darbyart's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in one night. It was a very easy read. I enjoyed the diary entries mixed into this book. I think I liked Keeper of the Light better and liked the characters better but this was still really good plot and had me engaged and wanting to know where it was going to end up. Enjoying this series and this authors book -- definitely one I will keep reading.
kookie9200's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't hate this book. However, I didn't love it either. I felt that it was very draggy and took far too long to get to the actual story. Once there, the actual story was rather ridiculous and convoluted. Honestly, Chamberlain's other offerings are much better.
kelly_e's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Title: Kiss River
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Series: Kiss River #2
Genre: Women's Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 1, 2003
T H R E E • W O R D S
Deceptive • Mysterious • Underwhelming
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The arrival of Gina Higgins, a mysterious stranger who is determined to restore Kiss River's historic nineteenth-century lighthouse, profoundly impacts the lives of Lacey O'Neill, a talented stained-glass artist with a dark past, and her brother Clay, who is trying to rebuild his life after a devastating tragedy.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For July, our monthly Diane Chamberlain buddy read group decided to continue with book two in the Kiss River series. After having a less than stellar experience with book one, I really didn't know what to expect and went in with low expectations.
Diane definitely has a signature way of creating mystery, which is the reason I have loved so many of her more recent books. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a theme of second-chance romance for widowers and deception in this series. Honestly, I didn't understand Gina's lies and deception at all. It's quite possible this is just not a trope for me. But it kind of felt like reading the same book - just written eleven years later. The romance aspects felt forced and insincere.
Overall, I just couldn't get into this story and wanted to finish as quickly as possible. I think I enjoyed it a tiny bit more than book one in the series, and I am still intrigued to know where book three is going to go, but I am also not holding my breath for a masterpiece.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• hardcore DC fans
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Series: Kiss River #2
Genre: Women's Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 1, 2003
T H R E E • W O R D S
Deceptive • Mysterious • Underwhelming
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The arrival of Gina Higgins, a mysterious stranger who is determined to restore Kiss River's historic nineteenth-century lighthouse, profoundly impacts the lives of Lacey O'Neill, a talented stained-glass artist with a dark past, and her brother Clay, who is trying to rebuild his life after a devastating tragedy.
💭 T H O U G H T S
For July, our monthly Diane Chamberlain buddy read group decided to continue with book two in the Kiss River series. After having a less than stellar experience with book one, I really didn't know what to expect and went in with low expectations.
Diane definitely has a signature way of creating mystery, which is the reason I have loved so many of her more recent books. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a theme of second-chance romance for widowers and deception in this series. Honestly, I didn't understand Gina's lies and deception at all. It's quite possible this is just not a trope for me. But it kind of felt like reading the same book - just written eleven years later. The romance aspects felt forced and insincere.
Overall, I just couldn't get into this story and wanted to finish as quickly as possible. I think I enjoyed it a tiny bit more than book one in the series, and I am still intrigued to know where book three is going to go, but I am also not holding my breath for a masterpiece.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• hardcore DC fans
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death
adoptionjennyjones's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
booksandrabbits's review
5.0
I loved the interweaving of this story, past and present. Really enjoyed it.
marryallthepeople's review against another edition
2.0
Yes, this was my second chance with this book and it's just my least favourite out of all Chamberlain's books?
marryallthepeople's review
1.0
I feel bad saying this, but I couldn't get into this book. I normally love Diane's books, and this one annoyed me - I got 20% in and I couldn't keep track of the various characters nor their motivations.
So I abandoned it :(
That being said, I love her other books so this book won't deter me from keeping reading this author; more just you win some and you lose some!
So I abandoned it :(
That being said, I love her other books so this book won't deter me from keeping reading this author; more just you win some and you lose some!
shelleyrae's review
2.0
The [b:Keeper of the Light|13451894|Keeper of the Light|Diane Chamberlain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328341237s/13451894.jpg|3122217] was first published almost twenty years ago as a stand alone but was revived in the early 2000's when Chamberlain decided to use the novel as a springboard for a trilogy, writing Kiss River and [b:Her Mother's Shadow|15799946|Her Mother's Shadow|Diane Chamberlain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345678161s/15799946.jpg|2492535]. This year, the series is being reissued in both print and digital formats to the delight of her fans.
Set twelve years after the events of Keeper of Light, Kiss River introduces Gina Higgins, a science teacher from Washington DC, who has has come to the Outer Banks looking for the miracle she needs etched on the Fresnal lens of the town's lighthouse. She is devastated to find that the lighthouse was destroyed in a storm, the lens buried in the sea's sandy depths and desperate, begins to campaign the community to rescue it.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the story of Kiss River. Primarily, I didn't understand why Gina felt it necessary to lie about her motivation to raise the lens or hide her connection to Kiss River and thought that her deceptions undermined both her character, and the story as a whole.
Even the romance in Kiss River failed to convince me of its sincerity. Clay O'Neill, who lost his wife just eight months earlier, succumbs to Gina's charms with little more than a token protest despite his grief and her lies. To be fair he doesn't over extend himself until he learns Gina's secret, which does evoke sympathy, but it just didn't work for me.
With the core of the novel so compromised I found it difficult to involve myself in the story and would have given it up if it weren't for Bess's story as related through her journal extracts. I thought the historical aspects interesting of this storyline and Bess's personal tale touching. Bess is a fifteen in 1942, the bright, precocious daughter of Kiss River's lighthouse keeper. Her diary reveals a tumultuous year of love, betrayal and heartbreak as German U-Boats haunt the North Carolina coast.
I have enjoyed several of Chamberlain's newer titles like [b:The Good Father|13035050|The Good Father|Diane Chamberlain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328218551s/13035050.jpg|18198649] and [b:Secrets She Left Behind|6251052|Secrets She Left Behind|Diane Chamberlain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348466221s/6251052.jpg|6433927] so perhaps the flaws in Kiss River can be attributed to it being penned not only early in her career but also under some pressure. Kiss River isn't a complete disaster, and I think the author's stalwart fans will be satisfied with it, but I thought it a weak example of Chamberlain's storytelling gifts.
dommdy's review against another edition
4.0
I like all the books in this series, secrets, lies, surprises.