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Rating: 
Summary: It's an OK read
Review: After the death of her father, Alexandra Haywood is left with the job of seeing after her father's estate. Contrary to what everyone believes- the estate is broke and has to be down sized. The lawyer suggested that Alexandra let him take care of dismissing employees and selling race horse farm but Alexandra feels she owes it to the loyal employees to be told by her that they no longer have a job. She sets out for Paradise County, Kentucky. When she mets Joe Welch, the farm manager face to face and tells him to sell off the horses so she can sell the farm, Joe fights her all the way. His dream was to make these horses the best race horses yet and now it is being shot to pieces. Sparks fly! Emotionally and physically between the two. There's an attraction there between Alexandra and Joe but never want to admit it due to the friction over the farm. It is still hard for Alexandra to believe that her father would commit suicide- but that is what the report says- but even from it things don't add up. And Joe Welch was the one that found him dead. Alexandra wants to do some questioning of her own. The more Alexandra ask the more unusual things start turning up, like a presence in her bedroom at night and someone setting the house on fire- could someone be out to harm Alexandra? Alexandra's kid sister showing up from school to live with her doesn't help the matter. Joe has his kids to keep track of too. Being a single parent hasn't been easy but Joe has worked at it. Now he has someone else needing some of his attention- Alexandria. Can he deal with someone special coming into his life after all of these years of being single? The story line is good but there seemed to be something left out of it. It seemed choppy to me- I don't know. It just wasn't one of my favorites. But I wouldn't say don't read it. Just don't buy it. There is better out there.
Rating: 
Summary: The psycho killer was a little too realistic.
Review: I try not to review a book based on the moral message, but rather on the quality of the book itself, but this time I just could not do it.I could not believe this book is supposed to be a romance. Ms. Robards has the talent - as usual - of making you feel that you are right there in the story - she has the ability to make her scenes come really alive. I am sorry that she uses this talent to give us the mind and feelings of a psycho - and sorry that I read it. What previous reviewers failed to mention - as far as I saw - was that the graphic violence was not limited to dogs! He abducts women, too, obviously - about twenty over ten years - or more - and there is a little too much detail for me. A lot! Yes, nothing actually happens to Alex - the heroine - but the other women were also human beings - I can't believe I read this. And I can't believe that people who read this are only bothered about the dog! I read romance to escape from all this - from the frying pan into the fire, in this case. And, yes, besides for all that, the book is good. Just not romance.
Rating: 
Summary: Steamy!
Review: Paradise County is a very good book because it has a variety of themes in it. It keeps the reader interested and because there is a mystery the reader will want to keep reading until the end of the book.
The story takes place in Shelby County, Kentucky. The beautiful scenery and finest horses make people call it "Paradise County". Charles Haywood is a very rich man who owns a horse farm called Whistledown, located in Shelby County. He is there visiting his horse farm when he unexpectedly dies. His death is ruled a suicide. Joe Welch, who manages Whistledown and has lived on the farm since he was younger, is the one that found Mr. Haywood. Joe has three children and raises them by himself. Their mother and his wife left them many years before. Alexandra Haywood is Charles Haywood's daughter. She and her younger sister Neely, come to visit Whistledown to oversee the selling of the horse farm. When Mr. Haywood died, Alex and Neely were left in debt. The horse farm and the horses had to be sold. While making arrangements for Whistledown, Alex also wants desperately to find answers to her father's so-called suicide. She can't believe her father would have killed himself. Joe and Alex's first meeting with each other is very unpleasant. The meeting turns out very bad, they hate one another. After a few days at Whistledown, Neely, who is a teenage wild child, starts hanging around with Joe's son Eli. Eli is Joe's oldest son and is sixteen years old. Alex and Joe also start to develop a better relationship. It seems that their hatred for each other turns into passion. While Neely and Eli get into a few mischievous situations, Alex and Joe start a romantic relationship. All of a sudden Neely and Eli disappear. Alex and Joe start uncovering a mystery while trying to find them. Soon they all become in danger. It turns out a murderer has been living in Paradise County. Throughout the book, the story goes from the characters at Whistledown to the unknown murderer. The murderer is killing his victims and keeping some prisoner. It goes into detail about his victims at different times in the book.
I enjoyed this book because it made me want to keep reading until I uncovered the mystery. I wanted to find out who the murderer was. I also enjoyed the developing love stories. Paradise County also talks about a ghost, which might appeal to some readers. This book had passion, murders, and comedy all mixed into it. Readers will want to see if eventually the murderer is caught. Most of the story is believable. It is likely that a rich man could have been murdered. It is also likely that he could have committed suicide. People who might despise each other could fall in love with each other. There are murderers around, even in what seems like a "paradise" type of place. Some might question the fact that the girls see a ghost of their father, while others might not think twice about that idea. The author does not use extremely difficult words, they are easy to understand and follow. As far as character development goes I think Alex and Joe's characters developed a lot as the story went on. I feel that they both were judgmental at the beginning. It is interesting to see the hatred they have for each other quickly turn into love. They seem to need each other very much.
I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to people that enjoy a good mystery. If someone enjoys all types of books, this would be one to read because the reader gets a mixture of different themes.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SUSPENSE
Review: There is no good reason to bring blatant animal abuse (p. 73) into a story sold as mystery/romance. Return this book to wherever you bought or borrowed it and do not read it. This book deserves no stars. I will not read anything of this author's works.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book.
Review: This book was great. And ya, there is a psycho killer on the loose, but that is why this is a romantic-suspence, and not just a romance. It had me on the edge of my seat, and was so hot, I could have melted. This book broke me into romance, and I still love my suspence books. Loved it. Mrs. Robards is one of my favorties.
Rating: 
Summary: Robards needs to learn that less is more...
Review: This book was nowhere near her usual standard. I read Robards novels for interesting plots, richly drawn characters, and a little romance and intrigue on the side. This novel, however, is less a romance or a mystery than a disgusting, excessively violent treatise on how to abduct and torture animals and women. Ugh. I was disappointed that an author as creative and talented as Robards would resort to the unsubtle, unnecessary, repulsive descriptions that she does in this novel. I REALLY do not want to read a detailed description of a pathetic stray dog being lit on fire and tortured, to say nothing of the equally disturbing descriptions of what the killer does to his victims. I don't mind the presence of a psycho killer, but I think the novel would have been much more suspenseful, and a lot less stomach-turning, with more subtle descriptions. After all, things the reader has to imagine himself are the most frightening. Things laid out in repellent detail are just disgusting.
Rating:
Summary: Robards needs to learn that less is more...
Review: This book was nowhere near her usual standard. I read Robards novels for interesting plots, richly drawn characters, and a little romance and intrigue on the side. This novel, however, is less a romance or a mystery than a disgusting, excessively violent treatise on how to abduct and torture animals and women. Ugh. I was disappointed that an author as creative and talented as Robards would resort to the unsubtle, unnecessary, repulsive descriptions that she does in this novel. I REALLY do not want to read a detailed description of a pathetic stray dog being lit on fire and tortured, to say nothing of the equally disturbing descriptions of what the killer does to his victims. I don't mind the presence of a psycho killer, but I think the novel would have been much more suspenseful, and a lot less stomach-turning, with more subtle descriptions. After all, things the reader has to imagine himself are the most frightening. Things laid out in repellent detail are just disgusting.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: This book was very good and has an exciting, fast paced storyline. I was kept guessing as to who the serial killer was, which is usually obvious. Which might be because I did take the advise of a previous reviewer, who forewarned reader's about graphic animal cruelty scenes in the beginning of the book, by skipping those sections of the story. I really wish authors who used sadistic villains in their stories would leave more to the readers imagination. I really have no need to be "in the mind of a killer." Especially when trying to enjoy a good romance. But, after having skipped that bit of the story, I really don't feel that I missed a thing. The relationship between all the characters, first and secondary made this book well worth the time I spent reading. The story is very realistic, I kept thinking, "Thank goodness, that's exactly what I would do!" Unlike most portrayals of truly frustrating characters that never do the obvious.
Rating:
Summary: Vicious. Sadistic. Romance?
Review: This book was written by a monster. I thought I was reading a
romance, with a murder intrigue setting. Instead I got "Silence of the Lambs." I don't enjoy reading about animals and people
being tortured and killed. If this former romance author wishes to continue writing these sick books. Please stop classifying them as romance novels. p.s. I threw it in the garbage!
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