Rating: 
Summary: Excellent romantic adventure
Review: Dr. Annie Parrish of the River Basin Coalition hurriedly needs to leave Manaus, Brazil, but her transportation has broken down. Desperate to get out of town before Vargas, who once imprisoned and tortured her, learns she is there, she searches all the dives until she finds Harvard trained ethnobotanist Will Sanchez Travers sexily dancing with a local. She asks Will if she can join his ship heading to Santa Maria in the morning. Will, who has given up academia to go native, agrees for a fee.
Will takes Annie up river though he knows she is hiding her real reason for the hasty ride, but does not really care as long as her endeavor does not jeopardize his work. However, three days along the RIVER OF EDEN leads to an attraction and then love between the field scientists, but also danger from Vargas who has plans that will destroy the Norte Americano outsiders and many other innocents.
In a positive way, RIVER OF EDEN will remind readers of the Amazon Queen not just because of its locale, but also because its a strong adventure tale with two wonderful superstars. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action from the first step Annie takes onto the Manaus dive. The tale never lets up as Glenna McReynolds provides quite a reading experience for fans of a romantic adventure thriller. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Excellent romantic adventure
Review: Dr. Annie Parrish of the River Basin Coalition hurriedly needs to leave Manaus, Brazil, but her transportation has broken down. Desperate to get out of town before Vargas, who once imprisoned and tortured her, learns she is there, she searches all the dives until she finds Harvard trained ethnobotanist Will Sanchez Travers sexily dancing with a local. She asks Will if she can join his ship heading to Santa Maria in the morning. Will, who has given up academia to go native, agrees for a fee.
Will takes Annie up river though he knows she is hiding her real reason for the hasty ride, but does not really care as long as her endeavor does not jeopardize his work. However, three days along the RIVER OF EDEN leads to an attraction and then love between the field scientists, but also danger from Vargas who has plans that will destroy the Norte Americano outsiders and many other innocents.
In a positive way, RIVER OF EDEN will remind readers of the Amazon Queen not just because of its locale, but also because its a strong adventure tale with two wonderful superstars. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action from the first step Annie takes onto the Manaus dive. The tale never lets up as Glenna McReynolds provides quite a reading experience for fans of a romantic adventure thriller. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Brava! Encore!
Review: Hey Amazon! I need more stars! This is a book for your keeper shelf. With its fast pace, fresh plot, and steamy setting, a hero to die for and a heroine who commands respect, this book has it all. It's one of the best reads to coming along in a while. Glenna grabs the reader right from the start with two compelling questions. What happened to change Dr. Will Travers from respected Harvard botanist to jungle heathen? And what happened to Dr. Annie Parrish after the Wooly Monkey Incident? (And what was the Wooly Monkey Incident anyway?--okay that's three questions.) Even after the questions seem to be answered, deeper and more elusive questions come to the fore making for a non-stop action-packed pleasure of a read. The only disappointment was turning the last page and having it be over. Which leaves me, the humble reader, with a question of my own. --When's the next book coming, Glenna? I'll be waiting. P.S. (By the way, LOVED your last trilogy, too. Particularly Prince of Time. I can't wait for more.)
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Romantic Adventure ! !
Review: I can't write a better review than the first two readers already have for this terrific book. So let me just say this: RIVER OF EDEN is so much fun! Ever thought of taking a trip up the steamy, mysterious, Amazon? You'll feel as though that's exactly what you've done after reading this book. You'll be reaching for a fan and hearing the calls of colorful tropical birds. You will never look at an orchid in quite the same way. If you don't have a hammock strung up somewhere, .....you'll want one! RIVER OF EDEN is everything I hope for, and seldom find, in a romance novel. William Sanchez Travers, and Annie Parrish are the best contemporary hero and heroine I've read in ages! Even the bad guys are exceptionally well written here. Annie is smart and brave, but with her wistful moments. Just delightful! Will is a man who will stay in your thoughts for a long time after you finish the book. Delicous and dangerous, he is absolutely every thing you could hope for in a hero. Sigh,....is he ever! I already knew that author Glenna Mc Reynolds writes gorgeous Romantic Fantasy. How wonderful for all of us that she does just as well with modern characters. It takes an exceptionally talented writer to do more than one genre well. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next! Bursting with an exciting, mystical adventure, and showcasing intelligent, enormously appealing characters, RIVER OF EDEN is an especially lush and sensual romance. This book just has it all! Turn up the air conditioner, get a nice cold drink, and get ready for some non stop reading. You won't want to put RIVER OF EDEN down until you finish the last page. This one is a keeper!
Rating: 
Summary: Not the rapture I expected
Review: I discovered Glenna McReynolds with "The Chalice and the Blade" and was blown away by her thorough creation (or recreation, to some) of the Celtic and magical era of the English countryside. The other two books in that series, "Dream Stone" and "Prince of Time" were equally as impressive, well thought-out and executed. So I had high expectations for "River of Eden," but should have known when I saw it published only in paperback that I was in for an entirely different experience. This was a decent story, exciting and with a little steamy romance, but not at all the emotional and dreamy fiction created in the former series. "The Chalice and the Blade" left an impression on me, and changed the face of the romance genre a bit. This novel contained none of that power.
Rating:
Summary: What a great surprise!
Review: I've read Ms. McReynolds' past work, which was a really good fantasy/romance trilogy, so I was surprised to see that River of Eden is a contemporary. I almost didn't pick it up, but I'm so glad I did! This is a "go up the river into the jungle and accomplish a great feat against all odds" story. There are riverboat chases, and multiple levels of bad-buys double-crossing our intrepid hero/heroine (and each other). It's FUN, but it has a serious underlying theme of mysticism and redemption that is fascinating and different. Most of all, River of Eden is a love story on many different levels. It's about self-love, consuming love of a place, and oh yeah, a believable love between two really interesting people, Will and Annie. Will and Annie are great characters. Each of them is running from something, and running toward something else in the desperate hope that their destination will be enough to absolve them of past crimes, real and imagined. This is no light wise-cracking duo - these two are carrying some major baggage, some of it metaphysical/mystical in nature. Sometimes backstory like that can drag a romance down fast, but in River of Eden the hero and heroine are well-matched in their derring-do and their emotional wariness, so it's rewarding to watch them deal with each other and eventually, slowly, give in to their attraction for each other. I really enjoyed both of them individually and as a pair. The setting of this book takes on a life of its own, and the lush, lyrical quality of the narrative makes you feel like you can feel the rain and see the vegetation. It's almost a visual novel in its depth and feel. This is something River of Eden has in common with McReynolds' previous books, though the setting was very different in the fantasy trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed River of Eden and think you will too if you liked Romancing the Stone (the movie) or Heart of Fire by Linda Howard (the novel). Check it out. I don't think you'll be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: PARADISE IN A BOOK
Review: Romantic Suspense lovers, heads up!
Glenna McReynolds has penned a fast, can't wait to turn the page, stay up all night reading, story! Dr. Annie Parish, "Amazon Annie", is on a mission. To convince Will Sanchez Travers, once a renowned Harvard botanist, now a rather seedy looking--with a seedier reputation guide, to take her up the river to Santa Maria. She herself is a botanist, who, while having some renowned work under her belt, also has the rather infamous reputation of having been kicked out of Brazil a year ago for reportedly shooting a `lover'. But she's back, and determined to follow up on an amazing discovery she made quite by accident on her previous trip, but she has to have someone, namely Will, get her up the river close to the spot where her find lies. The RBC, River Basin Coalition, who used influence to allow her back into the country to study `peach palm harvest', has no inkling of what Annie is truly up to. Annie has other plans, and the case of guns, ammo, and grenades that she bought from a questionable source is only the beginning. Will agrees, under pressure, to take Annie up the river on his boat, the `Sucuri'-which translates to Anaconda! He's got his own personal agenda, and see's Annie being dropped in with him as a nuisance. But he can't help but be drawn to her spunk and passion. The fun begins before they even get the boat out of the port, with Annie receiving a letter telling her to leave Brazil. Oh, and then there's the shootout with those guys she got the guns from... This story starts at page 1 with the action and doesn't let up the entire book. And the relationship that develops between Will and Annie, who are both leery of the other, is done will skill and grace. Will has had some experiences with the metaphysical, and the author does a tremendous job of making us `see' what he experienced, and of helping Annie understand Will. You feel them being drawn together. And the cast of supporting characters is great. They will have you chuckling about shrunken heads, and an overweight gun runner sweating it out in the jungle, to feeling the menace ooze off the bad guy, Carisco Vargas. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of romantic suspense, or action packed adventure. I read it in one sitting, and can't wait for her next suspense novel! She's done a wonderful job keeping the pace up, and not forgetting the romantic theme.
Don't miss this read!
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful story!!
Review: Romantic Suspense lovers, heads up!
Glenna McReynolds has penned a fast, can't wait to turn the page, stay up all night reading, story! Dr. Annie Parish, "Amazon Annie", is on a mission. To convince Will Sanchez Travers, once a renowned Harvard botanist, now a rather seedy looking--with a seedier reputation guide, to take her up the river to Santa Maria. She herself is a botanist, who, while having some renowned work under her belt, also has the rather infamous reputation of having been kicked out of Brazil a year ago for reportedly shooting a 'lover'. But she's back, and determined to follow up on an amazing discovery she made quite by accident on her previous trip, but she has to have someone, namely Will, get her up the river close to the spot where her find lies. The RBC, River Basin Coalition, who used influence to allow her back into the country to study 'peach palm harvest', has no inkling of what Annie is truly up to. Annie has other plans, and the case of guns, ammo, and grenades that she bought from a questionable source is only the beginning. Will agrees, under pressure, to take Annie up the river on his boat, the 'Sucuri'-which translates to Anaconda! He's got his own personal agenda, and see's Annie being dropped in with him as a nuisance. But he can't help but be drawn to her spunk and passion. The fun begins before they even get the boat out of the port, with Annie receiving a letter telling her to leave Brazil. Oh, and then there's the shootout with those guys she got the guns from... This story starts at page 1 with the action and doesn't let up the entire book. And the relationship that develops between Will and Annie, who are both leery of the other, is done will skill and grace. Will has had some experiences with the metaphysical, and the author does a tremendous job of making us 'see' what he experienced, and of helping Annie understand Will. You feel them being drawn together. And the cast of supporting characters is great. They will have you chuckling about shrunken heads, and an overweight gun runner sweating it out in the jungle, to feeling the menace ooze off the bad guy, Carisco Vargas. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of romantic suspense, or action packed adventure. I read it in one sitting, and can't wait for her next suspense novel! She's done a wonderful job keeping the pace up, and not forgetting the romantic theme.
Don't miss this read!
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous romantic adventure!
Review: Wow! This is definitely a book for readers complaining about there being too much of the same-old, same old out there. RIVER OF EDEN was a delicious combination of adventure, romance, and mysticism which mixed sizzling sensuality with edge-of-your-seat suspense. The book is totally unique in its own right, but it did bring to mind the very best of the genre--ROMANCING THE STONE, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, and AMAZON LILY by Theresa Weir. I wanted to be Amazon Annie and I definitely wanted to go exploring with Dr. Will Travers! Glenna McReynolds is definitely one of the finest writers of romance or any other genre. More please!
Rating:
Summary: PARADISE IN A BOOK
Review: WOW! Sorry that doesn't tell you anything. I'll let the story line synopsis of previous reviewers and ... description help you decide if this book is your cup of tea. However, think Linda Howard's RIVER OF FIRE. I loved that book and this one (sorry, Linda) is even better. Well - since I gave them both 5 stars - just as good. Strong characters who also have their share of fears and flaws. Romance, adventure, snakes. . .brrrrr. . ., bad guys, and the beauty of the ... are all waiting for you in this book. I agree with another reviewer - it was over too soon. Let's hope Mad Jack gets his own story. A keeper and a great escape book.
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