Rating:  Summary: So good you'll want to stay up to finish it! Review: "Handyman" was great! Jake Cooper had no idea what he was getting into when he posed as Dr. Jason "Jay" Golding. Maggie Ivey definitely had no idea what was going on until she is accused of something horrible that isn't true. Maggie and Jake show us that love can conquer all. I stayed up 2 nights in a row to finish this book.
Rating:  Summary: A sweet, escapist, modern fairytale Review: A classic, but updated, romance (think "Jerry Maguire" or "Sleepless in Seattle") that made me smile and cry. I absolutely adore the last line of the book!
Rating:  Summary: Fun Summer Read Review: A very cute summer read that will give you a chuckle when it starts to unfold.
Rating:  Summary: Happy book--happy reader Review: Everyone could use a 21-day overhaul like the one the main character in this book receives--warm, caring, practical, and totally free from gimmicks and psychobabble. This book is a great book to pick up on a rainy day or when life is looking bleak.
Rating:  Summary: Fun Read! Review: Handyman is a lovely little romantic fable. It is not for cynics, but for romantics it will surely satisfy. I am buying copies for all my friends for Christmas. Considering the seeming dearth of handy and quality men out there, it's great to find one on the pages of a book.
Rating:  Summary: A lovely tale of mistaken identity Review: I couldn't wait to start the novel and I finished it in practically one night. It was a wonderful love story of discovery and family values. It demonstrates the healing role of listening and acceptance (and common-sensical intervention). I wonder what therapists would think of this book's take on psychoanalysis? I prefer Jake Cooper's therapy. It's a novel that I would not mind my precocious daughter reading. And it is one that a 13-year-old boy could enjoy too. I can't wait for the author's next book. The rating system limited me to whole stars; otherwise I would give HANDYMAN 4-1/2 stars.
Rating:  Summary: Racing to Get to the End Review: I don't like to quit reading a book once I've started, but I was really tempted this time! Could it have been drug out any longer? The way the reader is forced to "listen" to the character's "thoughts" instead of reading dialogue is very irritating. And the same thoughts are repeated over and over and over and over . . . . I found myself skipping whole pages, just to find some dialogue.
Rating:  Summary: Just Plain Enjoyable Review: I enjoyed this book from start to predictable finish. The characters are likable and you keep rooting for Maggie Ivey right from the start. A good, old-fashioned story. As an author myself, of NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL, I especially enjoyed the sections about Maggie's small son, and all the challenges and joys of raising a child today. You'll like this book!
Rating:  Summary: Could have been much more... Review: I find myself largely in agreement with Laurie Shallah, who made some very valid points about the worthiness of our hero vs. our heroine. I thought both characters were likeable enough, but there were way too many holes in the book's plot to even make the story engaging, and I was so annoyed by the supposedly "unforgetable" secondary characters (the book jacket says something like that), that I found myself skipping much of the middle of the book just to get to the resolution of their misunderstanding... which was covered all too quickly. Two and a half pages and he's forgiven, they're married and she accepts his overly obsessive gesture of building her dream house behind her back? It should have been the focal-point of the story... the misunderstanding about his identity would have been much better solved earlier on in the book, Maggie's anger played out, and then the two characters forced to learn to like each other for who they REALLY are. All in all I think Mrs. Nichols has talent (especially with dialogue, when you can find it), but she would much better serve her readers with a story that focuses more on the point (their love, i'm presuming) and less on the cliche things that are supposed to keep them apart until the required 300 pages have been filled.
Rating:  Summary: Excellent first-time book Review: I have been waiting for this book to come out since I heard that Linda sold it. I got the info that it was out second-hand and belated, but when I did, I went out and bought it.This book has a lot of good points. It is heart-warming and funny, and it has a lot of just desserts and undeserved grace in it, also. The characters are well-fleshed-out, the events are just believable enough to work, and the ending is suitably powerful. If you're wondering whether you should buy this book or not, let me encourage you to buy it! I think you'll enjoy it and be touched by it. Good work, Linda!
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