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Chasing the Sunset
Read the novel Publisher's Weekly called 'a compelling manuscript' and 'hauntingly believable' and learn to believe in the power of love once again. Desperate to escape the memories of an abusive marriage, Maggie flees to the wilds of Missouri and her Uncle Ned. He is the only family she has left, and she needs his help. Nick Revelle's marriage had taught him plenty about the perfidy of women, and since his wife's death he has lived a lonely, solitary life. Everyone except his closest friends thought that he'd killed his unfaithful wife. If it wasn't for the testimony of his head stableman, Ned, he might even have hung for a crime he hadn't committed. So when Ned asked him to employ his niece, the answer was a resounding yes, even though he knew that women were not to be trusted. He never imagined that hiring Maggie would start a fire inside him. Nick needs a housekeeper and Maggie needs a quiet place to heal. It seemed the perfect bargain, but neither took into account the nearly irresistible heat they generated together. Maggie dares to dream of starting a new life with Nick. Unless, of course, he discovers the real reason she fled St. Louis and that she'd been lying to him from the very beginning... In this stirring novel of redemption, two lonely, damaged people find salvation in the very emotion they swear doesn't exist - love.
511 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2011
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83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2011
Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)
This review was done on an ebook copy provided by the lovely ladies at Siren's Song Reviews. Check out my post on their website: Chasing the Sunset by Barbara Mack
This isn't a series, but Dreaming of You is Katherine + Stone's story, who appear in this book
Blurb about plot to get us started: Maggie is on the run from authorities after killing her abusive husband (she thinks. I suspect he’ll show up later. Head wounds bleed like a mother). She hides away on a horse farm in the middle of nowhere, having gotten a position as a live-in house keeper through the finagling of her Uncle Ned, who cares for the horses. Nick is accused of having killed his wife, and so is shunned by society and has a hard time finding a house keeper even though he’s innocent of any crime. Can passion build between these two fucked-up people? You betcha! (or not.)
So I actually do have to finish this book, because I got the copy from Siren’s Song Reviews and I’ve promised them a review of the entire book. Were I simply reading this book for my own enjoyment (and this book is NOT enjoyable) I would’ve stopped reading long ago, but definitely by page 134. Frankly, it’s a miracle I’ve gotten this far I’m so bored and disgusted. Here’s why.
The main characters – Nick and Maggie - are so flat they’ve been steam-rolled. Not only are they flat, they talk like cardboard cutouts, and they act stiff and strange. They’re poor actors, and there’s no truth to any of their statements. By that I mean their thoughts about themselves are not backed up in any way by their actions throughout the book. They tell not show, but what they tell is weird and unpredictable. They’re completely inconsistent. It’s impossible to feel emotionally connected to them.
The dialogue is stiffer than morning wood. The writing is terrible and disjointed. The scenes are disconnected and each is so short as to be inconsequential. She rushes through an entire deathly illness in half a chapter. She spends more time talking about a new dress – I kid you not (and it may have been more moving too). She also completely skips over Maggie’s process of mental healing – which bothered me because that should’ve been ENIRELY what the book was about. It was the biggest issue and she skipped over it by say ‘three months went by’… or some such shit. I was pissed. I was bored by page 50. I was despairing that I had to keep reading by page 100. I was wondering how it could possibly get worse even as I had to practically force myself to go to the next page at page 120. There were also grammatical errors all over the place to match the awkward phrasing. Example A (pg 134)/ “The first time their eyes had met, the pain and confusion they usually kept hidden from the rest of the world was revealed each to the other.” (the pain and confusion WERE revealed, not was. Was is singular. Pain and confusion is plural. K’thanks. I’m part of the dumbest generation that texts and never learns grammar rules and even I know that).
I hate to be mean (actually, no I don’t) but this book is a disgrace to writers everywhere. It’s like a seventh grade piece written in math class, speeding through plot devices and weak attempts at emotional connections/inner conflicts. The writing is poor, the characters (is it possible?) worse. I have a system when I read a book. I keep a notepad nearby and make ‘N -’ notes and ‘H-pg#’ highlights of funny or moving quotes. The more Hs and the less Ns the more likely the book was so engrossing I could hardly put it down for a second to even make a note. This book has more notes than I’ve ever made, ever, and it’s all in the first 134 pages. Since I refuse to waste any more time reviewing this book, I thought I’d simply list the notes I made while reading the first 134 pages alone for you:
· Cheating on his wife, even in mutual hatred? Hm... think on it (meaning I hate heroes that cheat, for any reason and Nick cheated on his first wife)
· really rushed admissions. Hm. REALLY rushed sexual desire on her part. No discussion of the growing trust and friendship, no build-up... damn (no romantic build-up either. No tension. No heat. That damn is because I'm just starting to realize how terrible this book is.)
· He has to get drunk to admit his feelings for the girl? THAT speaks of his character
· Pg 78 WHAT? First she’s flirty and coy with him and then she's all shy and nervous? WHAT? GAH! DO YOU WANT HIM OR NOT?
· awkward, stilted dialogue. Double damn, have you ever heard of a conjunction?
· Nothing feels meaningful!
· She keeps skipping time - doesn't have anything development. Can't feel what's occurring in those gaps, no growing sexual tension or trust. WTF is going on here?
· everything sadly disjointed and disconnected
· I take it back. Not just stiff dialogue. STIFF writing EVERYWHERE
· unfrickinbelievable. She manages to go through an entire life-or-death sickness in a chapter! Everything is so inconsequential, without point.
· his name changes from Duncan to Stone. With NO explanation
· I hate that. 'I shall be jealous of you, fair maiden, even as I have no claim or right to claim you because I chose it to be so, and therefore I shall be a stubborn, bitchy bastard to everyone I meet who is of your acquaintance and male.’ So unreasonable, stupid and annoying. ‘And I shan’t even be jealous in a well-written fashion.’
An utter waste of time. Never read this book.
“Sexy”ness rating: Sex. Flat with no sexual tension or heat. Why, when everything else was so stiff, could Mack not pull off a good stiffie scene?
Overall Rating: DNF* (got to page 134 of 293, and it was really an effort to make it that far)
Bottom Line: If this were the LAST book on Earth, I wouldn’t read it. Lord, I’m disgusted. It was like reading the writings of a seventh grader. And I should know. It wasn’t that long ago I was in seventh grade.
*Note: This book did get better towards the end, but only good enough that it might get an F. I had to finish it for Siren’s Song, and the ending was, admittedly, better. But it doesn’t matter because, by personal preference, I never would’ve gotten there. This review stands at a DNF.
This review was done on an ebook copy provided by the lovely ladies at Siren's Song Reviews. Check out my post on their website: Chasing the Sunset by Barbara Mack
This isn't a series, but Dreaming of You is Katherine + Stone's story, who appear in this book
Blurb about plot to get us started: Maggie is on the run from authorities after killing her abusive husband (she thinks. I suspect he’ll show up later. Head wounds bleed like a mother). She hides away on a horse farm in the middle of nowhere, having gotten a position as a live-in house keeper through the finagling of her Uncle Ned, who cares for the horses. Nick is accused of having killed his wife, and so is shunned by society and has a hard time finding a house keeper even though he’s innocent of any crime. Can passion build between these two fucked-up people? You betcha! (or not.)
So I actually do have to finish this book, because I got the copy from Siren’s Song Reviews and I’ve promised them a review of the entire book. Were I simply reading this book for my own enjoyment (and this book is NOT enjoyable) I would’ve stopped reading long ago, but definitely by page 134. Frankly, it’s a miracle I’ve gotten this far I’m so bored and disgusted. Here’s why.
The main characters – Nick and Maggie - are so flat they’ve been steam-rolled. Not only are they flat, they talk like cardboard cutouts, and they act stiff and strange. They’re poor actors, and there’s no truth to any of their statements. By that I mean their thoughts about themselves are not backed up in any way by their actions throughout the book. They tell not show, but what they tell is weird and unpredictable. They’re completely inconsistent. It’s impossible to feel emotionally connected to them.
The dialogue is stiffer than morning wood. The writing is terrible and disjointed. The scenes are disconnected and each is so short as to be inconsequential. She rushes through an entire deathly illness in half a chapter. She spends more time talking about a new dress – I kid you not (and it may have been more moving too). She also completely skips over Maggie’s process of mental healing – which bothered me because that should’ve been ENIRELY what the book was about. It was the biggest issue and she skipped over it by say ‘three months went by’… or some such shit. I was pissed. I was bored by page 50. I was despairing that I had to keep reading by page 100. I was wondering how it could possibly get worse even as I had to practically force myself to go to the next page at page 120. There were also grammatical errors all over the place to match the awkward phrasing. Example A (pg 134)/ “The first time their eyes had met, the pain and confusion they usually kept hidden from the rest of the world was revealed each to the other.” (the pain and confusion WERE revealed, not was. Was is singular. Pain and confusion is plural. K’thanks. I’m part of the dumbest generation that texts and never learns grammar rules and even I know that).
I hate to be mean (actually, no I don’t) but this book is a disgrace to writers everywhere. It’s like a seventh grade piece written in math class, speeding through plot devices and weak attempts at emotional connections/inner conflicts. The writing is poor, the characters (is it possible?) worse. I have a system when I read a book. I keep a notepad nearby and make ‘N -’ notes and ‘H-pg#’ highlights of funny or moving quotes. The more Hs and the less Ns the more likely the book was so engrossing I could hardly put it down for a second to even make a note. This book has more notes than I’ve ever made, ever, and it’s all in the first 134 pages. Since I refuse to waste any more time reviewing this book, I thought I’d simply list the notes I made while reading the first 134 pages alone for you:
· Cheating on his wife, even in mutual hatred? Hm... think on it (meaning I hate heroes that cheat, for any reason and Nick cheated on his first wife)
· really rushed admissions. Hm. REALLY rushed sexual desire on her part. No discussion of the growing trust and friendship, no build-up... damn (no romantic build-up either. No tension. No heat. That damn is because I'm just starting to realize how terrible this book is.)
· He has to get drunk to admit his feelings for the girl? THAT speaks of his character
· Pg 78 WHAT? First she’s flirty and coy with him and then she's all shy and nervous? WHAT? GAH! DO YOU WANT HIM OR NOT?
· awkward, stilted dialogue. Double damn, have you ever heard of a conjunction?
· Nothing feels meaningful!
· She keeps skipping time - doesn't have anything development. Can't feel what's occurring in those gaps, no growing sexual tension or trust. WTF is going on here?
· everything sadly disjointed and disconnected
· I take it back. Not just stiff dialogue. STIFF writing EVERYWHERE
· unfrickinbelievable. She manages to go through an entire life-or-death sickness in a chapter! Everything is so inconsequential, without point.
· his name changes from Duncan to Stone. With NO explanation
· I hate that. 'I shall be jealous of you, fair maiden, even as I have no claim or right to claim you because I chose it to be so, and therefore I shall be a stubborn, bitchy bastard to everyone I meet who is of your acquaintance and male.’ So unreasonable, stupid and annoying. ‘And I shan’t even be jealous in a well-written fashion.’
An utter waste of time. Never read this book.
“Sexy”ness rating: Sex. Flat with no sexual tension or heat. Why, when everything else was so stiff, could Mack not pull off a good stiffie scene?
Overall Rating: DNF* (got to page 134 of 293, and it was really an effort to make it that far)
Bottom Line: If this were the LAST book on Earth, I wouldn’t read it. Lord, I’m disgusted. It was like reading the writings of a seventh grader. And I should know. It wasn’t that long ago I was in seventh grade.
*Note: This book did get better towards the end, but only good enough that it might get an F. I had to finish it for Siren’s Song, and the ending was, admittedly, better. But it doesn’t matter because, by personal preference, I never would’ve gotten there. This review stands at a DNF.
December 23, 2012
The opening chapter was excellent, giving a promise of scary elements, but the author misses the opportunity to make this romance novel exciting.
The premise is fine, if fairly traditional - abused wife finds a fine, sexy man to fall in love with - but after the first few chapters, the story has far too much side-tracking imagery and repetitive description of how the characters think the other feels. I lost patience about half the way through and started flicking pages to find some action.
For an abused woman, Maggie recovers unbelievably fast from being terrified of all men to falling in lust with her employer and willing to become his mistress. Another issue I have, is that a woman who has been beaten with a belt and bashed as many times as the heroine should have a lot of scars on her arms, back and legs to show for it. It is this lack of attention to detail which causes many novels to fall short.
The secondary characters, Kathleen and Duncan, were interesting, with depth and spark to their characters.
Overall, it was an okay read, but the ending is rushed as though the author suddenly realised she needed to followup on the original plot, which could have rippled in the background like a circling shark.
There are formatting errors most of the way through which may not be the fault of the author, but which need to be addressed in the very near future.
The premise is fine, if fairly traditional - abused wife finds a fine, sexy man to fall in love with - but after the first few chapters, the story has far too much side-tracking imagery and repetitive description of how the characters think the other feels. I lost patience about half the way through and started flicking pages to find some action.
For an abused woman, Maggie recovers unbelievably fast from being terrified of all men to falling in lust with her employer and willing to become his mistress. Another issue I have, is that a woman who has been beaten with a belt and bashed as many times as the heroine should have a lot of scars on her arms, back and legs to show for it. It is this lack of attention to detail which causes many novels to fall short.
The secondary characters, Kathleen and Duncan, were interesting, with depth and spark to their characters.
Overall, it was an okay read, but the ending is rushed as though the author suddenly realised she needed to followup on the original plot, which could have rippled in the background like a circling shark.
There are formatting errors most of the way through which may not be the fault of the author, but which need to be addressed in the very near future.
March 28, 2015
Published: 12/07/2011
Author: Barbara Mack
Recommended for: fan's of 'chick lit'
Edition: Kindle
I found this book on the Kindle store for free and so I thought that I would give it a go. This is a romantic novel written by Barbara Mack, the first chapter got my attention hooked...sadly it didn't keep it hooked for the rest of the novel. The storyline of the book was fairly typical of a 'chick lit' type of book, an abused wife finds love with a gorgeous man, the problem with this book was that the author sidetracked alot from the storyline and went onto other things and kept saying the same things about what the character thinks the other is feeling.
You would have thought that with the main character (Maggie) being an abused wife it would take her awhile to be able to trust a man again let alot love a man but she seems to recover remarkably quick and falls for another man. There isn't much attention to detail in this book so it doesn't capture your imagination there isn't much depth to the characters. With it being a kindle book there was a fair few spelling and grammer mistakes which did spoil it.
Author: Barbara Mack
Recommended for: fan's of 'chick lit'
Edition: Kindle
I found this book on the Kindle store for free and so I thought that I would give it a go. This is a romantic novel written by Barbara Mack, the first chapter got my attention hooked...sadly it didn't keep it hooked for the rest of the novel. The storyline of the book was fairly typical of a 'chick lit' type of book, an abused wife finds love with a gorgeous man, the problem with this book was that the author sidetracked alot from the storyline and went onto other things and kept saying the same things about what the character thinks the other is feeling.
You would have thought that with the main character (Maggie) being an abused wife it would take her awhile to be able to trust a man again let alot love a man but she seems to recover remarkably quick and falls for another man. There isn't much attention to detail in this book so it doesn't capture your imagination there isn't much depth to the characters. With it being a kindle book there was a fair few spelling and grammer mistakes which did spoil it.
June 22, 2011
This was a terrific historical romance! Having read the "Dreaming Of You" novelette by the same author, I was pleased to find the main characters from that story involved as supporting characters in this novel. It was fun to see their romance from another character's perspective, but the main characters in this novel are the real story in this. The moments when they are together are full of sizzle and spark and you can't help but feel empathy for the pasts that they are both having to reconcile themselves to as they find a way to allow themselves to trust again.
December 31, 2011
1 1/2
Hmm. Well.
Wish I could leave it at that.
Spoilers I suppose...
I'm really bugged by all the "I have been traumatized - raped every day, beat, emotionally scared, AND committed murder - but now everything is wonderful! LaLaLa!"
It still bothers me. Nothing else that bothered me really stands out beyond that. It overwhelmed them all. It would take more healing... Her denial is going to come back and bite them worse than her late hubby's return.
Hmm. Well.
Wish I could leave it at that.
Spoilers I suppose...
I'm really bugged by all the "I have been traumatized - raped every day, beat, emotionally scared, AND committed murder - but now everything is wonderful! LaLaLa!"
It still bothers me. Nothing else that bothered me really stands out beyond that. It overwhelmed them all. It would take more healing... Her denial is going to come back and bite them worse than her late hubby's return.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 24, 2015Horribly abused wife tries to move on in life and love. Started out okay, but I dnf'd at 21% when I just couldn't believe the woman's actions. I thought "no woman who's been abused like she has been would act like she's acting toward the hero right now." There was not adequate build up of trust between them at that moment. Why detail the abuse and then shortchange the recovery?
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