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Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation)
Paradise Falls - Berkley Sensation
Author: Ruth Ryan Langan
In 1890 Massachusetts, after her father's death, Fiona Downey must leave her college and take a teaching job in a rural area of Michigan. Now, living with the Haydn family in Paradise Falls, she is drawn into the uneasy dynamic between two brothers--and is torn between her desire and her lifelong hopes.
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ISBN-13: 9780425194843
ISBN-10: 0425194841
Publication Date: 3/2/2004
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 10

4.1 stars, based on 10 ratings
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

JenH avatar reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is a very nice story leaving you feeling good. I loved the underlying message of how everything you do affects others.
reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 3389 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In 1890 Massachusetts, Fiona Downey is excited that Bennett College, where her father teaches history, has accepted her as a student. When she goes to tell her dad the good news, she finds her greatest moment has become her greatest nightmare as her father has died. Displaced by the college, family friend Professor Norton arranges for Fiona to teach school in rural paradise Falls, Michigan.
Fiona finds her host family quite bewildering. The older son Grayson seems quite considerate of others especially his stroke victim father while the younger son Fleming acts like a prima donna wastrel yet the mother showers her "baby" with all her love while displaying contempt towards her first born. As Fiona gets to know Gray betters, she falls in love with him and he reciprocates, but the townsfolk especially his mother warns her to stay away from him. Several years ago he allegedly ruined a girl who died aborting their child. Knowing him Fiona rejects the notion that he would not marry a lass that he ruined because though he is taciturn he is honorable; still he has never explained the incident from his perspective.

Though Flem is so odious that not even a mother could love him, somehow he incredulously pulls the wool over her eyes. Still, in spite of this, the story line is an enjoyable historical romance that brings to life the plight of single women in 1890 Michigan and to a lesser degree Massachusetts. The players except for Flem are a delightful cast as they enable the audience to see a bygone era inside a warm romance based on Fiona's faith in her man.

Harriet Klausner
minion avatar reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was purchased from the NY Public Library. It was actually a sweet little story...kind of reminded me of "little house on the prairie" but with just a little sex at the end.
reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 37 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I did'nt think this book was as good as the previous books in the series. It took me quite awhile to get into the book.
jjares avatar reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 3413 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
By the time I was just a few pages into this story, I couldn't put it aside. This is much more than a romance; there are deep emotions that bubble up to the surface in this difficult family situation. Fiona comes to Michigan to teach and is told that she will live with a host family of Haydn (who are paid for her lodging and meals). She is assured that they are some of the finest folks around.

That is NOT what Fiona finds. Rose, the mother is rageful and only tolerates the second son, Flem, a ne'er-do-well who avoids all farm work. Broderick, her husband, has had a stroke and Gray, the elder son, tends to his needs. The two sons are antagonistic towards each other. Gray does the farm work and Flem courts the ladies and gambles at night.

Fiona worries about her mother (who went to live with her sister in Chicago) and being a good teacher. There were a couple of conflicts that seemed resolved a bit too easily, but the dialogue and the pacing were excellent. This is a great story, with a romance stirred into the pot. The more of Ruth Ryan Langan I read, the more I enjoy her work. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
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reviewed Paradise Falls (Berkley Sensation) on + 178 more book reviews
In 1890 Massachusetts, Fiona Downey was no ordinary young woman. She had worked hard all her life to be admitted into the prestigious college where her proud father taught - in spite of those who sniffed that it was no place for a lady. But when her father tragically dies, Fiona believes that the future she's always wanted has slipped from her grasp. Destitute, her only choice is to take a teaching job in a rural area of Michigan - populated by few farms and even fewer people. It is there that Fiona's education begins anew. Living with the Haydn family in Paradise Falls, she is drawn into their complex relationships, especially the uneasy dynamic that seems to pit brother against brother; the older, taciturn Grayson, and Fleming, a handsome charmer. Attracted to Grayson - but pursued by Fleming - Fiona is torn between her desire and her lifelong hopes. Now she must decide where her true love lies - and whether that love is worth sacrificing her dearest dreams.


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