Rating: 
Summary: Felt like two separate books.....neither good
Review: The first 2/3 of HOMEPLACE is a story about a woman, Raine Cantrell, going back to the town she grew up in to help her grandmother. While she's there, some old issues with her mother are brought up. The last 1/3 of the novel is a romance between Raine and the sheriff, Jack O'Halloran. Maybe if either of these two stories were done well, it wouldn't have been such a problem, unfortunately, neither was.In the family drama portion of the book, Raines family is comically self-centered. Some issues are brought up including the anger Raine feels toward her mother for never being there for her when she was growing up and not providing a stable home. This was resolved by Raine being told she's too judgmental, that is who her mother is. I just don't think that a lifetimes worth of anger is going to be resolved quite that simply. The romance aspect of the book was even worse and more superficial than the family drama aspect. First off, all of her family members have undergone complete character changes and are now wonderfully supportive. The romance itself was, frankly, boring. I kept finding myself looking at the page number to see how much longer the book was. If I was smart I would have just stopped reading the first time I caught myself doing that. I can't finish this review without including one thing that drove me nuts throughout the entire book. The story takes place in Washington State, and yet New York City is continually referred to as "the city." I know this is a petty complaint, but I really don't think people in Washington think of New York when someone says "the city."
Rating: 
Summary: JoAnn Ross just keeps getting better.
Review: There is so much to love about this book it's hard to know where to start--maybe with Jack, who has moved up to the top of my wish-list. But all of the people from this book are memorable--characters who will live on in my heart.
Rating: 
Summary: Plotless
Review: This book was rather boring in comparison to many of the other writers you can find in this genre. The writing was good though, and by that I mean the characters were fairly well-rounded and weren't just talking in cliches and mindless Harlequin-type sentences. The biggest problem, in my opinion, was that this book lacked a plot; I suppose the 'plot' is about Raine coming home to stay, but that wasn't well developed. In fact, the book didn't really get off the ground at all. The writing was ok though, and I'm still planning to try another Ross book - perhaps one that is more recent to see if she has improved.
Rating:
Summary: JoAnn Ross just gets better and better!
Review: This is a absolute MUST read for anyone who enjoys romance because there's nothing sexier than a man with a Nano-kitty! <G> JoAnn Ross has an unsurpassed talent for touching the heart and I have Far Harbor, her next book, in red ink on my computer. Write faster, JoAnn!
Rating:
Summary: Formulaic Writing
Review: This reads like the author used one of those software programs designed for writing romance books. Bland and boring are both descriptives I would use. If you like this genre, try Nora Roberts. Roberts is much better and gives her reader more than just a benign read.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Romance?
Review: When New York attorney Raine Cantrell receives the urgent phone call to go home to take care of her grandmother and three foster children, she leaves immeiately. Fully expecting to be gone from her high powered job only a short time, Raine never expected to run into Jack O'Halloran in her home town of Coldwater Cove, Washington. Jack and Raine immediately butt heads, but are attracted to eachother from the start. Jack is the town's sherriff and taking care of his 6 year old daughter, Raine has no time for men in her life. Her career has always been number one. Realizing that she is needed more in her hometown on Washington State's beautiful Olympic Penninsula, Raine takes a short leave of absense. Of course, she never expected to fall in love. Jack and Raine make a wonderful couple in this charming story, but this is not all what this book is about. JoAnn Ross has written an incredible family trying to come to terms with past mistakes and problems. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the second in the series, Far Harbor. If I have only one complaint about this book, this is it. Where was all the rain? Okay, it rained the first day when Jack and Raine met, but not much after. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I KNOW that springtime in the Olympic Penninsula is rain, rain go away come again another day. Except it never goes away. That's it. Only one complaint.
Rating:
Summary: Love, Pacific Northwest Style
Review: When New York attorney Raine Cantrell receives the urgent phone call to go home to take care of her grandmother and three foster children, she leaves immeiately. Fully expecting to be gone from her high powered job only a short time, Raine never expected to run into Jack O'Halloran in her home town of Coldwater Cove, Washington. Jack and Raine immediately butt heads, but are attracted to eachother from the start. Jack is the town's sherriff and taking care of his 6 year old daughter, Raine has no time for men in her life. Her career has always been number one. Realizing that she is needed more in her hometown on Washington State's beautiful Olympic Penninsula, Raine takes a short leave of absense. Of course, she never expected to fall in love. Jack and Raine make a wonderful couple in this charming story, but this is not all what this book is about. JoAnn Ross has written an incredible family trying to come to terms with past mistakes and problems. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the second in the series, Far Harbor. If I have only one complaint about this book, this is it. Where was all the rain? Okay, it rained the first day when Jack and Raine met, but not much after. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I KNOW that springtime in the Olympic Penninsula is rain, rain go away come again another day. Except it never goes away. That's it. Only one complaint.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book
Review: With real life problems and real life feelings, JoAnn Ross makes you want to read this book all in one day. You find yourself wanting to be in Raine's place, having someone like Jack to love you. This is a great book! If you life real love stories, is book is your golden ticket.
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