Jamie is the 5th book in Lori Foster's Visitation, NC series, which follows the lives and loves of some really macho men and the feisty women who tame and challenge them. This final installment is the book that "every woman's been waiting for," according to the cover. Finally, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Jamie Creed, Visitation's resident mountain man and psychic (complete with long hair and bushy beard), will be revealed. And, of course, he'll find love. Before Faith Owen shows up on his mountain, Jamie's biggest problem is keeping track of all the information his mind is open to, and dealing with the inhabitants of Visitation who are determined to befriend and care about him. His powers and his history force him to separate himself from society, but in the past he has not been able to stand idly by when he senses a threat to the people in town. He's gotten involved (butted in, some of them might say), and it has earned him some friendships he's reluctant to accept.When a summer storm hits, Jamie finds himself being tracked. Clint, the local sheriff, is trying to find him to make sure he's okay, but he's not the only one. Faith Owen is struggling to get up the mountain as well, and when he finds her, she knows him. Not only that, she knows how to block his telepathy.This sends Jamie into a paranoid spiral that starts with him throwing away her clothing and causes him to look deeply into his past. He finds himself discussing with Faith things he never talked about with anyone else, but it's easier because she already knows. And Faith has her own reasons for being there. Harming Jamie is the last thing she wants, but there are others who would, and the sense of danger increases his paranoia. Unfortunately, Jamie's story isn't interesting enough to fill up his own book. This was disappointing to me, because there was so much potential, and his presence in the previous novels hinted at a really intriguing story. He and Faith end up sharing their novel with Alyx Winston (the sister of Joe, from Say No to Joe?) and Deputy Scott Royal. Their romance has also played out through the series, and it finally cements in this book, complete with the Big Misunderstanding and Declaration of Love scenes. As for Jamie and Faith, they spend a lot of time sitting around talking in his cabin. Jamie is a good character, developed throughout four other books, with the potential to have a really exciting backstory and suspenseful conclusion. He doesn't get either. He does get a "surprise" twist at the end, but I saw it coming 10 miles away so I doubt it was really meant to be a surprise. All the action is going on in town, with Scott and Alyx in the middle of it. But it's completely ridiculous action. Throughout this series I was plagued by the thought, "But real people don't act this way!" The conflict is really vague and confusing for most of the novel, and even at the end it just didn't make that much sense. I don't know why I keep expecting more from Foster's novels. I'm constantly disappointed by the writing and plots. It seems like everything that happens is a contrived device to throw together two scorching hot people who can't think past their raging lust. Half of each book involves the characters just looking at each other, and thinking about how sexy the other person is. Frankly, it gets kind of boring. The best parts are when all of the characters from the previous books are interacting, but by this point there were so many of them that the prose gets really juvenile. They are consistently referred to as "the men" or "the wives," even in dialogue. Group scenes end up getting described in chunks just to show where everyone is. And while the interactions are sometimes amusing, they are still, for the most part, unrealistic. No wonder somebody in my building dumped all her books in the laundry room.
This story between a future-seeing mountain man and a well intentioned, determined woman caught my interest and exceeded my expectations. Jamie, a ruggedly sexy eccentric hero, at first seems to be a lonely hermit with serious trust issues. As the story progresses, he continues to keep his guard up when he meets and cohabits with Faith, the heroine who is set on winning his heart. Despite his best efforts to keep his guard up, Faith causes him to slowly lower it as she gradually wins his trust. Faith was on a mission to keep Jamie safe and win his heart. Unlike so many others, she can block Jamie from reading her thoughts, and it's a good thing too, because she cannot share the truth with him until the time is right. Faith is relentless on her mission, and Jamie cannot resist the tempting curves of her body anymore. They give to each other as well as take from each other, and in their earth-shattering passion, the truth sets them both free. Jamie realizes he can trust and have relationships and Faith realizes she must finally share her deepest secrets with him. This story was a unique story of love and trust, and is one of my favorite books.
What do You think about Jamie (2005)?
I have read all the book in the Visitation, NC series in order. I highly recommend that you do it that way. They are not very good as standalones because all the characters carry from one book to the next. Much more enjoyable when read in order. I loved all of them and Jamie just completes the story.Jamie is a mysterious hermit living on the mountain in Visitation, NC who has been in all the books. He shows up issues a dire prediction and then disappears again. The group of friends from these books have come to accept him and care for him. From the previous books, you just know that Jamie is special and that something bad happened in his past. Clint is heading up Jamie's mountain to ask him to attend his and Julie's wedding. The storm is getting pretty bad, but when Clint spots Jamie carrying a nude woman he decides to head back and talk to the others.Faith is looking for Jamie to help with her daughter, Cory. Faith is from Jamie's past and knows everything about the time he spent at the Institute and what happened to him there. Jamie was kept in isolation and didn't know Faith was there. Jamie is very paranoid about that time in his life and wants to never be found by those people, ever. He is real suspicious of Faith, especially because she can block him. But, Faith has always loved Jamie and her love wins him over. It also proves to Jamie that caring for people does not inhibit his gifts. There is someone out to use Jamie, Cory and Faith and Jamie needs to protect them.
—Anita
I don't think I've read any of her books either, but I've heard of her. LaurelLaurel LamperdBattle for Boodicuttup CreekNovel for 8 – 11 year oldsAvailable from www.amazon.comhttp://laurel6346.tripod.com
—Kissa
This is the book that got me hooked on Lori Foster. I totally buy according to cover and this one caught my eye. Of course it was the last story of her Visitation series. This story can be a "read alone" but I personally felt like I was missing out on all the characters. Once I read it I went back and read all 5 in order. Jamie was one of those background characters with a story that definitely needed to be told. The Visitation series is wrapped up all nice and neat in this last edition. Lori is awesome at bringing her settings/ characters to life. Visitation is a town I'd love to buy a house on Main Street and watch it all play out from my front porch! There are more characters that I'd like to know what happens to so I'm hoping more spinoffs are in her future.
—Shawn
