Reviews

Cielo y Tierra by Christina Dodd

iskanderjonesiv's review against another edition

Miss Sylvan Miles dreaded the moment she'd see Lord Rand Malkin again. Once a dashing rogue, he's returned from battle a changed man. Sylvan, too, has suffered. Sharpened by scandal and tragedy, she vows to heal Rand's body and spirit.

But when Sylvan arrives at Clairmont Court, the man she encounters is far from the great pleasure in taunting her with stolen kisss and the legend of his ancestor's ghost. But Sylvan isn't fooled by his bravado and sets out to break down his defenses...while she fortifies her own against temptation.

**

From Publishers Weekly

Lord Rand Malkin has a problem: traumatized by the horrors he witnessed in the Napoleonic Wars, he is unable to walk. Despising himself as a useless cripple, he is determined to end his life?but he can't bring himself to commit suicide until he succeeds in bedding beautiful Sylvan Miles, the spirited nurse hired to care for him by his brother the duke. Sylvan, though, is plagued by scandal: Eager to escape her social-climbing nouveau-riche father, she, too, had joined the war effort to nurse wounded soldiers?only to be branded a whore by society for her efforts. Shunned and reviled, she sees the Duke of Clairmont's job as her salvation. But Clairmont Court, she soon discovers, is no safe haven. Her new home is stalked by both a troubled ghost and a mysterious prowler who brutally assaults the local women. And Rand himself, cantankerous and rude, is no prize?even if he is devilishly attractive. Dodd's (The Greatest Lover in All England) breathless narrative style only adds to the confusion generated by this setup, and readers may at times feel lost and bewildered, but Sylvan is a charming and admirable heroine, and her relationship with Rand is charged with well-wrought and electric eroticism.

Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Haunted by dreams of the soldiers she couldn't save, Sylvan Miles accepts the challenge to nurse a paralyzed, war-damaged nobleman and ends up finding love and healing herself. The setting is pure early Victoria Holt; the heroine is unconventional and uncompromising; and the hero is angry, tormented, and occasionally charming in this gothically inclined historical, rife with family ghosts and unexpected passion. Readers might also enjoy Mary Jo Putney's historicals. Dodd (The Greatest Lover in All England, HarperMonogram: HarperPaperbacks, 1994) is a former Romance Writers of America Golden Heart winner.

Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

tjdaz's review against another edition

1.0

A heartwarming story about men hating women and women hating men

lisajo85's review against another edition

3.0

This was truly a disaster. I don't even know what I just read...it felt like two books combined into one. Something divided into "before" and "after" which can easily be described as the good and the bad.

I was so excited with the first 100 pages of Move Heaven and Earth. It was such an excellent premise. Grumpy, wounded war hero meets fiery, stubborn nurse...let the drama and passion begin. Rand was certainly an extremely sour hero, but he had a wolfish charm that was appealing. Sylvan was all fire and spirit yet haunted by her own ghosts and memories. At the beginning of this story, she was not a woman to cross. I loved their relationship and how Sylvan supported Rand. You could tell there was something special about them. The way they acted together it was almost as if one could hear what the other was thinking. The family was a pleasant surprise. They were constantly bickering, but it was from a place of love. You could see they were a strong family unit.

You find out our couple has met in the past...Dodd really doesn't explain it well. I was extremely confused as to why their first meeting was omitted. Sylvan made it sound like this meeting changed her life and Rand...barely remembered her? This isn't the first thing that's omitted. Dodd continually jumps around in the timeline which drove me crazy. One month as passed...then two months has passed. At some points I felt I was just supposed to use blind faith to believe these two were in love rather than read it happening. You never really get enough juicy details about them falling for each other. And speaking of which...

Spoiler

these two never said "I love you" to each other! I'm sorry...but that bugged me. I wait for those moments and this book totally denied me that joy.

Here's the problem...Dodd creates a tragedy in the middle of the book that broke my heart. I didn't like it at all. Did she break a historical romance rule?? Technically, no....I guess. But I can't tell you how much is disappointed me that she went there. The climactic ending and the villain wouldn't have been the same had the tragedy been changed, but the book for me went downhill from there.

The worst part was the chilling decline of Sylvan's spirit. The hero does something extremely stupid in an effort to protect the heroine but of course he's not honest with her about it and lets her think the worst. After that happens Sylvan flops like a wet noodle. Rand just crushes her and as if that wasn't bad enough is it takes him FOREVER to realize what he's done to her. Honestly, though he doesn't come to this conclusion on his own. His mother has to help him realize what an ass he's been. There is a scene in the carriage were they first try to reconcile. I was cringing in disgust as Rand convinces her that they are both to blame for the misunderstanding and she should just forgive him. I didn't even want to think it was possible for a hero to manipulate a heroine to that degree.

But it is what it is. I wanted to give it two stars but I really, really, really enjoyed the first half of this book. The ending was just so disappointing and any love I had for the protagonists in the first half was crushed.

puzumaki's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the story, but it felt like the characters werea bit inconsistent.

99musicfreak99's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

smiley7245's review against another edition

4.0

Fast, fun read. I really liked Sylvan; she was strong, brave, and real. Her fear, her nightmares made for a believable character, much more than if she was not impacted by what she saw on the battlefield and what she experienced as a nurse. Rand was a jerk, but his reasons were good. First, because of the injury and refusing to deal with it. Then, his fear for Sylvan after the death of his brother. Like Sylvan I thought James was the culprit and was surprised when it ended up being Reverend Donald. I had just thought that he was a typical condescending "man of God" but was pleasantly surprised when he turned out to be the ghost. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

earlgreychai's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

a heartwarming story about men hating women and women hating men

veronicachp's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This one was exactly the silly romance novel I needed to take the taste of my last 1 star read away. I've read this one twice now, but the plot was still interesting and the romance believable, and I enjoyed it immensely. The only reason it's not straight 5 stars is what I felt was slightly dubious consent, but nothing major.