Nelson’s Brand was my first and, so far, only foray into Diana Palmer’s little corner of Romancelandia. Palmer has got a bit of a reputation in the genre as an author of ultra-macho, hairy-chested heroes and virginal, too-stupid-to-live heroines. 2 stars
Was this tepid, dull romance actually penned by Johanna Lindsey? The Heir was Lindsey’s first book where I noticed a weird change. Previously, if there was a Lindsey I didn’t like, it was due to a meandering plot or excessive fighting between the leads. There is friendship for sure in this one, but romantic isn’t what I’d call the relationship between Duncan and Sabrina. 2 stars
This review is of Passion’s Web by Cassie Edwards. There are books I’m glad I got through because I paid for them and can now resign them to the dustbin of history-literally and figuratively. Passion’s Web is one such book. 2 stars
Catherine Creel’s Texas Torment is a Zebra historical romance with a secret-marriage plot we’ve seen before in her more superior Passion’s Chains. 2 stars
Harlequin Presents #200 Show Me Janet Dailey An embittered husband returns back home to face the wife and child he never wanted. 2 stars
When my cat destroyed the cover of my edition of Jane Feather’s Beloved Enemy, chewing it to shreds, I lamented the loss. It was a pretty cover, although I cared nothing for the book. Beloved Enemy begins with an intriguing premise, then about 20 pages in, the annoying “insta-luv” trope rears its head. Everything goes downhill from there. 2 stars
I’m not a fan of the execution of Claiming the Courtesan. However, I thought it was refreshing what Anna Campbell tried to accomplish in her first book. I categorize this style of romance as a neo-bodice ripper, in that it attempts to capture the sexual power struggles contained in those older books, but it’s very modern in its presentation. 2 stars
This Connie Mason historical romance has a paint-by-numbers plot about a pirate seeking revenge against the Spanish only to fall for a Spanish beauty disguised as a nun.
Silhouette Intimate Moments #775 The Perfect Couple by Maura Seger was perfectly…boring. It was okay, nothing exceptional and not perfect. 2 stars
Tara’s Song by Barbara Ferry Johnson is yet another middling Viking romance that disappoints. Written in the late ’70s at the height of the bodice ripper era, you’d expect this Viking romance to rapacious and fun, but I found it rather ho-hum. 2 stars
