Lover In the Rough

by Elizabeth Lowell

As exquisite as a fine diamond but fragile as glass, Reba Farrall wandered aimless and lost -- until a kind, caring old gentleman helped to heal her shattered spirit. But now her dearest friend is gone, leaving Reba with a broken, doubting heart...
and a half-interest in a California gem mine.

LOVER IN THE ROUGH

Daring and handsome, Chance Walker is an adventurer who believes in nothing except the priceless uncut stones for which he searches the Earth. Now the most precious jewel of all awaits him in Death Valley. But danger is stalking Reba Farrall. And Chance knows only he can save the sad and sensuous beauty -- and that only she can teach him how to love.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, M F Romance, Romantic Suspense

322 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1983

About the author

Individually and with co-author/husband Evan, Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one work of non-fiction. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery. After working in contemporary and historical romance, she became an innovator in the genre of romantic suspense.

In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).

Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.

To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.

Reviews

[Catheryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this story cheesy, insta-love and a tiny bit predictable...yes. Did I care...no.

Chance and Reba were so sweet together from the start. I like that Chance's affections were genuine. I thought that EL did a lot of research into gems and mining. I definitely showed in this book. Reba was a great character. I like that she was soft, sweet and a touch naive but very smart. She knew all about geology and geography of mining. I like that Chance supported her and didn't feel intimidated by her knowledge in the field.

This was a cozy romantic read. Published in 1983 and it shows but I loved it.

[Alexis-Morgan Roark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know it's an older book. I was prepared for that. I was not, however, prepared for the storyline and the way the characters developed. I just didn't like it. The dialogue was waaaay over the top and gave me the shudders.

It's obvious Ms. Lowell did her research, and I think all of it's within the pages of this book! Every gem-related metaphor one could imagine is inside. I don't like giving bad reviews, because...hey, they're published, and I'm not, but this is just not my cuppa, you know?

I think I'll skip her earlier works (I did not care for the one where she's a photographer and he makes boats nor did I care for Winter Fire--overdone metaphors abound there, too) and move on to her later stuff.

If you're new to romance, give it a try. It's your standard 80s romance with a strong alpha male and a feisty female. If you are into mining (I realized twenty or so pages into the book that liking diamonds and liking mining are two ENTIRELY different things), then you'll like this one.

[SnooRegrets · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boy I think I gotta stop rereading those old classics from my youth. I remember the earlier Lowell ones being Bad, but phew that MMC was awful. In the end I wished for a stronger heroine, so we would have gotten a female rage drama and not a HEA. And it is such a shame, because Lowell‘s Books always are Full of (I think) well researched facts and knowledge.

[Tharanga · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 25%. Story is so boring and could not connect with any of the characters.

[Judy Tarver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by this author and I really enjoyed the storyline and the romance is hot! The character’s are easy to like and the book flows along at a great pace as tension builds and mixed in with some adventures with this couple. Loved the book and recommend it to romance fans.

[Darlis · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was absolutely no plot here and we just got tired of all the simmering passion, blood throbbings, and his biceps like stone. Don't waste your time.

[Ryley Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Lowell for over 30 years. She is one of the authors that made me fall in love with romance novels when I first started reading them and I still enjoy going back and rereading them on occasion. Lover in the Rough has aged better than I expected but Ms. Lowell's writing is better than most :) Her descriptions of settings cannot be beat nor can the sensuality of her characters. There is a lot to like about both her hero and heroine and the sexual tension between them is apparent from the very fist moment they meet. I'm going to skip summing up the plot of the book (other reviewers do a far better job than I ever could). I will say that the only negatives for me (and the reason the book didn't get a 5 star rating) are the secondary characters, which were very 2 dimensional and predictable and a small issue with the hero. As much as I loved nearly everything about Chance (and trust me, there was a lot to love), the one problem I saw was with some of his dialogue. At times, he would get very flowery with his language and I just found it off putting. I don't know how to explain it, but at times he seemed a bit too verbose (and poetic) to be quite believable (maybe I'm just comparing him to my husband who definitely does not say things like this to me in the bedroom: "You're perfect, firm and silky, changing as I touch you. Yes, my woman, change for me." But when Ms. Lowell has the hero describe the landscape to the heroine, I'm utterly captivated: "He told her about continental plates sliding past one another with ponderous grace and world-shaking results, the crust wrinkling, magma welling up and hardening into granite masses beneath the land, earthquakes and mountains rising, molten rock shifting beneath the surface of the earth like an immense dragon stirring in its sleep." As a life-long California resident, I am very familiar with that dragon and that description has never left me. I thought the over-the-top descriptions worked great in adding texture and feeling to the story, just not so much in the love scenes (definite shades of purple prose). But that could just be me and I would highly recommend you don't let that stop you if you have any inclination to read this book. This is a superb read by one of the masters of the genre!

[Leila Mota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estou lendo ou relendo todos os livros de Lowell que estão disponíveis a preço razoável, porque resolvi fazer uma viagem no tempo. Fim de ano, acho. Algum tipo de nostalgia. Mas já fiz um comentário genérico sobre todos esses livros, e não há muito o que mudar. O esquema não muda quase nada, exceto pelas ambientações (e mesmo assim, no caso da série Rocking M, nem isso), e em alguns casos, ao maior cuidado com relações casuais sem proteção. Sempre há um trauma de alguma das partes do casal romântico: ou o homem odeia mulheres (estou exagerando aqui, mas às vezes o limite entre o ódio, o desejo de posse, a desvalorização da mulher ou qualquer outro sinal mais ou menos sutil perpassa demais a sociedade para que não se acenda um sinal de alerta); ou a mulher tem um sério problema de autoestima (sempre causado por um ex-parceiro) ou infância problemática. Aí me pergunto (não precisa ninguém fazê-lo por mim) porque ler a autora. Deve haver mil respostas para isso, mas não vou me aprofundar, porque não interessa a ninguém. Subtraindo as generalidades que se repetem nos livros, às vezes uma história é mais ou menos interessante. Essa fica no quadrante das menos interessantes.

[camiii · Rating 1 out of 5]

Iba a ponerle un poco de onda a la review y decir “bueno, al menos es todo consensuado!”. Ahora estoy decidiendo cómo convencer a Goodreads de poner estrellas negativas.

Lo leí todo en un día porque si frenaba y dejaba de leer un solo segundo no había manera de convencerme de seguir leyendo.

[Karen Suhorsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was easy ready and went fast.

[Diane Briones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting Read

If it has her name on it, I'll read it! Granted sometimes stories are similar but the characters are well thought out and unique.

[Sharon Macon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many words and so little substance. I hate bashing a writer who put their heart into this, but it's impossible to like Chance. I skipped so many pages to get to the end.

[Cassidy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I just didn't find Chance likable at all.

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3++. Old fashioned romance. Very enjoyable.

[Nancy McCourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title should have given this away. A bit over the top with a simple plot you could guess and lots of passion. Not a great novel but entertaining enough for the drive.

[Bronwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely my least favorite Elizabeth Lowell.

[nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars ~~~~~~~~ it had too much romance and that’s SAYING SOMETHING coming from me.

[Lisa Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was extremely sappy, and the reading of the book only exacerbated that feeling.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Lowell. So far I have enjoyed most of her books. I think Lover in the Rough might be the exception. You can definitely tell that this is an early work. If I had to chose a word to describe it, that word would be cheesy. I couldn't help but giggle through this entire book. The subject matter, gems, serves as a metaphor for just about everything in the book. From the beauty of both Reba and Chance's eyes to the sunsets and desert. It is loaded with them!

Chance Walker, with his mustache and slight Australian accent comes in and sweeps Reba off her feet, of course! Even though she has been hurt and is untrusting, she falls for him immediately because he is just so handsome and rugged. She just met the man and she agrees to go camping with him, alone in the mountains. Wouldn't you wonder why the sudden interest in a "dead" mine that you own? Yet it takes her forever to figure it all out; long after the reader. Of course in the end, the hero redeems himself and the heroine takes him back with open arms. This probably wouldn't be the one of her throwbacks that I would recommend.

[SaturNalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reba is trying to get over the death of a beloved friend. While on a photoshoot in the desert she is accosted by overzealous suitor and Chance steps in to defend her honor. Chance is very primal and old school but gentle. He threw 'my woman' around a lot. Both characters have a lot of emotional baggage, and I would have liked to see them for through it more. Reba married very young, an older man her mother choose, and whom she did not love. Her mother was very controlling and their relationship is bad, this did not get a resolution. Chance grew up fast in the jungle, had a father who didn't care for him. Yeah A LOT of baggage. They fall in love at first sight, and soon are very touchy feely. Then they spend rest of the book stuck in a mine, trying to get out when it collapses. This was good but could have been so much better.

[Endira77 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this must be my first romance novel, by accident. I bought the audiobook on sale for only $6. The metaphors in the book are fantastic. The author clearly knows gemstones and uses them to describe people, emotions, puns, etc. After awhile, though, it was over the top so that any imagery or analogy using diamonds or emeralds or turmaline (?) would cause my eyes to roll in the back of my head. It's like when a lady wears so much gold that it is gaudy and loses its value. ha! The meant-to-be-love theme makes me gag with incredulity, but the sexual encounters were quite juicy while leaving some for the imagination, especially for those readers like myself practicing abstinence. :o)

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good early romance from Elizabeth Lowell. I liked it. It is set in Death Valley, Beverly Hills and eastern San Diego County and is about Reba, who owns 1/2 of a mine. The other 1/2 belongs to a cousin in Austrila, with whom she has no contact. Reba's business is Objects d' Art, including rare gems and artifacts. Into Reba's life comes Chance, a stranger who knows a lot about Reba's mine, even though he has just met her. She is head over heals in love with someone she thints wants her, for her. Maybe not.

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Elizabeth Lowell however this book was not my favorite. Reba was sad alone and had just lost her best friend. He only person who cared for her for who she was, not what she looked like or what she had. Along came Chance, rugged, handsome and protective,at least as far as Reba can see. The romance was a little over the top for me through most of the book,I wanted more story. The end picked up when Reba discovered Chance betrayed her. She reacted as I thought she should, which made me like her and the book a lot more. I did like the end,and still love Elizabeth Lowell.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the San Diego [California] back country prospecting for tourmaline - I really enjoyed it. Lots of talk about gems/mining/etc that I find interesting but others might not. One of her earlier works, it doesn't have the polish that her later books like the Donovans or Rarities, Ltd. do. Contemporary setting.

[C K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe the companion book to this is something like 'Song for a Raven' and both are excellent! This is an author that I have read a lot of and have added her books to my 'keeper' book shelf. Most I have read at least twice and some even more than that. Always in depth characters that anyone can identify with on some level.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Lowell does it again. Makes me believe in utter passion and soul mates. No major surprises or drama here, but a fine love story. Chance and Reba make a great couple. The only thing that sorta bugged me were the gymnastics references, seemed kinda pointless and as the mom of a former gymnast not sure they rang true. But overall a good story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened on audio in the car. Hadn't "read" a true romance in awhile. Reba Farrell owns Objects d'Art where she buys & sells art & gems in Beverly Hills. Her mentor has passed away leaving her 1/2 of a defunct Tourmaline mine in San Diego. While in Death Valley on a photo shoot, she meets Chance Walker, an adventuring miner who knows a lot about Reba's mine. Fine for entertainment...

[Pam Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like Lover in the Rough, I though Chance was sweet and although he was very "rough" he was totally in love and I like that in my Heroes...As for the leading lady...she did not take any crap, I like that too...this book was entertaining....

[Abby Fick · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Typical" romance which is not my typical kind of book (impossible scenarios, over-the-top flowery language a guy would NEVER say, etc.). Guess I'll stick with her later stuff which is good.