Tom Barry (3)

Location 469
"With love it is better, I agree, but sex without love is hardly meaningless, ask any man."
"Men are different. They can ... can detach themselves from their emotions," said Isobel, not at all sure what she meant.

Location 572
She sank back into the bed and stayed lying down, collecting her thoughts and contemplating another day of nothing but emptiness.

Location 896
He trailed silently around art galleries - more concerned with his screensaver than the paintings -

Location 1260
The area of the festival was thronged with Italians, eating together in extended family groups, the tiny children darting in and out of the old people's legs, as the sun glanced off their leathery skin.

Location 1512
" ... we will be able to host weddings right here."

Location 1884
"Is it that Jay is someone special, or is it that he is someone in the right place at the right time, who can help you deal with the feelings you are having?"

Location 1888
"He picks up on what I'm thinking and takes my thoughts somewhere else, somewhere that feels better," she said

Location 2773
Her stomach squirmed with pleasure at the memory, at Jay's wonderful abandon, at his free-spirit that contrasted so terribly with Peter's slow and upright life, so bound by rules and convention.

Location 3443
A world where survival of the fittest was the name of the game, and the weak went to the wall.

Location 4507
"I thought I'd found what I was after, but instead I found myself."
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I received When the Siren Calls as a Goodreads Giveaway book, and I was curious about this romance novel, as it was written by a male author, in contrast to all the female romance novelists whose works I’d read. What I discovered was that Tom Barry, the author of this novel, presents an intriguing and entertaining story about an unhappily married woman, Isobel, who becomes involved in a love triangle in which she walks a fine line between her marriage to a management entrepreneur, Peter, and her charismatic, virulent lover, Jay. The story takes place at a lovely villa resort in Tuscany, as well as London, which are perfect settings for romance.
I loved the element of duplicity in this novel, and I really hadn’t sorted out the intrigue until it was resolved at the end. Although I thought that the author portrayed the characters rather well, at times I felt that he relied on the reader to infer what was occurring, rather than being more specific. When I had to reread portions of the text to clearly realize the plot, I felt that those instances detracted from the flow of the story and my resulting interest. For that reason, I gave the story 3 stars, rather than 4, but it was an enjoyable novel, nonetheless.… (more)

A Four and a Half Really - Having read the first in the series (When the Siren Calls) I was excited to find out that the sequel had been released. I quickly downloaded it to my Kindle and snuggled up for a cold winter weekends read. And I wasn't disappointed. Like the first, the book is full of sex, intrigue, sex, exotic locations, sex, oh and Isobel. In this book, Isobel has relocated to San Diego to heal after her affair with Jay and the subsequent break down of her marriage to Peter. The descriptives of well know (and some lesser known) locales added an enticing touch. Once again Isobel finds herself with two men to choose from. Ryan the hot L.A. young gun or Lance the cultured man about town. Wish I was as spoiled for choice as Isobel. There is a great underlying story about the seedy underworld and a couple of really interesting back characters also. Another great read from Tom Barry.… (more)