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Before Sunrise
Phoebe, studentka antropologii, i Cortez, agent FBI, polubili się od pierwszego wejrzenia. Pracują w odległych częściach USA, jednak częste listy osładzają im rozłąkę. Ich znajomość zmierza w stronę poważnego związku, toteż Phoebe układa coraz śmielsze plany na wspólną przyszłość. Niestety, marzenia pryskają jak bańka mydlana. Pewnego dnia Phoebe otrzymuje zawiadomienie o ślubie Corteza z inną kobietą - bez słowa wyjaśnienia... Mijają trzy lata. Phoebe odnosi sukcesy w pracy, ale nadal jest samotna. Nie może zapomnieć o niespełnionej miłości. A teraz będzie jej jeszcze trudniej, bo Cortez właśnie przyjeżdża z Waszyngtonu, by poprowadzić w okolicy śledztwo.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 1, 2006
183 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,039 books3,097 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
August 25, 2020
2.5 stars
This is Diana Palmer's best book I have read so far. Which doesn't mean it's a good book. It is just that all the others were so bad.
I wonder what's different about this book. Maybe it's because it was written in 2005, and the other books by this author that I read were published in the 90s. This could be it. Because this book doesn't feel so terribly out of date and is definitely less annoying.
This mainly applies to characters. I remember the main characters from other Palmer books, and they were not only extremely clichéd but also very irritating. But fortunately, Phoebe is not as naive and incapable as the other heroines of these novels. You can even say that she is doing well on her own and at times even shows a little self-confidence. Jeremiah is also not that much of a macho and alpha man as in other novels. They are almost likeable. At least they don't irritate.
Another thing that I definitely like about this book is that a lot of space is devoted to the suspense thread. And that's not the worst suspense thread. I really like when my books are not only about romance but also about crime. And shifting the focus from a not-so-great romance to something more interesting for this book did good.
Especially since the romance is already very much in the style of typical Palmer books and is pretty dated. The approach to a relationship is very old-fashioned. But it's most visible in sex scenes. I guess the virginity fetish bothers me more and more. And then there's the fetishization of fertility and motherhood that made me feel uncomfortable. Though great progress has been made since the characters at least considered using contraception.
Besides, this book is full of clichés. The other couple fall in love after one meeting, in typical Palmer style. I don't think Phoebe and Jeremiah know each other very well either. The whole conflict in both couples is based on their guesswork and total lack of communication. Interestingly, it is solved not as a result of the characters' conversation, but when they come to the conclusion that they probably were wrong. Even the suspense thread is not free from truisms. The main villain gives not even one speech in which they describe actions and motives, but as many as two! And finally, they admit that they did wrong and apologizes for their faults! It was hilarious!
As is the language and style of this book. I guess I haven't had contact with such a typical example of purple prose for a long time. The sex scenes and the characters' romantic feelings are really amusing. All the emotionality of all the characters is as if taken straight out of a gothic romance. Phoebe and Jeremiah get depressed because they can't be together! Everything is overly dramatic.
There is one more thing that really puzzles me. And no, these are not the amazing skills and knowledge of Phoebe, who although an anthropologist and museum curator, can easily act as a modern pathologist. What really puzzles me is why she decides to prune roses in a blizzard. The weather is so bad that the helicopter cannot take off and the construction site has stopped, meanwhile Phoebe decides to prune the roses. I'm not a gardener, but even I know that if the snow has fallen, it's too late to save the roses. What’s more, roses are pruned in spring, not at the end of November.
After the failures that this author's subsequent books turned out to be, I was wondering whether to remove all her books from my tbr pile. But now, maybe I will give some of her more recent novels a chance. This one wasn’t that bad.
This is Diana Palmer's best book I have read so far. Which doesn't mean it's a good book. It is just that all the others were so bad.
I wonder what's different about this book. Maybe it's because it was written in 2005, and the other books by this author that I read were published in the 90s. This could be it. Because this book doesn't feel so terribly out of date and is definitely less annoying.
This mainly applies to characters. I remember the main characters from other Palmer books, and they were not only extremely clichéd but also very irritating. But fortunately, Phoebe is not as naive and incapable as the other heroines of these novels. You can even say that she is doing well on her own and at times even shows a little self-confidence. Jeremiah is also not that much of a macho and alpha man as in other novels. They are almost likeable. At least they don't irritate.
Another thing that I definitely like about this book is that a lot of space is devoted to the suspense thread. And that's not the worst suspense thread. I really like when my books are not only about romance but also about crime. And shifting the focus from a not-so-great romance to something more interesting for this book did good.
Especially since the romance is already very much in the style of typical Palmer books and is pretty dated. The approach to a relationship is very old-fashioned. But it's most visible in sex scenes. I guess the virginity fetish bothers me more and more. And then there's the fetishization of fertility and motherhood that made me feel uncomfortable. Though great progress has been made since the characters at least considered using contraception.
Besides, this book is full of clichés. The other couple fall in love after one meeting, in typical Palmer style. I don't think Phoebe and Jeremiah know each other very well either. The whole conflict in both couples is based on their guesswork and total lack of communication. Interestingly, it is solved not as a result of the characters' conversation, but when they come to the conclusion that they probably were wrong. Even the suspense thread is not free from truisms. The main villain gives not even one speech in which they describe actions and motives, but as many as two! And finally, they admit that they did wrong and apologizes for their faults! It was hilarious!
As is the language and style of this book. I guess I haven't had contact with such a typical example of purple prose for a long time. The sex scenes and the characters' romantic feelings are really amusing. All the emotionality of all the characters is as if taken straight out of a gothic romance. Phoebe and Jeremiah get depressed because they can't be together! Everything is overly dramatic.
There is one more thing that really puzzles me. And no, these are not the amazing skills and knowledge of Phoebe, who although an anthropologist and museum curator, can easily act as a modern pathologist. What really puzzles me is why she decides to prune roses in a blizzard. The weather is so bad that the helicopter cannot take off and the construction site has stopped, meanwhile Phoebe decides to prune the roses. I'm not a gardener, but even I know that if the snow has fallen, it's too late to save the roses. What’s more, roses are pruned in spring, not at the end of November.
After the failures that this author's subsequent books turned out to be, I was wondering whether to remove all her books from my tbr pile. But now, maybe I will give some of her more recent novels a chance. This one wasn’t that bad.
January 17, 2011
Cheesy plot ✓
20 something virgin heroine ✓
15 year age difference ✓
Eye rolling dialog ✓
TSTL (slightly) heroine ✓
Typical Diana Palmer cheesy goodness? ✓✓✓!
20 something virgin heroine ✓
15 year age difference ✓
Eye rolling dialog ✓
TSTL (slightly) heroine ✓
Typical Diana Palmer cheesy goodness? ✓✓✓!
December 8, 2018
Phoebe and Jeremiah. Jeremiah Cortez is better than the usual alpha-hole heroes. Sexy native american hotty fbi/prosecutor who is 13 years older than Phoebe. Three years ago she thought they were in love, until he sent her a newspaper clipping of his de facto marriage to another woman.
No letter. No explanation.
Phoebe is devastated and retreats to a small town job as a museum curator. Then Cortez shows up as the FBI agent sent to solve the crime of a murdered anthropologist. With him, he brings a toddler from his marriage ...and answers. Will the answers be enough for Phoebe? Will she be safe from the murderer??
Mostly this was a satisfying read. My only complaint is the silly misunderstandings in the last third of the book. They seemed obviously contrived to further the plot. For an MC that has no problem speaking her mind, Phoebe loses that ability in the face of animosity from a girl even younger than herself. . But anyways, the ending is still sweet and satisfying.
Not my favourite audio reader. She is pretty good, but I find that she often makes her characters sound like they are about to break out laughing, and not when they should...
No letter. No explanation.
Phoebe is devastated and retreats to a small town job as a museum curator. Then Cortez shows up as the FBI agent sent to solve the crime of a murdered anthropologist. With him, he brings a toddler from his marriage ...and answers. Will the answers be enough for Phoebe? Will she be safe from the murderer??
Mostly this was a satisfying read. My only complaint is the silly misunderstandings in the last third of the book. They seemed obviously contrived to further the plot. For an MC that has no problem speaking her mind, Phoebe loses that ability in the face of animosity from a girl even younger than herself. . But anyways, the ending is still sweet and satisfying.
Not my favourite audio reader. She is pretty good, but I find that she often makes her characters sound like they are about to break out laughing, and not when they should...
July 15, 2021
Different DP book.
The hero is a native american FBI agent, and he almost proposes to the heroine after her graduation in archeology. She's crazy for him, but some weeks later he sends her a page of a newspaper where is written that he married another woman. No explanation. She's shattered and leaves her town, starts anew and thinks only about her career. Three years later they meet again because she's involved in a murder case. He's a widower and there's a child. At first she refuses to have anything with him, but then he explains and they starts dating again. There's a mystery that ends well and an HEA.
This hero is not our usual DP hero: he was really in love with her since the beginning and he had to leave her to marry the ow: she was his brother's fiancee, she was pregnant and his brother died leaving her with her parents who wanted a termination. To save the child he accepted to marry her until the baby was born. Then they would divorce. But, soon after the child was born, she committed suicide. He tried to find the heroine when he was widowed but nobody would tell him where she was, and her aunt told hims she hated him and she didn't want to see him anymore. He found out where she lived and went to live there to be near her (awwww, how cute), then the murder gave him the opportunity to talk to her again. He really didn't have a choice, he could have explained to her what was happening but thought it would be easier if she hated him. Of course he was so in lvoe with her and he suffered so much being separated by her that he tried to see her. He was really a sweet and loving guy, he even waited before proposing because he didn't want her to feel obliged. He was never cruel and mean with her, he always was so passionate in love and I wasn't even angry that he married the ow because the situation was really bad, and it was a marriage of convenience for the baby's sake, and he suffered all along.
Another unusual thing was the sex: many passionate and descriptive sex scenes before marriage. Wow! What happened Ms Palmer?
Actually I liked this book, even with the mystery part, that was not excessive and didn't distract from the main love story.
Cute and nice even the epilogue.
The hero is a native american FBI agent, and he almost proposes to the heroine after her graduation in archeology. She's crazy for him, but some weeks later he sends her a page of a newspaper where is written that he married another woman. No explanation. She's shattered and leaves her town, starts anew and thinks only about her career. Three years later they meet again because she's involved in a murder case. He's a widower and there's a child. At first she refuses to have anything with him, but then he explains and they starts dating again. There's a mystery that ends well and an HEA.
This hero is not our usual DP hero: he was really in love with her since the beginning and he had to leave her to marry the ow: she was his brother's fiancee, she was pregnant and his brother died leaving her with her parents who wanted a termination. To save the child he accepted to marry her until the baby was born. Then they would divorce. But, soon after the child was born, she committed suicide. He tried to find the heroine when he was widowed but nobody would tell him where she was, and her aunt told hims she hated him and she didn't want to see him anymore. He found out where she lived and went to live there to be near her (awwww, how cute), then the murder gave him the opportunity to talk to her again. He really didn't have a choice, he could have explained to her what was happening but thought it would be easier if she hated him. Of course he was so in lvoe with her and he suffered so much being separated by her that he tried to see her. He was really a sweet and loving guy, he even waited before proposing because he didn't want her to feel obliged. He was never cruel and mean with her, he always was so passionate in love and I wasn't even angry that he married the ow because the situation was really bad, and it was a marriage of convenience for the baby's sake, and he suffered all along.
Another unusual thing was the sex: many passionate and descriptive sex scenes before marriage. Wow! What happened Ms Palmer?
Actually I liked this book, even with the mystery part, that was not excessive and didn't distract from the main love story.
Cute and nice even the epilogue.
February 4, 2017
Omgozzz!
So many feels.
I really really enjoyed this super sweet love story between curator/ archeologist Phoebe and Native Indian cop Cortez.
Sweet virgin, sacrificial hero, mild angst and years later HEA.
What I really liked was
- the hero remained celibate and didn't cheat during his marriage
- the hero heroine instantly connected
- there were mild trust issues but not stretched
- they really adored each other
A really well written one.
Safe read
4.5/5
So many feels.
I really really enjoyed this super sweet love story between curator/ archeologist Phoebe and Native Indian cop Cortez.
Sweet virgin, sacrificial hero, mild angst and years later HEA.
What I really liked was
- the hero remained celibate and didn't cheat during his marriage
- the hero heroine instantly connected
- there were mild trust issues but not stretched
- they really adored each other
A really well written one.
Safe read
4.5/5
February 26, 2012
I keep telling myself I'm not going to try any more Diana Palmers but the local library is limited and I occassionally take them home. This was better than the others I've tried. At least he loved her the whole way through and knew it and wasn't an ass to her the entire time like is usual in Palmer's books.
The book was published in 2004 so I'm not sure why it was set in 1994 and 1997.
I liked the thing that kept them apart for the first 3 years. When they met again they got it out and explained pretty quickly but then kept regressing and having problems mistrusting each other's feelings which seemed odd since they seemed to be so open with each other about the said feelings.
The biggest weirdness was that this story took place over 1 to 2 weeks and the characters reacted and had conversations as if months were passing.
The suspense part was not real strong. If not for that driving the plot to happen so fast maybe the previous conversations would have made more sense. The bad guys were pretty bungling.
The best part was the strength of the hero's feeling for the heroine. He really seemed to love her and regret having to hurt her 3 years earlier and want to really protect and care for her. He really seemed to love her intensely.
The book was published in 2004 so I'm not sure why it was set in 1994 and 1997.
I liked the thing that kept them apart for the first 3 years. When they met again they got it out and explained pretty quickly but then kept regressing and having problems mistrusting each other's feelings which seemed odd since they seemed to be so open with each other about the said feelings.
The biggest weirdness was that this story took place over 1 to 2 weeks and the characters reacted and had conversations as if months were passing.
The suspense part was not real strong. If not for that driving the plot to happen so fast maybe the previous conversations would have made more sense. The bad guys were pretty bungling.
The best part was the strength of the hero's feeling for the heroine. He really seemed to love her and regret having to hurt her 3 years earlier and want to really protect and care for her. He really seemed to love her intensely.
July 22, 2008
Another Diana Palmer book that is not set in Jacobsville. This one is a murder, mystery, romance and pretty dang good too. This story is set in North Carolina near the Cherokee reservation there.
Phoebe has been in love with Cortez since she met him in Charleston. Cortez has the same feelings for her but he is afraid. Needless to say circumstances happen that lead them to be apart from one another. If I tell it gives away a major part of the story. Phoebe now is the curator of a museum just outside the Indian reservation. One day she gets a phone call from a mysterious man saying that he is an anthropologist and they have found remains at a construction site that maybe Neanderthal in origin. The next day the man is found dead on the reservation. Now it is a federal case and a new department will be coming in to investigate the murder. Cortez is that investigator. He is also 3/4 comanche Indian.
Just a really nice story. If I tell to much I will give everything away. But it was a good book to read
Phoebe has been in love with Cortez since she met him in Charleston. Cortez has the same feelings for her but he is afraid. Needless to say circumstances happen that lead them to be apart from one another. If I tell it gives away a major part of the story. Phoebe now is the curator of a museum just outside the Indian reservation. One day she gets a phone call from a mysterious man saying that he is an anthropologist and they have found remains at a construction site that maybe Neanderthal in origin. The next day the man is found dead on the reservation. Now it is a federal case and a new department will be coming in to investigate the murder. Cortez is that investigator. He is also 3/4 comanche Indian.
Just a really nice story. If I tell to much I will give everything away. But it was a good book to read
August 27, 2015
Sexy, passionate and heartwarming. I adored this book! I can't believe DP wrote such sensual sex scenes. Sizzling hot!
January 30, 2021
Zzzzzzzzz.
September 13, 2021
Just wow. I loved it. Well written. I loved the characters, the storyline, everything. I was so impressed. As expected.
Three years ago, Phoebe Keller fell deeply in love with Jeremiah Cortez. And she thought the feeling was mutual. But he broke her heart when she received a newspaper clipping about his wedding to another woman. No words. No explanation. Then circumstances involving murders occurred in a situation that forced them to work together closely.
*sigh* I loved Jeremiah. He's my kind of hero. He was one of the most unforgettable heroes I've ever read about. He was willing to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of the people he loved. And when he got a second chance, he was ready to do everything to be with her and never let go.
Three years ago, Phoebe Keller fell deeply in love with Jeremiah Cortez. And she thought the feeling was mutual. But he broke her heart when she received a newspaper clipping about his wedding to another woman. No words. No explanation. Then circumstances involving murders occurred in a situation that forced them to work together closely.
*sigh* I loved Jeremiah. He's my kind of hero. He was one of the most unforgettable heroes I've ever read about. He was willing to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of the people he loved. And when he got a second chance, he was ready to do everything to be with her and never let go.
June 15, 2013
2.5 stars
Still enjoy Diana Palmer but she certainly has some stinkers. This one wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great, or even really good. Maybe ok.
Blonde chick and hot Native American (with just a smidgen of Spanish in order to allow him to be called Cortez) are madly in love after two kisses and a snuggle. He off and dumps her for the most stupid reason (Di should've thought that one out more) and heroine goes nuts, whacking off her hair and moving to the boonies, never to touch a man again.
Out of every investigator in the US, our hero gets sent to her little ol' small town to investigate a murder on an Indian reservation (totally plausible, eh? And don't get me started on the H's shaman father!) and voila', they are all hot for each other again.
Our author definitely didn't invest much thought either into the whole murder mystery. I guess she figured we'd be too enthralled with the hot romance to care (feh!).
If you have nothing else to read (or listen to, like me), it'll fill the time well enough. But it's otherwise nothing special.
Still enjoy Diana Palmer but she certainly has some stinkers. This one wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great, or even really good. Maybe ok.
Blonde chick and hot Native American (with just a smidgen of Spanish in order to allow him to be called Cortez) are madly in love after two kisses and a snuggle. He off and dumps her for the most stupid reason (Di should've thought that one out more) and heroine goes nuts, whacking off her hair and moving to the boonies, never to touch a man again.
Out of every investigator in the US, our hero gets sent to her little ol' small town to investigate a murder on an Indian reservation (totally plausible, eh? And don't get me started on the H's shaman father!) and voila', they are all hot for each other again.
Our author definitely didn't invest much thought either into the whole murder mystery. I guess she figured we'd be too enthralled with the hot romance to care (feh!).
If you have nothing else to read (or listen to, like me), it'll fill the time well enough. But it's otherwise nothing special.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2021
One of the most boring DP book I’ve read. It was torturous to keep reading. I didn’t connect with the mc’s at all.
The h and H briefly meet at the start of the book but more like friends. The h carries some feelings for him, but nothing set in stone. The H is standoffish and his intentions are unclear at that time.
They reconnect just a few years later and there isn’t much that they’d missed to be so angsty about. There weren’t even that many years apart or feelings invested so deep that you complain of betrayal. Their chemistry is abrupt and wrongly placed. Also the h is talkative and cheerful and also TSTL. The kind that I can’t stand..
The h and H briefly meet at the start of the book but more like friends. The h carries some feelings for him, but nothing set in stone. The H is standoffish and his intentions are unclear at that time.
They reconnect just a few years later and there isn’t much that they’d missed to be so angsty about. There weren’t even that many years apart or feelings invested so deep that you complain of betrayal. Their chemistry is abrupt and wrongly placed. Also the h is talkative and cheerful and also TSTL. The kind that I can’t stand..
July 29, 2021
Phoebe is devastated and retreats to a small town job as a museum curator after the love of her life ( a guy she saw three times and kissed twice), sent her a newspaper clipping about him marrying another woman.
Three years later, he finds her and he brings with him a toddler from his marriage, and Phoebe is again devastated until she gets some answers from him, about his marriage with his brother's girlfriend.
Stupid plot, a stupid murder mystery. I hated this book
Three years later, he finds her and he brings with him a toddler from his marriage, and Phoebe is again devastated until she gets some answers from him, about his marriage with his brother's girlfriend.
Stupid plot, a stupid murder mystery. I hated this book
July 29, 2010
Overall this was a really good book. The only thing that this author does that puts me off slightly is her multiorgasmic men. Which in itself isn't a bad thing but if all her books contain multiorgasmic men it gets old. Now the plot in this book was great. There was dager, secrects, and romance. It caught my interest and kept it. I'd reconmend this book.
June 25, 2008
A terrible book about an anthropologist and the jerkwad Native guy she loves for some unfathomable reason. He's an ass, she's stupid, and the whole thing is unbelievable and poorly written.
February 5, 2009
One of Diana's best. Again, a tough heroine which man the insane alpha hero human.
April 9, 2009
My favorite book of hers.
August 4, 2015
Rating: 4 stars.
July 10, 2022
Didn’t love this book. Thought it had a good plot but didn’t like the aggression from Jeremiah and thought some of the wording was a little tacky. Overall though it was interesting.
September 19, 2023
DNF
Let me summarize the time line of this epic love story: they spent two hours together (working), met again a year later and spent an hour or so having lunch. Then we go to 3 years later because 3 hours spread over a year and few months is a solid foundation for a sizzling romance. 🫤
So this is the story of Cortez and Phoebe, they worked together for an “hour or two”-(I will keep on repeating this lol)- a year ago and shared a one passionate kiss . Both went their merry ways with NO CONTACT at all . He comes to her graduation party ( that she invited him to last time she saw him) and he invites her for lunch.
“I’m amazed that you did remember me, or that you took the trouble to find out when and where I was graduating so that you could be here,” she said. “I couldn’t send you an invitation,” she added sheepishly, “because I didn’t have your address. I didn’t really expect you, either. We only spent an hour or two together last year.”
DP, tries her best to convince as that those two hours were more than enough and that he could not fight this attraction that he felt for her and had to come to her graduation.
We have a very long lunch date convesation that is supposed to be a turning point in their relation but it is just one long talk of nonsense that means nothing and a hell lots of hesitation on his part. Then he goes on to offer her god knows what. He wants her to take an office job in Washington where she will be near him but he is not offering anything else .He knows nothing about her, does not want to tell her anything about him, does not want to open up to her in any way, is not offering any type of a relationship, he desires her sexually but refuses her offer to go back to her room and is not offering that either in the future (maybe, because he keeps contradicting himself on this point).
He had cold feet where Phoebe was concerned.
“I don’t know anything about you, really,” she told him honestly.
“ I came here against my better judgment, Phoebe. I’m too old and too jaded for a woman your age. You haven’t even reached the stage of French kissing, while I’ve long passed the stage of Victorian courtship.”
“In other words, if you stayed around long enough, you’d want to sleep with me.”
“I already want to sleep with you,” he said. “There’s nothing I want more. That’s why I’m going to get on a plane and go straight back to D.C.”
“Good Lord, I’m not proposing marriage!” she burst out.
“Good thing,” he mused. “I’m married to my job. But if you’re ever in the market for a lover, I’ll be around.”
After that he leaves, after kissing her passionatly. Promises to write one or two letters and not long ones either because he is very busy and to see her when he sees her.
So, what goes down from here is that she writes him one letter that was returned to her, unopened, as unforwardable, he sends her a prayer wheel a week after her graduation, and then two weeks later a newspaper clipping of his marraige.
And this, is supposed to be enough to convince us that their love was so strong that we understand the pain and the desperation she felt that made her try to kill herself ! But what the hell do I know🤷♀️.
It is not like they only spent 3 hours, 4 max together kissed twice and left each other with no promises at all expect for writing letters and seeing each other god knows when.🙄
Yeah, we totally get it, love this strong will make him go crazy sad and mad without her and turn her into a suicidal mess.
The cherry on top was that we are told the reason behind the marriage via the hero’s cousin, that was introduced to us 3 second ago. And she is telling the whole damn story to a guy she met 4 seconds ago.
I just stopped reading after he comes to her office and kisses her. It was just too much.
Let me summarize the time line of this epic love story: they spent two hours together (working), met again a year later and spent an hour or so having lunch. Then we go to 3 years later because 3 hours spread over a year and few months is a solid foundation for a sizzling romance. 🫤
So this is the story of Cortez and Phoebe, they worked together for an “hour or two”-(I will keep on repeating this lol)- a year ago and shared a one passionate kiss . Both went their merry ways with NO CONTACT at all . He comes to her graduation party ( that she invited him to last time she saw him) and he invites her for lunch.
“I’m amazed that you did remember me, or that you took the trouble to find out when and where I was graduating so that you could be here,” she said. “I couldn’t send you an invitation,” she added sheepishly, “because I didn’t have your address. I didn’t really expect you, either. We only spent an hour or two together last year.”
DP, tries her best to convince as that those two hours were more than enough and that he could not fight this attraction that he felt for her and had to come to her graduation.
We have a very long lunch date convesation that is supposed to be a turning point in their relation but it is just one long talk of nonsense that means nothing and a hell lots of hesitation on his part. Then he goes on to offer her god knows what. He wants her to take an office job in Washington where she will be near him but he is not offering anything else .He knows nothing about her, does not want to tell her anything about him, does not want to open up to her in any way, is not offering any type of a relationship, he desires her sexually but refuses her offer to go back to her room and is not offering that either in the future (maybe, because he keeps contradicting himself on this point).
He had cold feet where Phoebe was concerned.
“I don’t know anything about you, really,” she told him honestly.
“ I came here against my better judgment, Phoebe. I’m too old and too jaded for a woman your age. You haven’t even reached the stage of French kissing, while I’ve long passed the stage of Victorian courtship.”
“In other words, if you stayed around long enough, you’d want to sleep with me.”
“I already want to sleep with you,” he said. “There’s nothing I want more. That’s why I’m going to get on a plane and go straight back to D.C.”
“Good Lord, I’m not proposing marriage!” she burst out.
“Good thing,” he mused. “I’m married to my job. But if you’re ever in the market for a lover, I’ll be around.”
After that he leaves, after kissing her passionatly. Promises to write one or two letters and not long ones either because he is very busy and to see her when he sees her.
So, what goes down from here is that she writes him one letter that was returned to her, unopened, as unforwardable, he sends her a prayer wheel a week after her graduation, and then two weeks later a newspaper clipping of his marraige.
And this, is supposed to be enough to convince us that their love was so strong that we understand the pain and the desperation she felt that made her try to kill herself ! But what the hell do I know🤷♀️.
It is not like they only spent 3 hours, 4 max together kissed twice and left each other with no promises at all expect for writing letters and seeing each other god knows when.🙄
Yeah, we totally get it, love this strong will make him go crazy sad and mad without her and turn her into a suicidal mess.
The cherry on top was that we are told the reason behind the marriage via the hero’s cousin, that was introduced to us 3 second ago. And she is telling the whole damn story to a guy she met 4 seconds ago.
I just stopped reading after he comes to her office and kisses her. It was just too much.
June 19, 2009
Having got a few chapters in I recall reading this sometime last year.
Its a story off a girl broken hearted, who moves away to a small remote town who has got a degree in anthropology, but she is currently working in a library to heal her broken heart running away from a romance that was cut short with no explaination. The man she was in love with and has never gotten over is a cherokee indian "Cortez' with long dark hair and much older than her. It is when the girl recieves an anonymous phone call about neanderthal human remains on the reservation closeby that the FBI are callied in which happens to be her lost love Cortez who she thinks deserted her having married another woman suddenly and without any explaination. She soon learns that the wedding was a farce and that her indian lovers's wife was not in love with him, but his brother, who had been killed. She had been of white decent and was pregnant with a baby when her man died in an unfortunate accident.
Cortez the Indian is forced to marry this woman of his brother but she is so deep in grief she commits suicide within less than a year after having her child...
Its an amazing story which I was very happy to read fully a 2nd time and the ending is a happy one
I would reccoment this book without hessitation a love story with hiccups do read it
Its a story off a girl broken hearted, who moves away to a small remote town who has got a degree in anthropology, but she is currently working in a library to heal her broken heart running away from a romance that was cut short with no explaination. The man she was in love with and has never gotten over is a cherokee indian "Cortez' with long dark hair and much older than her. It is when the girl recieves an anonymous phone call about neanderthal human remains on the reservation closeby that the FBI are callied in which happens to be her lost love Cortez who she thinks deserted her having married another woman suddenly and without any explaination. She soon learns that the wedding was a farce and that her indian lovers's wife was not in love with him, but his brother, who had been killed. She had been of white decent and was pregnant with a baby when her man died in an unfortunate accident.
Cortez the Indian is forced to marry this woman of his brother but she is so deep in grief she commits suicide within less than a year after having her child...
Its an amazing story which I was very happy to read fully a 2nd time and the ending is a happy one
I would reccoment this book without hessitation a love story with hiccups do read it
September 12, 2014
Another good Diana Palmer I think.
Phoebe's been in love with Cortez since her years in college. At that time, Cortez promised her future together. Until one day he left and sent her a letter, with his marriage clipping in it! Heartbroken and alone, Phoebe went work at a museum. Three years later when she's involved with a murder case, Cortez's the one who investigate it. What will happen next?
I kind of liked it. I find Cortez's not that snob as Diana Palmer's Hero usually be. He's tender and surprisingly sweet. I just can't imagine a man with hair as long as woman's. Kind of freak me out.
Anyway, the angst's enough to me, even though I expect something more deathly, like Lawless. But so far so good. I loved Joseph! He's cute!
Anyway, definitely enjoyable to read and Diana Palmer's fan would loved it. :)
Phoebe's been in love with Cortez since her years in college. At that time, Cortez promised her future together. Until one day he left and sent her a letter, with his marriage clipping in it! Heartbroken and alone, Phoebe went work at a museum. Three years later when she's involved with a murder case, Cortez's the one who investigate it. What will happen next?
I kind of liked it. I find Cortez's not that snob as Diana Palmer's Hero usually be. He's tender and surprisingly sweet. I just can't imagine a man with hair as long as woman's. Kind of freak me out.
Anyway, the angst's enough to me, even though I expect something more deathly, like Lawless. But so far so good. I loved Joseph! He's cute!
Anyway, definitely enjoyable to read and Diana Palmer's fan would loved it. :)
May 4, 2011
Another dollar book find!
Hero not as awful as some of her others. Still a jerk, though.
Wow! A Diana Palmer that didn't TOTALLY turn me off from the hero. Although, I wonder if it's because her previous heroes were such jerks that this guy was a prince among them?
I liked this book. I liked the characters and supporting characters, too. It was a quick, engaging, sexy read.
Speaking of sexy...the heroine's loss of her virginity was one of the sexiest scenes I have read to date. We're not talking erotica here, but it was a sweet, slow, seduction of the senses.
It made me want to be a BAV (Born Again Virgin).
Hero not as awful as some of her others. Still a jerk, though.
Wow! A Diana Palmer that didn't TOTALLY turn me off from the hero. Although, I wonder if it's because her previous heroes were such jerks that this guy was a prince among them?
I liked this book. I liked the characters and supporting characters, too. It was a quick, engaging, sexy read.
Speaking of sexy...the heroine's loss of her virginity was one of the sexiest scenes I have read to date. We're not talking erotica here, but it was a sweet, slow, seduction of the senses.
It made me want to be a BAV (Born Again Virgin).
August 8, 2008
This will be a quick review. I would NOT recommend this book. Although the mystery kept me reading, the dialogue was stilted and weak. I trudged through it and won't read another Diana Palmer book.
December 2, 2008
Liked her style this time too. She is great if you just want a feel-good book.
April 26, 2010
Another good one by this Author.
August 11, 2010
read first book by Diana Palmer...like this book...hope to read some more good books by same auther.
January 29, 2009
Another good book of Diana Palmer's, that I just couldn't put down.
December 9, 2023
It was Okay I guess, but sad to say I found it a bit tedious. It's all just a bit of a long winded lecture about Native American history and culture, all of which is delivered through massive dumps of character dialogue. Basically two characters will stand in a room, and carry out these super looooong, really artificial sounding conversations about how little dumb ole whitey knows about the noble, sacred, native peoples of America. In one breath we told stupid whitey thinks all Native American's are hoo-doo priests in loin cloths and beads, and then in the next breath we are told the H's Grandpa uses a talisman and Comanche songs to scry the future and send psychic messages on the winds. So which is it? The fetishization is rather cringe, at one point the h breathlessly tells us how the Aboriginal peoples of the world are one day going to save us all with their superior ways. I'm pretty sure they are just people; flesh and bone humans like us all, not demi Gods that walk one inch above the earth.
The gushing, sweeping adoration is a bit...weird. Maybe it's because I'm not an American, I just don't get it, and I don't appreciate all endless talk about race cluttering up my romance. I want read about some hot dude making it with a shy virgin, not be lectured about the injustice of some historical treaty I never heard of.
The gushing, sweeping adoration is a bit...weird. Maybe it's because I'm not an American, I just don't get it, and I don't appreciate all endless talk about race cluttering up my romance. I want read about some hot dude making it with a shy virgin, not be lectured about the injustice of some historical treaty I never heard of.
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December 28, 2023I haven’t read it yet but based on the reviews I had to make a post with my concerns. He married his dead brother’s pregnant girlfriend out of misogynistic and outdated stereotypes but only three years later he is chasing his dumped girlfriend?? Is he already divorced? Then what was the point of the marriage then!?! Or the abandonment of his “true love”?! He could have simply spoken to the FMC and explained it would be a two year marriage of convenience and they would have been together through it all. I hate when the plot conflict is something so easily fixed from the beginning that it makes the whole book pointless!!
Also he shows up with the child in tow for a murder investigation. What FBI agent brings a child to the job? Where is the mother. Did she conveniently die? I bet she did because DP doesn’t do coparenting in any of her books. I will read this eventually just so I can say “I knew it!” But honestly I’ve only ever liked ONE book by this author “Maggie’s dad”. And the only reason I liked it was because the MMC was never forgivable to me but his abused daughter was won over by the FMC. I think it was the daughter’s suffering that made me like the book. Like she was Cinderella but the FMC was not an evil stepmother.
Also he shows up with the child in tow for a murder investigation. What FBI agent brings a child to the job? Where is the mother. Did she conveniently die? I bet she did because DP doesn’t do coparenting in any of her books. I will read this eventually just so I can say “I knew it!” But honestly I’ve only ever liked ONE book by this author “Maggie’s dad”. And the only reason I liked it was because the MMC was never forgivable to me but his abused daughter was won over by the FMC. I think it was the daughter’s suffering that made me like the book. Like she was Cinderella but the FMC was not an evil stepmother.
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