This Time Love

December 16, 2002
A star-crossed couple gets a second chance at love, and Lowell's 1986 novel Sequel
gets a second chance with readers in this new hardcover edition. The vintage romance by Lowell (Running Scared) opens with a reunion between scientist Joy Smith-Anderson and journalist Gabriel Venture. The two met seven years ago, when Joy was a romantic, naïve 20-year-old and Gabe a cub reporter on assignment in her native New Mexico. She served as his guide through the little-known natural wonder called Lost River Cave and fell in love with him. The two shared one passionate night before he reluctantly moved on to his next assignment, leaving Joy furious and heartbroken. When she found out that she was pregnant with his child, Joy told him that she had an abortion. In fact, she gave birth to a daughter and in her spare time completed a Ph.D. She now spearheads a research project in the Lost River Cave, but her grant is about to run out. Gabe learns that the project is going to lose funding and decides to help out by writing about the cave again. His surprise visit shocks Joy, but not nearly as much as Joy's daughter shocks him. As the two rehash their relationship, they come to realize that beneath the anger and pain they still love each other. But is love enough to overcome the mistakes of their past? There are few surprises or climactic moments, but Lowell convincingly explores her characters' ambivalence and longing. Though this isn't her most memorable work, it hits the usual notes; fans who missed this novel the first time around will be satisfied.

March 3, 2003
Globe-trotting adventurer and bestselling author Gabe Venture returns to the remote, "unearthly beauty" of New Mexico's Lost River Cave and the memories of the young woman he left there seven years ago, in Lowell's latest, a revisiting of her 1986 romance Sequel. Hardened beyond her 27 years by the untimely death of her parents and the effort of keeping her single motherhood secret from Gabe, cave expert Dr. Joy Smith-Anderson is not worried she'll fall for him again, but she is afraid he'll discover just how much she's come to hate the man who "taught her about love and betrayal." Gabe's writing an article on the cave, which is bound to draw publicity and should help Joy receive a much-needed grant for further exploration. Because of the stakes, the duo repeatedly tries pushing aside their inner turmoil during the reunion for work, highlighting Lowell's strength at expressing subtle emotional shifts in her characters. While the author's well-researched cave information and descriptive passages of natural scenery adapt well to audio translation, the dialogue doesn't fare as well. Lines like "She's in my blood like malaria" are barely palatable in print, but hearing the female narrator's affected, overly gruff rendition makes them truly comical. Listeners may find the otherwise professional recording quality and portrayal of female voices seriously marred by the lack of a second, male reader. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 16, 2002).