Recent Reads - A Thumbnail Sketch Of Some of The Books I've Recently Read - Books - http://maxpages.com/readersplace/Authors_A_to

- Classic
- One Of The Best
- Very Enjoyable
- Okay But Have Read Better
- Can We Say Don't Bother?

- January 2002

PASSION'S MISTRESS by Helen Bianchin
This HP (#1704) is classic Presents every step of the way. Wife separated from her sexy, rich, Greek husband has a daughter he doesn't know about who needs expensive surgery so Carly approaches Stefano, who had betrayed her, for the funds. Stefano takes charge, moving wife and child into his home, and Carly back into his bed. No one does a sexy, dominating Greek hero the way Harlequin Presents does, and Bianchin does it best!
4/19/99

OUR HUSBAND by Stephanie Bond
KIDS IS A 4-LETTER word was my first introduction to Stephanie Bond and it had me laughing out loud. OUR HUSBAND is a more mature Stephanie Bond but nonetheless very funny in a satirical, biting way. Raymond Carmichael has married three women. When he dies and the three wives find out about one another their lives are made even more complicated when it's discovered that Raymond was murdered. They say that the journey can be as rewarding as the destination and this was the case with OUR HUSBAND. I didn't much care who murdered Raymond - the heel deserved to die - but what I did care about were Beatrix, Natalie and Ruby, the women who are so different from one another yet who come to depend on each other for support and eventually closure. No three women were more different: a socialite, a doctor and a stripper, each with her demons and faults, yet they finish the journey of "who killed Raymond" stronger than they started. This isn't "The First Wives Club" - it's better! The humor is tangy and subtle; I LOL'd at work much to the surprise of a co-worker who wanted to know "what's so funny in that book?" Sex? Virtually none. Interesting characters: plenty. Goes to show that an author doesn't have to depend on hot sex to tell a good story. You can visit her website at Stephanie Bond.
Gail 1/17/02

LORD FREDDIE'S FIRST LOVE by Patricia Bray
Lord Freddie has proposed to twelve young Regency misses, and has been refused twelve times. He's a beta hero, kind, gentle, a dutiful son, and a good brother to his sisters. Yet no young woman has seen fit to look beyond his ordinariness to the the caring man he is. After a 7-year absence his childhood friend, Anne, returns from the Canada with young son in tow. She's the scandal of the neighborhood and is snubbed by more than one person. Lord Freddie renews his friendship with her and realizes that she has always been his best-of-friends and that he loves her. Despite the rumors and scandal surrounding Anne, he stands up to his mother and neighbors in a valiant effort to secure Anne's affections. This is a gentle Regency read, no sex whatsoever but if you like a beta hero and a quick-to-read Regency I think you'll enjoy this one. 9/03/99

ISABELLA by Loretta Chase
This tidy 168-page Regency is Loretta's first book and one of my favorite traditional Regencies. Lord Hartleigh "inherits" a charming 7-year old from a deceased Army friend. Hartleigh soon realizes he needs a wife to help him raise Lucy; Isabella Latham, he decides, is the perfect woman to marry but she's being wooed by his impecunious cousin, Basil, who's badly in need of a wealthy wife and will stoop to any level to accomplish this. Thus is the basis of this charming book. The companion book to ISABELLA is THE ENGLISH WITCH, Basil's story.

SO HARD TO FORGET - Evelyn Crowe
HSR #745. Mainly from his POV, a nice change of pace, this is a SuperRomance which means a long category read at nearly 300 pages, too long for my taste. I enjoyed the hero, who was human and had faults, but it took a while for me to warm up to the heroine. It's a two-plot story and the last 90-100 pages were very exciting when they were out to con the bad guy. I'd never read anything by this author before - bought it because the hero's name is Max and he's "tough, cynical" and if another of her heroes sounds tough 'n cynical I might just buy the book! 4/3/99

SCANDALIZED! - Lori Foster
I'd started this book about a year ago but set it aside because I just couldn't get into it. After reading glowing posts on the lists I picked it up again. It was a tough slog through the sexual scenes and silly plot. Maybe it's me - I don't know. When we first got cable back in the 70s it was thrillingly shocking to hear the 4-letter words and see nudity on TV. When romance books became more sensual and sexually graphic it was thrilling, too. Finally! Contemporary love stories in tune with the times. These days, however, I need more substance and story; all that hot sex just doesn't carry a book for me unless there's great plot and characterization. I'm in the minority here but this book just doesn't do it for me. In the long run, this is just another "baby book" and I've read better "baby books" with more interesting H/H. No sensuality rating from me; it's supposed to be hot but I didn't care for it. Judge for yourselves. Temptation #657. For the record, I haven't found many of the Blaze titles all that great, and except for a few really favorite authors I don't buy Temptations. 3/10/99

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