Hummingbird

One of the first romance novels I read, and the one that got me hooked! It's a definite keeper with the perfect balance of wholesomeness and passion. Spencer has a very descriptive style of writing (some *may* find her wordy descriptions a bit too lengthy at times), but she describes her settings well. What I liked about this book was the conflict between the hero & heroine. Of course they are attracted to each other, but their verbal barbs and antics are amusing. If you like the kind of book where the main characters hate each other at first but then fall in love, you'll like this one. LaVyrle Spencer does a great job of writing this kind of novel.

After Judith Mcnaught, Spencer has become my second favorite romance writer and that is no easy feat considering my extremely picky taste when it comes to writing exceptional love stories that take you away from our insane world and transport you into the lives of two exceptional individuals who you admire, love, cherish, and with whom you wish their stories never end!!!! Hummingbird is such an example of a beautiful tale of two souls joined together by chance, laughter, anger, heartache, and perseverance; perseverance of one's heart, mind and soul to not only survive but to live, to live through your emotions and break free of your fears and insecurities and embrace an imperfect love with extreme passion and heart. For Miss. Abigail McKenzie with a will of a true lady tried to hold on to her virtues, etiquette and propriety with such tenacity upon meeting a Mr. Jesse Dufrayne that she feared it all would break, snap, and fail her when the inevitable happened: to succumb to her true sensuous nature with a man thought of as a train robber and a complete scoundrel when dealing with a proper lady. It is David who is more to Abigail's taste when she is forced to play nurse to him and Jesse when they are both found wounded, after being picked off the train in her hometown, due to David's heroic attempt at trying to save the train from the likes of Jesse Dufrayne. But it is Jesse who spits fire and wakes the sleeping maiden into a rage every time he happens to open his mouth. Spencer portrays Abigail's and Jesse's combative personalities- as well as their vulnerabilities towards each other- so effortlessly and with such a deep understanding of their human contradictions, you cannot help but fall in love with them yourself. Towards the end of the book, Spencer achieved what few author's can accomplish with a couple of gut-wrenching scenes: she made me cry twice, not just a few tears falling delicately against my cheeks- they were tears falling ignominiously and appallingly making my cheeks and nose ruddy. And so HUMMINGBIRD has made-without any hesitancy-the top 10 love stories I have ever read!

If you like witty banter, burning chemistry, and two characters who are intelligent and fiery, this is the story for you. I've been on a romance novel reading tear lately, and after having gone through fifteen books in the last two weeks, I had grown tired of stories where all of the conflict was based on stupid misunderstandings. not to say this story doesn't have its share of conflict, but it's more of an internal battle for the FEMALE this time, and that's what i absolutely love about this book. both abigail and jesse were well thought out characters and their relationship developed realistically and not just with the instantaneous combustion that many romance novels portray. Spencer does an amazing job of depicting jesse as someone who is strong, yet gentle, hot-tempered, yet considerate. What makes this book work is the honesty that comes from it. It's not a bunch of lies that lead to misunderstandings which leads to spending the whole book wondering if the man will figure out he's wrong about the woman. The characters encourage introspection within each other and they speak honestly to each other (for the most part). The only downside of it was in the middle where it got a little slow, but it picked up in the end. You will laugh, you will cry, you will not want to put this book down and when it's over, you will re-read all of the best parts of the book over and over again. I know I did!

Wow! My very first LaVyrle Spencer! What a treat! What a book! I LOVED Abbie and Jesse. They had the most amazing chemistry Ive ever read! From the moment they met I honestly think that they were ruined for anyone else..they were just soooo DRAWN to eachother!I adored both characters, but I have to say it was Abbie who really entertained me the most. She was wild. Some of the things she said and did...oh, and her thoughts to herself were an absolute riot! Ms. Spencer has an amazing talent when it comes to writing dialogue...wow, it just flows. I had one little quibble with this book and that was with the way the situation with David was handled. However, I adored this book soooo much, that this wasnt enough of an issue to dampen my enjoyment of the overall story. I HIGHLY recommend immersing yourself in this. What a read!

I have read all of LaVyrle Spencer's books but this is by far my favorite. I very rarely reread a book but I just read this one again for the fourth time. The last scene where Jesse is taking Abbie's picture is one of the best scenes I've ever read. I highly recommend this book.