Spell of the Mountains by Rosalie Henaghan was my first romance. As such, it will always have a special place in my heart!
Spell of the Mountains by Rosalie Henaghan
Rating: 
Published: 1989
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Harlequin Romance #3027
Published by: Harlequin, Mills & Boon
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback
Buy on: Amazon, AbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader
TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠
The Book
Spell of the Mountains by Rosalie Henaghan, Harlequin Romance #3027, has the honor of being my first romance. Or at least, it was my first “adult” romance. I had read some Carolyn B. Cooney and the like, but never a love story about adults.
The Backstory
Back in January or February of 1990 a package of 4 books mysteriously arrived in the mail. Whoever ordered them I never learned. My mom gave them to me since I was a bookworm and read everything from the back of the cereal box at breakfast to the labels on
After I read them, my love for romance was born! I signed up for a monthly subscription to Harlequins Romances. A few months later, I moved on to Temptations, and any other series I could get my hands on.
The Plot
I remember being entranced by the “exotic” location of Christchurch, New Zealand. (This was long before Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films made the land of Kiwis a hipster vacation destination.)
The heroine, Sophie, and her father owned a farmstead that was deeply in debt. Jonathon, the hero, was an egotistical, big-shot millionaire who wanted to build on their land.
Fireworks ensued.
Eventually, the two come to an arrangement that allowed Jonathon to buy up the land and build real estate on the property. He and Sophie drew ever closer, despite their differences.
As I was a romance “virgin” when I read this, I LOVED the book. It was so thrilling, in such an innocent way.
The scene at the end when Sophie admitted her love for Jonathan after he let his true feelings be revealed is when my 12-year-old self became addicted to the genre for the rest life.
Final Analysis of Spell of the Mountains
If I read Spell of the Mountains today, I admit it wouldn’t be as amazed. It’s a rather simple, by-the-numbers romance. There’s the arrogant hero, defiant heroine, a tug-and-pull relationship of “I hate you” versus “I’m attracted to you” and then a true love declaration at the end.
It was also quite chaste. The main characters did not have sex, instead sharing only passionate kisses.
But since Spell of the Mountains by Rosalie Henaghan was my first romance, it will always have a special place in my heart!
| Rating Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| Writing | |
| Chemistry | |
| Fun Factor | |
| Cover | |
| Overall: | 3.9 |
Synopsis:
“I’d sooner kiss a snake than you!”
When Sophie had angrily insulted New Zealand hotelier Jon Roberts, she’d never expected him to respond with a wager. If he managed to wangle her cherished homestead motel away from her, he’d announced, he would claim a kiss as his prize…
Sophie had no intention of losing out to arrogant Jon! Until a fateful mountain snowstorm trapped them both together — and all her best laid plans went awry…
In the wintry wonderland of the mountains, Sophie — the icy snow queen — began to melt with Jon’s charms. But chilling winds from their past still blew between them… .”
Spell of the Mountains by Rosalie Henaghan
Discover more from Sweet Savage Flame
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.