Elizabeth Lowell
Lowell, Elizabeth - AMBER BEACH (Avon - 1998) (4+)
AMBER BEACH, set primarily in the San Juan Islands of the
Pacific northwest, is one of the most exciting novels I've read this year. Smuggled artifacts, the Russian Mafia, and intrigue dating back to World War-II are just a few of the elements that add a real flavor of suspense to this contemporary romance.
Kyle Donovan, a major player in the international gem trade, has suddenly come up missing. In the wake of his disappearance is a dead body and a missing panel of amber that is purported to have disappeared from the famed Amber Room of the Russian czars during World War-II. As the entire Donovan clan rallies to find their errant brother, and clear his rather muddied reputation, youngest sister Honor Donovan heads for Kyle's home on Puget Sound. She hopes the key to his whereabouts, and the answers to a lot of other very serious questions, will be found either in Kyle's cottage or aboard the sophisticated boat he keeps moored there. Honor is no sailor, but she quickly realizes that learning to operate her brother's boat is necessary if there is any chance at all of finding her brother alive.
Jake Mallory shows up at her front door, ostensibly to answer the ad she posted all around town asking for a fishing guide, but his approach is definitely of the covert variety and his "hidden agenda" has absolutely nothing to do with showing Honor where the best salmon can be caught. Rugged, sexy and extremely intelligent, Jake knows a lot about boats...and even more about amber in all of its forms. He also has his own compelling reasons for wanting to solve the mystery of Kyle's disappearance. With Kyle and the amber panel missing in action, Jake is "numero uno" on everyone's short list of suspects. Additionally, he has every reason to believe that his former good buddy Kyle set him up to take a very big fall. While dodging some bona fide creeps, Jake and Honor begin to share a grudging respect for each other that keeps pace with an escalating physical attraction. Finally setting aside their differences, they begin to work as a team in order to outwit the villains.
I've read and enjoyed most of Ms. Lowell's books, and while I prefer some time periods and settings over others, she consistently delivers action-packed stories that grab my attention from the first page. Sometimes rough, at other times even crude, her heroes all have a code of honor so deeply ingrained that it can't be ignored, although they quite often wish it could be ignored. Lowell's heroines appeal to me, too. While they are flawed in some respects...as real humans always are, they are brave, smart, and definitely up to the challenges presented by the larger-than-life heroes with whom they are confronted. The protagonists in AMBER BEACH are no exception.
In addition to the occasional and warmly-felt (very warm at times) sensual passages that are hallmarks of a Lowell novel, AMBER BEACH has a wealth of information about a surprising number of topics: details about amber, for instance, that add rich texture to the story; and snippets of world history, woven seamlessly into the plot line. This is a terrific book, and I look forward to reading about the elusive Kyle, who shows up again (as the hero) in JADE ISLAND. There will be a third book in the series, too. Oh, happy days...and happy reading! ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Lowell, Elizabeth - AMBER BEACH (Avon - 1998) (2)
I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Lowell, so when her latest book was released I made sure I had a copy. Romantic Times Magazine gave AMBER BEACH a great review, but I found it a little boring compared to her other books. The romance between the two characters wasn't very well developed and the suspense wasn't really suspenseful. ~(cody1071@aol.com)
Lowell, Elizabeth - FORGET ME NOT (4+)
Wow, what a book! I read it in one sitting and I was captivated from the first to the last page. The scenario is so unusual. The hero and heroine are deeply in love with each other before the beginning of the book, but she has to recover from amnesia and learn to love again. Her battle against her fears and nightmares made this a psychologically intense book, and some of the scenes were totally breathtaking. ~Sylvie (s_pepos@videotron.ca)
Lowell, Elizabeth - JADE ISLAND (Avon HC - 1998) (4+)
Returning to the exciting world of the precious gem trade with all the international intrigue that surrounds it, Elizabeth Lowell uses lore and legend about jade to set the backdrop for a tender and poignant love story.
Kyle Donovan made a mistake concerning a woman—a very big mistake that almost cost him his life. Even though his gut still knots up and his libido flies into overdrive whenever business takes him in her vicinity, he knows that Lianne Blakely can't be as innocent or desirable as she seems. He tries very hard to convince himself that the only thing he wants from Lianne is her expertise concerning that ancient stone called jade; however, events seem to constantly intrude that sorely test his ability to keep his feelings on a business level.
As the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Chinese businessman, Lianne has been trying her whole life to prove herself worthy of the love and acceptance she craves from the Tang family. Although she has become a brilliant gemologist, being the best in her field has never been enough to gain her full admittance into that tightly knit, traditional family. After she is set up to take the blame for the theft of a priceless jade artifact from the family vault, Kyle and Lianne find more than either of them bargained for when they join forces to uncover the real thief.
With glimpses into the Chinese culture—a culture that is, more often than not, an enigma to the western mind, Elizabeth Lowell explores the international gem trade and the fictional Donovan family for the second successful time. In addition to the suspenseful and character-driven plot, the steamy sensuality and intriguing detail almost make the words jump right off the pages. JADE ISLAND is a must read for lovers of fast-paced romantic thrillers. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Lowell, Elizabeth - PEARL COVE (Avon Hardcover - 6/99) (3+)
Archer Donovan was in love with Hannah McGarry ten years ago,
but she married another man. Now Hannah's husband is dead—under suspicious circumstances—and her pearl
farm, Pearl Cove, has been sabotaged. A valuable black pearl necklace called The Black Trinity is also missing. Hannah calls on Archer, a silent partner, for help. Archer's life of dark, dangerous intrigue has left him trusting no one but his family. The very thought of helping Hannah brings back so many bad
memories for him, but she makes him an offer he can't refuse.
While PEARL COVE is a typical Lowell in that it has all the elements of romance, the wealth of detail about pearls may turn off some readers. The detail is somewhat necessary in order to explain Hannah's extraordinary ability to judge the color and rarity of pearls, but I think the story suffers from too much background information and not enough information about the main characters. Hannah and Archer are not real people to me, only cardboard cutouts. I can't picture them, but I can visualize how a pearl is seeded. The suspense kept me turning the pages and I did enjoy this book, but I would not recommend it to anyone who wants a straight love story. PEARL COVE would surely interest readers who want to learn about periculture, however. ~Beth Coogan for Bookbug on the Web
Lowell, Elizabeth - TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (Avon - 1998) (3+)
[Revision of THE DANVERS TOUCH]
Reclusive, multi-millionaire Travis Danvers designs sailboats. A past betrayal has made him distrustful and bitter against women. He meets Catherine Cochran, who is hired to take photos of his designs for a book, and she is the antithesis of everything he thinks about women. Their affair is scorching, but passion is not enough to overcome past betrayals, and when a crisis occurs, they go down in flames. A melodramatic, angst-ridden tale with no extraneous subplots or secondary characters. A real page-turner. I enjoyed it a lot! ~Kathy G. (kathy@cs.utexas.edu)
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