Set against the epic panorama of WWII comes a story of remarkable men and women caught up in complex tangle of duty, passion, and heroism. U.S. Army officer J.R. Cassidy is man known for his stealth, until he finds himself on the run in the deserts of North Africa with Kitty Kincaid, the daughter of a U.S. scientist he has vowed to protect, but who is destined to be used by anyone who wants to control her father. Barnstormer Charlotte Morrison follows her passion to the skies over England, where she and other women pilots choose to volunteer for the war effort. But ferrying planes for the RAF is not the only thing that strikes a sharp passion in Charley. When her path crosses with RAF pilot George ‘Skip’ Inskip and small town Texas patriot Red Walker, she finds her most difficult choices have nothing to do with duty and patriotism. From the battlefields of Europe to the blue skies of the English countryside, from solid hometown roots in the American West to the shifting sands of the Sahara Desert, five ordinary men and women risk their lives for honor and their country, and find themselves changed forever, not merely by the circumstances of war, but by the deepest trials of the human heart.From Publishers WeeklyBestselling romance novelist Barnett (Wicked) has seen her books translated into 14 languages, and she finally makes her hardcover debut with this title-says-it-all saga about five individuals caught up in the hyperbolic WWII era, when men were fearlessly daring flyboys and women had to be both smart cookies and virgins at the same time. Despite good intentions and considerable research, however, the result is as ungainly as Bay and Bruckheimer's Pearl Harbor. Rugged, handsome J.R. Cassidy is sent to North Africa to save beautiful damsel in distress Kitty Kincaid (who is not only plucky but blind) from the Nazis. Red Walker, longing to depart his small Texas town, begins flying after he takes a shine to Charlotte "Charley" Morrison, a flygirl who in turn finds herself falling for RAF ace George "Skip" Inskip. Skip is mourning the death of his wife and child during the bombing of London by flying his missions like a man possessed. More like a costume party with a '40s theme or a heroic cartoon, the novel overflows with clich‚s, although Barnett does a creditable job of maintaining a consistent tone throughout, especially when it comes to the macho vernacular of the military types. Of the principals, the pairing of J.R. and Kitty has the most appeal, but it takes nearly the whole book before the stories of all five main characters finally intersect. As the story jets around from North Africa to America to Europe, diehard Barnett fans will follow with pleasure; others would do well to seek out their nostalgic fulfillment elsewhere. Author tour. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalIn a striking departure from her usual light, funny, often whimsical romances (Wicked), Barnett has penned a riveting, multilayered mainstream novel of heroism, love, and personal growth set against the emotionally charged backdrop of World War II. Fast-paced and turbulent, her story sweeps a quintet of compelling characters from their diverse and separate lives and brings them together in adventure and tragedy, linking them forever in ways they could never have predicted. Witty dialog, a refreshing sprinkle of humor, and well-chosen details of the 1940s lighten this poignant, emotionally involving novel that is definitely mainstream but still spins a series of love stories with enough romantic appeal to please even the most die-hard romance fan. Barnett, a popular New York Times best-selling writer, lives in the Pacific Northwest. This is her hardcover mainstream debut. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 62
Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. In Bloody Valentine , bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz offers readers a new story about the love lives of their favorite vamps — the passion and heartache, the hope and devastation, the lust and longing. Combined with all the glitz, glamour, and mystery fans have come to expect, this is sure to be another huge hit in the Blue Bloods series. Views: 62
A heartbreaking affair, an unsolved murder, an explosive romance: welcome to summer on the Cape in this powerful debut.Seven summers ago, Marcella Atkinson fell in love with Cecil McClatchey, a married father of two. But on the same night their romance abruptly ended, Cecil's wife was found murdered--and their lives changed forever. The case was never solved, and Cecil died soon after, an uncharged suspect. Now divorced and estranged from her only daughter, Marcella lives alone, mired in grief and guilt. Meanwhile, Cecil's grown son, Jed, returns to the Cape with his sister for the first time in years. One day he finds a woman's bathing suit buried in a closet--a relic, unbeknownst to him, of his father's affair--and, on a hunch, confronts Marcella. When they fall into an affair of their own, their passion temporarily masks the pain of the past, but also leads to crises and revelations they never could have imagined. In what is sure to be the... Views: 62
S. T. Joshi s award-winning biography H. P. Lovecraft: A Life (1996) provided the most detailed portrait of the life, work, and thought of the dreamer from Providence ever published. But that edition was in fact abridged from Joshi s original manuscript, and this expanded and updated edition restores the 150,000 words that Joshi omitted and, in addition, updates the texts with new findings. Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born to a well-to-do family in Providence, Rhode Island. As a child, he revealed remarkable precocity in his early interests in literature and science. Ill-health dogged him in youth, rendering school attendance sporadic; and in 1908 he experienced a nervous breakdown that rendered him a virtual recluse for several years. In 1914 he discovered the world of amateur journalism and began slowly emerging from his hermitry. He wrote tremendous amounts of essays, poetry, and other work; in 1917, under the encouragement from W. Paul Cook and others, he resumed the writing of horror fiction, and his career as a dream-weaver began anew. In 1921 Lovecraft met his future wife, Sonia H. Greene, at an amateur journalism convention. It was at this time that he began expanding his horizons, both geographical and intellectual: he traveled widely, from New England to New York to Cleveland; and he absorbed such literary and intellectual influences as Lord Dunsany, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Arthur Machen. In 1924 he and Sonia decided to marry, and Lovecraft moved to New York to pursue his literary fortune. But, as the first volume of this biography concludes, his metropolitan adventure would be bittersweet at best. As the second volume of S. T. Joshi s comprehensive biography of H. P. Lovecraft begins, we find Lovecraft dwelling in misery in a one-room apartment in Brooklyn Heights: his wife, Sonia, has had to move to the Midwest for work, and he must rely on the companionship of the Kalem Club, the informal band of friends in the New York area. In 1926, in part through the intervention of his close friend Frank Belknap Long, Lovecraft finally decided to return to his native Providence, Rhode Island, effectively ending his marriage. That return spurred the greatest spurt of literary creativity he would ever experience: in less than a year, such works as "The Call of Cthulhu," The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and The Colour out of Space would emerge from his pen, establishing Lovecraft as the leading weird fictionist of his generation. In spite of his increasing poverty, antiquarian travel occupied much of Lovecraft s time, and he gained an impressive knowledge of such oases of antiquity as Charleston, Quebec, St. Augustine, and Richmond. These voyages both renewed his connection with the past and infused his literary work, as such later tales as The Whisperer in Darkness and The Shadow over Innsmouth drew ever more profoundly upon his far-flung travels. Intellectually, Lovecraft evolved as well. Recent developments in science confirmed his materialism and his atheism, and the onset of the Great Depression gradually caused him to reassess his political and economic theory; he emerged as a moderate socialist and advocate of the New Deal. Late in life he became a giant in the world of fantasy fandom a development that foreshadowed his worldwide fame in the decades following his early death.** Views: 62
Welcome to the dark worlds of Laura Cooney and L. L. Soares, two writers of dark fiction who also happen to be husband and wife. Let them be your guides for an excursion through the uncharted regions of the horrific and the surreal. Here are just some of the strange sights you’ll see along the way: • A ghost girl takes her living playmate on an eerie hunt for buried treasure. • On Halloween night, a college student finds a little black dress that’s more than just a fashion accessory. • A sasquatch hides in the rhododendrons, waiting for the woman he loves. • A group of super-smart monkeys are in the mood to peel a meal, but it ain’t bananas they’re craving. • A husband and wife, bound together in a web of tragic secrets, are haunted by strange, pig-faced children. So hop in and hold on tight. You’re in for one helluva ride! “Laura Cooney and L. L. Soares are the Bonnie and Clyde of the horror genre, and this collection is a fully loaded clip of shots to the head. You’re going to dig it!”
~ Brian Keene , author author of A Gathering of Crows and The Last Zombie Views: 62
