Contemporary Romance 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

Contemporary Romance Review: The Sheik by Edith M. Hull

April 21, 2022May 12, 2022 IntrovertReader 3 Comments

The Sheik by Edith M. Hull, published in 1919, is as influential to the modern romance genre as Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps, even more so. It was a blockbuster of a success, despite its many detractors. While some modern readers may cringe at its depiction of women, sexual roles, and racial attitudes, The Sheik remains a compelling read one hundred years after its publication. 5 stars Read more

5 stars, Bodice Ripper, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Vintage romance, year 1919

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: Could It Be Magic by Gina Wilkins

March 23, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Gina Wilkins' Could It Be Magic is a comfy romance read. It's a sensually-charged Harlequin Temptation from the early 1990s. Gwen DeClerck is a staid, young widow, who had been married to a man twice her age. When Jeremy Kane, a famous magician moves next door, he turns her stable world upside down with excitement and passion. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Temptation, Romance, year 1989

Category Romance Review: Wish on the Moon by Sally Wentworth

March 16, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 2 Comments

Wish on the Moon by Sally Wentworth has gotten mixed to low reviews around the internet, but it's a romance I fully enjoyed. This is an unusual romance because technically, the heroine is "the other woman." She comes in and breaks up a seemingly happy engagement--and not just a random stranger's but her cousin's. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1990

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: A Perfect Marriage by Laurey Bright

February 26, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader 1 Comment

Silhouette Intimate Moments #621 It's difficult for me to give Laurey Bright's A Perfect Marriage a coherent review because it's a romance novel that deals with adultery. 3 stars Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Diane Sivavec, Silhouette, Silhouette Intimate Moments, year 1995

Category Romance Review: Melting Ice by Rosalie Ash

January 29, 2022May 3, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Melting Ice by Rosalie Ash is a hard little book to find in its original form. It was released by Mills & Boon in 1989 but only published as a special edition for Harlequin Romance subscribers. The book was #55 of that line. I'd give Melting Ice 2.95 stars. Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Romance, Will Davies, year 1989

Category Romance Review: Lovers Touch by Penny Jordan

January 28, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Whenever I see an "Award of Excellence" ribbon on a Harlequin-published romance, I know I'm in for a mediocre read. For me, Penny Jordan is an author who's all over the place. One book can be great, another full of crazy-sauce, others on the blah side. Sadly, her Lover's Touch is kind of blah. The two protagonists are kept apart by big misunderstandings and lack of communication, which is never fun. 2.5 stars Read more

2 stars and a half, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Penny Jordan, Romance, year 1989

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: 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

Category Romance Review: The Other Woman by Candace Schuler

January 10, 2022May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon No Comments

This review is of The Other Woman, book #1 in the “Hollywood Dynasty” series by Candace Schuler. “Hollywood Dynasty” focuses on three siblings, children of a legendary Hollywood couple, as they make their names in the same industry that made their parents famous. (Harlequin Temptation #451, July 1993). 2.84 stars. Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Temptation, Romance, year 1993

Category Romance Review: Guilty Love by Charlotte Lamb

January 4, 2022May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Charlotte Lamb's Harlequin Presents romance Guilty Love is so crazy and full of over-the-top drama. I loved every wild moment of it. As always, YMMV, although this sort of book is right up my alley. But a word of warning: it handles a dark subject that may cause readers some discomfort. 5 stars Read more

5 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Charlotte Lamb, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1994

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

Category Romance Review: Marriage on the Rebound by Michelle Reid

December 22, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Michelle Reid's Marriage on The Rebound is about keeping it all in the family. Shaan Saketa is unique for a Harlequin Presents circa 1998 heroine, as she's of mixed ethnic heritage: English and Lebanese. It's her wedding day. Unfortunately for Shaan, she's about to be dumped at the altar. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, year 1997

Category Romance Review: Too Many Husbands by Elise Title

December 15, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

There are Christmas tales that inspire, ones that make us cry, and others that make us laugh with the joy of being alive. Too Many Husbands by Elise Title falls into the latter category. It's a zany romp of a romance that could have been an old-fashioned screwball comedy on the live screen. 4 1/2 stars Read more

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

Category Romance Review: Timeless Love by Judith Arnold

December 13, 2021May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon No Comments

This review is of Timeless Love, book #11, and the final book in the “Bachelor Arms” series. It is the second of two written by Judith Arnold, a pseudonym for Barbara Keiler. (Harlequin Temptation #565, published December 1995) Read more

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

Category Romance Review: The Honey is Bitter by Violet Winspear

December 8, 2021May 2, 2022 IntrovertReader No Comments

Along with Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, Violet Winspear was one of the three original authors for the Harlequin Presents line when it launched in 1973. Her bestseller, The Honey is Bitter, was originally published in 1967 by Mills & Boon. It had about 30 reprintings under Harlequin. Paul, a Greek tycoon, blackmails Domini into marriage. 4 stars Read more

4 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Don Sinclair, Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Vintage romance

Category Romance Review: The Lady in the Mirror by Judith Arnold

December 7, 2021May 2, 2022 Blue Falcon 1 Comment

This review is of The Lady in the Mirror, book #10 in the “Bachelor Arms” series, and the first of two books in the series written by Judith Arnold, a pseudonym for Barbara Keiler. (Harlequin Temptation #561, November 1995). 2.77 stars. Read more

3 stars, Book Review, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Temptation, Romance

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