From the 1970s to the 1980s there would be a smattering of romance novels made into movies, some from Harlequin, Pocket Books, and other publishers. Here we look at four books that made it to the big screeen.
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
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
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
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
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.”
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. 3.5 stars
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
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
Written in 1983, Anne Mather’s Stormspell was anachronistic even for its day. A sheltered heroine rescues an engaged shipwrecked Englishman. 4 1/2 stars
