that is a bit more mainstream than romance in my opinion, but its romance elements are hot. I got caught up with Chloe and Michael. Fans of political thrillers should thoroughly enjoy this. There's exceptional dialogue and a cast of wonderful secondary characters that will leave readers wanting more. To buy Lost In His Arms, click here. For more information about M S Spencer and her works, please visit her website www.meredithellsworth.com.
MY REVIEW of Rebecca Rose's Divine Turmoil:
Divine Turmoil by Rebecca Rose: A heart wrencher! Published by Lyrical Press Genre: Romance/Contemporary Digital ISBN: 978-1-61650-090-0 Buy links:
https://sites.google.com/a/authorrebeccarose.com/divine-turmoil/ After August 1 you can order Divine Turmoil in e-book or print form from Lyrical Press at: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=authors&authors_id=103
I have to admit it was difficult to finish Divine Turmoil, not because it wasn’t a wonderful read, but because I am unfortunately dealing with the death from cancer of a loved one. But Rebecca Rose described the pain and powerlessness associated with losing a parent so well that in a way it comforted me. Divine Turmoil is the story of Serena and Brian, two people burned by life and mislaid hopes, unwilling to let their emotions take them to the place of comfort they know they’ll find in each other’s arms. Ms. Rose has captured beautifully their gradual acceptance of the inevitable without making their resistance either artificial or irritating. There are some priceless moments, as when Brian feels the first stirrings of jealousy and wants to pee on Serena to mark his territory, and some great lines: “Brian was the breath she couldn’t quite catch.” Ms. Rose thankfully appreciates males and doesn’t make fun of their masculine nature. And her heroine isn’t one of those Pollyannas who always knows and does the right thing. I hate that, don’t you? Oddly enough, my absolute favorite scene is toward the end when the villain (here Brian’s ex-wife Susan) tries to take Brian back. Rather than make Susan a cardboard two-dimensional creature that everyone can hate, she adds dimensions—insecurity, doubt, even a wish to make amends—to her. It reminds the reader that all humans have their dark side and their light side, and that no one is beyond redemption. I recommend Divine Turmoil to anyone looking for a story that gives the reader romance plus a cast of very real characters with very human features. I literally couldn’t put it down through the final chapters. Thank you, Rebecca Rose!
**** ***** ***** ******
 New review from Melissa's Imaginarium for Lost & Found:
Sunday, July 25, 2010Lost and Found by M S Spencer...A Review Released June 10, 2010 by Red Rose Publishing Contemporary Romance/Action/Adventure, M/F Heat Index: 3 Flames; Red Rose line: Autumn Rose 69,000 words; eBook; ISBN 978-1-60435-707-3 Rose Culloden has come to Maine in search of the husband who left her without explanation. As she surreptitiously looks for answers, she finds herself continually drawn to James Stewart, a local guide. They embark on an unexpected,passionate affair that leaves Rose torn between loyalty to marriage vows and a chance at real happiness. As her search continues, Rose finds herself questioning everything about her life and facing some awful truths she's never acknowledged. It isn't until she's hit with the true depths of David's deceptions that she finally realizes what real love is all about, only it might just be too late. This is a wonderful tale of one woman's difficult journey to free herself from the expectations she'd had for herself and the kind of life she'd always imagined she should have. Rose is a frustrating, endearing, visceral character that readers will easily identify with. There were times I found myself wanting to hug her, slap her, cheer her and yell at her. Ms. Spencer has created a deep, intelligent protagonist that is engaging and provocative. Her quest to be free from not only her marriage, but her the weight of her own flawed expectations is something everyone can identify with at some point in their lives. The characterizations in this tale were absolutely unforgettable. James is a strong, upright man whose own flaws provided the perfect counterpoint to Rose. The supporting cast was amazing. Each one of these characters leaped from the pages, everything from their dialogue to their descriptions was original and off-beat. Ms. Spencer has a dynamic way of setting the scenes. Her descriptions of places are vivid and arresting. In my mind's eye, I was right there, feeling the bite of the wind, the cold of the rain. I could actually taste and smell the lobster and the various dishes. Ms. Spencer has an obvious love of food that translates to her fiction. I wanted to eat everything she described. There were times all that detail seemed extraneous, though, with too much information packed in. The passion and conflict between Rose and James was believable, if a bit rushed. I felt like I wanted them to have more time together and some of their scenes ended too abruptly for my taste. Overall, though,their romance was beautiful, the lovemaking touching and sweet. I enjoyed this story very much. Ms. Spencer has a real gift for crafting honest, engaging tales that will stay with the reader long after the last page has turned. And for me a fabulous Five Roses plus for Lost in His Arms from the inimitable Rebecca Rose!
Here is a link to the wonderful review Rebecca Rose gave to my first book, Lost in His Arms, from Red Rose Publishing. Five roses PLUS! Thank you Rebecca. http://www.authorrebeccarose.blogspot.com/?zx=13f7b137429e14ce Lost in His Arms, by M. S. Spencer Published 2009 by Red Rose Publishing eBook, ISBN 978-1-60435-375-0 Contemporary Romance, Action/Adventure; M/F; 3 flames Buy link: www.redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=282&products_id=17 http://www.authorrebeccarose.blogspot.com/?zx=d6137609ab7bde19 REBECCA ROSEWhere Fun and Romance Play! The Tales of a Contemporary Romance Writer
Wednesday, July 14, 2010Review: 'Lost In His Arms'Welcome to Review Wednesday! *streamer flying through the air and music turned up* I wanted to dance around the room when I finished this weeks review. Now I'm an honest reviewer, and as one, I'm always nervous when I start a novel. What if I don't like it? What if it's not my read or filled to the brim with holes and grammar mishaps? Well my fellow readers and authors-- this is not something I had to worry about with M.S. Spencer's debut novel, Lost In His Arms. A star is born! Posted by Rebecca Rose at 7:45 AM 0 comments
The Blue Rose
Contacts: www.meredithellsworth.com AND FIVE STARS from REVIEWER At AMAZON!
Check out Jordan's review of Lost in His Arms at Dark Diva--she gave it 5 Delightful Divas! Note you can also buy the book there.
COMING SOON: Reviews of Lost in His Arms by Jessica Chambers. |
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