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Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining historical romance
Review: She knows that her heart will never heal as Cira Valentino accompanies her family to America. Her beloved Renzo Passerella remains behind in Fiorenza, Italy. Across the vast ocean, Cira constantly cried. On Ellis Island, the immigration officer looked at Cira's red eyes and concluded she suffered from a contagious disease and refuses to allow her entry into the country. Instead, the customs official deports Cira back to Italy. In Italy, wealthy American traveler Thatcher Montgomery rescues Cira from the unwanted advances of another individual. He escorts her back to her village where he plans to pick up a sculpture. At home, she finds one can never return as Renzo sleeps with another woman and no one else offers her help except the American. As the pair begins to fall in love, they sail the Atlantic back to America. However, he is upper class and she is a simple peasant, making a permanent relationship impossible. LONG WAY HOME is a warm historical romance that brings to life an era when class distinction still permeated most of western society. The story line is enjoyable as readers gain a taste of Ellis Island from a different perspective and observe an Italy from the lower class point of view. Cira and Thatcher make a beautiful star-crossed duo whose love seems very strong but still not powerful enough (or is it?) to overcome their backgrounds. Wendy Corsi Staub's story cleverly centers on a twist to Tom Wolfe's saying "you can never go home again" unless one recognizes that their true home is inside the heart. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A mostly frustrating read
Review: Can some kind soul take pity on me and please tell me why this book was including in Jove's "Friend's" line? It's been bugging me ever since I read the book. The blurb clearly states (in a rather large font) that "When it comes to matters of the heart, you can always trust your friends." Well, let me get all clichéy on you and say with friends like this the heroine would have better off trusting her enemies! Her so-called friends betray her and stab her in the back at every given opportunity. Please do *not* go into this book expecting to find a warm, friends-y romance because you will be sorely disappointed. Well, you have been warned. So let me get down to what the story is *really* about. Cira Valentino is a beautiful but dirt poor Sicilian peasant who boards a ship with her family and hopes to start a new life in America. At Ellis Island she is turned away by a health inspector because her eyes are all puffy from crying over leaving one of those so-called "friends" of hers. Forced to head back to Sicily she hitches a ride, nearly gets raped, and is saved by the hero - Thatcher Montgomery - a very rich, very spoiled blue-blooded American. This begins their relationship. And it's a bumpy one. Thatcher is destined to marry an equally blue-blooded American or he faces becoming cut-off from his cold-hearted family. So they spend a lot of the book falling in love but resisting their feelings because they are "unsuitable" for each other. Cira becomes all defensive and snippy while Thatcher harbors fears that Cira may only be after his money. This type of behavior carries on for most of the book and, in my eyes, the only thing they had in common with each other was a bad case of lust. They finally open up at the end of the book but it was far too late and I was left feeling really uneasy about their future together. The setting is done fabulously well but sadly I can't say the same about the characters and their on-again/off-again relationship which had me gritting my teeth more often than naught.
Rating:
Summary: A mostly frustrating read
Review: Can some kind soul take pity on me and please tell me why this book was including in Jove's "Friend's" line? It's been bugging me ever since I read the book. The blurb clearly states (in a rather large font) that "When it comes to matters of the heart, you can always trust your friends." Well, let me get all clichéy on you and say with friends like this the heroine would have better off trusting her enemies! Her so-called friends betray her and stab her in the back at every given opportunity. Please do *not* go into this book expecting to find a warm, friends-y romance because you will be sorely disappointed. Well, you have been warned. So let me get down to what the story is *really* about. Cira Valentino is a beautiful but dirt poor Sicilian peasant who boards a ship with her family and hopes to start a new life in America. At Ellis Island she is turned away by a health inspector because her eyes are all puffy from crying over leaving one of those so-called "friends" of hers. Forced to head back to Sicily she hitches a ride, nearly gets raped, and is saved by the hero - Thatcher Montgomery - a very rich, very spoiled blue-blooded American. This begins their relationship. And it's a bumpy one. Thatcher is destined to marry an equally blue-blooded American or he faces becoming cut-off from his cold-hearted family. So they spend a lot of the book falling in love but resisting their feelings because they are "unsuitable" for each other. Cira becomes all defensive and snippy while Thatcher harbors fears that Cira may only be after his money. This type of behavior carries on for most of the book and, in my eyes, the only thing they had in common with each other was a bad case of lust. They finally open up at the end of the book but it was far too late and I was left feeling really uneasy about their future together. The setting is done fabulously well but sadly I can't say the same about the characters and their on-again/off-again relationship which had me gritting my teeth more often than naught.
Rating:
Summary: A mostly frustrating read
Review: Can some kind soul take pity on me and please tell me why this book was including in Jove's "Friend's" line? It's been bugging me ever since I read the book. The blurb clearly states (in a rather large font) that "When it comes to matters of the heart, you can always trust your friends." Well, let me get all clichéy on you and say with friends like this the heroine would have better off trusting her enemies! Her so-called friends betray her and stab her in the back at every given opportunity. Please do *not* go into this book expecting to find a warm, friends-y romance because you will be sorely disappointed. Well, you have been warned. So let me get down to what the story is *really* about. Cira Valentino is a beautiful but dirt poor Sicilian peasant who boards a ship with her family and hopes to start a new life in America. At Ellis Island she is turned away by a health inspector because her eyes are all puffy from crying over leaving one of those so-called "friends" of hers. Forced to head back to Sicily she hitches a ride, nearly gets raped, and is saved by the hero - Thatcher Montgomery - a very rich, very spoiled blue-blooded American. This begins their relationship. And it's a bumpy one. Thatcher is destined to marry an equally blue-blooded American or he faces becoming cut-off from his cold-hearted family. So they spend a lot of the book falling in love but resisting their feelings because they are "unsuitable" for each other. Cira becomes all defensive and snippy while Thatcher harbors fears that Cira may only be after his money. This type of behavior carries on for most of the book and, in my eyes, the only thing they had in common with each other was a bad case of lust. They finally open up at the end of the book but it was far too late and I was left feeling really uneasy about their future together. The setting is done fabulously well but sadly I can't say the same about the characters and their on-again/off-again relationship which had me gritting my teeth more often than naught.
Rating: 
Summary: A Gentle Story
Review: Ciro Valentino was ready to start her new life in America with her family when due to a mistake, she is turned away at Ellis Island and forced to return to Europe. While trying to find her best friend, Lucia, she runs into trouble and is rescued by Thatcher Montgomery, an American who is traveling in Europe. She finds Lucia but then when she and Lucia are ready to go to America, Thatcher rescues her again. Lucia has a steerage ticket but Ciro has no money and is going to go as a stowaway. Thatcher finds out and pays for a first class ticket for her. Ciro, Lucia and Thatcher travel on the same ship to New York. Thatcher and Ciro fall in love but he is forced by family obligations to deny it to himself. Then Ciro finds her life taking a totally new direction and she too has to deny her true feelings. This is a gentle story for a quiet day while two lovers find their way to each other.
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