Lost Love Found

Rating:
Summary: Utter crap
Review: Sorry but if you think a woman practically being raped by an abusive man (and then finding out she enjoys it) is romantic then you have a serious problem. What is it with some of these romantic novelists that they have to have the heroine raped? This book is a load of rubbish and the type where you regret how much less of your life is left after you finish reading it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better Bertice Small offerings
Review: This is one of the better offerings by author Bertrice Small. It is set in a familiar setting, Elizabethian England and full of well loved, familiar characters (Skye, Aidan, Conn and Esther Kira). What more could any Bertrice Small fan ask for? It is a good, solid romantic romp with the O'Malley family and a fond farewell to Good Queen Bess.

Rating:
Summary: Where is the romance?
Review: This is the book in this series with the most "romance"....but that is not saying much at all! I usually find myself drawn to the world of the people I read about, but this book and this series have not done this for me. These books are just pornography in the deceptive package of a romance novel. I am very sorry I have wasted my time and money.

Rating:
Summary: Is this a different story?
Review: This umpteenth sequel of the Skye O'Malley saga doesn't seem to be like a sequel, it's more like the same story with different names. The same goes for all the sequels of "Skye O'Malley". Heroine finds happiness, heroine is kidnapped by a cruel Eastern man and forced to be his slave (but sometimes she secretly enjoys it), then she is happily reunited with her beloved. The storyline is always the same, only the name of the characters change. Seems like the O'Malleys are genetically destined for the same fate. Ms Small needs to move on and come with something new.
A sidenote: I don't know why does Ms Small and lots of other romance writers think that women love these heartless macho guys. I wonder, maybe most of these writers are male under a female pseudonym? Anyway, I'm fed up and finished with them. Even a Stephen King novel can be more romantic than these "ooh I'm captured and raped and being humiliated an enjoy it soo much" books.

Rating:
Summary: Is this a different story?
Review: This umpteenth sequel of the Skye O'Malley saga doesn't seem to be like a sequel, it's more like the same story with different names. The same goes for all the sequels of "Skye O'Malley". Heroine finds happiness, heroine is kidnapped by a cruel Eastern man and forced to be his slave (but sometimes she secretly enjoys it), then she is happily reunited with her beloved. The storyline is always the same, only the name of the characters change. Seems like the O'Malleys are genetically destined for the same fate. Ms Small needs to move on and come with something new.
A sidenote: I don't know why does Ms Small and lots of other romance writers think that women love these heartless macho guys. I wonder, maybe most of these writers are male under a female pseudonym? Anyway, I'm fed up and finished with them. Even a Stephen King novel can be more romantic than these "ooh I'm captured and raped and being humiliated an enjoy it soo much" books.

Rating:
Summary: one harem too many
Review: Usually, I love Mrs. Small's books. Her description of theclothes, foods and dwelings of the medival/renissance period arewonderful and so are many of her supporting cast. BUT- after reading Skye O'Malley and AtST, I felt Valentina was a bit of a stupid character who was to stubborn to see the forest for the trees. Her father loves her, her cousin loves her but she has to go to the East and guess what? She ends up in a harem! (surprise, surprise!) These scences are one to many, rape is not appealing in a romance novel even if the heroine is 'betrayed by her body'. I really could bearly finish this one. :-(

Rating:
Summary: My favorite in the O'Malley Saga
Review: Valentina is my favorite heroine in the O'Malley series and more like Skye than Skye's offspring is. When Valentina goes to court to serve Elizabeth I, I was heartbroken. Mrs. Small's exceptional writing and incredible detail showed me how the lively days of courtlife in Elizabeth's youth had dramatically changed and become a somber place as Elizabeth approached her last days. When a family secret is revealed, Valentina shows us her adventurous spirit and heads East! Her adventures are incredible! I appreciated how Mrs. Small touched on "The Kadin" through the duchy of San Lorenzo and reintroducing us to Esther Kira (who met Valentina's mother in "A Love for All Time"). Also, the appearance of Cica Pasha tied into "Love Wild and Fair." Wonderful! (A note to Mrs. Small: Since you have touched on Esther Kira so often, how about a book dedicated to her entire life. Just a thought.) I wept at least 3 times and was filled with anger, frustration, joy, fear, and triumph as Mrs. Small weaved her magic spell of words and phrases and pulled me into her story. If you haven't read the O'Malley series, you might get a little confused. You should at least read "A Love for All Time" which is the tale of Aidan, Valentina's mother, and is the basis of much of this book's plot.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite in the O'Malley Saga
Review: Valentina is my favorite heroine in the O'Malley series and more like Skye than Skye's offspring is. When Valentina goes to court to serve Elizabeth I, I was heartbroken. Mrs. Small's exceptional writing and incredible detail showed me how the lively days of courtlife in Elizabeth's youth had dramatically changed and become a somber place as Elizabeth approached her last days. When a family secret is revealed, Valentina shows us her adventurous spirit and heads East! Her adventures are incredible! I appreciated how Mrs. Small touched on "The Kadin" through the duchy of San Lorenzo and reintroducing us to Esther Kira (who met Valentina's mother in "A Love for All Time"). Also, the appearance of Cica Pasha tied into "Love Wild and Fair." Wonderful! (A note to Mrs. Small: Since you have touched on Esther Kira so often, how about a book dedicated to her entire life. Just a thought.) I wept at least 3 times and was filled with anger, frustration, joy, fear, and triumph as Mrs. Small weaved her magic spell of words and phrases and pulled me into her story. If you haven't read the O'Malley series, you might get a little confused. You should at least read "A Love for All Time" which is the tale of Aidan, Valentina's mother, and is the basis of much of this book's plot.