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peytonm's review against another edition
5.0
Zack is wrongly accused of murder while Julie is the innocent schoolteacher he kidnaps. Countless obstacles stand in the way with their love, and Judith McNaught has the ability to make you ache in sympathy for her hero and heroine.
zoe_m's review against another edition
4.0
Really cheesy beginnings, but if you get past that, it's great. I appreciated the plug for "Literacy. Pass it on." I'm looking into local groups for me to volunteer for. Really shocking statistics.
felizas's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, this was good. It felt a bit cliched at first then I got sucked in with all the tragedy and the goodness of Julie. McNaught put a nice twist on it with Zach's coldness versus his gentle manners and Julie's early upbringing enhanced by her eventual family combining together into her innate goodness. Zach's kidnapping of her and how he treated her in Matt's Colorado cabin was so sweet.
From the other two books in the series, I had wondered how the betrayal fit in and that was very interesting. Nice ploy to get Paul and Meredith to help change that around.
The sour note was McNaught's harping on how Julie tried so hard to fit in with the minister and his family. She kept on this while it seemed that Julie loved her life. What, trying to inject difficulty into Julie's adult life?? And what happened to Paul? Poor guy goes out of his way to help Julie and we never hear of him again...huh???
From the other two books in the series, I had wondered how the betrayal fit in and that was very interesting. Nice ploy to get Paul and Meredith to help change that around.
The sour note was McNaught's harping on how Julie tried so hard to fit in with the minister and his family. She kept on this while it seemed that Julie loved her life. What, trying to inject difficulty into Julie's adult life?? And what happened to Paul? Poor guy goes out of his way to help Julie and we never hear of him again...huh???
wellactjoally's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Stayed up until 1am reading this! Prison and movie stars and adoption after a life of crime. Shitty grandparents.
Homosexuality resulting in suicide. Kidnapping. Societal bullshit.
Homosexuality resulting in suicide. Kidnapping. Societal bullshit.
herphoenixloves's review against another edition
Not my style anymore. I have already read several times so no need to finish now.
amlibera's review against another edition
4.0
Did this for a reread challenge, at about the midpoint, I was somewhat embarrassed that I had liked it so much back in the day (woof, there are a lot of tropes here that did not age well). But by the end, I was tearing up and having all the feelings. McNaught was very very good at the thing she did and it's a little bit like heroin, providing both intense feeling and oddly addictive.
sarahbaileyreads's review against another edition
5.0
Judith has done it again! I loved the mystery in this romance novel too. Love love love the character development and that’s what separates Judith from all the rest of this genre.
readfrenzy's review against another edition
5.0
I've never read anything by Judith McNaught before but this book was highly recommended so I decided to check it out of the library. The story grabbed me from the first chapter and I found myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning desperate to see what the characters would do next and yet dreading the end of the story.
Zack is a former movie star and convicted criminal who kidnaps small-town teacher Julie when his escape from prison goes awry. The two seemingly have nothing in common but you know it's just a matter of time before passion gets the best of them. They get together about a quarter of the way into the book and I wondered what could possibly be of interest to fill up the remaining three quarters. Boy, was I wrong! McNaught takes her time in unfolding the story, indulging the reader with fulfilling dialogue and detailed character exploration. This book has some of the most touching, romantic, heart-wrenching scenes I've ever read. Zack and Julie are unforgettable characters that are sure to linger in my memory for a long time.
By the way, after finishing the book I promptly purchased my own copy (a first edition hard copy - it's THAT good!) so that I can read it again and again!
Zack is a former movie star and convicted criminal who kidnaps small-town teacher Julie when his escape from prison goes awry. The two seemingly have nothing in common but you know it's just a matter of time before passion gets the best of them. They get together about a quarter of the way into the book and I wondered what could possibly be of interest to fill up the remaining three quarters. Boy, was I wrong! McNaught takes her time in unfolding the story, indulging the reader with fulfilling dialogue and detailed character exploration. This book has some of the most touching, romantic, heart-wrenching scenes I've ever read. Zack and Julie are unforgettable characters that are sure to linger in my memory for a long time.
By the way, after finishing the book I promptly purchased my own copy (a first edition hard copy - it's THAT good!) so that I can read it again and again!