Rating: 
Summary: With love you take the bitter with the sweet.
Review: This was a beautiful story of a new found love between Theodora (Teddy) Riley and Joachim West. Both had lost at love. Teddy, the photojournalist - due to a selfish husband who at first put his career before his love for Teddy and parenthood, then later tried to complicate Teddy's life with a custody battle over their son. Joachim, the writer - due to the death of his wife. These two situations had turned into bitter episodes of love. However, Teddy and Joachim had a second chance at love.While on assignment in Ireland, Teddy not only gains her interview with Joachim, who for some unknown reason becomes captivated by Teddy. But, Joachim is not alone. Teddy, who has not had strong feelings for another man since her divorce with Adrian, has stirrings of unexplained emotions for Joachim as well. From their first meeting, the heat grows hotter and the sexual attraction is there. Nevertheless, during Teddy's two day visit, Teddy and Joachim refrain from submitting to the physical act, and later, Teddy returns to San Francisco. You have to read the book to find out what happens (1) after Teddy returns to San Francisco, (2) when several months later Joachim joins Teddy on her birthday, and (3) with Adrain and Teddy's custody battle over their son, Alex. Ms. Sims wrote an interesting book about losing love and finding a new love. Teddy and Joachim were the perfect couple. Teddy was who Joachim needed to share the love he had stored inside of him, while Joachim was the man Teddy needed to experience a true love that was willing to accept responsibility, as well as whatever life had to offer. Each was given another chance at finding happiness in life and realizing that love can be sweet and wonderful. A very good book.
Rating:
Summary: Making romance real
Review: What a wonderful novel! I've enjoyed Ms. Sims' other novels, but this, in my view, is one of her very best. In A Bittersweet Love, Ms. Sims permits her characters to develop independently, incorporated other sub-story lines that are all too often absent from the run-of-the-mill romance novel. Her characters were developed as "whole people" long before they actually met. They were not neurotic or emotionally handicapped; they said what they felt and dealt with each other as typical adults would (such a wonderful change from the ordinary). Also, with romance novels, we readers expect that all will end well (love conquers all) with the main two characters so that the mystery is always absent. We know how the book is going to end, but in the case of Bittersweet, Ms. Sims intrigued us with divergent subcharacters that we were still guessing about until the very end of the story. That was another very refreshing change. These factors made her book much more interesting and enjoyable. I hope that more of this style of story line -- characters without exaggerated neuroses -- will be forthcoming from other romance writers. Ms. Sims has already shown how it's done.
Rating:
Summary: Now I want to go to Ballycastle!
Review: Whether she is writing about alien life in "Out of the Blue" or giving history about African American life on a Montana ranch in "For Keeps", Janice Sims manages to bring an excitement in romance with nontraditional twists and turns. She has done it again managing to develop a romance and capture our hearts in Ballycastle, Ireland. Theodora (Teddy)Riley, free lance journalist, is counting on obtaining an interview with best selling novelist, Joachim West. His last book won the National Book Award but he steadfastly refuses any interviews, despising the press afater the way his young wife's memory was tarnished during her funeral. His best friend, Conal, an Irishman, has offered his home as a retreat so that he can jump start his blocked writing. The last thing he expected was to come across the beautiful, alluring, Teddy. All Teddy wanted to do was convince the reclusive Mr. West to give her an interview because she was promised a permanent position with the magazine if she pulled this coupe. She badly needs to obtain permanent position employment because it appears her ex-husband wants to fight her for custody of their two-year old son. Adrian Riley walked out on his pregnant wife and had nothing to do with his son, Alex because it didn't fit into his game plan. His broadcast career was top priority and an unexpected child was not going to get in his way. Now he is on Teddy's doorstep sparking a hostile reaction from her. A mugging after she arrives in Ballycastle brings about a series of events and Joachim ends up as Teddy's protector and because they are the only two African Americans in town everyone assumes they are husband and wife. What a mess, but Joachim decides to keep up the charade because of the connection he feels with Teddy. This was a well written story with a picturesque view of the countryside of Ireland with colorful secondary characters there and back at home in San Francisco. Ms. Sims also captured the historical background of Carmel-by-the-Sea. I can't wait to see what angle this author comes up with next.
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