Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3)

Dylan and Nina Finally One! 3.75*****Spoiler Alert

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2019

Nina, had to be the elder daughter and acting mother to Averil, as Bonnie was continually in her Peter Pan phase. As she traveled the country seeking out antiques for her shop, she abandoned her kids, and Nina was left in the role of an adult/caregiver from age 10. She sacrificed her career choices, life goals, and emotional happiness for her family, until Dylan returned to remind her that she needs to care for herself first, before she can make anyone else happy. Her fly boy toy gave her the true perspective of her now small, tiny, narrow life, which needed an immediate overall. With her acceptance into Tuft Medical School on MA, and Dylan joining her, her future can only proceed upwards along with her million dollar trust fund.

Interesting storyline, but Bonnie' s childish, character was infuriating. OMG, where was CPS?? Loved the ending for Nina and Dylan, with Averil and Saint Kevin coming in a close second.

11/30/19-12/15/19

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Cindy Adair

For the love of family

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Once again Susan Mallery drew me in to a circle of family and friends that made me hate to have the story end. This is a character driven story about a dysfunctional family (aren’t we all?) and how the past shapes their present and future.

Nina is struggling with her life being “not unhappy”. Growing up she had to take on the responsible role in her family looking after her younger sister and her own mother who refused to grow up. Years later she realizes she is feeling trapped and that her life is very small. Other characters help her face herself and what she really wants in life.

This story is about love of family, exciting new love(lust), comfortable and forgiving old love, and the love of friends offering unconditional support. I liked that this book revisited characters from Blackberry Island. As always, books by Susan Mallery leave me satisfied and happy that I got to spend time with her story.

Helpful

Lisa c

Not really a romance novel

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

Yes there is a romance in this novel but it really is secondary to the story. I really wanted to read a 'curl your toes' romance and this did not do that for me. This book was about a dysfunctional family trying to get out of all the traps that make them dysfunctional. Nina is the main character who has always been the responsible one in the family. Her father has never really been in the picture and her mother is a flake who leaves the raising of Nina's little sister up to Nina. They all love each other but can't seem to break from the relationship patterns they have always followed.
While these little family dramas are going on two men come into the picture. Kyle is the brother of a little girl Nina used to baby sit for. He is a gorgeous fighter pilot who always had a crush on Nina. He literally come out of nowhere. Nina is fixing the roof and starts to fall when out of nowhere Kyle is there to catch her. He says he's back in town and that she was always his dream girl. She thinks he's good-looking and sexy so what the heck she starts having a relationship with him.
Then comes Dylan into the picture. He was her high school sweetheart. He broke up with her while he was away at college. They were both going to be doctors together. But Nina has to help her sister get through college because the irresponsible mother doesn't help financially. So Nina never fulfills her dreams. Now Dylan is back in town to work at his dads practice and he appears interested in getting back together with Nina.
I really didn't care that much which guy she picked. Even though you could tell who it would be.
So while I really found the family dynamics interesting in this book it wasn't really a romantic book for me. It focuses mostly on the family. And I usually like when the family is part of a story but i don't like when the romance is secondary at best. I mean she is having hot and heavy sex with Kyle and in the next scene she's kissing Dylan. And she goes from sex with one to sex with the other pretty quickly in the end.I know in today's world women can have sex or sexual thoughts with as many men as they want at one time but I really don't want that in a romance novel. I personally don't like it when a guy in a romance novel is playing two women either.
The best thing in the book is the relationship between the mother and two daughters. You get to see things from both sisters perspectives. And nobody's really wrong. Except maybe the mother. This is why I gave the book 3 stars. If I was rating the romance I'd give it 1 star. Maybe having the two guys actively in her life until the very end of the book ruined the romance aspect for me!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Carol Boutin

Evening Stars a wonderful read.

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

Susan never disappoints me. I love her books. Nina and her family were very complicated as was her life. Every thing comes to a head when her sister Averil arrives back on Blackberry Island. Nina didn't know why she was there but she was worried about her sister and her life with her husband. Push comes to shove and Averil heads back home with a new perspective and her new pet. Her life and her love is strong again. Nina is saved from a fall off her roof by someone from her past. Not her old boyfriend but a boy whose sister she babysat for. The boy was 12 and he's now a fighter pilot with a plan to get Nina in his life. He is handsome and wants a fling. Nina hasn't had anyone in her life in awhile and thinks why not. Her old love Dylan comes back to work in his father's practice and stops to see Nina again. He doesn't know about Kyle. Then there's Bonnie, Nina's mother. who has never taken responsibility for anything. Her and her partner Bertie are on a buying trip for Blackberry Preserves, the antique store that she owns. While on the trip they make a purchase of a storage container and inside is this painting that is really ugly. Bonnie loves the frame, the picture not so much. Come to find out it is an original and worth lots of money. Nina puts it in the store vault but have to get it appraised and taken care of. Nina shows it to the world without telling her daughter then they fight about it. Nina can't understand why Nina is upset. The painting is moved to a Seattle bank vault and finally sold for LOTS of money. The girls get trust funds they can live on. Nina visits Averil and her husband and finds that her sister has completed her novel and even has a rejection letter. She's proud of her sister even though she can't understand why Averil is proud of the rejection letter. Then she finds out Averil and Kevin are pregnant. She so happy for them. She continued on her trip to medical school in Boston. She comes home one day and finds that Dylan is there. He has left his father's practice, wants to be with Nina and they plan on marrying. As I said a wonderful read. Loved it.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

I want to visit BlackBerry Island

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

Good book with intriguing characters. I feel like I know each of the characters in this book. Mallery draws a very vivid picture of the location and the characters. She also is excellent at getting you to see all sides of a situation, and the variations in people's personalities. I read as a stand alone, and may read other books in the trilogy, which can be taken as a pretty high recommendation from me.

Helpful

Kate Vale

Taking responsibility for one's life takes some work

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Nina Wentworth has always been the go-to person in her family, allowing her mother to avoid responsibility and her younger sister to float along, never really making decisions for herself. But when Averil comes home without her husband, soon to be followed by mom and her lesbian lover, life gets complicated. Further stirring the emotional pot is Nina's former boyfriend, Dylan, and handsome jet jockey, Kyle. A pesky 12-yr-old he is not--which is how Nina remembers him when she, at 16, babysat the boy's baby sister.

Who should she sleep with? Who can she love? But those questions take second place to keeping her sanity while dealing with her mother and lover, and her sister. When a really ugly picture picked up on her mother's latest antique-seeking trip turns out to be worth millions, the thought of all that money sparks additional angst and a growing understanding, by each of the characters, of what they really want from life and who they really are.

A truly enjoyable story worth each reader's time.

Helpful

Donna Ferriola

Evening Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a book a out two sisters that set out to find themselves on BlackBerry Island and discover what they truly want to do with their lives. Nina was left taking care of her sister at a very young age because their mom used to leave them alone for weeks at a time in search of antiques and she had no choice in the matter. She was twelve years old and much too young for this responsibility and as they got older she continued being the caregiver with a mom that never wanted to grow up. She loses her true love Dylan because she did not think she could leave and go away to school with him to become a doctor so he broke up with her and left. Years later he comes back regretting the decision that he made and sets out to win her back slowly. This is very romantic how their love story unfolds and worth reading about Ninas journey. Averils and Kevin's love story is sweet as she takes time to find herself and him never giving up on her. She discovers that she was not taking responsibility for her life and needed a little growing up to do before they started their life with kids. This was a very touching love story.

Helpful

deeeee

Two men, disfunctional family, weird art...who could ask for more?

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014

Verified Purchase

Nina is a 30 year old pediatric nurse who has suffered a long dry spell without a man. Of course, living on Blackberry Island, Nina knows every man there and none of them light her fuse. Suddenly, there are two men from Nina's past life
invading her present life. Dylan is the ex whom Nina had planned to marry. He left the island for college and med school and the next thing Nina knew, they were no longer a couple. Kyle is four years younger than Nina and has lusted after her for over twelve years. He is now an adult and ready to find his fantasy woman and fulfill his dreams.

Nina has some other issues to deal with along with two men vying for her attention and affections. Nina has always had to be the "adult" in a disfunctional family and she doesn't know how to give up the need to control. Her sister has come home to get her life together temporarily leaving her husband, but picking up a stray dog along the way. Her mom and her partner are off on a buying trip for their "antique" store on the island. There is much family drama but underneath it all there is love.

Helpful

DianaG

Great end to the Blackberry Island Series

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2014

Verified Purchase

Loved the final intallment of Blackberry Island series, although sad to see it end. Nina has been the responsible older sister to Averil since their father left the family and her mother has not ever grown up. She gave up on her dream to become a doctor with her high school sweetheart Dylan who did persue medical school. Nina is a nurse in a pediatric practice on the Island.
Alone and tired of the pressure put on her by her Mom for cleaning up her messes and taking care of the antiques store her Mom owns, Nina has started to do a lot of thinking on where her life should be. She embarks in a sexy affair with a younger "kid" she knew from high school who shows up out of nowhere and sweeps her off her feet. Then one rainy night when her car dies in the middle of a rain storm, as she is walking a car pulls up and offers a ride - Dylan has returned to town to take over his father's practice.
There are many twists and turns, funny scenes where you will laugh and amazing transformations that some of the characters go through. Another great book from Susan Mallery.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

How to sabotage your dreams

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you are like Nina, our heroine, you blame others; take responsibility for a self-absorbed sister and immature mother; limit your exposure to the outside world; and jump into a three-day marriage to ease your heartbreak over Dylan, your true love. This was really a sad story--at least the reader feels this way, because you can feel Nina's anguish in almost every page. However, the Universe never gives up and suddenly the "moons" realign. Suddenly, two old flames reemerge bringing an opportunity for love and sex and a new look at life and its possibilities. In addition, there is the discovery of a painting among the "treasures" the mother collects which provides financial independence and lastly, her true love returns to remind her of their dreams and willing her to seek the life they planned. Yes, it all works out!!!! It's a good story with a lesson for us all. Goodread!! Susan Mallery never disappoints.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

5 star		69%
4 star		21%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3)

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3) › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Evening Stars (Blackberry Island, 3)

›

Customer reviews