Laurie McBain was a historical romance pioneer who wrote sweet romances during the 1970s and 1980s. Her books featured adventurous plots and less intense dynamics between protagonists compared to some other romance novels of her time.
Key Takeaways
- Laurie McBain was a historical romance pioneer, known for her sweet romances in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Her first novel, Devil’s Desire, debuted in 1975, and she quickly gained popularity with her second book, Moonstruck Madness.
- McBain’s works featured less intense dynamics and more villain-driven drama compared to contemporaries like Rosemary Rogers.
- Although she had a successful career, McBain stepped back from writing after her father’s death in 1985, leaving her unpublished manuscripts in limbo.
- Fans of Laurie McBain hope for potential future releases as outdated works are being reissued and new ones emerge.
Table of contents
Writing Sweet Romance Adventures… with Dad?
Laurie McBain, A Historical Romance Pioneer
Laurie McBain was born in Riverside, California, on October 15, 1949. From 1975 to 1985, she released seven romances for Avon.
Her father actively nurtured Laurie’s passion for writing and history, playing a crucial role in her journey to craft her first historical romance, Devil’s Desire. This Regency-era romance featured a sweet heroine fleeing greedy relatives. She then finds comfort in the arms of a rakish nobleman.
Published in 1975 by Avon, the premier publishing house for aspiring romance authors, this story placed McBain on the superstar path. This achievement came just three years after the groundbreaking release of Kathleen Woodiwiss’ The Flame and the Flower and two years after Rosemary Rogers’ influential Sweet Savage Love.
A new generation of romance authors, including Johanna Lindsey, Bertrice Small, Shirlee Busbee, and Patricia Maxwell (aka Jennifer Blake), created books readers were hungry for, and McBain, then only 26, helped fill that void.
- Bertrice Small
- Rosemary Rogers
- Johanna Lindsey
- Valerie Sherwood
- Natasha Peters
- Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
- Cassie Edwards
- Jennifer Wilde
McBain’s Books
Laurie McBain wrote sensual historical romances, not “bodice-rippers.” However, she was an instrumental writer in the early years of the modern romance era. Her books are sweet romances that use sex sparingly. The dynamics between the protagonists are less intense than what one would find in, say, a Rosemary Rogers novel. There’s more drama from the villains in her books than from any of her heroes or couples.
McBain’s first novel, Devil’s Desire, was a Regency-era romance with a heroine on the run from evil enemies who is forced to marry the not-so-rakish rake of a hero for protection.
Her next book, which I love, was Moonstruck Madness, arguably her most successful and best work, but that might be due to my personal prejudices.
An arrogant blond, scarred hero in powdered wig and lace who excels at sword dueling + a heroine disguised as a male + highwaymen + a mid-Georgian setting = me swooning.
The sequels about their daughter, Rhea Claire, were the thick tomes of Chance the Winds of Fortune and Dark Before the Rising Sun. Lamentably, I found those to be a bit overwritten, thinking that her tale would have been better told in one book.
“I would not regret putting a hole in your arrogant chest, only it would be deflected when it hit that piece of rock you call a heart.”
DEVIL’S DESIRE
A Bestseller
Laurie McBain sold a lot of sweet, adventurous romances for Avon. She was a great success, with her first novel selling a million copies and her second book, Moonstruck Madness, even more.
The latter book was so popular that it had multiple reprints and two cover runs by H. Tom Hall. I prefer the solo female.
All her book covers were painted by instrumental artists in the genre: H. Tom Hall, Harry Bennett, Pino, and Elaine Duillo.
Unfortunately, McBain’s career as an author came to a halt in the 1980s. After the death of her father in 1985, McBain seemingly retired from writing and the public sphere.
More Laurie McBain Romances to Come in the Future?
There were reports in Romantic Times from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s that hinted at a comeback and stated that McBain had completed another novel. Other reports claimed she was working on one to publish sometime in the near future.
Neither of these speculations was correct; her final book was published in 1986.
Many authors from the golden age of romance are rereleasing their blacklists in e-book format to reach a new audience of young readers. Other writers are producing new work, often the first in decades. It’s possible there are one or two unpublished Laurie McBain manuscripts. They may be somewhere, waiting to be disseminated to the public.
Keep your fingers crossed, as there’s no harm in hoping just for that.
Backlist
- Devil’s Desire, Avon, April 1976
- Moonstruck Madness, Avon, Feb 1977
- Tears of Gold, Avon, April 1979
- Chance the Winds of Fortune, Avon, July 1980
- Dark Before the Rising Sun, Avon, May 1982
- Wild Bells to the Wild Sky, Avon, September 1984
- When the Splendor Falls, Avon, Nov 1985
Laurie McBain’s Romance Reviewed at Sweet Savage Flame
Laurie McBain Book Covers
Links
In RT #62 (1989), Laurie McBain said her new novel was almost done & “set in medieval England.” RT #97 (1992) said the novel was done & sent to her publisher. In RT #138 (1995) she was “finally about to complete another historical novel.” The same unpublished novel or another one? pic.twitter.com/kLbctd2xGz
— Rob Imes (@robimes) October 6, 2020
Laurie McBain profile in ROMANTIC TIMES #50 & 52 (1988) and a letter from her in #62 (April/May 1989). Everything I've ever seen online (like her Wikipedia page) says she retired from writing in 1985, but in this 1989 letter she talks about working on a new novel. pic.twitter.com/6CKXcQKxCb
— Rob Imes (@robimes) June 10, 2020
Although it says online (like on Wikipedia) that Laurie McBain “retired in 1985,” I think that is a retrospective assumption by readers based on the fact that she has not had a new novel published since 1985.
However, in post-1985 issues of Romantic Times magazine, there are a few mentions of McBain having finished a new romance novel — one that evidently was never published for some reason.
A letter by McBain in RT #62 (April/May 1989) says that she is still working on the novel which is set in England during the middle ages.
In RT #97 (1992), a reader in contact with McBain says that McBain has completed the novel and turned it in to Bantam, and that it will be published in either 1992 or 1993.
In RT #138 (1995) McBain wrote in saying that she was “about to complete another historical novel.”
Scans of the above three examples can be found at the link below:
https://twitter.com/robimes/status/1313484347710885888
So, from all appearances, McBain was continuing to write romance — it just wasn’t published. It’s interesting to think that there may be an unpublished Laurie McBain novel — or novels! — just sitting in a closet, waiting to be published.
Wow, I did not know any of this and I spent a lot of time scouring the web. Thank you so much for that information!
So many authors have re-released their older works and started writing again, or at least, have been recently been published, Jennifer Blake and Paula Fairman/Fancy DeWitt come to mind.
Would you mind if I added this to Laurie’s bio? Like you said, it would be great to think there might be some more work out there than just 7 books.
No prob, yep, glad to share the info!