Cheryl Reavis - Jaclyn Reding
Reavis, Cheryl - LONG WAY HOME, THE (SSE 1245 - 4/99) (4+)
Still sporting her flamboyant, wise-crackin' facade, Rita Warren has come home. If some people aren't especially glad to see her, that's just too darned bad. After being gone for ten months, she has finally found the courage to face down the people of her small, southern hometown—a town where memories are long and willingness to forgive is hard to come by. There's no doubt that
she'd given them a whole lot to remember and gossip about, too. On top of "exotic dancing" down on the strip, "Ready" Rita had certainly earned her bad reputation when she'd abandoned her baby girl in Staff Sergeant Matt Beltran's car. Rita knows she's not that person anymore though, and nothing is going to stop her from getting reacquainted with her little daughter, Olivia (a.k.a. "Shorty").
Lieutenant "Mac" McGraw is in a world of hurt. If the painful burns over much of his body aren't enough to send him to the pits of depression, the emotional wounds from being one of only two survivors of a military helicopter crash certainly are. Add to that...a fiancée with one foot already out the door, and it's no wonder Mac's mood indicator is stuck on "foul" most of the time.
When Rita stops by the VA hospital to visit an old friend, she suddenly has a ringside seat to one of Mac's more spectacular temper tantrums. Most of the hospital staff understand his volatile outbursts and leave him alone, but Rita is not like most people. Dodging flying trash cans and hurtling magazines, she gets in his face and refuses to be intimidated by his healing scars or his atrocious behavior. It doesn't take long for her to see right through Mac's camouflage to the good, albeit hurting, man underneath. Knowing more than a little about pain herself, she soon decides that the good Lieutenant is not going to get the best of her. As their relationship changes and heads toward something much more personal, however, even Rita's hard-won confidence is shaken by the bloodless wounds inflicted by Mac's snobbish, upper-class family.
I didn't want to like the heroine. Even though Rita was not a totally hopeless case in the prequel (LITTLE DARLIN'), I was predisposed to disliking her when she showed up in this book. What happened to change my mind? The same thing that always happens in books written by Cheryl Reavis, who uses the instinct she has for understanding human nature to develop a believably flawed character that we can, by the conclusion of the story, understand and even identify with a bit. Combine that with her attention to detail in setting the scenes, along with a liberal sprinkling of humor, and what you get is a total package that is engaging and wonderful. I highly recommend THE LONG WAY HOME and anything else this talented author has written. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web
Reavis, Cheryl - PRISONER, THE (Harl. Hist. 126) (4+)
Vivid historical detail, an excellent plot, and memorable characters make this Civil War romance come alive. A moving story from a gifted author. ~June (bookbug@oocities.com)
Reding, Jaclyn - WHITE KNIGHT (Signet - 11/99) (3+)
WHITE KNIGHT is a Scottish romance set during the Regency
period. This story of dreams, respect, and conquering destiny begins in England, but soon moves to the Highlands which Jaclyn Reding vividly brings to life.
Lady Grace Ledys is made to marry against her will by an indebted uncle, but she still has hopes of having an acceptable and friendly life with her new husband. Christian Wycliffe, Marquess of Knighton, is also forced to wed, but he has absolutely no expectation of finding any kind of happiness with the woman his grandfather had blackmailed him into marrying. After many failed attempts to get her husband to accept her place in his life, Grace escapes to the Scottish estate left to her by her grandmother. With only her maid as her companion, she disappears without a trace, taking only the items she had owned prior to her marriage.
Grace has come home. She loves the estate and the people and devotes her life to restoring her inheritance, along with trying to better the life of those who work there. Christian makes several abortive attempts to locate Grace and comes to realize the cruel way he has treated her. He also accepts the fact that his feelings for his wife are genuine; so when he finds out where Grace is and that she will not be coming back, he travels to Scotland to convince her that he has changed and help her with the estate.
Jaclyn Reding's knowledge of the Regency era and the conflicts the Scots endured during this time period is evident. WHITE KNIGHT has been well researched, and the author makes the people and their problems come alive through their personal heartbreak, love, and laughter. This is the third book in a quartet, and readers will enjoy revisiting with characters from WHITE HEATHER and WHITE MAGIC who seem like old friends. ~Vicki Patterson for Bookbug on the Web
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