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Glass Beach
Released from a loveless marriage, Elizabeth Bennett expects a life peace with her daughter on their lush Hawaiian estate, until her late husband's alluring illegitimate son appears to claim his father's half of the estate. Original.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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107 people want to read
About the author
Jill Marie Landis
76 books250 followersJILL MARIE LANDIS is the bestselling author of nearly thirty novels which have appeared on the NYT bestseller list, USA Today and other national bestseller lists. She has won numerous awards for her heartfelt characters and sweeping emotional historical romances that include SUMMER MOON and MAGNOLIA CREEK and the Irish Angels Series; HEART OF STONE, HEART OF LIES, and HEART OF GLASS. All of her Historical Romances are available in eBook format.
She is currently writing The Tiki Goddess Mysteries series which includes MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, THREE TO GET LEI'D, TOO HOT FOUR HULA and HAWAII FIVE UH-OH! from Bell Bridge Books.
Toes in the sand and head in the clouds, she is living the dream in Hawaii with her husband, Steve. Jill Marie loves to spend hours at the beach reading or writing and she also loves dancing the hula.
She is currently writing The Tiki Goddess Mysteries series which includes MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, THREE TO GET LEI'D, TOO HOT FOUR HULA and HAWAII FIVE UH-OH! from Bell Bridge Books.
Toes in the sand and head in the clouds, she is living the dream in Hawaii with her husband, Steve. Jill Marie loves to spend hours at the beach reading or writing and she also loves dancing the hula.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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April 10, 2019Excellent quick read for when you want to put things off - like housework or studying.
June 6, 2014
I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The gist: Elizabeth has had a pretty crappy last 10 years. Her loving parents died, leaving her in the care of her stiff, missionary aunt and uncle. She had a brief love affair with a sailor who left her pregnant and disgraced. Her aunt and uncle shipped her to the kingdom of Hawaii so she could marry a real prick of a man twice her age. The abusive bastard dies and she finally thinks she's a free woman, free to make her own decisions for once in her life and protect her young daughter. Then her asshole husband's will is read and she discovers the prick has left his bastard son in charge of the ranch until her daughter comes of age and if her daughter should die before coming of age, the bastard son inherits the ranch outright, leaving her once again at the mercy of a man she doesn't know. Spencer grew up idolizing his absent father even though the man refused to marry his mother solely because she was Hawaiian and he was a white man. His hero worship eventually turned to hatred for the man. So when he learns of his father's death, he doesn't want anything to do with his father'a ranch, widow, or his half sister. Spencer is an honorable man, though, and since turning his back on the ranch would mean the beautiful young widow and and her daughter would be penniless and homeless, he agrees to the terms of the will. What Spencer and Elizabeth don't anticipate, however, is that they will come to need each other for their very existence.
I absolutely LOVED this story! I loved Elizabeth and I felt her pain and turmoil as though it was my own. Spencer was everything you could want in a romance hero.
The story itself had drama and pain and romance. Their struggles with their feelings for each other literally had my guy clenching and my eyes pricked with years on more than one occasion. ANY time an author can evoke a physiological response in me, I count that as a HUGE success!!!
The only thing that was bothersome was all the Hawaiian language mixed with English. I understood the purpose, but I'm a lazy reader and I don't like having to figure out what a word or phrase means based on the context. I just want to read and understand what I'm reading. But it wasn't so bad to make me not like the story. I also felt Duke and Ana's side story was a bit of a distraction. I understand that Ana added an element of jealousy/rivalry for Elizabeth, but I feel like the story would've been stronger without that additional tension.
Overall, though, I LOVED the story and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical romance.
The gist: Elizabeth has had a pretty crappy last 10 years. Her loving parents died, leaving her in the care of her stiff, missionary aunt and uncle. She had a brief love affair with a sailor who left her pregnant and disgraced. Her aunt and uncle shipped her to the kingdom of Hawaii so she could marry a real prick of a man twice her age. The abusive bastard dies and she finally thinks she's a free woman, free to make her own decisions for once in her life and protect her young daughter. Then her asshole husband's will is read and she discovers the prick has left his bastard son in charge of the ranch until her daughter comes of age and if her daughter should die before coming of age, the bastard son inherits the ranch outright, leaving her once again at the mercy of a man she doesn't know. Spencer grew up idolizing his absent father even though the man refused to marry his mother solely because she was Hawaiian and he was a white man. His hero worship eventually turned to hatred for the man. So when he learns of his father's death, he doesn't want anything to do with his father'a ranch, widow, or his half sister. Spencer is an honorable man, though, and since turning his back on the ranch would mean the beautiful young widow and and her daughter would be penniless and homeless, he agrees to the terms of the will. What Spencer and Elizabeth don't anticipate, however, is that they will come to need each other for their very existence.
I absolutely LOVED this story! I loved Elizabeth and I felt her pain and turmoil as though it was my own. Spencer was everything you could want in a romance hero.
The story itself had drama and pain and romance. Their struggles with their feelings for each other literally had my guy clenching and my eyes pricked with years on more than one occasion. ANY time an author can evoke a physiological response in me, I count that as a HUGE success!!!
The only thing that was bothersome was all the Hawaiian language mixed with English. I understood the purpose, but I'm a lazy reader and I don't like having to figure out what a word or phrase means based on the context. I just want to read and understand what I'm reading. But it wasn't so bad to make me not like the story. I also felt Duke and Ana's side story was a bit of a distraction. I understand that Ana added an element of jealousy/rivalry for Elizabeth, but I feel like the story would've been stronger without that additional tension.
Overall, though, I LOVED the story and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical romance.
May 23, 2014
This book is a reissue of the book from 1998. I can't remember reading it back then. But the author is a favorite and I requested it without looking at the summary. After realizing it took place in Hawaii, where I lived for 4 years, I was excited to read it. I loved the Hawaiian flavor of the book and the fact that the book was fairly historically accurate as I remember it. The character, Elizabeth, broke my heart at the beginning of the book. She deserved a better life than what she'd been dealt. Enter Spencer, Hawaiian paniolo and son of her deceased husband. Of course, the sparks fly, but nothing can come of it because the haoles (foreigners, white Americans in this case) discouraged and discriminated relationships between the two races. I'll leave it there for the reader to figure out the remainder of the storyline. Elizabeth's daughter, Hadley, is adorable and is a key character throughout the book.
I enjoyed this book. It brought be back more than a few years, to when we lived on Oahu. The Hawaiian language was familiar to me as was the colloquial language the author used. I felt like I was there watching a play unfold before my eyes.
Thank you to NetGalley and BelleBridge books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book. You took me back to the Islands!
I enjoyed this book. It brought be back more than a few years, to when we lived on Oahu. The Hawaiian language was familiar to me as was the colloquial language the author used. I felt like I was there watching a play unfold before my eyes.
Thank you to NetGalley and BelleBridge books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book. You took me back to the Islands!
August 14, 2008
It's about Kauai. It's cheesy, easy, and comforting. Shaddup.
October 19, 2018
Main characters had an uncomfortable family relationship-link but once you stop thinking about that- the book is really great!
September 16, 2019
A little slow and predictable.
September 5, 2012
i hated the female character in this book!!!! a lot of bad stuff happened to her in her life but she needs to get over it and stop treating the male character like his trying to kill her or her daughter!!!! i could see if she didn't trust him right away but she kept accusing him of bad stuff almost till the end , even after he saves her daughter life she still thinks like his trying to take her inheritance away. If he just let her die it would have been his anyway!!! the plot is ridiculous!!! I managed to finish it so it wasn't the worst book i ever read!!! just don't expect to much from this book!!!!!!
May 18, 2014
3.5 stars
Jill Marie Landis painted a beautiful picture of Hawaii in 1888. Her words were so poetic and flowing, I could easily picture myself there with the sights and smells.
I had a hard time liking the heroine, Elizabeth. I completely got where she was coming from and why she reacted the way she did, but her constant mistrust of Spence got on my nerves. If I were him, I wouldn't have gone back to her that last time...a person can only take so much. I guess he loved her more than I did, because he did go back to her.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
Jill Marie Landis painted a beautiful picture of Hawaii in 1888. Her words were so poetic and flowing, I could easily picture myself there with the sights and smells.
I had a hard time liking the heroine, Elizabeth. I completely got where she was coming from and why she reacted the way she did, but her constant mistrust of Spence got on my nerves. If I were him, I wouldn't have gone back to her that last time...a person can only take so much. I guess he loved her more than I did, because he did go back to her.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
May 30, 2014
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a different twist on your typical historical fiction. Unlike the regency romance I usually read this one is set in Hawaii. I did enjoy the story and the characters. However, all of the Hawaiian words made it really hard to follow at times. I kept having to stop and wonder what a certain word actually meant. It made it a hard read for me. Good story but not my usual cup of tea it was good but not heart pounding awesomeness.
June 7, 2014
Glass Beach by Jill Marie Landis was a wonderful story of a man and woman finding love again, after they were both hurt. It is a time of healing and of a love that can't be. Spence is half Hawaiian and Elizabeth is white. If they got together, the scandal would be so bad that neither of them could show their fact in polite society again. Will love win out, over prejudice? You will have to read it to find out.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion
June 30, 2021
I loved the concept and setting, but the story itself was just... eh. There's nothing glaringly wrong with it, but it didn't stir any strong feelings in me. On paper the hero sounds sexy as sin and the heroine appears relatable, but I had a hard time connecting with either of them. They're just sort of there. The heroine's paranoia got tiring, and the little girl was kind of a brat and acted too old for her age.
June 12, 2011
After reading 100+ pages, I decided life is too short to squander time reading books I don't like, when there are so many good books out there.
I didn't like the way the author wrote. The characters were not likeable it was too heavy on narrative and plodded along way to slow.
I didn't like the way the author wrote. The characters were not likeable it was too heavy on narrative and plodded along way to slow.
September 26, 2025
All in all, I enjoyed the book. My only complain is that I didn't like Elizabeth very much. She didn't trust Spence till the very end; that's why I found it hard to be invested in their relationship. Spencer was perfect in every way :)
July 16, 2009
a bit slow to start, but still good. this author always intrigues me with her story lines. this one was set in the 1880s Hawaii. not sure what I'll read next. time will tell.
April 5, 2010
Good story. I like Jill's books.
August 12, 2010
A good example of cultural tolerance and acceptance. A very nice story
June 28, 2015
Hawaii; modernized history
July 29, 2022
While the plot is predictable, the atmosphere and landscape of the book make up for it...beautiful setting
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews