Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781933110387
ISBN: 1933110384
Label: Bold Strokes Books
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Bold Strokes Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 238
Publication Date: 2006-05-30
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Studio: Bold Strokes Books

Customer Rating:
Summary: Predictable Romance.
Comment: If you're expecting a fast paced adventure novel like "Hunter's Pursuit," you won't find it in "Whitewater Rendezvous," Kim Baldwin's third novel. Although it's set against the background of an Alaskian kayaking vacation, the journey is not as thrilling as I expected considering the rapid speed excitement of Ms. Baldwin's first novel.

The story centers around Megan, a workaholic lesbian from New York who has to be convinced to take a vacation with her friends to Alaska, where she meets Chaz, a lesbian biology professor and one of the guides who leads the group on a whitewater kayak trip. Chaz is the spitting image of Megan's ex who left her for another woman, and so Megan immediately despises Chaz and gives her the cold shoulder. Chaz is so easy going and laid back I kept wondering when she was going to grow a back bone. Of course, these two will eventually get together in the end, there's no surprise there. I was hoping there would be some twists and turns along the way that would make their impending romance fun to watch unfold, but the rush of the whitewater was more of a trickle.

Kim Baldwin is an excellent writer. However, she should leave the romance novels to all the other lesbian novelists out there and do what she does best -- the action adventure with a bit of mystery thrown in. It's not that she can't write romance, just that there are few who can write the lesbian adventure novel like Ms. Baldwin that it's a waste for her not to go against the norm.

Originally, I gave this three stars because her third book did not measure up to the first. However, after reading a different author's work I realized just how good a writer Kim Baldwin actually is. So, I'm upgrading this to four stars because it's well written. But, it still loses a stars because it could have been so much better.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Question of Personal Sacrifice
Comment: Opposites attract in this thrilling story, in which two women must discover if it's worth it to change their lives to be with each other.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Exciting Story about Choices
Comment: Whitewater Rendezvous is a good book. It tells the story of Chaz Herrick of Alaska, a Biology Professor and dedicated environmentalist, and Megan Maxwell of Chicago, an executive in the entertainment industry with a six-figure income. Other reviewers have laid out the plot, so I'll skip that part and go directly to my thoughts about the subject matter and how it's handled.

Because of their widely divergent value systems, the two protagonists could not possibly be any different. But when they meet, their mutual fascination is compelling. Eventually, as much as they struggle against the inevitable, fascination becomes enchantment and they fall in love. Although at first neither is ready to deal with the consequences of what has happened or to face the possibility of quantum shifts in their chosen lifestyles, they are finally forced to face a tough situation and tough choices.

A basic question both women must deal with (and one that many of us have struggled with at one time or another) is whether their love for one another justifies compromising the lives that they have built for themselves at great personal sacrifice. Can a person give up so much of herself and find happiness? It's a difficult situation to be in and a difficult situation to write about. Kudos to Ms. Baldwin for her thorough and insightful writing, as well as a wonderful love story.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Romantic Suspense
Comment: Chaz Herrick, Ph.D., is dedicated to her work as a biologist in the Alaskan wilderness. Megan Maxwell is entrenched as a power player in the high-stakes world of television news production. Whitewater Rendezvous is the beautifully told story of two intelligent, successful women whose lives are as different as night and day.

What happens when women like this are attracted to each other and ultimately find themselves falling in love? The author does an outstanding job of delving into the hearts and minds of both women as they navigate the conflicts of their respective lifestyles. I particularly liked watching Megan gradually change as she re-examines her value system.

The descriptions of the setting of the story, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, are captivating and powerful. As a preservationist-type myself, I appreciated the depiction of Chaz's love of and respect for the Alaskan environment, even when it is cruel and survival cannot be taken for granted.

This book has it all: an adventure story told against a backdrop of breathtaking wilderness, and a love story that is as emotionally sensitive as it is physically, well, hot, hot, hot. It's definitely a keeper for me.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Save your money......
Comment: Bad, bad and bad. This book could have been condensed down to 5 chapters to tell the story. It was dragged out for no other reason then to make it a full book. I have enjoyed this authors other books, but this was was very disappointing. Save your money on this one ladies.

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