Return To Me

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful erotic romance.......2007-06-12

What an utterly fantastic book! I wasn't sure what to expect from it since it was a book I randomly picked up the library. It just looked interesting, and since I love romantic suspense (and that's what it was labeled as) I thought, what the hell, why not? And I ended up loving the book, even though it was completely not what I expected.

Return To Me is best described as a thoroughly primal, raw, passionate, story. It's extremely erotic. It might not be the most sophisticated story in terms of language, style, and plot, but it more than makes up for it with bold sexuality, strong characters, and an interesting storyline. Though the book is classified as a romantic suspense, it is not on the level on your typical book of that genre. The suspense plot is subtle, more of a background aspect, and there's not a lot of guess-work involved. The story is more focused on the characters themselves, but it works for the book.

Simon is the typical tortured, bad boy hero and I was instantly fascinated by him. He's so internally conflicted about what he wants, what he deserves, and the demons from his past, but yet he doesn't lost that Alpha male personality. I just wanted to give him a big hug. Ellen is the polar opposite...the shy, wealthy, good girl. It's one of my favorite dynamics in romance books. The depth of the characters is fairly thorough. There were a few points I thought could have been better explored, but for the most they had nice dimension. They had a powerful chemistry together, but were constantly fighting themselves over preconceptions, deservedness, and a host of other issues. Their relationship was very push-pull. I was rooting for them from the beginning.

The book - though I adored it - isn't for everyone. With such a strong, in-your-face sexuality throughout the entire story, there are a lot of people who won't care for it. There's nothing pretty or tame about the sex in the book. It's down and dirty and raw, but passionate at the same time. It's one of the things I loved most about the story. I've always wanted to read a romance book with a high level of eroticism but yet a complete romance. It's just not something you tend to find in the mainstream. Sex is more pretty and mild in those and more about the romance, which is fine most of the time. There's a lot of erotica on the 'net, but those are generally just gratuitous sex with no romance or just a smidge. So it was exciting to find a book with a bold sexuality and yet a wonderful romance to go with it. But with that said, like I stated previously, Return To Me won't appeal to everyone. If you like your sex on the vanilla side and sporadically occurring, then you'll hate the book so DON'T READ IT!, but if you like some chocolate with your sex you'll love it as much as much as I did.

So...fantastic book in my opinion. I can't wait to go find more of McKenna's stories.

Great read.......2007-02-03

I have read and loved all five of Shannon McKenna's books. Her characters are different and interesting. Her books are thrillers, with terrible bad guys and a lot of suspense, and always a happy ending. She's one of my favorite authors.

A much better than average book in the erotic suspense genre.......2007-01-07

This book is similar to Hot Night and Jaid Black's One Dark Night in that the villain is a psychotic sociopath. Simon is a photojournalist who is convinced that he brings disasters with him where ever he goes and a child hood lover of El who is very beautiful and engaged to the son of wealthy socialites; Brad but the engagement is in trouble because they thought she owned the mansion her bead and breakfast is in when she paid her mother for it and owes the bank big time. The problems are compounded by Brads overbearing ways and his bitch of a mother. The plot is OK but not nearly as well done as Hot Night and Simon's inability to commit to EL is not convincing. The characters are alright and the sex scenes well written with a little Ds (Simon and El both switch roles).

Flawed but not horrid and a decent read.

Not a fan.......2006-06-30

I purchased this book to try out a new author, but I must say I am not a fan if this is a typical example of her work.
What a whiney, pathetic, emotional wreck this "Alpha male hero" is. Why would anyone put up with being treated like that!
The heroine is not much better - she is successful, independant, knows what she wants and yet keeps coming back for more. I am sorry I ordered more of this authors books before I had sampled this one. In my opinion there was not much substance to the story, the plot was flakey, the characters were entirely unbeliveable and the whole book did not make much sense.

Total Waste of Money and Time.......2006-06-23

I was very disappointed in this book, it read like it was a
graphic sex novel instead of mystery/romance. Totally unseemly
in my opinion. Crude language and there was a little suspence
in the story line, however, it was overshadowed by explicit
sex descriptions.Actually, I felt the mystery was a weak one,
and felt like 100 pages of this book was just crap. Nothing
read smoothly, and the characters lacked depth, although we didn't really get to read much about them, so maybe that isn't
an adequate characterization.
In my opinion, I'm seething, because I wasted my money.!
I have read other books by McKenna, but didn't expect this.

Average customer rating:

Thoughtful Remix
One of Robin's best books yet!
Modern Day Prodigal
Robin has written much better!
Far from her best

Return to Me
Robin Lee Hatcher
Manufacturer: Zondervan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Domestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0310258049

Customer Reviews:

Thoughtful Remix.......2007-08-01

Roxie and Elena, broken, misunderstood and desperate for the same thing --love -- choose different paths to get it. Elena, the good girl with the long list of do's and don't's, and Roxie, the rebel.

This modern reblending of the truths within the story of the Prodigal made me think and struggle with the reality of God's raw and generous grace, and the hearts that feel either unworthy or stingy.

Robin Lee Hatcher is a fine wordsmith and provided tension and multi-faceted characters. I especially liked the backstory as it unfolded in memorable events as seen through the eyes of Roxie and Elena as children. The struggle between sisters put me in a position to choose whom to root for and I couldn't decide because I understood how they each made the choices they did, and how much it cost them to do so. I was uncertain how the story would play out until the end so this was a quick read for me. Another book to blame a pile of unfolded laundry on.

Hatcher and women's fiction fans should find much to like in Return to Me.

One of Robin's best books yet!.......2007-07-31

(My review as seen in ACFW's E-zine, the August edition.)

Return to Me by Robin Lee Hatcher is a powerful example of the ideal Christian fiction novel. It parallels the story of the prodigal son and was so engaging that I finished the story in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I identified with Roxy despite her many flaws.

Roxy's change of heart when she discovered Christ in an unlikely setting reminded me of my own personal experience. I remember the same still, small voice calling out to me until I finally gave my heart to the Lord. Of course, Roxy's older sister Elena decided Roxy needed to experience additional consequences for her sin. Like what Roxy had naturally suffered as a result of squandering her inheritance hadn't been painful enough, and not realizing, of course, all that her sister had already lost because of her poor choices. I've never seen a better example of how self-righteousness wounds new believers and destroys relationships and trust.

Return to Me is also a wonderful illustration of the emotional and spiritual fallout resulting from manipulative rejection, and the believer's need for a close walk with the Lord in order to resist pride and jealousy when new Christians succeed where they may have struggled. Thus the spiritual arc of the characters comes across as very genuine, especially when it comes to the older sister's attitude.

There are some gritty situations in this story, but nothing I wouldn't let my teenager read. Overall, it's a fabulous example of the regrets people experience as the result of poor choices, and the subsequent struggle to forgive one's self. The author concludes by portraying the Scripture that refers to all things being possible through Christ Jesus. I highly recommend this story because of the life-changing lessons within.

Modern Day Prodigal.......2007-07-30

Robin Lee Hatcher has once again crawled into my heart in her latest novel Return to Me. Roxy is a prodigal daughter and sister. There's no way to excuse the life she lived away from her family, and now she's come home out of desperation. Her father welcomes her with open arms, but her sister isn't quite so happy, especially when she is now engaged to Roxy's ex boyfriend. Roxy needs to find love and be accepted not only by God but by her family. This novel brings to mind how all of us are to model unconditional love. An outstanding novel.

Robin has written much better!.......2007-07-25

RETURN TO ME, by Robin Lee Hatcher is the story of two sisters and one man. Your typical triangle? Not on your life! Roxy, the wild one, leaves her home and boyfriend to find fame and riches in Nashville and is gone for seven years. Meanwhile, her sister Elena, the good one, waits for Roxy's old flame, Wyatt, to love her, now that he has turned Christian. Roxy comes home broke and ashamed, it seems, with lessons already learned. Elena resents her sister's appearance and her thoughts and actions are too much. Their father is ecstatic to see his youngest daughter again. Actually, I liked Roxy the best, I thought she was honest to a fault. I thought Elena was shallow in places, (very unchristian-like). I did not feel sympathy for her although I could understand some of her frustrations. Maybe this is how the author wants us to see her, to realize she still has a long way to go to be a true Christian. But I wanted the story to dig deeper. The ending, in my opinion, was predictable, but I would have been disappointed had it ended any other way. Finally, it gave Elena some credibility. I have read many of Robin's books that I liked, no loved, much more, but I did find the plot in this story a good one.
J. Gayle Kelly, author of The Watermelon Patch

Far from her best.......2007-06-29

Return to Me is the story of the prodigal son -- only this time it's a daughter who returns to find that her sister is engaged to her old boyfriend. The books read like it was thrown together over a long weekend. Shallow characters (or should I say caricatures) with little plot development. After the first 20 pages, I could have recited the balance of the book myself. Hatcher can do SO much better. This is Christian fluff with little of the TLC that goes into a well-written novel. The message was fine - I just think that the author is taking advantage of a loyal readership by cranking out a novel that lacks the beauty of good, careful writing. You could skim this in a 1/2 hour.

Average customer rating:

Remember it !
AMAZING
Okay then!
Okay
Very Original

Remember Me 2: The Return
Christopher Pike
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Horror | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671872656

Book Description

THEY CALLED HER A WANDERER.

Shari Cooper is dead, the victim of a murderous attack. She is on the other side, in a place of spirits, an eternal realm of light and love. But she is given a rare offer. To return to Earth without having to be reborn. Into the body of a depressed teenage girl. A transfer of souls, they call it. Shari is given a chance to be a Wanderer, and to do a great service for humanity. It is an offer she gladly accepts.

Then she is back, in a human body. Yet she does not remember being Shari Cooper. At first she recalls nothing of the afterlife. Perhaps it is just as well. Not everybody on Earth welcomes Wanderers. Of the few who know of their existence, some want them dead. And others, the truly evil ones, wish them much worse than that.

Customer Reviews:

Remember it !.......2006-06-07

A good and supernatural book!It makes me wonder what dead is like...Nigel..

AMAZING.......2005-09-25

Like all Christopher Pike books, this is another amazing one added to it. The moment when Jimmy realized that his sister came back to life was amazing, and when Lenny realized who he was before he nearly killed Shari. This book didn't have so much a deep meaning or conclusion, but it's the perfect book LEADING to book three.

Okay then!.......2005-04-25

WARNING: This reveiw tells parts of the end, since it was written for school!

Remember Me 2: The Return by Christopher Pike was an okay book. Wait, I take that back. It was not bad, or anything, but it was not okay. Why don't we settle on unpleasant?
Jean Rodrigues had just gotten pregnant with her boyfriend's baby. She had just told him when she fell off a balcony and the baby died. She would've died too-except now Shari Cooper is assuming the position of Wanderer in her body.
Shari's job now is to help the world somehow, in a human's body-particularly Jean's. In this case, it is her job to write books inspiring and helping others.
And here is where the problem ensues. (In the book itself.) We have the basis, correct. But where is the actual plot? The rest of the book is almost an unorganized, boring journal entry, lacking plot and excitement. It drabs on to say that Jean meets a patient in the hospital (who later dies) for whom she writes a story. Then, ofcourse, the reader wonders what the story is about, so Christopher Pike makes me wish I never asked, by putting in the entire story. Around fifteen pages.
To make things more complicated, the story is completely weird and a tad psychotic. It is about a writer and how one day she discovers how she has a troll for a muse who likes women, money, and long phone calls. She is then forced to give her muse most of her money until she goes to a local author and gets him to solve her problem by presenting it to him in the way of a story-line. So she seduces the troll-muse (content not suitable for children under the age of thirteen (in other words, not exactly pleasant to read)) and locks him in the closet. The end.
Then Shari goes on to put to rest the wonders of her friends and family. (Like her house cleaner, for example, (her real mother) who she let know that Shari really loved her as a mother and knew who she was)
Okay. Analysis time! Put on your seat-belt, because it is time for my trademark rant. The exits are at the top of the page incase you decide to click the "back" button in exhaustion!
(deep breath)
Even though this book was at my reading level, written by Christopher Pike, a sequel to an awesome book, and liked by most, I still can't understand why the publisher published it. Maybe because Christoper Pike signed a book-deal?
Okay. It would appeal to the majority of today's teen population as an okay book. I say that mainly because there were a majority of characters who were buff Hispanic gang members who smoked pot and drunk. And were essentially "good for nothing" as some would put it. However, I think I am the only one (that I know of) to go that far. Most would say Pike accurately depicted the inner-city atomosphere. Which might be true, but I found it as though he was going by some huge stereotype. Another reason most would like it is because it has the whole "go for hope", "there is such thing as a heaven", "if you do well in this life you get to go back and do good for human kind" message. Maybe most teenagers need to believe that, or they do already, and so this book can relate to their beliefs (therefore they like it). Does it make a difference that I don't believe such things? Maybe. Hehe, look at me, as I am ranting on and on here I realized another major reason why I don't like this book:
Religious content.
Okay, so Christopher is not (to my knowledge) a die-hard religious freak preaching to others who god is and whatnot. But, he did go a bit over-board with the whole god-afterlife thing. Even though in this book god was... well, not what most people believe, you still had to read about three chapters of Shari asking some super-natural from heaven questions about it. That was a little much for me.
To go back to the whole plot-thing:
This book also had so many different plots and chapters dealing with so many people it didn't work, it was too overwhelming. This might have worked if it was some novel where you needed to know everything, otherwise you wouldn't get anything, but not here, where knowing too much could lead your brain to nearly explode and, therefore, take away from the main enjoyment of even reading the book.
As I am sitting here typing this, I realize that maybe Christopher Pike wanted to kind of do an epilogue on Shari and whatnot. But then his publisher told him it had to be around three hundred pages and be an actual story, resulting in a hodge-podge of an epilogue and Christopher Pike's interpretation of the afterlife and Shari's struggle with it. This will remain a mystery forever to those not Christopher Pike or his editor, and so we can only infer.
I admit, this book did nicely sum up Shari's life and whatnot. It answered some questions that I had at the end of the first book. But I still would've been better-off if I hadn't read it and left those things to my imagination.
I think if I don't end this soon it will never end.
So I will end with these last few sentences:
All in all, this book didn't really "click" for me. It was a bit lovey-dovey, without a real plot, and dull. An unpleasant read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, simply because I didn't like it, but I'm not saying others would hate it. Some people may have loved it, that's just how I felt.
(whew)

Okay.......2004-10-25

I liked it. Jean/Shari are two different people. One spiritually dies, the other comes back. I am glad that Shari was given another chance. I am aslo glad that a few old characters from the first book are back.

Very Original.......2004-01-25

Young adult horror. Continuation of Remember Me. Shari Cooper is still dead (haha). She was the victim of an attack in the first book, but now she's back again. She's given the chance to live life again without being born again. She accepts and is put into the body of a pregnant teen living in poverty, Jean Rodrigues -- who wants to die.

After an accident, Jean wakes up in the hospital a changed person, but she starts having weird flashbacks -- I guess they could be called. She starts remembering things that she's never remembered ever hearing or seeing, etc.

Book Description

Betrayed by her uncle, the magically inclined Lady Gabrielle Wentworth has been sold into a betrothal with a man who will surely be her ruin. To survive-and to avoid being labeled as a witch-she must accept the help of a five-hundred-year-old vampire who's as dangerous to her chaste body as he is to her fragile heart.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome Book!.......2007-08-23

This is my first Julia Timpleton's novel. I couldn't put it down. So good that I have read it twice. I enjoyed the plot and the characters very much. Bonus: a lot of hot, sexy and sensual love scenes. Highly recommended.

Five Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies!.......2007-08-16

Lovers of historical and paranormal romances will not want to miss reading Julia Templeton's latest, RETURN TO ME. Set in Scotland, it is the story of Darius, a vampire, and Gabrielle, a woman with special powers.

Gabrielle Fairmont's hands are tied. Forced into an unwanted betrothal by her uncle, Gabrielle searches for the right moment in which to make her escape; and escape she must if rumors of her fiancé's violent tendencies are to be believed. Plus, with the help of her gifts of second sight and mind reading, she has seen first hand how little he truly cares for her. The perfect opportunity arises during a crowded ball when her devious and sinister husband-to-be is occupied elsewhere. Gabrielle has only one regret - she will not be able to further explore the feelings she experienced upon meeting the magnetic Darius MacLeod earlier in the evening.

Darius, a five hundred year old Scottish vampire, answers his twin brother's call and agrees to attend a London ball. Having loved and lost his wife Rose so many years ago, Darius has never tried to love someone else. As his eyes meet those of Gabrielle Fairmont's across the ballroom, Darius knows without a doubt he has just seen his destiny. Too late, however, Darius realizes that Gabrielle has disappeared.

Using a commotion as cover, Gabrielle seizes the chance to disappear leaving no trace of her whereabouts. Her newfound freedom is absolute, that is until the night a waiflike highwayman tries to holdup a carriage containing three vampires. Deciding then and there to trust Darius with her heart and her life, Gabrielle never looks back.

First let me say that I sat at my computer for the longest time, wondering how I could do justice to this book. RETURN TO ME didn't merely catch my attention - it held me spellbound. It didn't just engage my emotions - it twisted my heart and engaged my mind.

Set in England and Scotland, RETURN TO ME radiates emotion with the longing of Darius and the anguish of Gabrielle. Their meeting, while decreed by Darius' twin, feels like destiny in the making. Gabrielle's similarity to Rose, Darius' deceased wife from long ago, may have caught his attention, but it is her trust and love for him that holds it and turns a simple attraction into an all consuming second chance at love.

RETURN TO ME captivated me from the prologue to the last scene. Julia Templeton has written a truly breathtaking, edgy, and sensual historical novel.
***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

entertaining heated Regency paranormal romance .......2007-08-11

In 1314 Darius Macleod lies dying on the battlefield of Bannockburn when his twin brother Demetri's friend Remont informs him he will only survive his fatal wounds if he converts to the life of the undead. Demetri asks Remont to change Darius. Soon afterward he comes home from the war healthy and alive. However his wife Rose worries about her spouse who is not the same person who performed his duty with honor. She finally confronts him; he admits that he became a vampire to save his life. Horrified and terrorized, Rose flees only to fall down steps killing herself and their unborn child.

In 1818 Darius is still missing his Rose until his brother introduces him to Gabrielle Wentworth, whose uncle has "sold" her into a betrothal with the detestable Lord Sutherland. Perhaps it is her resemblance to his memory of Rose, but for the first time in five hundred years Darius feels alive as he wants her. However, in spite of his efforts including his supernatural skills, Darius struggles to persuade Gabrielle that they belong together preferably for eternity as she has family demons eating at her soul.

This entertaining heated Regency paranormal romance stars two delightful protagonists who belong together. Although Gabrielle's uncle and Sutherland are caricatures of evil humans, they serve as a counterpoint to the siblings leading to readers pondering just who the monsters are. Fans will appreciate this exciting tale as Darius will do anything including accept his final death if that means his beloved Gabriella lives a safe and contented life.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

Who would put up with a shrew like Cameron?
A little long for such a trite book.
A Painful Read
There is a prequel.
Very disappointing sequel.

Return To Me
Rosemary Rogers
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1551667487

Book Description

A fragile peace has come to the country in the aftermath of the Civil War, but tensions remain strong in the hearts and souls of those who fought for their land . . . and for love

For the beautiful, strong-willed Cameron Campbell, the war had one shining spot: dashing Captain Jackson Logan. Though separated by duty for nearly four years, Jackson has come home at last. Cameron, however, has a few plans of her own. This headstrong young woman -- who's unwilling to do any man's bidding -- is determined to return to Elmwood, her family's Mississippi plantation, and reclaim her heritage, stolen by the ravages of war.

A Union spy and decorated war hero, Jackson's legendary air of command served him well as a leader of men. But now he is forced to reckon with a wife as stubborn and willful as he -- and the unexpected return of a woman from his past who has come to claim his love. While his passion is fierce for his beautiful wife, a dark menace forces him into a last crucial mission for his country, and Jackson knows he must also make a final stand for the woman he loves.

Customer Reviews:

Who would put up with a shrew like Cameron?.......2006-12-08

I couldn't agree more with some of the comments about the main character Cameron. She is the most self-centered, spoiled character I have ever read. She never even attempts to listen to any one else's opinions and thoughts. Though I suppose if she did, there wouldn't have been this second novel. I can't for the life of me figure out how Jackson would find anything she did even remotely appealing. Too bad this wasn't a book about Taye, it would have been so much more appealing.

A little long for such a trite book........2004-06-16

I couldn't decide if this was a book which reminded me of Gone With the Wind or not. There is the same selfish but likeable woman character and the mysterious but heroic man she is in love with all centered around her desperation to return to her southern home after the Civil War. Yet, the main characters did not inspire me to feel sorry for them because they didn't have the same kind of hardship that the other characters had to face. So, although I enjoyed the book and thought the subplots were interesting and well-written I cannot give this book more than 3 stars.

A Painful Read.......2004-06-04

I am a fan of Rosemary Rogers. However, Cameron has got to be the most self centered, bratty character, she has ever created. I couldn't stand her and plodded through the first novel. I misplaced this novel and was in no big hurry to find it. A better heroine would have been Taye. Let Taye be the main character and Cameron be in the periphery. All the drama really centered on Taye anyway in both books. I don't demand to like everything about my heroines. However, I never really got to appreciate anything about Cameron. I did not see her suffering like her poor sister. There is nothing heroic about Cameron except providing jobs for workers. Taye is the real heroine. If there is another book about this family, let it be about Taye and Falcon.

There is a prequel........2004-04-16

In response to Michelle, there is a prequel. It's called "An Honorable Man".

Very disappointing sequel........2004-02-03

I try to review every book I read because I find reviews so helpful when I'm contemplating buying a book. I love civil war era books and read "An honorable man" several months ago. It was well done and certainly enjoyable but there is no way I would compare it to GWTW! There is only one scarlet and one rhett!! I rated "honorable man" a reluctant 4 * and it is one I would reread again (which is my 4 rating.) That book ends in the early war years so the middle years are missed (unless there's a bk we all overlooked after cam and jackson marry) and this bk starts when he returns from the civil war. Actually it starts out really cute, their reunion is romantic and spicy. But the rest of the book drags. It's a book that you want to finish BUT you want to finish it soon. Jackson is the quintessimal stud/hero/man to die for. He is patriotic to his country and so takes on one last mission. Cameron is still the southern belle spoiled brat. I don't know why jackson puts up with her nasty moods. In fact cam's hot tempered and high maintainence personality even tired me out. The better part of the book was the relationship between Taye (Cam's biracial sister), her fiance (who's not all she thinks he is) and Falcon, Jackson's partner in spying. Falcon, a "halfbreed" understands Taye's life as it is and truly loves her. A sequel about their relationship
would be wonderful. Taye actually has more depth to her than the illustrious camerson. There are wonderful love scenes which compensate for story flaws.

Average customer rating:

What a help
This is the first email book you should buy
I Signed Up for this Book - Must have for E-Marketing
http://www.best-b2b-newsletters.com/
A Must-Read for Anyone Involved in Email Marketing

Sign Me Up!: A marketer's guide to creating email newsletters that build relationships and boost sales (Return Path Books)
Matt Blumberg , Michael Mayor , Tami Monahan Forman , and Stephanie A. Miller
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0595335861

Book Description

Sign Me Up! Imagine it: prospects actually asking you to email your marketing information to them. At a time when people are reluctant to give out their email addresses and skeptical of most email, it's harder than ever for legitimate marketers to separate their emails from spam. Not anymore.

This first-of-its-kind book reveals the secrets behind running a permission-based email newsletter program that motivates customers and prospects to sign up for your emails and respond to your messages. It shows you how you can use email to

Sell more products and services
Boost customer satisfaction and loyalty
Attract new customers to your products and services

Sign Me Up! delivers valuable insights and ideas on creating and sustaining an email newsletter program. It's packed with real-world examples from eBay, Amazon.com, CoolSavings, iVillage, BabyCenter and more.

You'll learn how to

Write and design great newsletters
Build and maintain responsive and targeted lists
Increase response to every email you send
Test and measure the effectiveness of your email program
Make sure your messages reach the inbox

Sign Me Up!

Customer Reviews:

What a help.......2007-05-08

This book was truly a great help. I needed some ideas for the designs of my monthly newsletter. I am not a creative guy so this book was very helpful!

This is the first email book you should buy.......2005-11-06

I don't normally write these things - but I feel like I owe something to the author. I bought this book and another (also on newsletter marketing) - and while I'm not crazy about the second one, I can tell you that I read this book with my yellow marker out. You might go a couple of pages before underscoring something - but then you'll come upon a page (and this is frequently, mind you) where the book pays for itself over and over. Also, if you're in the mode to buy this book, one of the best books I've ever read (on sales/marketing/the science behind it) was written by Paco Underhill and called "Why We Buy." Anyway, you should probably also know two things (about the book "Sign Me Up"): 1) It doesn't have that "get rich quick feel" that some other books in this vein have (thank goodness) and 2) as I write this (Nov '05) this book is current - as opposed to picking up one of the Guerrilla books that doesn't mention the internet because it didn't exist when the book was written). Anyway, great book, you should buy it and cross "newsletter books" off your list.

I Signed Up for this Book - Must have for E-Marketing.......2005-10-10

This is an outstanding book on permission based e-mail. Anyone considering doing or who is doing a newsletter should consider getting this book. It contains excellent insight and ideas on how to execute and improve an email newsletter program. The Team at Return Path has valuable expertise and experience in optimizing e-mail strategy and tactics.

One of the keys to a successful program is Relevance, Relevance, and Relevance. If you provide something useful or interesting to a client or customer they will give you permission to send regular communications. By its nature e-mail allows for personalization, customization, and targeted marketing. This is a great opportunity to build a relationship and better communicate to the needs of any client or customer base. Personalized product and content recommendations are what people are interested in.

If you are looking for a way to add value to your marketing efforts, this book will help with the ingredients to create, launch, and sustain an e-mail newsletter strategy and campaign. The book gets into content, list, and optimization strategies. The team at Return Path covers topics like:

1. Creating E-mail that People Want to Read
2. Writing and Managing an Email Newsletter Program
3. Designing and Formatting Emails for Maximum Performance
4. Building a Large and Responsive E-mail List
5. Keeping Your List Clean and Well-Maintained
6. The Importance of Testing
7. Make Sure Your Message Reaches the Inbox
8. CAN-SPAM and Other Email Legislation

The books covers tidbits of information like, "Research has found that newsletters with several short stories typically get read more than emails with one long story." Another good quote is, "People will gladly accept advertising in exchange for information and entertainment, so the creation of a content-filled email newsletter is the best strategy to deliver your advertising message to your audience with success"

As someone who works in the direct marketing industy, I highly recommend this book to anyone in the advertising and marketing industry. As a friend of someone who has MS I appreciate the fact that 10% of the purchase price of this book is donated to The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis.

http://www.best-b2b-newsletters.com/.......2005-09-30

A book review by Susan E. Fisher

Permission marketing is just what it says it is. It's marketing centered around customer consent. You secure permission from your customer and prospective customers to market your products and services to them. Permission is a covenant: As long as you give customers something they want, mainly information they find valuable, they will accept your marketing messages.

The advantages to a system built upon mutuality are obvious. You actually manage to get the ear, and hopefully the mindshare, of customers who are bombarded daily with hundreds of both stealthily subtle and blaringly blatant marketing messages.

The disadvantages are equally obvious: How do you gain consent? How do you get your customers to not only say "Okay, fine," but to exclaim "Sign me up!"? Once you gain permission, how do you keep it? How do you build a strong relationship through these communications, rather than end up as an annoyance and be perceived as one more interruption in a busy day?

Here's a simple answer that should be considered the golden rule of e-marketing: "Create Email That People Love to Read." "Content is king: If recipients don't read your email, it has no chance of building your business, and no one will read it unless the content is relevant and interesting to them."

That's "Rule #4" in "Sign Me Up!: A Marketer's Guide to Creating Email Newsletters that Build Relationships and Boost Sales." Written by a team from email services firm Return Path, "Sign Me Up!" addresses those basic e-newsletter development questions in a practical way. It offers a primer on:
1. content strategy (really the basics on how to write and design a newsletter, rather than tie newsletter content into a greater marketing communications or sales strategy)
2. list strategy (how to build a very basic list; there's not much on list segmentation - which we at BeTuitive Marketing find critical)
3. optimization strategies (how to improve response and measure how the email program is working in a very general way.)

The points are reinforced by examples from Kimberly-Clark, eBay and other companies with well-known brands.

One of the best features of the book is that it clearly states points that should be obvious but, from our experience, unfortunately aren't. For example, here is advice about email customer service that we also emphasize to our customers.

* "Have a real, live person monitor all incoming mail."
* "Don't tell your customers not to reply to the messages you send."
* "Ask for feedback."
* "Handle spam complaints the right way."

Quite frankly, as the editorial director at BeTuitive Marketing -- which creates email newsletters to build relationships and build sales -- I found little new in the book. It did not break any new ground or offer any insight particular to B2B marketing, which is a slightly different animal than B2C communications. Most importantly, experience tells me that a 164-page book can only scratch the surface of the exacting and sometimes grueling - but always rewarding -- effort it takes to get an email newsletter off the ground and to keep it high flying, so customers get what they want to hear along with what you want to tell them.

Nonetheless, the book and its helpful glossary offer a solid introduction for email newsletter novices and a helpful re-introduction to the process for businesses that have tried email newsletter campaigns and ended up with less-than-stellar results. At $6 for a pdf version (and $17.95 for a trade paperback), it's worth the download or the dollars for the paperback. Plus, the authors promise to donate 10 percent of the purchase price to the nonprofit The Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis. So, read the book, and then come to a professional for a deeper level of expertise.

A Must-Read for Anyone Involved in Email Marketing.......2005-03-07

I read this book because our company has been disappointed with the results from our email marketing efforts to date. Unlike many business books out there that can seem generic and "fluffy," I was very pleased to discover detailed recommendations and examples of best practices throughout the book on key topics such as building our list, crafting our content, and ensuring that our email is being viewed by our customers. The book gave us specific and actionable recommendations for how to improve our results, and we are already beginning to see the improvements! I recommend this book to anyone involved in email marketing.

Show Me the Money: How to Determine ROI in People, Projects, and Programs

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Great Resource!
Thought Provoking!

Show Me the Money: How to Determine ROI in People, Projects, and Programs
Jack J Phillips , and Patricia Pulliam Phillips
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1576753999

Book Description

From IT to HR, from boardroom to shop floor, increased accountability for achieving high-value results for new initiatives is the norm in every organization and department. Jack and Patricia Phillips, the world’s leading experts on Return On Investment (ROI) strategy, distill their years of experience and research into proven, step-by-step tools for determining the value of any project before, during, and after implementation. They present a comprehensive method for measuring the hard-to-measure, and placing monetary value on the hard-to-value. They even show how to measure and place value on "intangible" qualities like leadership, creativity, customer loyalty, employee engagement, and more. Developed in an easy-to-read format and fortified with case studies, checklists, tips, and tools, Show Me the Money clarifies and resolves the mystery surrounding the allocation of monetary value. It gives change agents everything they need to provide concrete, detailed evaluations of the potential and actual financial benefits of any project or program.

Customer Reviews:

Great Resource!.......2007-09-04

As a consultant who is continually looking for ways to show the value of programs/initiatives, this book is a must! It is a great resource as it provides an abundance of examples and step-by-step explanations. All of the information within this book can be leveraged to communicate the value of your initiatives with executives and others stakeholders.

Thought Provoking!.......2007-09-02

This publication is thought provoking and fundamentally practical. As a CEO of a large and dynamic organization , Show Me the Money provides critical information and a proven method for measuring the return on investment for 100% of our programs and projects. I highly reccommend this book!

Lord Will Gather Me In: My Journey to Jewish Orthodoxy

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Some Flaws; Many Precious Moments
Where does personal experience end and religion begin?
I Agree--Shallow!
Caustic and simplistic view of Judaism
a personal journey indeed

Lord Will Gather Me In: My Journey to Jewish Orthodoxy
David Klinghoffer
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684823411

Book Description

Why would a comfortably affluent, well-educated, secular Jew seek out the rigorous discipline of traditional Jewish observance? This is the intriguing question behind not just David Klinghoffer's personal story, but the growing movement of Jewish ba'alei teshuvah. In recent decades, tens of thousands of young Jews have returned to Orthodox Judaism, responding in a startling way to the spiritual hunger felt by millions of Americans. They have found that Orthodoxy means not withdrawing from the world, but coming to feel God's presence in every facet of life. Klinghoffer, one of these newly traditional Jews, also happens to be a highly articulate, sensitive, and sympathetic writer who states his beliefs so reasonably that readers will be hard-pressed to explain why everyone isn't Orthodox.

Writing with style and wit, Klinghoffer describes his secular Jewish parents; his 1970s Southern California upbringing, complete with professional disco dancers at his bar mitzvah; and his first serious girlfriend, a committed Catholic. Behind all these experiences are nagging questions: Why do some Jews persist in observing Torah commandments that to the uninitiated seem impossibly esoteric? After three millennia, why is the Jewish tradition still so puzzling and disturbing, to Jews no less than to non-Jews?

Slowly, at first clumsily, young David explores traditional Judaism. Wanting to do the right thing, he tries to ceremonially re-circumcise himself in a bathtub at home -- at the age of twelve. By adulthood he feels that God is guiding him in some particular direction. An adoptee, he often thinks of the line from Psalm 27, "Should my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will gather me in." Yet even after two more conversions, he doesn't understand the heart of Judaism until after he has set out to find his Swedish birth mother, a non-Jew, who reveals to him a family secret that sends David on a research mission to Stockholm. There, among 200-year-old birth and death records from a Swedish church, he discovers what it means to be a Jew.

Customer Reviews:

Some Flaws; Many Precious Moments.......2004-05-01

I first became aware of David Klinghoffer when I saw articles by him on the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion." I appreciated his comments and wanted to read more by him. So, I picked up this book.

I have mixed feelings about it. At times I got the strong sense that someone had informed the author at some point in his life that he was brighter than other people and that he didn't need to do the same intellectual work that others do. Further, I got the impression that, thanks to that perception, the author is a bit contemptuous of other people and a bit lax in presenting the facts.

I don't mean to make ad hominem attacks on this author, but if my perception is correct, it is unfortunate. Klinghoffer writes about Judaism and Christianity and troubled interactions between the two faiths. This interface is of world importance. One must be very circumspect when addressing these issues. For this reader, Klinghoffer was not adequately circumspect.

An example of intellectual laxity: Klinghoffer claims that Paul converted to Christianity from Judaism because he did not want to, or could not, follow Torah. This statement alone renders every reported fact in Klinghoffer's entire book suspect.

People who know nothing else about Paul often know that he converted as a result of one of the most famous conversions experiences in history. Paul's dramatic conversion is so famous that "road to Damascus" has become a phrase to describe a conversion experience of any kind, Christian or non-Christian, indeed, religious or secular.

Too, Klinghoffer implies that Catholics sing "Deutschland Uber Alles" as part of the mass. I'm a lifelong Catholic and I've never heard the German national anthem sung during mass. There is a Christian hymn that uses the same music, but I've never heard that in mass, either. Klinghoffer never makes any of this clear, which is unfortunate, given one incorrect current trend that equates Christianity with Nazism.

Klinghoffer is no kinder, in some ways, to Judaism. His description of a synagogue bar mitzvah in Los Angeles where rude Jews speak at football-stadium volume while a rabbi inveighs against evil "Goyim" creates, however inadvertently, a negative stereotype of Jews. This may be an accurate description of a real service, but it was not presented with enough context to render this passage comprehensible as anything other than an anti-Semitic caricature.

An example of the author's condescension is the misogynist way he discusses his Catholic girlfriend, Maria. Three times when talking about her, he says, "Women cry so easily." When Maria creates something artistic, the author describes her as "adorable" in a very condescending way.

Also, as a person of faith who struggles with the misogyny and homophobia in my own faith tradition, I found Klinghoffer's attempts to explain away the Levitcal association of menstruating women with abomination not at all convincing, and his association of homosexual love with death to be truly alienating.

In short, Klinghoffer works too hard to make God -- or our human understandings of God -- rational. In general, this reader was uncomfortable with Klinghoffer's tendency to set Judaism and Christianity against each other as if they were horses competing in a race. Certainly, Klinghoffer himself set these two traditions in competition with each other when he was deciding, like the nuns in "Sound of Music" how to solve the problem of Maria, his Catholic lover, but the stance of competition is not the happiest one for Judaism and Christianity to be assuming vis a vis each other right now. Rather, the two faiths had better learn to coexist.

On the other hand, this book offers truly precious moments that make up for the book's failings. At times the author loses his arrogance, his lax hold on important facts, and his contempt, and he writes of his own experiences from his own heart, and it is at those moments that this book is most valuable. When the author is most himself, and most vulnerable, he is the most powerful as a writer.

When the author, early on in the book, compares Judaism's appeal to him with the appeal a sunken ship holds for an explorer, his writing reaches its poetic height. When the author confesses that Catholic Maria married someone else and has children, and, yet, when he sees her, his former love for her seems to hover in the air as an almost palpable presence, when the author admits his yearning for his roots, biological or spiritual (the author was an adoptee), the sensible reader will not be able to avoid being moved, being taught, and being changed.

Too, at other times, Klinghoffer does a good job of presenting key facts. He is entirely correct in telling Maria that Jesus did not fit every model for a Messiah as presenting in Jewish scripture.

This reader hopes that Klinghoffer will continue to write in a confessional, memoirist vein, which was his strength here. This reader further hopes that Klinghoffer will sharpen his fact checking skills, and consider the impact of episodes like his description of his visit to the LA synagogue, and place such episodes in some illuminating context, if he does use them. This reader also hopes that Klinghoffer will lead with what he revealed here as his greatest strength -- reporting with courage and honesty his own unique experiences.

Where does personal experience end and religion begin?.......2003-03-18

An illustration of the highly personal nature of religious experience. If you have struggled to relate the scripture of a spiritual tradition to your life there is something to appreciate here, but not the insight that one might be hoping for.

I Agree--Shallow!.......2002-07-29

I spent the better part of a Shabbos afternoon poring through this book at my local Barnes & Nobles. Rarely have I considered a book a greater waste of time than this one.

I hoped that, in reading the story of a fellow convert, I might develop a better picture of the Orthodox community than I have developed over the past three years. Instead, what I found was worthless, self-centered drivel by a man far too ignorant to teach anything useful about Judaism.

I was disappointed that this book relied so heavily on anecdotal evidence (the behavior of certain Reform Jews in Beverly Hills, his bad experience with a gay friend who considered him "intolerant" and "uncompassionate"). As another reviewer has already pointed out, I could match him point for point in some of my experiences with Orthodox people.

My most intense reaction to this book, however, was stark disbelief that someone as intelligent as Klinghoffer could be fooled by some of the bad logic he presents in this book. Every argument Klinghoffer makes regarding the need to believe in the divine authorship of the Torah and the Talmud I could refute on simple basic logic. His argument that, without the Oral Law, we could not know what God meant when God said to "afflict [our] souls" on Yom Kippur is particularly ludicrous. Klinghoffer simply assumes that this must refer to some clearly stated ritual action or actions, and endeavors to show us that--TaDa!--the Talmud lists what these actions are. It never occurs to him that this might refer to an inner state one is supposed to achieve, and that how a particular person achieves this state is up to him. (And believe me, I've met some people who don't or can't fast on Yom Kippur but have definitely found other ways to "afflict their souls").

The only reason I don't give this book one star (or zero) is that it helped me realize how far I've come in my Jewish journey, seeing that I could refute all of Klinghoffer's bad theology on logic alone.

Caustic and simplistic view of Judaism.......2001-07-10

Kudos to the 'reader' from North Brunswick NJ for his observations. Just to briefly give some detail to his comments: regarding Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith "to which every Jew must assent," no less an (Orthodox) authority than Nachmanides (the Ramban) takes issue with the 7th principle, that Moses' level of prophecy exceeds that of all others. See "Kitvei Ramban" (ed. Chavel) page 322/323, where after discussing the relative insight of Abraham, Moses and the angels, Ramban states that Mashiach will have a fuller understanding of God than them. Ralbag (Gersonides) states a similar opinion. Regarding the 8th principle, that the Torah we have today is exactly what Moses received, although the transmission process has been meticulous, there are many traditional (orthodox) sources that acknowledge that this may very likely not be the case. Tractate Soferim in the Babylonian Talmud makes references to variant readings, the Midrash in Bamidbar Rabba "describes" a visit to Ezra the scribe by Elijah the prophet where the nekudot (dots over the Masoretic Hebrew text) are characterized as signs pointing out words/letters of "questionable" authenticity. One can also mention the phenomenon of Ketiv u'Keri (words spelled one way in the Torah, yet pronounced differently) as reflecting some uncertainty in the text. Although it is a mitzvah (commandment) for one to write for himself a Torah scroll, the halacha (law) is that the scribe does not make a blessing prior to writing precisely due to the uncertainty of the text. Maimonides himself is known to have searched extensively for an "accurate" text of the Torah. His eight principle is believed to have arisen as a polemic to the masses, who were being accused by their Islamic neighbors that Jews had changed/falsified the Torah. This is an example of what he termed "necessary opinion" as opposed to a "correct opinion." Even Rashi, who no one as of yet has accused of not being Orthodox, seems to have a version of the Torah with an extra letter "vav" that does not appear in our text in parashat Teruma. As regards the Oral Law, the very existence of Machloket (differences of opinion) among the sages suggests that, yes, while the Torah and much of what is embodied in the Talmud is of Sinaitic origin, once it was given to Man, it became vulnerable to human imperfection in the process of transmission ("Lo bashamayin Hee" - the Torah is not in heaven)

a personal journey indeed.......2000-09-15

This book is the story of a very personal journey of identity and authenticity. It contributes to the multicultural understanding of modern America. I could not always understand the author's sentiments and emotions, but I do not doubt his sincerety. It certainly caused me to question whether I have been true to, and sufficiently respectful of, my own race - the author's emphasis on the need for authentic expression of one's bloodline is compelling.

Goodbye, for Now: The Story of Jesus' Return to Heaven (Nederveld, Patricia L., God Loves Me, Bk. 45.) (Nederveld, Patricia L., God Loves Me, Bk. 45.)

Average customer rating:

Great Story!

Goodbye, for Now: The Story of Jesus' Return to Heaven (Nederveld, Patricia L., God Loves Me, Bk. 45.) (Nederveld, Patricia L., God Loves Me, Bk. 45.)
Patricia L. Nederveld
Manufacturer: Faith Alive Christian Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1562123149

Customer Reviews:

Great Story!.......2007-03-19

This book is a simple retelling of Christ's ascension into Heaven. It is very good to read to 2-3-yr.-old children. Mrs. Nederveld does a good job of making the story succint while still engaging the child's interest.

New Christopher Pike-4 Vol. Boxed Set: Last Vampire 2: Black Blood, Last Vampire 3: Red Dice, Remember Me 2: The Return, Remember Me 3: The Last Story

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New Christopher Pike-4 Vol. Boxed Set: Last Vampire 2: Black Blood, Last Vampire 3: Red Dice, Remember Me 2: The Return, Remember Me 3: The Last Story
Christopher Pike
Manufacturer: Archway Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The LAST VAMPIRE (LAST VAMPIRE 1) : THE LAST VAMPIRE

ASIN: 067190602X

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