Lands End

Jackie D crafts a novel of hope, forgiveness, and honor. Lena moves home after her parents' deaths and is entrenched with the obligation to run the family restaurant and protect and care for her sister. By chance, she meets Amy a PR rep for the local football team.

All characters in this book were well crafted, from the main two to the secondaries. It was fulfilling to watch them all develop and interact throughout. It kept me turning the pages and wanting desperately to know what would happen next.

Reviewed by Rebecca DeYoung

Lands End by Jackie D is your standard romance novel. That is not a bad thing! This book has two loveable, but slightly flawed main characters, a beautiful setting, and just enough conflict to keep you interested. I liked it! I don’t always need tons of angst or a crime-solving heroine to keep me interested. Sometimes you just need a good book and a glass of wine to decompress from life’s pressures. This is what you get with Lands End, a good, solid romance that holds your attention, and leaves you feeling content.

Lena Michaels is the proprietor of Lands End, a renowned San Francisco restraint that she inherited after her parents murder seven years ago. Along with running the restaurant, Lena is also the guardian to her, wild sixteen-year-old sister. Lena spends all of her time managing/juggling the headaches of a business and a rebellious teen. She casually dates but has that Seinfeld syndrome, of always finding faults.

Lena’s sister Laura is how she meets publicist, Amy Kline. Amy is a publicist to the highest profile clients in the Bay area. She deals with their messy scandals, spinning them to keep these wealthy individuals from feeling the heat of their actions. Her client a devious pro football player that likes to hang out with teenage girls, he ends up being photographed with Laura at a nightclub. Ugh Oh! Lena heads down to rip Amy a new one, and the fireworks go off. Of course after that meeting they run into each other on the constant.

This is a good book that I enjoyed my time with. For me, Jackie D is two for two and on my automatic read list.

Reviewed by Tiffany Johnston

This is the first book I have read by this author. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. When I first began the book I didn’t want to like Amy. Amy the PR rep that would help cover up the mistakes of the wealthy. Lena in the beginning I thought was a bit stiff. Jackie D. does characters in such a way that you really start to connect with them. By the end I loved them both. I also really enjoyed all the secondary characters, which is rare. I mean seriously how often do you love pretty much everyone in a book. ... I really enjoy this type of book. They move quickly, leave me really satisfied, and made me smile a few times. Perfect for a quick break read. It is well worth your time.

Reviewed by Amanda Wikel

Following her parents murder Lena moves home to raise her younger sister and take over the running of their restaurant. Her main responsibility is her sister so when she get herself into a bit of trouble Lena tries to find the best way to deal with the situation. Here she meets Amy who's work as a PR genius is to get her clients out of sticky situations. The two clash when Amy's approach to solving the situation doesn't quite cut it with Lena.

I liked both characters, each had solid reasons for the decisions they make throughout the book. There's also a great group of supporting cast throughout this book, particularly Lena's best friend. There is a mystery element to the story which plays a small role but most of this is about the romance.

I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a nice read and I'll be keeping my eye open for more by this author.

Reviewed by Kate M

Lena has been looking after her sister Laura since their parents were killed in a robbery. She is fiercely protective of her and when she gets into a bit of bother with a pro footballer Lena comes face to face with Pr guru Amy. Hot, sexy and adorable Amy. Even though she has kept her distance from women for a while and doesn’t get involved she finds herself drawn to Amy, even though the warning bells are going off.
I enjoyed this story and seeing how Lena dealt with her growing attraction to Amy and letting herself be happy. Amy was wed to the job and had been for years. Relationships were off limits and one-night stands the norm. She struggled with some of the decisions she had to make at work and with her burning need for Lena.

I really liked both of the main characters and the author was skilled at letting us see their vulnerabilities. The minor characters were vital in showing the women changing and as the way Jackie D gave us an insight into their motivations. This was a lovely romance and I plan to read some more of her work now.

Reviewed by Karen McIntosh