Contemporary/Category Romance Authors Archives

Category Romance Review: An Outrageous Proposal by Miranda Lee

April 27, 2022May 6, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Miranda Lee’s An Outrageous Proposal is an outrageously sexy Harlequin Presents. Laura had been happily married to Dirk Thornton. Laura was so obsessed with having a child, however. Soon their difficulty to conceive led to a divorce. But now Laura wants Dirk back. 4.5 stars Read more

4 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Miranda Lee, Romance, year 1995

Category Romance Review: Moon Witch by Anne Mather

March 4, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Harlequin Presents #38 Moon Witch by Anne Mather In this vintage romance, a much older man falls for his younger ward. It's an uncomfortable, but compelling read. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Contemporary/Category Romance Authors, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1970

Category Romance Review: A Passionate Affair by Anne Mather

March 2, 2022May 2, 2022 jacquelinediaz No Comments

In Anne Mather’s A Passionate Affair, the heroine, Cassandra, is a divorcee whom the hero pursues and they engage in a...passionate affair. This was revolutionary. Before this book, lovemaking in this line had been restricted to married couples or "forced seductions" of initially unwilling virgins whose bodies "betrayed them." A solid romance. 3.5 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1982

Category Romance Review: Woman Hater by Diana Palmer

January 22, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Woman Hater (what a title!) by Diana Palmer is a 1987 Silhouette romance that seems to be typical of the author's style. The heroine is young, virginal, and escaping from a tragic past. The hero is a macho, Alpha male, who is also burned by the past, which makes him a "woman-hater." 3 stars Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Diana Palmer, Romance, Silhouette, Silhouette Romance, year 1987

Category Romance Review: Hard To Get by Carole Mortimer

January 13, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Oh boy, when I read "the heroine in pursuit plot" synopsis for this Harlequin Presents, was I ever excited to read it. Heroines who are determined to get their men are my favorite kinds! Alas, when the object of said pursuit is a mean arsehole, the chase isn't worth it. Still, Hard to Get by Carole Mortimer was a wild, emotional whirlwind. With a more charismatic hero, I could have loved this as opposed to liking it. 3.62 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Carole Mortimer, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1984

Category Romance Review: For the Love of Sara by Anne Mather

December 30, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

For the Love of Sara isn't one of Anne Mather's bests. It features a rather unlikeable hero, which is par for the course for Mather. It doesn't help that he's a functioning alcoholic who keeps cans of beer in his glove compartment to help him deal with stress. The heroine isn't any better. She's a professional martyr who's made a lot of poor life decisions. When the book opens, she's about to embark on another bad choice, but in this case, she's doing it to save someone she cares for. 2 stars Read more

2 stars, Anne Mather, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Tribute To Author Miranda Lee (aka Maureen Lee)

December 3, 2021February 5, 2022 jacquelinediaz No Comments

Along with Charlotte Lamb, Miranda Lee was my favorite writer from the Harlequin Presents line. Sadly, she passed away on November 13, 2021. Lee wrote sensually charged romances that promoted the modern woman in all her forms. Read more

Discussion, Miranda Lee, Romance

Category Romance Review: Merry Christmas by Emma Darcy

December 1, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Simply titled Merry Christmas, Emma Darcy's category romance foray into the holidays will have you near tears. It may have you wishing some evil villains get their well-deserved comeuppance. This book is an angst-filled yet ultimately very happy Christmas Harlequin Presents. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Emma Darcy, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Author Spotlight: Debbie Macomber

November 9, 2021February 5, 2022 jacquelinediaz No Comments

Debbie Macomber has been a standout romance novelist for an astonishing 40 years. She's written women's fiction, full-length contemporary, and category romance. Her work has been adapted for the small screen numerous times, for both movies and series. Over 200 million of her books have been out in print. Read more

Debbie Macomber, Discussion, Romance

Category Romance Review: Rainy Day Kisses by Debbie Macomber

November 5, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

I adore a love story where one partner is restrained and uptight and the other is open and free-spirited. Rainy Day Kisses, a Harlequin Romance by Debbie Macomber depicts those elements just perfectly. It's about a woman who has zero time for frills and silly moments enjoying life. However, she butts head with her neighbor, a laid-back kind of guy who loves flying kites. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Debbie Macomber, Romance

Category Romance Review: Tangled Tapestry by Anne Mather

August 18, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Thanks to Anne Mather's Tangled Tapestry I now realize publishers don't always put the correct copyright information in the front of e-books. Going into this read, I knew it was a vintage romance, but you only get to know that it was published in 1969 after you finish it. I'm only stating this because, like many things written in the mid 20th century, it's aged as if... it was written in the mid-20th century! This book may offend some readers' sensibilities, or, if you're twisted like me, make you laugh! 2 1/2 stars Read more

2 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Mills and Boon, Romance, Vintage romance

Covers of the Week #17

August 1, 2021January 30, 2022 jacquelinediaz 4 Comments

I enjoy playing the game of "I Spy" with my vintage book romance covers. Can you guess this week's theme? For the week of Aug 2 to Aug 6, here are some contemporary and historical covers for you to look over and play "I Spy." Read more

Anne Mather, Catherine Coulter, Cover Artists, Covers of the Week, Don Sinclair, Elaine Gignilliat, Will Davies

Category Romance Review: Sirocco by Anne Mather

July 14, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 2 Comments

An Anne Mather Harlequin Presents is what I considered to be an "old reliable." In this category romance, Sirocco, Anne Mather employs one of her commonly used tropes: a hero in pursuit of an already "attached" woman. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Category Romance Review: Bride at Whangatapu by Robyn Donald

June 13, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 1 Comment

Harlequin #232 Bride at Whangatapu includes the hallmark of almost every one of Robyn Donald's books, as it intimately details the natural environment of New Zealand. Whether her books were set on a sheep station, on a yacht in the Pacific, or just a tropical backdrop, you could see the bright green grass, feel the ocean spray on your face or smell the hibiscus blossoms (which don't even have much a scent, do they? Read more

2 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Robyn Donald, Romance, year 1977

Category Romance Review: No Gentle Possession by Anne Mather

June 7, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Harlequin Presents #105 Anne Mather's No Gentle Possession consists of two plot points she's employed many times in her works: separated lovers and cheating. Well, in this book, it wasn't so much a case of separated lovers as two people who briefly dated in the past. The heroine broke it off with the hero when she thought his relationship with his young stepmother was a bit too close for comfort and creepy. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Category Romance Review: Trust in Tomorrow (aka Cherish Tomorrow) by Carole Mortimer

June 4, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Harlequin Presents # 804 What can I say about Carole Mortimer’s Trust in Tomorrow (originally published as Cherish Tomorrow in the US & Canada)? Sadly, that I wasn’t really feeling this one. The romance aspect of the book was fine, kind of adorable, actually, with a very young heroine, Chelsea, in pursuit of the much older hero, Lucas. She knows she wants her man and is willing to fight for him. I really wish Chelsea and Lucas could have had a better plot to go along with their romance. The romance was fine, but it was the story that had me going, huh? Read more

2 stars and a half, Book Review, Carole Mortimer, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Category Romance Review: The Waterfalls of the Moon by Anne Mather

May 27, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

In Anne Mather's The Waterfalls of the Moon the teenaged heroine is in pursuit of a much older man, but the hero's not taking what she's offering so easily. 3.5 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Anne Mather, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

Category Romance Review: Mansion for My Love by Robyn Donald

May 24, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Harlequin Presents #567 Mansion for My Love is one of those Robyn Donald books where you can't believe what the supposed hero does to the heroine. 3 stars Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Robyn Donald, Romance, year 1990

Category Romance Review: Asking for Trouble by Miranda Lee

May 14, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 1 Comment

Harlequin Presents #1614 Asking for Trouble by Miranda Lee a beautiful, yet virginal woman and a burn-by-love playboy find passion together. Is it enough to last? The problem with reading a much-beloved author almost 50 times is that their books begin to blend together. Plotlines get replayed. And replayed. And replayed. 2 stars Read more

2 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Miranda Lee, Romance

Category Romance Review: Shattered Dreams by Sally Wentworth

May 8, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 1 Comment

Harlequin Presents #629 Shattered Dreams by Sally Wentworth is a legendary train wreck romance read. 1 1/2 stars Read more

1 star and a half, Book Review, Contemporary/Category Romance Authors, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance

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