Good, domestic drama is Rice's chosen field, and she knows every acre of it (Blue Moon, 1993; Secrets of Paris, 1991, etc.). Her sixth novel bears all her usual signposts: family tragedies, great romance, and writing so strong you wish she'd trust it to let her explore new pastures as well. Anne Davis, a young woman still spinning from both the accidental death of her four-year-old daughter and the breakup of her marriage, has left New York City and returned to the New England island where she grew up. On her first night back, a fire breaks out in her childhood home. Anne rushes into the flames to save a memento of her daughter's life and has to be rescued by Thomas Devlin, a firefighter who has scars, both physical and emotional, from an earlier blaze that killed his wife. As the old family place is being rebuilt, Anne slowly, painstakingly, begins to rebuild her own life, too, with the help of Thomas, the well- meaning interference of older sister Gaby, and the general nosiness of the whole island population. A final grisly tragedy allows Anne the chance to help save the life of someone dear to herthe chance she never had when her daughter diedand gives her enough peace to face the future again. As ever, Rice creates fine characters (even if Anne is just a shade too noble to be true), and she writes wonderfully romantic, steaming seduction scenes. While the many tragedies of this latest novel seem laid on with a heavy hand, she shows what she's really capable of in the small moments: the way two sisters talk to each other in a perfect mix of affection and envy; how the smell of smoke gets trapped in an attic's rafters; and, finally, how a child offers a homely, heartrending depiction of paradise. Rice's home fires burn brighter than most, and they leave more than a few smoldering moments to remember.
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 1995
ISBN: 0-553-09728-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bantam
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters...
Female rivalry is again the main preoccupation of Hannah’s latest Pacific Northwest sob saga (Firefly Lane, 2008, etc.).
At Water’s Edge, the family seat overlooking Hood Canal, Vivi Ann, youngest and prettiest of the Grey sisters and a champion horsewoman, has persuaded embittered patriarch Henry to turn the tumbledown ranch into a Western-style equestrian arena. Eldest sister Winona, a respected lawyer in the nearby village of Oyster Shores, hires taciturn ranch hand Dallas Raintree, a half-Native American. Middle sister Aurora, stay-at-home mother of twins, languishes in a dull marriage. Winona, overweight since adolescence, envies Vivi, whose looks get her everything she wants, especially men. Indeed, Winona’s childhood crush Luke recently proposed to Vivi. Despite Aurora’s urging (her principal role is as sisterly referee), Winona won’t tell Vivi she loves Luke. Yearning for Dallas, Vivi stands up Luke to fall into bed with the enigmatic, tattooed cowboy. Winona snitches to Luke: engagement off. Vivi marries Dallas over Henry’s objections. The love-match triumphs, and Dallas, though scarred by child abuse, is an exemplary father to son Noah. One Christmas Eve, the town floozy is raped and murdered. An eyewitness and forensic evidence incriminate Dallas. Winona refuses to represent him, consigning him to the inept services of a public defender. After a guilty verdict, he’s sentenced to life without parole. A decade later, Winona has reached an uneasy truce with Vivi, who’s still pining for Dallas. Noah is a sullen teen, Aurora a brittle but resigned divorcée. Noah learns about the Seattle Innocence Project. Could modern DNA testing methods exonerate Dallas? Will Aunt Winona redeem herself by reopening the case? The outcome, while predictable, is achieved with more suspense and less sentimental histrionics than usual for Hannah.
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters and understanding of family dynamics.Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-36410-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.
Passion, friendship, heartbreak, and forgiveness ring true in Lovering's debut, the tale of a young woman's obsession with a man who's "good at being charming."
Long Island native Lucy Albright, starts her freshman year at Baird College in Southern California, intending to study English and journalism and become a travel writer. Stephen DeMarco, an upperclassman, is a political science major who plans to become a lawyer. Soon after they meet, Lucy tells Stephen an intensely personal story about the Unforgivable Thing, a betrayal that turned Lucy against her mother. Stephen pretends to listen to Lucy's painful disclosure, but all his thoughts are about her exposed black bra strap and her nipples pressing against her thin cotton T-shirt. It doesn't take Lucy long to realize Stephen's a "manipulative jerk" and she is "beyond pathetic" in her desire for him, but their lives are now intertwined. Their story takes seven years to unfold, but it's a fast-paced ride through hookups, breakups, and infidelities fueled by alcohol and cocaine and with oodles of sizzling sexual tension. "Lucy was an itch, a song stuck in your head or a movie you need to rewatch or a food you suddenly crave," Stephen says in one of his point-of-view chapters, which alternate with Lucy's. The ending is perfect, as Lucy figures out the dark secret Stephen has kept hidden and learns the difference between lustful addiction and mature love.
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6964-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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