What do you think?
Rate this book
A Wilderness Christmas
Lovin Devlin by Madeline Baker (Loving Duet, #2)
For a half-breed Apache, love comes full circle as he witnesses the miracle of a Christmas birth, helping his woman bring forth her babe far from the comforts of civilization.
The Fourth Gift by Elizabeth Chadwick
A determined woman struggles to rid herself of the Yankee partner who has bought out half her Arizona sheep ranch, but by Christmas morning the interloper has fulfilled the three wishes dearest to her heart, and given her a fourth gift she hardly dared hope for.
Christmas Surprise by Norah Hess
When a handsome stranger appears at her isolated farm looking for work, a lovelorn spinster finds the dark, dreary winter days become as bright and new as the Christmas surprise he brings her.
Christmas Star by Connie Mason
Following her very own Christmas star through the wilds of Colonial Virginia, a beautiful orphan learns she has enough love to make three lonely people into a true family.
For a half-breed Apache, love comes full circle as he witnesses the miracle of a Christmas birth, helping his woman bring forth her babe far from the comforts of civilization.
The Fourth Gift by Elizabeth Chadwick
A determined woman struggles to rid herself of the Yankee partner who has bought out half her Arizona sheep ranch, but by Christmas morning the interloper has fulfilled the three wishes dearest to her heart, and given her a fourth gift she hardly dared hope for.
Christmas Surprise by Norah Hess
When a handsome stranger appears at her isolated farm looking for work, a lovelorn spinster finds the dark, dreary winter days become as bright and new as the Christmas surprise he brings her.
Christmas Star by Connie Mason
Following her very own Christmas star through the wilds of Colonial Virginia, a beautiful orphan learns she has enough love to make three lonely people into a true family.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Madeline Baker
89 books289 followersMadeline Ruth was born on 1963 in California, where she raised. She married her high school sweetheart and they have three sons, all handsome enough to be cover models. Growing up, her favorite pastimes were going to the movies and going horseback riding on Saturday mornings at Griffith Park. Madeline has always been "horse happy." A horse was the one thing she asked for on every birthday and every Christmas. Many years later, that dream came true when she bought an Appaloosa mare named Candy—because she was so sweet. Madeline loves animals. Over the years, she's had numerous dogs, cats, fish, mice, hamsters, turtles and birds, and her horse, of course. The most exotic pet was a crocodile that belonged to one of her sons. Currently, she has a terribly spoiled Pomeranian named Teddi, six goldfish, a catfish, and a betta. When she's not writing, Madeline enjoys going to movies and the theater. Her favorite plays are The Phantom of the Opera, The Scarlet Pimpernel and her all-time fave, Beauty and the Beast. She also loves reading, going to lunch with her best friend, collecting Star Wars, The Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast memorabilia, and playing with the most beautiful, adorable, brilliant grandkids in the world.
Madeline started writing when her children were still at home, and she wrote for several years, finding time to write after her children were in bed and her husband was at work. In true cliché fashion, she wrote the books and put them under the bed, never telling anyone what she was doing, until one day she let a friend read one. Encouraged by her friend's comments, and armed with a copy of Writer's Market supplied by said friend, Madeline began sending out query letters. After six years and 31 rejections, Leisure Books bought Reckless Heart, and she's been writing ever since. After writing several Westerns, Madeline decided to try her hand at something else and wrote her first vampire romance. It was a short story titled "Masquerade" for an anthology. She loved writing that so much that she wrote her first full-length vampire romance, Embrace the Night, and thus Amanda Ashley was born. One of her dreams had been to write for Harlequin, and she accomplished that in 2003 with the publication of her Silhouette Romance novel, Dude Ranch Bride. Madeline loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her online at DarkWritr@aol.com or by mail at PO Box 1703, Whittier, CA 90609-1703.
Madeline started writing when her children were still at home, and she wrote for several years, finding time to write after her children were in bed and her husband was at work. In true cliché fashion, she wrote the books and put them under the bed, never telling anyone what she was doing, until one day she let a friend read one. Encouraged by her friend's comments, and armed with a copy of Writer's Market supplied by said friend, Madeline began sending out query letters. After six years and 31 rejections, Leisure Books bought Reckless Heart, and she's been writing ever since. After writing several Westerns, Madeline decided to try her hand at something else and wrote her first vampire romance. It was a short story titled "Masquerade" for an anthology. She loved writing that so much that she wrote her first full-length vampire romance, Embrace the Night, and thus Amanda Ashley was born. One of her dreams had been to write for Harlequin, and she accomplished that in 2003 with the publication of her Silhouette Romance novel, Dude Ranch Bride. Madeline loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her online at DarkWritr@aol.com or by mail at PO Box 1703, Whittier, CA 90609-1703.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 9, 2010
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Loving Devlin by Madeline Baker – Loving Devlin is a sequel to the novella, Loving Sarah, continuing the story of Devlin (aka Toklanni) and Sarah Dennehy. Devlin and Sarah are basically the same characters that they were in Loving Sarah. Sarah showed a great deal of strength during her kidnapping by the Comanches and subsequently giving birth in the wilderness. My one complaint about her would be that a couple of times during the early stages of the kidnapping, her thoughts turned a bit overly melodramatic. Devlin had made a home for himself in the white world, but was still being pulled toward his Indian upbringing. When his old insecurities started coming back to haunt him, I thought perhaps more depth was being added to the character, but then his brooding just seemed to magically disappear. There were a couple of things that I thought could have been better. One was the author's use of historical and cultural details surrounding the Indians. As someone who has an interest in Native American culture, I already knew most of the details that were included in the story. While I understand that many readers might not know these things, I still felt that these passages seemed to slow things down and were only there as filler to bulk up a story that was a little short on plot. I was also rather disappointed in Ms. Baker's decision to kill off the Comanche warrior, Esatai. Although he was Sarah's kidnapper, Esatai had treated her respectfully while she was with him, and I thought that he deserved to either “ride off into the sunset” gracefully or at least have a better outcome. Again, this event seemed to act as more filler for the story. Also problematic for me was the easy turning of a breech presenting baby which I thought was unrealistic as written and could have benefited from a lot more intensity and details. Still, despite it's plot weaknesses, the story had an undeniable tender, heartwarming feel to it which I really liked. There were a few lovely romantic moments as well as the old west/frontier setting which I enjoyed, and I found the characters to be very likable. While not quite as good as it's predecessor, Loving Devlin was a generally worthwhile read. There are no explicit love scenes or other objectionable material, making this an appropriate story for any romance reader. While Loving Devlin contains enough back story to stand well on it's own, readers may find it more enjoyable to read the prequel, Loving Sarah first. It can be found in the anthology, A Frontier Christmas. Madeline Baker also writes paranormal romance as Amanda Ashley. Rating: ***
The Fourth Gift by Elizabeth Chadwick – The Fourth Gift had a highly unusual gender bending storyline. Merrill, the heroine, had lost her mother at a very young age and had been raised by her father and uncle with no real female presence in her life, so she is basically a really feisty tomboy who doesn't know how to be feminine. She wears men's clothes, is small but well-muscled, and runs the sheep ranch her father left her as well, if not better, than any man could. Merrill is also highly intelligent with a photographic memory which is something I could appreciate. She learned four foreign languages just by being around people who spoke them, could do large figures in her head, and never forgot anything she learned, but still she is, much to her embarrassment, illiterate. Jonathan, the hero, is the antithesis of Merrill. He was city born and bred, but has been living the life of a wealthy adventurer-seeking writer which is what leads him to purchase half of Merrill's ranch from her uncle. Jonathan is a completely laid-back beta hero who ends up temporarily taking care of the domestic duties of the ranch after the housekeeper leaves in a huff, and since he had never run a sheep ranch before, he defers to Merrill when it comes to business. I had rather mixed feelings about this type of gender role reversal in a historical romance. I admit that it held a certain interest merely because of its uniqueness, but overall, I think I'm more of a traditionalist when it come to romantic relationships especially in a historical novel. There also wasn't enough sexual tension or emotional connection to suit me. A large part of the story is told from Merrill's point of view, in a very matter-of-fact kind of way, which fit the character, but didn't really foster the deep romance that I prefer. Also since there were so few scenes from Jonathan's perspective, I didn't feel like I got to know him as well as I would have liked. Most of the time I enjoy child characters, but when Jonathan's eleven-year-old niece came to live with them, I found her to be a bit too precocious and perky for my taste. She talked and acted more like a teenager in my opinion, and I was rather skeptical of a child that age being able to travel from New York to Arizona by herself without mishap. Overall, The Fourth Gift wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't entirely to my liking from a personal preference standpoint. It was my first read by Elizabeth Chadwick, but I may be open to trying something else by her in the future. Readers should note that this Elizabeth Chadwick should not be confused with the popular historical fiction writer of the same name. In this case, Elizabeth Chadwick is used as a pseudonym by author Nancy Herndon. Rating: ***1/2
Christmas Surprise by Norah Hess – Christmas Surprise was an OK read, but I thought that it had a few too many similarities with another Norah Hess Christmas novella that I read last year. Both had a sweet heroine who was living alone on the frontier, and was rescued by the hero from an attempted rape. He then stayed around to help with farm chores, causing some tongue wagging amongst the other settlers in the area. Both stories also featured faithless spouses and a major snowstorm. Thankfully, unlike the other novella, Christmas Surprise did not have a complicated love quadrangle, nor did the gossip reach the level of true nastiness. Luke and Jassy were both nice, likable characters, but unfortunately I found them to be rather bland. Luke is getting over being deceived by his beautiful ex-wife, and Jassy is hiding her beauty behind a false “mask” of plainness. This actually disappointed me, because I would have preferred that she simply be plain. The plot was perhaps a bit too simplistic, and I thought that Luke and Jassy spent way too much time wondering if the other one did, or ever could, love them, rather than just communicating. In my opinion, their “misunderstandings” of each other's feelings were all pretty silly and overblown, and could have been solved with a simple conversation, but all's well that ends well I suppose. Overall, Christmas Surprise was a decent read for a short story, but was a bit too predictable and clichéd, and didn't have quite enough of a romantic connection between Luke and Jassy to suit me. It was, however, non-explicit which should make it suitable for all romance readers. This is my second read by Norah Hess, and from what I've seen so far, her work seems to lack originality and just doesn't grab my attention like other authors I've read. I think for now I will be putting anything else I have by her on the back burner, and won't be in any hurry to read more. Rating: ***
Christmas Star by Connie Mason – In my opinion, Christmas Star embodied an oversimplified plot and characterizations, that just didn't lend itself to my imagination being fully engaged while reading it. I sympathized with Jed being a scarred war hero who had been jilted by his fiancée because of his disfigurement, and I admired that he was raising an Indian daughter in spite of the scorn of the townspeople. Although Jed certainly had plenty of reasons to be bitter, he was so angry for the better part of the story, it was like a blustery winter wind followed him into every scene. When he softens up and makes his turn around it was just a little too quickly to suit me. Having been raised by an ultra-religious Quaker family after her parents' deaths, Charity was a heroine who was innocent in the extreme, to the point that she had absolutely no idea what happened in the marriage bed and even mistook her tingles of desire for Jed as fear. I did like that she was never bothered by Jed's limp and scars though. Charity also had a phobia of Indians which was understandable since she had witnessed the massacre of her parents at the hands of Indians, but even still I was a little uncomfortable with the way she treated Jed's daughter, Star, in the beginning. Although I admired Charity for facing her fears when it counted the most, she also changed a little too quickly, in my opinion. In general, all the conflicts in the story just magically melted away a bit too easily to be believable. I also didn't fully feel the love connection between Jed and Charity. It was clear that they were attracted to and desired one another, but I was never entirely sure when they fell in love or why, except that the author told me they did. There was also a lot of repetition, mainly in the form of Jed's self-loathing and constant assumptions that Charity is repulsed by his physical imperfections, although there were plenty of other words, phrases, and thoughts that were reiterated as well. This is another non-explicit read which should make it appropriate for romance readers of all ages. Overall, Christmas Star was a worthwhile read, albeit a super-easy one that doesn't take much thought, but that may be just what doctor ordered during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. This is my second read by Connie Mason that was just OK, so it looks like she'll be another author that will be going on the back burner for now. Rating: ***
Loving Devlin by Madeline Baker – Loving Devlin is a sequel to the novella, Loving Sarah, continuing the story of Devlin (aka Toklanni) and Sarah Dennehy. Devlin and Sarah are basically the same characters that they were in Loving Sarah. Sarah showed a great deal of strength during her kidnapping by the Comanches and subsequently giving birth in the wilderness. My one complaint about her would be that a couple of times during the early stages of the kidnapping, her thoughts turned a bit overly melodramatic. Devlin had made a home for himself in the white world, but was still being pulled toward his Indian upbringing. When his old insecurities started coming back to haunt him, I thought perhaps more depth was being added to the character, but then his brooding just seemed to magically disappear. There were a couple of things that I thought could have been better. One was the author's use of historical and cultural details surrounding the Indians. As someone who has an interest in Native American culture, I already knew most of the details that were included in the story. While I understand that many readers might not know these things, I still felt that these passages seemed to slow things down and were only there as filler to bulk up a story that was a little short on plot. I was also rather disappointed in Ms. Baker's decision to kill off the Comanche warrior, Esatai. Although he was Sarah's kidnapper, Esatai had treated her respectfully while she was with him, and I thought that he deserved to either “ride off into the sunset” gracefully or at least have a better outcome. Again, this event seemed to act as more filler for the story. Also problematic for me was the easy turning of a breech presenting baby which I thought was unrealistic as written and could have benefited from a lot more intensity and details. Still, despite it's plot weaknesses, the story had an undeniable tender, heartwarming feel to it which I really liked. There were a few lovely romantic moments as well as the old west/frontier setting which I enjoyed, and I found the characters to be very likable. While not quite as good as it's predecessor, Loving Devlin was a generally worthwhile read. There are no explicit love scenes or other objectionable material, making this an appropriate story for any romance reader. While Loving Devlin contains enough back story to stand well on it's own, readers may find it more enjoyable to read the prequel, Loving Sarah first. It can be found in the anthology, A Frontier Christmas. Madeline Baker also writes paranormal romance as Amanda Ashley. Rating: ***
The Fourth Gift by Elizabeth Chadwick – The Fourth Gift had a highly unusual gender bending storyline. Merrill, the heroine, had lost her mother at a very young age and had been raised by her father and uncle with no real female presence in her life, so she is basically a really feisty tomboy who doesn't know how to be feminine. She wears men's clothes, is small but well-muscled, and runs the sheep ranch her father left her as well, if not better, than any man could. Merrill is also highly intelligent with a photographic memory which is something I could appreciate. She learned four foreign languages just by being around people who spoke them, could do large figures in her head, and never forgot anything she learned, but still she is, much to her embarrassment, illiterate. Jonathan, the hero, is the antithesis of Merrill. He was city born and bred, but has been living the life of a wealthy adventurer-seeking writer which is what leads him to purchase half of Merrill's ranch from her uncle. Jonathan is a completely laid-back beta hero who ends up temporarily taking care of the domestic duties of the ranch after the housekeeper leaves in a huff, and since he had never run a sheep ranch before, he defers to Merrill when it comes to business. I had rather mixed feelings about this type of gender role reversal in a historical romance. I admit that it held a certain interest merely because of its uniqueness, but overall, I think I'm more of a traditionalist when it come to romantic relationships especially in a historical novel. There also wasn't enough sexual tension or emotional connection to suit me. A large part of the story is told from Merrill's point of view, in a very matter-of-fact kind of way, which fit the character, but didn't really foster the deep romance that I prefer. Also since there were so few scenes from Jonathan's perspective, I didn't feel like I got to know him as well as I would have liked. Most of the time I enjoy child characters, but when Jonathan's eleven-year-old niece came to live with them, I found her to be a bit too precocious and perky for my taste. She talked and acted more like a teenager in my opinion, and I was rather skeptical of a child that age being able to travel from New York to Arizona by herself without mishap. Overall, The Fourth Gift wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't entirely to my liking from a personal preference standpoint. It was my first read by Elizabeth Chadwick, but I may be open to trying something else by her in the future. Readers should note that this Elizabeth Chadwick should not be confused with the popular historical fiction writer of the same name. In this case, Elizabeth Chadwick is used as a pseudonym by author Nancy Herndon. Rating: ***1/2
Christmas Surprise by Norah Hess – Christmas Surprise was an OK read, but I thought that it had a few too many similarities with another Norah Hess Christmas novella that I read last year. Both had a sweet heroine who was living alone on the frontier, and was rescued by the hero from an attempted rape. He then stayed around to help with farm chores, causing some tongue wagging amongst the other settlers in the area. Both stories also featured faithless spouses and a major snowstorm. Thankfully, unlike the other novella, Christmas Surprise did not have a complicated love quadrangle, nor did the gossip reach the level of true nastiness. Luke and Jassy were both nice, likable characters, but unfortunately I found them to be rather bland. Luke is getting over being deceived by his beautiful ex-wife, and Jassy is hiding her beauty behind a false “mask” of plainness. This actually disappointed me, because I would have preferred that she simply be plain. The plot was perhaps a bit too simplistic, and I thought that Luke and Jassy spent way too much time wondering if the other one did, or ever could, love them, rather than just communicating. In my opinion, their “misunderstandings” of each other's feelings were all pretty silly and overblown, and could have been solved with a simple conversation, but all's well that ends well I suppose. Overall, Christmas Surprise was a decent read for a short story, but was a bit too predictable and clichéd, and didn't have quite enough of a romantic connection between Luke and Jassy to suit me. It was, however, non-explicit which should make it suitable for all romance readers. This is my second read by Norah Hess, and from what I've seen so far, her work seems to lack originality and just doesn't grab my attention like other authors I've read. I think for now I will be putting anything else I have by her on the back burner, and won't be in any hurry to read more. Rating: ***
Christmas Star by Connie Mason – In my opinion, Christmas Star embodied an oversimplified plot and characterizations, that just didn't lend itself to my imagination being fully engaged while reading it. I sympathized with Jed being a scarred war hero who had been jilted by his fiancée because of his disfigurement, and I admired that he was raising an Indian daughter in spite of the scorn of the townspeople. Although Jed certainly had plenty of reasons to be bitter, he was so angry for the better part of the story, it was like a blustery winter wind followed him into every scene. When he softens up and makes his turn around it was just a little too quickly to suit me. Having been raised by an ultra-religious Quaker family after her parents' deaths, Charity was a heroine who was innocent in the extreme, to the point that she had absolutely no idea what happened in the marriage bed and even mistook her tingles of desire for Jed as fear. I did like that she was never bothered by Jed's limp and scars though. Charity also had a phobia of Indians which was understandable since she had witnessed the massacre of her parents at the hands of Indians, but even still I was a little uncomfortable with the way she treated Jed's daughter, Star, in the beginning. Although I admired Charity for facing her fears when it counted the most, she also changed a little too quickly, in my opinion. In general, all the conflicts in the story just magically melted away a bit too easily to be believable. I also didn't fully feel the love connection between Jed and Charity. It was clear that they were attracted to and desired one another, but I was never entirely sure when they fell in love or why, except that the author told me they did. There was also a lot of repetition, mainly in the form of Jed's self-loathing and constant assumptions that Charity is repulsed by his physical imperfections, although there were plenty of other words, phrases, and thoughts that were reiterated as well. This is another non-explicit read which should make it appropriate for romance readers of all ages. Overall, Christmas Star was a worthwhile read, albeit a super-easy one that doesn't take much thought, but that may be just what doctor ordered during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. This is my second read by Connie Mason that was just OK, so it looks like she'll be another author that will be going on the back burner for now. Rating: ***
April 2, 2018
This is another book I realise that I read from this author of Medieval Historical novels that is an American Wild West romance. It seems there are two authors of the same name! It’s weird when you are expecting English medieval content to get a cowboy Mills and Boon romance! This American-born author is using Elizabeth Chadwick as a pseudonym. Whereas the award-winning English author was born in England and it is her real name.
Goodreads doesn’t even store a copy of the book so I did a little digging around and found this story was part of a compilation, called A Wilderness Christmas. Hence the mismatching cover image for the book I read on Kindle called The Fourth Gift...https://chroniclesoftania.wordpress.c...
Goodreads doesn’t even store a copy of the book so I did a little digging around and found this story was part of a compilation, called A Wilderness Christmas. Hence the mismatching cover image for the book I read on Kindle called The Fourth Gift...https://chroniclesoftania.wordpress.c...
December 2, 2019
Liked the stories but not as Christmas stories
June 6, 2023
Crazy racist
June 13, 2019
These are 4 Christmas tales following A FRONTIER CHRISTMAS (2004). Three of the authors returned while Elizabeth Chadwick is new. My favorites were by Elizabeth Chadwick and Norah Hess. Chadwick did a masterful job of showing the incredible tension Merritt was in when she becomes interested in Jonathan.
LOVING DEVLIN (by Madeline Baker) This is a continuation of the story LOVING SARAH in A FRONTIER CHRISTMAS (2004). LOVING SARAH was a page-turner; this one wasn’t quite as interesting. It is 4 years after the first story and Sarah has lost two baby boys; she’s pregnant again and worried. Marauding Cherokee Indians snatch 71/2 month pregnant Sarah.
There was an interesting interplay between Devlin and his estranged Apache brother, Noche. It was a very satisfying turn.
THE FOURTH GIFT (Elizabeth Chadwick) Isolated and insulated on a sheep ranch in Arizona, 29-year-old Merritt Fox has been doing a man’s work since she was very young. Her only companions were lonely old men (Merritt’s mother died when she was young). Merritt never thought about being female or wearing dresses, etc.
Without telling Merritt, her uncle sells his ½ of the ranch to a book writer, Jonathan Forrester, and scurries off to the fleshpots of San Francisco. Merritt is shocked when she finds that Forrester means to take up residence in her ranch house. This is a story about a young woman, clueless about being feminine, trying to accept the softer side of herself and learning to respond to a man interested in her. It is a very bumpy -- but enjoyable ride.
CHRISTMAS SURPRISE (Norah Hess). Jassy Jeffers is alone on the farm she inherited from her parents two years when men arrive and threaten her. A man (Luke Slater) steps out of the woods and asks if they are bothering his wife. The men leave quickly. Jassy has never seen the man before.
Slater asks her for a meal and says he’ll do a few odd jobs to repay her kindness. Five months later, Luke is still on the Jeffers farm and the neighbors are starting to talk.
CHRISTMAS STAR (Connie Mason) This story is so hokey I hate to waste the space to summarize the story. Some folks like prophecy and ‘the magic of Christmas’ but I do not; the story was just too outlandish for me.
LOVING DEVLIN (by Madeline Baker) This is a continuation of the story LOVING SARAH in A FRONTIER CHRISTMAS (2004). LOVING SARAH was a page-turner; this one wasn’t quite as interesting. It is 4 years after the first story and Sarah has lost two baby boys; she’s pregnant again and worried. Marauding Cherokee Indians snatch 71/2 month pregnant Sarah.
There was an interesting interplay between Devlin and his estranged Apache brother, Noche. It was a very satisfying turn.
THE FOURTH GIFT (Elizabeth Chadwick) Isolated and insulated on a sheep ranch in Arizona, 29-year-old Merritt Fox has been doing a man’s work since she was very young. Her only companions were lonely old men (Merritt’s mother died when she was young). Merritt never thought about being female or wearing dresses, etc.
Without telling Merritt, her uncle sells his ½ of the ranch to a book writer, Jonathan Forrester, and scurries off to the fleshpots of San Francisco. Merritt is shocked when she finds that Forrester means to take up residence in her ranch house. This is a story about a young woman, clueless about being feminine, trying to accept the softer side of herself and learning to respond to a man interested in her. It is a very bumpy -- but enjoyable ride.
CHRISTMAS SURPRISE (Norah Hess). Jassy Jeffers is alone on the farm she inherited from her parents two years when men arrive and threaten her. A man (Luke Slater) steps out of the woods and asks if they are bothering his wife. The men leave quickly. Jassy has never seen the man before.
Slater asks her for a meal and says he’ll do a few odd jobs to repay her kindness. Five months later, Luke is still on the Jeffers farm and the neighbors are starting to talk.
CHRISTMAS STAR (Connie Mason) This story is so hokey I hate to waste the space to summarize the story. Some folks like prophecy and ‘the magic of Christmas’ but I do not; the story was just too outlandish for me.
December 29, 2013
Enjoyable holiday stories.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews