3 stars and a half Archives

Historical Romance Review: Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

May 7, 2022May 7, 2022 IntrovertReader

In 1977 Kathleen E. Woodiwiss’ long-awaited third novel made romance history as Avon released Shanna in trade paperback edition. I've long had a tenuous relationship with Woodiwiss' romances., but I am glad I read Shanna. 3.74 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Avon, Bodice Ripper, Book Review, Historical Romance, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Romance, Tom Hall, year 1977

Historical Romance Review: A Lady Bought with Rifles by Jeanne Williams

April 13, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

A Lady Bought with Rifles by Jeanne Williams is a woman's tale of being torn between two men during a Mexican war. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Bodice Ripper, Book Review, Historical Romance, Pocket Books

Historical Romance Review:

April 11, 2022May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon No Comments

When a book begins with a typo, that’s not a good sign, and Ecstasy’s Fire by Rosalyn Alsobrook begins with one. On the back cover of the book, the heroine is identified as Victoria Connors. In the book, she’s named VIRGINIA Connors. Not a good beginning. 3.5 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Kensington, Romance, year 1988, Zebra Lovegram

Category Romance Review: Beloved Deceiver by Flora Kidd

March 29, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Flora Kidd's Beloved Deceiver still sticks out in my mind for one big reason. It's the only Harlequin/Mills-and-Boon I've read to feature a hero from the Dominican Republic, which is my parents' birth country. 3.45 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, year 1988

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

Historical Romance Review: And Gold Was Ours by Rebecca Brandewyne

February 18, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 1 Comment

And Gold Was Ours is a sequel of sorts to Rebecca Brandewyne‘s Love, Cherish Me. I’d consider this more of a companion piece. While both novels have Brandewyne’s hallmark baroque-gothic atmosphere, And Gold Was Ours is not as dark and emotional as its predecessor. 3.63 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Elaine Duillo, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Rebecca Brandewyne, Romance, year 1984

Historical Romance Review: Raven by Shana Carrol

January 25, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Raven by Shana Carol (aka Christina Savage, aka Mr. Kerry Newcomb & Mr. Frank Schaeffer) is a riveting bodice-ripper. It's a pirate adventure that features a kickass, resilient heroine whom I adore. It also stars a hero who isn't worthy to lick the underside of her shoes. This is one of those books I both hate and love and wavered for a long time what rating to give it. 3.49 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Bodice Ripper, Book Review, Historical Romance, Jove/ Pyramid, Ray Kursar, Romance, year 1979

Category Romance Review: Guarded Moments by JoAnn Ross

January 18, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

JoAnn Ross's Harlequin Temptation, Guarded Moments, introduces us to the princess Montcroix, the haughty Chantal Giraudeau. It's up to Special Agent Caine O'Bannion to be on call as Chantal's bodyguard. 3.59 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Temptation, Romance, year 1990

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

Historical Romance Review: The Present by Johanna Lindsey

December 23, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Over 22 years and under two different publishers, Johanna Lindsey wrote 12 romances about the Malory & Anderson clans. These books were massive hits with her many fans. Her novel, The Present, is moderately short at just over 300 pages. It tells two parallel love stories set in different eras in England, portraying the Malory clan in the past and the "present." For no matter how time changes, the love lives of the family remain the same. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Avon, Book Review, Historical Romance, Johanna Lindsey, Romance

Category Romance Review: Falling Angel by Anne Stuart

November 24, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 2 Comments

Anne Stuart's Falling Angel is yet another paranormal from the American Romance line. Read it during the Christmas Holiday season, and it will get you in a merry mood 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin American Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romance

Historical Romance Review: Crimson Obsession by Deana James

November 11, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

I've read about half of the romances Deana James published and I must say Crimson Obsession is probably my least favorite of her works. It's not a bad romance, but it pales in comparison to her other books. Due to my high expectations of James' writing, Crimson Obsession was a bit of a disappointment, although if penned by another author, I daresay I might not have been so critical. 3 & 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Deana James, Historical Romance, Kensington, Pino, Romance, Zebra Lovegram

Historical Romance Review: Paradise and More by Shirl Henke

October 30, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 3 Comments

Paradise & More by Shirl Henke is memorable to me for having one of the most eye-catching covers in romance. A dazzling beauty by Pino Daeni, it features a fully naked couple in a glorious clinch, their nudity covered by some strategically placed flowers and the book's title. Lamentably, I have a later reissue, the stepback version, where their nakedness is hidden under a respectable-looking cover. This is the first book in the House of Torres duo that takes place in late 1400s Spain. 3 & 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Bodice Ripper, Book Review, Dorchester, Historical Romance, Leisure, Pino, Romance

Historical Romance Review: Kiss of the Night Wind by Janelle Taylor

October 27, 2021May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon No Comments

This review is of Kiss of the Night Wind, #3 in the “Western Wind” series by Janelle Taylor. Kiss of the Night Wind is a good book, but has too many issues to be great. 3.72 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Historical Romance, Janelle Taylor, Kensington, Romance, Zebra Historical Romance

Category Romance Review: A Love to Last Forever by Linda Randall Wisdom

October 17, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 3 Comments

A Love to Last Forever by Linda Randall Wisdom is a fine romance between two former high school classmates, Stacy McAllister and Clarence "Mike" Harper. It's 1986 and a 20-year class reunion brings the protagonists together. While Stacy was a popular cheerleader and prom queen who dated the captain/ quarterback of the football team, Mike had been a chubby, pimple-faced nerd who'd been picked on by students like Stacy's boyfriend. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Candlelight Ecstasy Supreme, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Dell, Romance

Category Romance Review: Tonight and Forever by Brenda Jackson

September 14, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Brenda Jackson's Tonight and Forever is her first published book and the first in her long-running series of the Madaris family. It's a Pinnacle Arabesque romance from 1995, which are category romances but are not numbered, at least not to my knowledge. What propels Tonight and Forever into a "better than good" zone is that it isn't just a romance about the healing power of love, it's a book about the power of love itself. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Arabesque, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Pinnacle, Romance, year 1995

Category Romance Review: Driving Force by Sally Wentworth

September 12, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Driving Force, a Sally Wentworth Harlequin Presents, offers few surprises but is a satisfactory read regardless. West Marriot– our hero, not a 3-star hotel but a famous race car driver–was terribly injured in a race several months ago. Madeleine French, a nurse and physiotherapist, had been married to West for four years. 3 1/2 stars Read more

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

Category Romance Review: The Strong, Silent Type by Kate Hoffmann

September 9, 2021May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon 1 Comment

This review is of The Strong, Silent Type, book #2 in the “Bachelor Arms” series and the 2nd of 3 books in the series written by Kate Hoffmann. The book begins with Josh Banks, the hero of the book and a tax accountant (yes, you read that correctly), meeting with one of his clients, actress Olivia Wilde (NOT the current actress using the stage name, this Olivia Wilde is a 75-year-old octogenarian actress). Olivia asks Josh for a favor; to keep her granddaughter, Taryn, out of Los Angeles for a few weeks... 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Temptation, Romance

Historical Romance Review: Highland Fire by Ruth Langan

August 27, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Highland Fire is the third of Ruth Langan's MacAlpin clan Highland series originally published as Harlequin Historicals. The first two books were Highland Barbarian, about sister Meredith, and Highland Heather was middle sister's Brenna's tale. This book tells the story of the youngest MacAlpin sister, Megan, and her romance with an Irish renegade, Kieran O'Mara. 3 1/2 stars Read more

3 stars and a half, Book Review, Harlequin, Harlequin Historical, Historical Romance, Romance, year 1991

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