Laguna Heat

Book Description

Laguna....Where every day the sun makes a promise the nighttime breaks, while the super-rich live out expensive fantasies in posh beach houses and drown their memories in Cuervo Gold margaritas....Laguna....Where trouble has swept in like a Santa Ana wind, blowing the cover off a world of torture, murder and blood-red secretsLaguna....Where a crazed killer has turned paradise into a Disneyland of depraved violance--with a fiery vengeance--and where homicide cop Tom Shephard unravels a grisly mystery that reaches back across forty years of sordid sex, blackmail, and suicide into the dark corners of his own past, and sweats out a deadly truth in the sweltering...Laguna Heat

Customer Reviews:

Not bad as a debut!.......2007-04-10

Jefferson Parker must be a fan of Raymond Chandler and especially Ross MacDonald as their influences are prevalent throughout this book.

I found that Parker's book was quite readable although maybe a little long-winded. I prefer the shorter books like MacDonald used to write.

I think the author planned on this being the start of a series featuring his hero but it doesn't seem to have taken place as yet.

Worth a read if you like the gumshoe detective-type books (which I do).

Laguna Heat - 1st One Down, Now On to #2.......2005-04-06

Laguna Heat is a decent 1st book that I'm sure has a primary goal of setting the background for the next book.

The main character (Tom Shepard) is strong, intelligent, sensitive and an average man who is going through one emotional struggle after another. He's divorced and struggling to make it as a private investigator. His first case has him reassessing his life.

This story has semi-transparent story-lines with a few twists and turns along the way. Character development is very good, almost to the point of over doing it. Some twists and turns seem like detours that are unnecessary and only served to fill up blank pages. All are typical errors from a 1st time writer, but Parker does so without leaving a bad taste in the reader's mouth.

If the strong character development wasn't as excellent as indicated, this would be the only book many would read. Having Tom Shepard as a normal guy-next-door type has the reader anticipating his next escapades.

I'd recommend reading it quickly and moving on to the next book in this series.

Parker's first.......2004-07-03

T. Jefferson Parker is one of today's very best crime writers. Plotting, character, dialogue, all play out in a balanced and believable fashion in any given novel. "Blue Hour," "Silent Joe," take your pick. Parker is the kind of writer that makes other "name" writers jealous, simply because he's better. It's a shame his work has not found its way to the screen. But even fine writers have their beginnings, and for Parker "Laguna Heat," is his.

"Laguna Heat," is not a bad novel. In some ways it's a good one, but it is a first novel. Tom Shephard, the police detective hero of the novel is in an incomplete man. He has his demons - perhaps too many, since it seems like some sort of noir checklist. One demon in particular, his anguish over shooting a teenager, seems way overblown, given that same teenager had just opened up another cop with a knife. Then there's the divorce, the drinking, the dominating father, the missing mother, the murderer of the missing mother, and a whole can of Laguna worms, etc. Despite all of this, or because of all of them, Shephard's damaged state never really translates into a character one could care much about. In constast, look at "Joe," from "Silent Joe," another damaged figure of good, who is complex and cared for by the reader. More interesting are the various secondary characters, though even they have, by novel's end, a "stock" feel to them.

But "Laguna Heat" does have its moments. The best is perhaps Shepherd's night time swim in the ocean with his lover, Jane Algernon. This is a gorgeous passage, and alone make "Laguna Heat" worth a read. It also reveals perfectly the dark romanticism of noir:

"He kicked hard and pulled deeply to keep up with her, careful to leave a few meters between them.. Past the waves he felt the bottom falling away and knew that even a few yards from shore the ocean was much the same as it was many miles out: strong, unfathomable, unforgiving of all that is not part of it. And just as the first lappings of the waves had seemed to draw little parts of him away with them, he could now feel larger portions leaving too. He recalled that he had been married once but wasn't sure to whom. He believed that he rented an apartment somewhere in the town behind them but couldn't quote an address. He knew he was a cop on a murder case but couldn't remember the specifics. He wondered why he had ever quit surfing. But the regret soon vanished. He didn't know why and didn't want to know. Was it possible to continue this way to Hawaii, or perhaps to an uninhabited tropical island where he and Jane could live on fish and fruit, procreate, wildly, found a race? It seemed a possibility.

Then ahead of him, Jane Algernon's face collected in the darkness and it was smiling.

"Are you scared? The rocks are under us, not far," she said. Shephard could feel the churning of her legs as she kicked to stay afloat. Her hair was slicked back and the bones in her face caught the moonlight."

The above is just a portion from an extended passage. And it's such moments as these in "Laguna Heat," that signal, like lightning flashes, the writer Parker is to become.

Great Debut!.......2001-12-14

I really enjoyed Laguna Heat. T. Jefferson Parker knows Orange County, where I've lived forever. This book has a top of the line story, great characters, and a real ambience. I am slowly reading through all of Parker's titles. I expect to be thoroughly entertained for quite a while.

GOOD BUT NEWER BETTER!.......2001-11-15

This is a very good mystery. Tom Shephard has come back home to be the lead detective in Laguna Beach. People keep getting killed and no one knows why. Tom figures out what the person looks like but still no why. The mystery goes back to events of many years ago. He keeps digging and comes up with the answers. The ending is very surprising. Can't say much more without giving away who the killer is. I think you will like this book if you like a fast moving book that will hold your attention and keep you guessing. Even though it is good I liked Blue Hour and Red Light better.

Average customer rating:

Laguna Heat
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 5551158144

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LAGUNA HEAT
T. JEFFERSON PARKER
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTPJIK

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Laguna Heat

Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GU8GZA

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Laguna Heat
T. Jefferson Parker
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1556902948

Product Description

Under a blanket in a driveway is a brutalized body with a mouthful of dollar bills. Sgt. Tom Shephard of the Laguna Beach Police Homicide Division sets off on the trail of a crazed killer, unraveling a 40-year-old mystery wrapped in sleazy sex, blackmail, and suicide. In Laguna Beach, the heat is on.

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Laguna Heat
T Jefferson Parker
Manufacturer: ST MARTINS PRESS *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TXJV76

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Laguna Heat
Jefferson T. Parker
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000FRWPJM

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Laguna Heat
T. Jefferson Parker
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTHY2Y

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Laguna Heat-Cn
St Martins Mass Mark
Manufacturer: St Martins Press Inc (M/M)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0312902131
Release Date: 1986-06-15

Assessing contamination levels of Laguna Lake sediments (Philippines) using a contact assay with zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos [An article from: Science of the Total Environment, The]

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Assessing contamination levels of Laguna Lake sediments (Philippines) using a contact assay with zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos [An article from: Science of the Total Environment, The]
A.V. Hallare , T. Kosmehl , T. Schulze , and H. Hollert
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR5MI6

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Science of the Total Environment, The, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The present study investigated the suitability of a sediment contact assay using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos to evaluate the degree of lake sediment contamination. As endpoints, developmental parameters (mortality, abnormality, heart rate, and hatching rate) as well as stress protein responses (hsp 70 levels) in the developing embryos were recorded during a 96-h exposure. Fertilized zebrafish eggs were exposed to both the whole as well as organic extract concentrations prepared from collected sediments from 5 sites along Laguna Lake, Philippines. Compared to whole sediment exposure, more severe embryotoxic and teratogenic responses were elicited in embryos exposed to organic extracts. However, since whole sediment-exposed embryos also revealed significant developmental defects, this exposure phase served as the more realistic exposure scenario in our study. Weak to strong upregulation of hsp 70 levels was also registered among embryos exposed to both whole sediments and organic extracts. The observed embryotoxic and proteotoxic responses by zebrafish embryos to Laguna Lake sediment exposures were discussed in relation to the analyzed contaminants in the sediments (heavy metals, PAHs (perylene), solvent). Overall, the present study points out that the sediment contact assay with zebrafish embryos offers a practicable and highly sensitive bioassay for the general assessment of sediment toxicity.

Book Description

Courtney Harte is certain her missing father is a alive, lost somewhere deep in Indian territory. But she needs a guide to lead her safely through this dangerous, unfamiliar country, someone as wild and unpredictable as the land itself. And that man is the gunslinger they call Chandos.

Courtney fears this enigmatic loner whose dark secrets torture his soul, yet whose eyes, bluer than the frontier sky, enflame the innocent, determined lady with wanton desires. But on the treacherous path they have chosen they have no one to trust but each other--as shared perils to their lives and hearts unleash turbulent, unbridled, passions that only love can tame.

Customer Reviews:

Great love Story.......2006-04-19

I have been meaning to review this for ages, and I'm finally getting around to it! If I could I'd give this book like 20 stars! I think I have read this one 8 times. I've read almost all JL's (Love her!) and this is the best. If you like romance, this story is a must. I came across this book in a hotel when I was twelve years old. I was a bit shocked by it at first, but I ended up loving it. This is the book that got me hooked on romance. I loved it then and it is still my favorite book. The characters are extremely memorable and there is loads of chemistry between them. The way their relationship evolved and they fell in love was very believable and convincing. I love westerns, but sometimes the plots are confusing/ repetitive. Not this one!

Chandos is the hottest fictional character ever written, in my opinion. I REALLY WISH HE WERE REAL! What's so engaging and memorable about him is that he's extremely manly, strong-willed, and even sometimes brutal, but he is very protective of Courntney, and "gentle when it matters". It's so cute the way he calls her "Cateyes"!

Courtney, the woman he falls in love with, is adorable. She starts out quite shy and timid around him, which is understandable, considering he's a studly, macho gunfighter-type guy. It's a wonder she even manages to ask the intimidating Chandos to guide her across Indian territory in the first place. However, as their journey progresses, I was glad to see courtney show a side that wasn't originally apparent-very passionate and brave.

It's very romantic how these people meet after a chance encounter four years prior, and fall in love. The plot was deep, complex, and greatly enriched by the story of chandos's past and his struggle for revenge and justice. Some might say the ending is sappy, but I loved it! this book is terrific from the first sentense (even though it's kind of graphic!) to the last, including all the components of a great and memorable romance: passion, true love, adventure, heartbreak, an engrossing plot, interesting secondary characters, a happy not sappy ending, an engaging leading lady, and an extremely hot, on-fire, out-of-this-worldly attractive hero. READ IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED! YOU WILL END UP READING IT OVER AND OVER!

BRILLIANT STORYTELLING!!!.......2006-01-16

Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Chandos was the perfect hero. This is my all time favorite Johanna Linsey romance. The story had everything you could ask for in a romance - adventure, tension, suspense, danger and above all love and passion!
I read it in one sitting, (till 5am) I couldn't put it down. I wish I could read it again and again as if I hadn't read it before. I try, I read it every year or so. This is the kind of story that you hold in your heart for a long time after you have finshed reading.
A pure gem!

Fun Little Western Romance.......2005-12-20

I enjoyed this book, but I hestitated to give it 5 stars since the characters could have been written with a little more depth. Chandos is the dark, strong, and brooding hero that romance fans continue to slobber over. Of course his heart is melted by the too beautiful herione before the story ends.

Classic romance with a great plot!.......2005-09-08

Picking up this book to read, I had great expectations since it was a Johanna Lindsey. And she definetely didn't disappoint. The book started out great if a little graphic but it drew me in instantly.

The relationship between Courtney and Chandos was electric. Their chemistry so perfect. Chandos was the ultimate hero. Is there anything he couldn't do? Courtney was a lady through and though. She was written very realistically for a lady of her time, struggling with the feelings Chandos created in her and also with allowing herself to give in to him.

The plot was great as well and made me turn page after page in anticipation of what would happen next. I enjoyed reading about life in the west during that time period. Ways of surviving the travel in Indian territory and the hardships of the vast empty land were truly an interesting read.

I'm all for a happy ending and Johanna aimed to please. Never a boring moment. Definetely worth the money and the time to read. I'm reading its sequal now and hoping it will be as good. Keeping fingers crossed.

HOT HOT HOT!!!!!.......2004-12-28

Wow! This was an awesome book! I have read a LOT of Romance novels and a lot of Lindsey's books in particular. Memorable romance novels are few and far between. I have to say, this is one of the best books I have ever read. It has everything I look for in a romance novel: a dangerous, manly hero, a beautiful, intellegent leading lady, and lots of exciting scenes where the hero saves his lady. Chandos is my dream man. He has a "don't mess with me" attitude, but loves and protects his woman with an intensity you could sigh over. I will most certainly re-read this book after a little time has passed. Lindsey writes so vividly, you could actually picture yourself in the scenes living it right along with the characters. Take my advice, buy this book. You will NOT be disappointed I assure you!!

Average customer rating:

a very unheroic "hero"
A really good romance story, but a rushed ending
A Great Beginning In The Series!
Candace Camp IS HABIT FORMING
A real page turner, not to be missed!!

So Wild A Heart
Candace Camp
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

Single Women | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373771606

Book Description

Generations ago, the Aincourt family was given a title and land for their loyalty to the king. But the former abbey they received came with a price -- a curse that no family member would ever know happiness.

Devin Aincourt, Earl of Ravenscar, makes no apologies for who he is -- a drinker, a womanizer, a gambler. Having been cast aside by his disapproving father years before, Dev is content to live out his cursed life in this hedonistic manner. Until his mother asks him to make a bold move to restore the family name and fortune: marry a rich American heiress. Believing it will be a marriage in name only, Dev agrees to marry Miranda. But he never imagined that this feisty, unconventional foreigner would have plans of her own: to restore Blackwater, the old abbey, to its former glory, to extricate Dev from the clutches of a devious mistress and to win his heart for her own. All while risking her own life to an unknown enemy.

For Dev and Miranda, love may be the most lasting curse of all.

Customer Reviews:

a very unheroic "hero".......2007-05-01

Wow, it was really very hard to like the "hero" of this book. He spent years and years mounting anything that didn't move in every hellhole in London and all of its slums, he was completely manipulated by his controlling mistress, he was a raging consumer of alcohol and deeply mired in self hatred. Could my heart beat any faster? Yes, I concede that Miranda made him change once he got away from his mistress, but that really just makes it worse for me. What that really boils down to is that this man can be manipulated by anyone. And, I know the author never calls him an alcoholic but really. You drink that much for that long ....

Anyway, Miranda was great. So very nice to see a determined woman who is not a petty, spiteful whiner. I adored her. But, I just couldn't get past Devin's past. And really, he must have picked up several STD's on his way through the scores of myriad women, not to mention those he contracted from his mistress who was even more flagrantly promiscuous. All in all, loved the heroine, couldn't get past the hero's past.

I know it is a romance novel and so I am supposed to suspend my belief in reality but there is a limit past which I just cannot return. This was a decent read, but I felt the need for a strong dose of penicillin when it was over.

A really good romance story, but a rushed ending.......2007-03-24

Overall I really did like this book, and I would read more by this author. Devin and Miranda were great characters, and the "who's the bad guy?" mystery that was the backbone of this story was quite interesting and hard to guess. Devin is quite the desirable dark hero too, and Miranda was intelligent and spoke her mind (but not in an annoying way.) The passion between these two was heated, but don't read this book looking for a "sizzling read". It's not that type of romance book. Bedroom scenes come very late in the book, and they were rather glossed over. My ONLY true complaint was that the ending was wrapped up with such hyper-speed. The last 30 or so pages had many of the main characters confessing and purging their hidden secrets at an alarming pace just to wrap up the story. There was no reason for much of the confessions either - they were just spewing stuff like "I never wanted anyone to know, but I must confess!" It just felt so phony. The conclusion of the story was quite cleaver though, I just didn't like the style of delivery.

A Great Beginning In The Series!.......2006-03-05

SO WILD A HEART is a wonderful beginning to a terrific series! I recommend you follow up with THE HIDDEN HEART and then SECRETS OF THE HEART. All three books are easy to read regency romances with a flare of mystery. The stories are closely connected that it's best to start with the first in the series.

Candace Camp IS HABIT FORMING.......2005-05-09

I have to admit I am someone who has their nose stuck in a book a good majority of the time ... I have read so many excellent authors over the years (I am proud to be a grandmother) however, for some odd reason I have missed reading Candace Camp ...I picked up So Wild a Heart with my last grouping of romance books and once I started it I didn't want to put it down ... it was darling! I was "caught" from the very beginning which is something I really like in a book. I didn't think I was going to like Dev to begin with, (which often makes it difficult to really enjoy a book) however, like everyone else I fell in love with this man who was taught that he had to hide his feelings to be a "real man" ... it was so nice when he started showing that a "real man" shows his feelings (speaks a wife who is still head-over-heels in love with her sensitive husband of 35 years). ... books like this are a dream come true ... Miranda is a woman much ahead of her time, which I personally enjoyed ... not just pretty face without a thought in her head, which so many of the women of that era are portrayed as (and sadder yet, they actually were). There is so much anticipation of happiness, mixed with the frustration (you would like to reach through the book and grab a couple of people by their necks ... no I am NOT a violent person!!!) ... and topped off with excitement of a love fulfilled ... and so much more ... Where this may have been my first Candace Camp book I am now 3/4 the way through the 3rd book of this trilogy "Secrets of the Heart" and I am finding it just as wonderful. As I am writing this I am thinking that the one thing that this book definitely has is the ability to make one want to keep turning the pages ... I couldn't put it down ... and I am going back to the bookstore to purchase more ... what an absolute joy from beginnng to end. I truly don't think this is a book you would be disappointed in reading.

A real page turner, not to be missed!!.......2005-03-11

Devin might start out to be one of the more contemptable rouges I have read about - he really did some BAD stuff. And Leona was one of the worst mistresses - she was so controlling and nasty. When you start to realize how she manipulated Devin and worked her wiles on him, and underminded him at every turn, you began to feel sorry for him. Miranda was just what he needed, strong lovely, intelligent, and she just happened to realize that she could totally loose her heart to Devin. So, she agrres to marry and unknown to Devin intends to win him over 100% - no more Leona. This is just such a different kind of love story - and the characters of Miranda and Devin you want to make it. I was actually quite surprised by a few of the plot twists at the end and it was necessary for Devin to finally be free of guilt and also to understand how loathsome Leona had always been. I have hurried out to buy the next two books in this series - I feel Camp has several winners!!

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A Heart So Wild
Johanna Lindsey
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: B000E2D6AU

Product Description

1986 Avon BCE. 243 pages. Courtney Harte has lived a life of drudgery with her harsh stepmother in Kansas ever since her father disappeared after a brutal Indian attack. When she sees his picture in a Texas newspaper, she can hardly contain her excitement and determines to travel to Waco. The trail is fraught with danger and the only man brave enough to take her is a mysterious visitor in town, Chandos--a man with a quick draw and an even quicker temper. Courtney is stung by his cold aloofness...for she has found that even his slightest touch sets her pulse racing. She doesn't know that Chandos can barely keep from ravishing her golden beauty...and that it is only a dark secret from his past that keeps them apart. But on an isolated part of the trail, passion overcomes duty and honor, and Chandos at last takes the woman who has tempted him for so long into his arms...Then Chandos abruptly leaves Courtney with some friends outside of Waco while he attends to some unfinished business. He is driven by a terrible vow he must fulfill--a vow he made on that fateful day four years ago, when he spared Courtney's life during a brutal Commanche raid....

"Heart" Trilogy (So Wild a Heart, The Hidden Heart, Secrets of the Heart, 3 volume set)

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"Heart" Trilogy (So Wild a Heart, The Hidden Heart, Secrets of the Heart, 3 volume set)
Candace Camp
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000MFGJJE

Product Description

Three volume set -- So Wild a Heart; The Hidden Heart; and Secrets of the Heart

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HEART SO WILD
JOHANNA LINDSEY
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GTBX42

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So Wild a Heart

Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739423207

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A Heart So Wild
Johanna Lindsey
Manufacturer: With JACKET
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V79UH6

JOHANNA LINDSEY Books: Savage Thunder, A Heart So Wild, Once a Princess, A Pirate's Love, A Gentle Feuding, Until Forever (Unboxed Set of Romance Novels)

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JOHANNA LINDSEY Books: Savage Thunder, A Heart So Wild, Once a Princess, A Pirate's Love, A Gentle Feuding, Until Forever (Unboxed Set of Romance Novels)
Johanna Lindsey , and Johanna Lindsay
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WMR9UK

Product Description

JOHANNA LINDSEY Books: Savage Thunder, A Heart So Wild, Once a Princess, A Pirate's Love, A Gentle Feuding, Until Forever (Unboxed Set of Romance Novels), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Johanna Lindsey Collection (Love Only Once (1985), Tender is the Storm (1985), When Love Awaits (1986), Savage Thunder (1989), A Heart So Wild (1986), Warrior's Woman (1990, Hearts A Flame (1987), Brave the Wild Wind (1984), Prisoner of My Desire (1991), and Gentle Rogue (1990))

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Johanna Lindsey Collection (Love Only Once (1985), Tender is the Storm (1985), When Love Awaits (1986), Savage Thunder (1989), A Heart So Wild (1986), Warrior's Woman (1990, Hearts A Flame (1987), Brave the Wild Wind (1984), Prisoner of My Desire (1991), and Gentle Rogue (1990))
Johanna Lindsey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QSO9TE

Product Description

A rare collection of historical romance novels

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SO WILD A HEART
Veronica JASON
Manufacturer: Signet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GZA2V6

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