Dianne Venetta

Ladd Springs in Tennessee has been home to the Ladd family for six generations. Now, though, the property is at risk from multiple directions. Ernie Ladd, the current owner, promised his sister on her deathbed that he would leave the land to her daughter, Delaney Wilkins, and Delaney's daughter Felicity--but Ernie can't forgive Delaney for having married the son of an old rival, even though the marriage did not survive. Hotel developer Nick Harris wants to buy the property for the latest addition to his hotel chain. Neighbor Clem Sweeney is taking advantage of Ernie's loneliness and sense of isolation--and has found a secret in the forest that, if he doesn't get caught, will make him rich.

And Ernie, even though he has plenty of money to do so, hasn't paid the property taxes in three years. If he doesn't do so soon, Nick--who is willing to pay a fair price and make provisions for the family in the deal--will wind up buying the property for back taxes.

The conflicts among the family spiral even further out of control when Delaney finds armed men trespassing on the Ladd property, seemingly having found something very, very interesting about a boulder in the woods.

The family and personal conflicts here are beautifully developed. Delaney's love for the land, Ernie's resentments and regrets, Nick's vision of "Serenity Springs," and Clem's jealousy and greed are all palpably real. We get a gradual unfolding of the sometimes painful family history, as well as Nick's background, experience, and dreams.

It's a thoroughly enjoyable novel. Recommended.… (altro)

The first thing I liked about this book was the fact that both the hero and the heroine were lawyers. It's been some time since I've read a book about a lawyer. And I enjoyed the coaching of the witnesses, seeing how they tried to figure out what the best way to question a witness was, who was better at captivating the jury, every little detail about the case.

Sam Rawlings is a very interesting character. She's a very good lawyer in my opinion. She's also sarcastic, stubborn, fun, sexy. I liked that about her. She's a very complex character. She's also the oldest sister and she had to help raise her brothers and sisters. So she's clearly used to being in control of the situation and to take some or all decisions. I think this last part affects her relationships, because she has that "I'm older, so I know better" attitude sometimes. I like the fact that in the end, she admits when she's wrong.

Vic is an easy guy to like. He's fun, sexy, smart, sweet, a very good listener and a good friend. His past is really painful and it made me really sad. It also made me like him more, because for someone who's been through so much at an early age, he wasn't bitter or angry at the world.

There's also a pretty interesting subplot involving Sam's younger sister, Jess. The subject of the unexpected pregnancy wasn't disturbing. It was the way it was treated that was a little more outside of my comfort zone. I understand part of Sam's reasoning, but it wasn't her choice. At times I felt that just because she didn't have a desire to become a mother all the women around her should be the same. It probably isn't something that crossed Sam's mind, but it was the way I understood her.

But the subplot aside, this book was very good, fun, light, sexy, romantic. It was a good read.… (altro)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I really loved the story and the characters. Lots of excitement and fun. The writer kept the love of family first and even brought in a family feud over land to round out the story. I was disappointed that at the end of the book even knowing it was setting up a series that there was no real closure for so much of what was going on. Even with all that I did enjoy the book but wished it was a smoother ending instead of being forced to buy the next book in the series to find out what happened.… (altro)