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. 3.5 Stars
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
In Crimson Obsession by Deana James, set in Victorian-era England, Cassandra seeks revenge against Edward Sandron for her family’s financial ruin. The story features a secondary romance and humorous elements. 3.5 Stars
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
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
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. 3.5 Stars
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
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
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
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
