boring....lacking the suspense I look for and expect from Lisa Jackson

I’ve just finished reading Revenge (Love Letters #1-3) by Lisa Jackson . The book is a re-issue of Love Letters published by Harlequin in January of 2000. Since I hadn’t read that book, I can’t say if any material has been added or deleted from the original work.

Revenge is a series of 3 stories following the McKee family of Rimrock Oregon. The patriarch, Jonah McKee was a domineering controlling chauvinist with an unsavory reputation. After Jonah’s death, his children discover how he had manipulated their lives since birth, and now each child comes to terms with the situations and their lives.

Overall I felt like the book would make a great Hallmark movie, the domineering patriarch, excessive family wealth, control of the town, land grabs, gossip, relationship challenges, blackmail, backstabbing and more. I had to remind myself that the story was written well over 16 years ago, and it reflects many of the issues and attitudes of those years. There is a touch of mystery in the story, but overall it a romantic drama fest. I also want to note that I would probably watch this if it were on Hallmark.

The writing is fine, the character building is fine, the interconnection between the three stories was also done well, but the stories are just mediocre, nothing special in my opinion. I feel that this book shows not only how times and attitudes have changed, but how the author has improved in her writing, now creating some outstanding stories that keep the reader on the edge of their seat. If this were my first Lisa Jackson book, I would not have her on my must read list.

I wish to thank Kensington Books, Zebra, for the advanced copy of the book, as well as Netgalley for providing the opportunity for an honest review. The book is lengthy, and the review copy was only provided in secure PDF format, which for me limited where I could read and when I could read it. The one suggestion I would make to the publisher is to provide a download format option, had a Kindle copy been available my reading enjoyment would have been significantly improved.

For me, this was a 2.50 star read, but I will increase it to 3 stars for the look-back factor into the attitudes of the late 1990’s.
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