Promised Land

Maybe it was just the right book at the right time in my life, but this book struck just the perfect chord with me. So what if you can smell the happy ending a mile away? I for one was content to relax in the capable hands of two skilled authors and let the story take me there. This wasn't what my mother would refer to as a "deep" book, but I read books for all kinds of reasons, not least of which is plain and simple enjoyment. The characters are interesting and develop in complexity as the main character grows to know them better. For all that the storyline is relatively straightforward, it's still complex enough to keep me going and surprise me now and then. I love this book. It even passed that most difficult of all tests: the re-read.

I just finished reading this book for the third or fourth time, and I enjoyed it just as much as ever. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I'm so mad about Connie Willis, but it's a nice romance that leaves a smile on your face every time.

Nothing deep about this; just a really good piece of fluff. Very appealing characters, well drawn - even Cleo the scarab and the fire monkeys. Very nice romance. I found this hard to put down, read it in essentially one sitting, and was sorry to see it end.

Really, I couldn't. I got the book based on the description, expecting a mildly diverting steamy Sci-Fi romp. I was pleasantly surprised to find this instead, a quietly engaging and very romantic story. Even without the science fiction scenery, this book could have worked just as well as a modern tale about the "Big City Girl" going back to the "Small Town" she was born in and learning that the local people aren't anything like the insufferable yokels she thought they were, finding love and her true calling along the way. Those expecting instant gratification from this story may be disappointed as the pacing of the book forces the main character (along with the reader) into a more gentle tempo than most science fiction, but if you're into romantic fish-out-of-water stories in exotic locales, you may just end up staying up all night reading it like I did :)

Great for anyone that doesn't like technical novels. Promised Land is incredibly light to read, heavy on the semi-subtle wit, just a tad preachy, with wonderful characterizations. Everyone knows a Sonny Tanner and the gossip mill. The vet's a bit overdrawn, but Delanna is perfect!It is nice to see an innocent romance blossom without the lurid details, although the hints are there. The imagination is left to paint your own picture of fire-haired Delanna with her nacre-backed Cleo wrapped in her arms. (Really, it's not a bug!) Not her best book - that honor goes to Doomsday - but probably the most enjoyable to read. I hope Willis and Felice write another.